Leonard perfect fit for Spurs

Kawhi Leonard is the kind of player the San Antonio Spurs like: He's a character guy who plays defense and comes from a winning program.

It's how the Spurs got the former San Diego State standout that was unusual.

Acquiring the 6-foot-7-inch forward in the NBA Draft required trading up, and that meant parting with backup point guard George Hill, who became a favorite of coach Gregg Popovich during his three seasons in San Antonio and was considered a future franchise star.

It arguably was the biggest draft-day move for the Spurs since 1997, when they had the No. 1 pick and selected Tim Duncan.

"I guess I just fitted their type of scheme," Leonard said Saturday.

No doubts there.

For all the attention paid last season to the revved-up Spurs, who surprisingly morphed into one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams while winning 61 games, Popovich often moaned about his defense not meeting San Antonio's usual standards.

The Spurs think Leonard is a step back toward that direction. He was a proven rebounder at San Diego State, averaging 10.6 rebounds last season in helping the Aztecs win a school-record 34 games and reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He even welcomed a comparison to Dennis Rodman when it comes to his pursuit of missed shots.

"I try to go after every rebound like Dennis Rodman. Some nights he came out with 20 rebounds; one night I had 20 rebounds," Leonard said. "It just shows how much passion we have on the defensive end and how much energy we bring to the team."

Leonard was one of four draft-day additions for San Antonio. The Spurs picked Texas guard and former Findlay Prep standout Cory Joseph at 29th overall, getting a player Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said the team had targeted going into the draft.

The 6-3 guard, who played one season at Texas, eventually could grow into Hill's replacement.

"I need to work on my game, obviously," Joseph said. "I need to tune up everything about my game."

■ TIMBERWOLVES -- When Ricky Rubio had his introductory news conference last week, he jokingly promised that he would keep his credit card in his pocket on his first trip to the Mall of America so his family didn't buy everything in sight.

That didn't keep him from busting it out for a good cause Saturday. As a hectic first week in his new hometown drew to a close, Rubio participated in his first charitable endeavor for Minnesota, going shopping at a Build-A-Bear store with a 3-year-old boy whose family lost almost everything when a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis.

"For these guys, whatever (they need)," Rubio said.

When the Spanish point guard showed up to meet the McPherson family, little Taj was wearing a Dwyane Wade jersey. Hand in hand, Rubio and the little boy stuffed a brand new bear and then went to various stations in the store to pick out clothes and get him all stitched up.

The bear went in a box that Rubio autographed, and Taj, who was extremely shy at first, gave him a big high-five when the day was done.

It has been a whirlwind week for Rubio, who is scheduled to return to Spain for the summer on Monday. But he didn't hesitate to help when he heard the family's story.

"It's so fun," Rubio said. "I love the kids. He's amazing. I know sometimes, I don't know why, bad things happen. Everybody has to help to try to be unselfish and part of the (community)."

The McPhersons were staying with their grandfather when the tornado leveled his home, wiping out nearly all their possessions. A local project called Urban Homeworks lined the family up with a new place to live, and Rubio and the Timberwolves got Taj the bear and gave the family, including father Trevor and mother Shara, gift certificates for dinner and Target and a gift card for the mall.

Rubio also got on the court for the first time with some of his new teammates, working out for about two hours with a group that included Kevin Love, No. 2 overall draft pick Derrick Williams, Wes Johnson and Martell Webster.

The session left Rubio wishing the season started earlier, saying he could "play, like, tomorrow."

■ RAPTORS -- Guard Leandro Barbosa exercised his contract option to return to Toronto next season.

The 6-3 Brazilian averaged 13.3 points, 2.1 assists and 24.1 minutes in 58 games last season, his first with the Raptors.

Barbosa made $7.1 million last season and was second on the team in 3-point shooting.

The 28-year-old is in his eighth year in the NBA. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award after playing the 2006-07 season for the Phoenix Suns.