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San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford was at the Petersen Events Center in March for Pitt’s home finale against Villanova. Adams did not play in the game because he sprained an ankle in practice the day before. NBA scouts visit Pitt home games often, but a general manager is more noteworthy. The Spurs also employ Sean Marks in their front office. Marks, a 6-foot-10 journeyman who played in the NBA from 1998 until 2011, is one of only two native New Zealanders to play in the NBA. He is Buford’s director of basketball operations and the general manager of the team’s developmental league franchise. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

San Antonio Spurs, Draft, RC Buford, Steven Adams 

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, meanwhile, told USA TODAY Sports in reference to the James, Wade, and Chalmers absences, "All I'm worried about is managing my own team." Buford's wording was apropos, as Miami team president Pat Riley issued a scathing statement to Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge on Friday that he should "manage his own team." Ainge had criticized James on a radio interview for criticizing the officiating in a loss at Chicago on Wednesday. USA Today Sports

Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Danny Ainge, Pat Riley, RC Buford 

R.C. Buford still wants Wangmene to reach his potential. He's his father here, and his advocate everywhere. "With his mom passing, there's been a lot of guilt that Lex feels over that — almost that [question of], 'Did she die of a broken heart?'" Buford said. "I don't think that's the case, but it's definitely something that weighs on him." Wangmene plays only a handful of minutes most nights. He never got off the bench against Canton. His dreams of playing in the NBA are dimming. But Buford brushed aside the question of nepotism. "He had a good college career," he said. "The Development League is made up of hundreds of people with parallel college careers to Lex." Grantland

RC Buford, Africa, Alexis Wangmene 

But he's got other priorities now. Wangmene established Leading Through Reading, a burgeoning nonprofit aimed at building libraries in Cameroon and other countries. The African way, Wangmene says, is to be patient, unlike the NBA in waiting for that African pipeline to develop organically. He wants to be at the forefront now, establishing learning centers in Maroua and other cities to teach languages, nutrition, and education. Grantland

RC Buford, Africa, Alexis Wangmene 

Speculation that the proposed new owners of the Kings franchise will seek to pry R.C. Buford away from the Spurs when, and if, the purchase is approved and the team moves to Seattle has been met with bemusement within the Spurs’ organization. A source within the organization said that the Spurs’ general manager “is not going anywhere. “He loves living in San Antonio and loves what we have built here,” the source said. “You could probably find about 25 of the other 29 franchises that would like to have R.C., so the speculation is understandable, but he’s staying with the Spurs.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford 

Mike Monroe: Speculation bubbled today new Kings owners will go after R.C. Buford, but Spurs source says 'he's not going anywhere' Twitter @Monroe_SA

Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford 

The new Seattle NBA ownership group has begun discussing possible candidates to run its franchise and has deliberated whether to target San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and former Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Sports

San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford, Larry Bird 

The Seattle group believes it will need to completely rebuild the franchise, and that means hiring an executive with a strong history of drafting, player evaluation and organization building. Kings GM Geoff Petrie, who is in the final year of his contract, will not be retained, sources said. Petrie is expected to retire at season's end, league sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Geoff Petrie, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford, Larry Bird 

Didn’t you warn Sam Presti about trading with Houston? R.C. Buford got the intended humor immediately. “He didn’t ask me,” he said, smiling. Just as Buford once took heat for trading Luis Scola to the Rockets, Presti is being second-guessed for sending James Harden in the same direction. The deals were nothing alike. The Spurs only got money in return for Scola, and the Thunder received a lot for the future and something for Thursday, too. Kevin Martin, replacing Harden, tossed in three 3-pointers against the Spurs. But the bigger contrast is the life of these trades. Buford’s was never a national debate, and it went away in time. Presti’s? This trade will stick with him, good or bad, for his career. San Antonio Express-News

Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Trade, RC Buford, Sam Presti, James Harden 

Chris Tomasson: Using the same logic as my previous tweet, Mitch Kupchak picked Clippers to win Pacific and R.C. Buford picked Memphis to win Southwest. Twitter @christomasson

