Joel Anthony expected to join Spurs on training camp deal

The Spurs are rumored to be finalizing a training camp deal with 34-year-old center Joel Anthony.

Anthony, who started out his NBA career with the Miami Heat, spent the last two seasons in Detroit, playing just 19 games last year. The 6-9 big man has hung around the league by being a textbook role player everywhere he’s been, bringing solid defense and a willingness to play within himself offensively.

This signing won’t likely move the needle much for Spurs fans, and that’s understandable. At 34, Anthony’s age limits his ability to make an impact on the defensive end, and it certainly doesn’t help his lilliputian offensive ceiling (his usage rate has only skirted above 10 once in his career).

While it wouldn’t appear likely for him to make the final roster, Anthony is an experienced player with fringe-NBA talent. In the least, he’ll help Gregg Popovich prepare a Spurs frontcourt that underwent a number of changes last year, with Pau Gasol, David Lee and Dewayne Dedmon all needing to find their bearings within a new system.