2011 NBA Mock Draft: All 30 Picks, San Antonio Spurs Take Nikola Mirotic

2011 NBA Mock Draft Has the Spurs Going International Once Again

Tony Parker doesn't think that the San Antonio Spurs are still playing for championships.

Tell us something we don't know, Tony. You guys proved as much by losing to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nevertheless, the Spurs are going to keep adding pieces, and one assumes they are not going to abandon their philosophy just yet. As such, we can expect them to take smart, versatile players, possibly from overseas.

That's why I'm thinking they might go for Serbian forward Nikola Mirotic with the No. 29 pick.

MUST READ: Ranking the First Overall Draft Picks from the Last 20 Years

Technically speaking, Mirotic is a small forward. But because he's 6'10," he can be used at both forward positions, and he definitely has the skills to handle the responsibility. He can shoot, he can handle, and he can pass. He is also supposed to be a very aggressive player.

In addition, Mirotic does indeed have a very good basketball IQ, which helps him overcome the limits of his thin frame.

The one potential problem with this pick is that Mirotic just signed an extension with Real Madrid, which could bar him from coming over after his name is called. Obviously, that makes picking him something of a roll of the dice.

Is Mirotic going to make the Spurs championship contenders once again? That's highly doubtful. He projects as nothing more than a role player, and the Spurs are already chock-full of those.

But hey, he can't hurt.

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