| Final Chaper For San Antonio? Authored by Derek Flack - April 23, 2009 - 8:12 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
‘Home-Heavy Schedule’ Brings Question Marks
The Heat have been plagued by inconsistencies, making it difficult to determine how good they really are this season.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Duncan is still one of the best big men in the game, but he has noticeably lost a step or two since his team last won a championship over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. Injuries have certainly contributed to his decline in play, but age has also been a prominent factor. Aging in basketball attributes to injuries; Duncan has suffered injuries in successive seasons and will likely soon no longer be the epitome of the perfect big man. He has played through his injuries and hasn’t missed a lot of games, but they have certainly had an affect on his game.
Duncan is still a go-to player on offense. An offense can still be run through him as he commands double teams on the block and is still automatic on fifteen foot bank shots. His defense, however, is another story. He was once one of the best shotblockers in the league, tremendously enhancing the Spurs team defense. His ability to protect the rim was one of the primary reasons that the Spurs have always been a great defensive team. With Duncan protecting the paint perimeter defenders can close out on offensive players with much more aggression and play much tighter defense knowing that if they get beat they have help in the paint.
Recently, Duncan has struggled with his lateral defensive quickness, which has lowered not only the number of shots he has blocked but also the shots that he has altered. This defensive regression has, in large part, been because of his leg injuries and his basketball mileage.
Duncan is still a shot blocker; he’s just slowed down a little. The past two years Duncan failed to block more than two shots a game, which he did in every other season that he has played in. His minutes have slightly lowered over recent years as well and will likely continue to do so as Duncan continues to age.
Ginobili has also been hampered in consecutive seasons by injuries. Ginobili’s wild style of play seems to have caught up with him over the last two years, to the point where he is not even healthy enough to suit up for his team during their current postseason run.
In order for Ginobili to extend his career, he may have to abandon his reckless drives to the hoop, which is what makes him such a difficult and unpredictable player to defend. He has always played very aggressively with the ball in his hands, driving like a newly licensed teenager, enabling him to get to the free throw line and get himself into an offensive rhythm. Playing this way opens up the deep jump shots for him, and with the whole package he was at times as unstoppable as Kobe Bryant.
If Ginobili has to change the way he plays offense, opposing teams will likely adapt a different defensive scheme and play team defense in another way. If he continues to play wildly, however, expect the injuries to continue to amass, which in-turn hurts his team more than if he plays a more passive offensive role.
Though Ginobili has only played in seven NBA seasons, he is already in his thirties, which is typically when players stop getting better and start to slowly regress. His pre-NBA days featured plenty of international play and during his career he has been a year round player, logging heavy minutes in the offseason for his Argentina National Team. The nonstop play has put heavy wear and tear on his body, which probably helps explain a lot his injury issues. Athletes need time away from their sport to allow their bodies to heal and replenish; Ginobili hasn’t had the opportunity to experience that necessary break from basketball.
Of the big three, Parker is the only player who has been somewhat healthy, though he too has suffered some minor injuries. Unlike Duncan and Ginobili, who seem to be on the downside of their careers, Parker is in the prime of his. Parker is one of the fastest guards in the league, but because of a well aged roster he often finds himself alone for one-on-one and one-on-two fast breaks, which don’t offer as great of scoring opportunities as having teammates running the break with him does.
The rest of the current roster is mostly set for next season. Besides Parker, George Hill, and Roger Mason all the other players will be a year older, a year slower, and another year past their prime. Even though players like Michael Finely and Kurt Thomas are still dependable role players, they are a year or two away from retirement.
Can Parker carry a team alone? With aging, injury plagued sidekicks on his side, that might be San Antonio’s only option for the foreseeable future. The Spurs will be over the salary cap next season with the majority of the current rotation intact. Unless a blockbuster trade (Vince Carter?) surfaces this summer, then this roster will remain relatively unchanged, just a year older and a little more injury prone. |
