Splitter isn't going to put up big numbers, but he's going to get a lot of run on a good team and will be very effective when he plays. Splitter's translated European stats suggested he was a starting-caliber NBA big man, which is why it surprised me to see him at the end of the Spurs' bench last year.

This isn't uncommon for San Antonio -- Fabricio Oberto suffered a similar fate before emerging as a starter a year later -- and Splitter's overseas numbers were much stronger than Oberto's. Don't look at the five points he had in the opener; look instead at the 33 minutes he played. Dude is gonna be a major factor his year.