LAS VEGAS — For a player who appeared in all of 15 NBA games last season, Spurs swingman Malik Hairston certainly saw his name in the newspaper a lot.
Most of the time, it appeared in the transactions section.
Over the course of Hairston's rookie season, the Spurs waived him twice, re-signed him twice, recalled him from the NBA Development League once and assigned him there twice.
“I don't think I ever moved around so much in my life,” Hairston said. “I know where home is, though.”
Home, Hairston hopes, is in San Antonio.
The Spurs re-signed Hairston again on July 8, with designs on giving him every shot of making the team's opening day roster.
Between a stellar season in Austin, where he dominated the D-League between NBA call-ups, and a productive run at the recently completed Las Vegas summer league, Hairston seems on track to make good on that opportunity.
He was the Spurs' best shooter in Vegas, averaging 13.6 points while hitting 52.8 percent from the field, and did enough of the little things — read: guarding people — to give himself a chance to emerge from training camp with an NBA job.
“He's starting to understand who he is and where he fits,” said Spurs assistant Don Newman, who guided the summer league team. “You want to see a guy who knows the game. So far, he's proven he does.”
Summer league was kind to a number of Spurs players. George Hill solidified his standing as the Spurs' No. 2 point guard. Rookie DeJuan Blair proved he could bang and rebound with professionals. Ian Mahinmi, the team's 22-year-old enigma of a center, showed he might have a place in the Spurs' rotation yet.
Perhaps no Spurs player improved his stock more than Hairston. An athletic slasher who initially caught the Spurs' eyes due to his abilities as a perimeter defender, Hairston arrived in Las Vegas a remade man.
“He's getting to the rim, and he's reading the defense,” said Quin Snyder, who coached Hairston in Austin and helped out in Vegas. “He's scoring in a number of ways. He's being versatile. That's important.”
With a solid summer, Hairston has positioned himself to earn minutes behind Richard Jefferson and Michael Finley on the wing, and has greatly reduced the chances the Spurs will bring back free agent Ime Udoka.
Next up, training camp.
Originally obtained in a 2008 draft day trade with Phoenix — the same swap that gave the Spurs the pick they used to take the ballyhooed Blair in this year's draft — Hairston was the last cut in last year's camp.
The Spurs re-signed him Dec. 22, and he bounced between San Antonio and Austin before being waived again April 8 to create roster space for Marcus Williams, another former second-round pick whose career path has paralleled Hairston's.
All along, Hairston made fans in the Spurs' front office. Despite the serial waiving of him, the team still wanted to keep Hairston in the pipeline.
“They told me I was always in their plans,” Hairston said. “They just wanted to see me grow. There just weren't minutes up top (in the NBA) for me to get playing time.”
Hairston used his time in Austin wisely, working to add a catch-and-shoot element to his drive-heavy arsenal.
He averaged 22.9 points in 30 games and was selected to play in the D-League All-Star Game. He had to decline, however, due to a prior commitment. The game coincided with his short shift with the Spurs.
Hairston hopes all of that helps lift him to a more permanent place in the Spurs' plans. He is under contract heading into fall camp, but his deal will not become fully guaranteed unless he makes the team.
And as Hairston learned from his yo-yo rookie season, nothing is ever really guaranteed.
“I feel like I'm going to have a great opportunity,” Hairston said. “I'm going to do everything I know I can do, and hopefully it works out.”
Source
Most of the time, it appeared in the transactions section.
Over the course of Hairston's rookie season, the Spurs waived him twice, re-signed him twice, recalled him from the NBA Development League once and assigned him there twice.
“I don't think I ever moved around so much in my life,” Hairston said. “I know where home is, though.”
Home, Hairston hopes, is in San Antonio.
The Spurs re-signed Hairston again on July 8, with designs on giving him every shot of making the team's opening day roster.
Between a stellar season in Austin, where he dominated the D-League between NBA call-ups, and a productive run at the recently completed Las Vegas summer league, Hairston seems on track to make good on that opportunity.
He was the Spurs' best shooter in Vegas, averaging 13.6 points while hitting 52.8 percent from the field, and did enough of the little things — read: guarding people — to give himself a chance to emerge from training camp with an NBA job.
“He's starting to understand who he is and where he fits,” said Spurs assistant Don Newman, who guided the summer league team. “You want to see a guy who knows the game. So far, he's proven he does.”
Summer league was kind to a number of Spurs players. George Hill solidified his standing as the Spurs' No. 2 point guard. Rookie DeJuan Blair proved he could bang and rebound with professionals. Ian Mahinmi, the team's 22-year-old enigma of a center, showed he might have a place in the Spurs' rotation yet.
Perhaps no Spurs player improved his stock more than Hairston. An athletic slasher who initially caught the Spurs' eyes due to his abilities as a perimeter defender, Hairston arrived in Las Vegas a remade man.
“He's getting to the rim, and he's reading the defense,” said Quin Snyder, who coached Hairston in Austin and helped out in Vegas. “He's scoring in a number of ways. He's being versatile. That's important.”
With a solid summer, Hairston has positioned himself to earn minutes behind Richard Jefferson and Michael Finley on the wing, and has greatly reduced the chances the Spurs will bring back free agent Ime Udoka.
Next up, training camp.
Originally obtained in a 2008 draft day trade with Phoenix — the same swap that gave the Spurs the pick they used to take the ballyhooed Blair in this year's draft — Hairston was the last cut in last year's camp.
The Spurs re-signed him Dec. 22, and he bounced between San Antonio and Austin before being waived again April 8 to create roster space for Marcus Williams, another former second-round pick whose career path has paralleled Hairston's.
All along, Hairston made fans in the Spurs' front office. Despite the serial waiving of him, the team still wanted to keep Hairston in the pipeline.
“They told me I was always in their plans,” Hairston said. “They just wanted to see me grow. There just weren't minutes up top (in the NBA) for me to get playing time.”
Hairston used his time in Austin wisely, working to add a catch-and-shoot element to his drive-heavy arsenal.
He averaged 22.9 points in 30 games and was selected to play in the D-League All-Star Game. He had to decline, however, due to a prior commitment. The game coincided with his short shift with the Spurs.
Hairston hopes all of that helps lift him to a more permanent place in the Spurs' plans. He is under contract heading into fall camp, but his deal will not become fully guaranteed unless he makes the team.
And as Hairston learned from his yo-yo rookie season, nothing is ever really guaranteed.
“I feel like I'm going to have a great opportunity,” Hairston said. “I'm going to do everything I know I can do, and hopefully it works out.”
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