By MICHAEL A. DE LEON                   August 8, 2001
La Prensa Newspaper

The Spurs were busy last week with a bunch of signings and with a press conference introducing Steve Smith to the San Antonio media. 

Tuesday, Bruce Bowen finally inked a contract, completing the Spurs starting five of Antonio Daniels, Steve Smith, Bowen, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. On Wednesday, the Spurs announced the re-signing of Danny Ferry and the signing of veteran power forward Mark Bryant, who played last season for the Dallas Mavericks. 

Ferry will back up Bruce Bowen at small forward and will probably play some power forward, while Bryant will solidify the post as a reserve. Two of the Spurs summer league players agreed to contracts with the Spurs on Thursday. 

The silver & black bring aboard two Texas natives, point guard Charles Smith and Stephen Jackson, a small forward who started as a rookie for the New Jersey Nets last season. 

In his rookie campaign, Jackson averaged 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.

The 6-4, 200-pound Smith, who was invited to a Spurs mini-camp last summer, spent the 2000-2001 season in the Italian A-1 League averaging 24.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes which ranked him second in the league in scoring. 

Selected by the Miami Heat with the 26th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, Smith, a Fort Worth native, has played two seasons in the NBA, splitting time between the Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Spurs finished off signings with another big man, Cherokee Parks. Parks, a 6-11, 240-pound six-year veteran, averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in only 16.2 minutes per game last season with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. 

Another summer league player, Amal McCaskill was also signed completing the Spurs 15-man roster, although more players will be invited to compete for a spot in training camp in October. 

This year's Spurs team will be very different with some of the usual faces gone and many new players in San Antonio causing the Spurs to regain the great chemistry they've had for years.