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Mitch Kupchak, RC Buford 

They would become close, and Buford always admired Gillispie’s ability to judge talent. Buford wanted Gillispie to come work with him in the Spurs’ front office, but Gillispie was never built that way. He needed to coach, and he needed to coach his way. So don’t be surprised if Gillispie ends up in San Antonio, because that might be his only option soon. Clyde is on sick leave now, and so is his career. Gillispie said he’d changed after he didn’t win enough games or friends at Kentucky. He was a mess then, alienating those he should have aligned with, and his third DWI arrest took him to another depth. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford, Billy Gillispie 

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has been on the forefront of mining the globe's most diverse talent, and has always believed that his franchise has benefited from his players' international experiences. Nevertheless, Buford told Yahoo! this in the 2008 Olympics, and his sense of the issue is unchanged: "Even among the national teams, you have a real inconsistency of care with no set of agreed-upon guidelines between FIBA and the NBA. The quality of care is different between an NBA team and national teams, but it's even different among the national teams themselves. "In the especially poorer countries, they don't always have the national team doctor at the tournament with them, and they're using a freelance doctor who may have or not have experience with sports injuries, nor the understanding of the risk-rewards of clearing a guy to play who has a $100 million contract." Yahoo! Sports

San Antonio Spurs, FIBA, RC Buford, USA Basketball, Olympics, Owners 

Buford, speaking at a news conference about the summer league, said he expected to announce the signing of De Colo soon. De Colo is training for the London Olympics with the French National Team. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford, Nando De Colo, Transactions 

Jeff McDonald: Some housecleaning news from tonight: Buford says Spurs have extended qualifying offers to restricted FAs Danny Green, Patty Mills Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford, Patrick Mills, Danny Green 

Jeff McDonald: R.C. Buford, on pluses of Marcus Denmon: "The guy can shoot the ball." And minuses: "It would help if he'd grow 3 or 4 inches." Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, Draft, RC Buford, Marcus Denmon 

Jeff McDonald: Buford said no timetable for replacing Ferry on Spurs' staff. Candidates could be internal or external. Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford 

Spurs general manager R.C Buford couldn’t let Danny Ferry take off for Atlanta without a final parting shot. “I don’t know how we’re going to make the pick at 59 without him,” Buford joked, referring to the Spurs’ slot in Thursday’s draft. San Antonio Express-News

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Draft, Danny Ferry, RC Buford 

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford confirmed the team’s involvement in Parker’s return to San Antonio to have his eye examined. The team, he said, also will be “involved” in the prescription for his recovery from an injury sustained during an incident at a New York City night club on June 14. “Trust that we’re going to take advantage of the remedies that are available to us through the NBA’s agreement with FIBA to understand the severity of the injury and be involved in Tony’s prescription for recover from any injury,” Buford said. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, RC Buford, Injuries, France 

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins is making a push for increased organizational power and has been a driving force behind the movement to replace team president Rod Thorn, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Danny Ferry, a front-office executive with the San Antonio Spurs, met with 76ers owners in Philadelphia over the weekend to discuss a president/general manager’s job, sources said. Ferry has emerged as the frontrunner for the position, but still hasn’t been sold that the possible job structure makes sense for him to depart a comfortable situation under Spurs GM RC Buford. Yahoo! Sports

Philadelphia 76ers, Rod Thorn, Danny Ferry, RC Buford, Doug Collins 

Beyond this unique example of professional discipline, the Spurs — with R.C. Buford as the personnel boss — go to great lengths to find players whose talents and personalities fit the system. "And that comes from the top," our second source points out. "It's very much about the type of people they look for." It certainly doesn't hurt to have Duncan as the hub, Parker as the jet-quick floor leader and the fearless Manu Ginobili doing whatever is required to score. Around them, Buford and Popovich have placed role players who can shoot, defend and move the ball. "The way they move the ball is, I think, what sets them apart from other teams in the league this year," the second assistant said. "I don't know if their ball movement is necessarily better than in years past, but it's no worse. It's always been a staple of their organization." Fox Sports Arizona

San Antonio Spurs, RC Buford, Gregg Popovich