| Retooling The Spurs Authored by Matthew Schleifer - August 10, 2009 - 4:01 pm
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While Parker is entering his prime and asserting himself as one of the premier point guards in the league, Duncan and Ginobili have begun to show signs of wear and tear. With the Spurs big three showing signs of slowing down, their supporting cast has not been able to pick up the slack.
Last season, with the injury to Ginobili and the added pressure on Duncan and Parker to carry the team without Ginobili, the Spurs were never a serious title contender. They ended an up-and-down season with an eventual loss to the Mavericks in the first round. That was the first time that the Spurs had been eliminated in the first round since 2000.
This summer the Spurs needed to make some bold moves to keep up with the contenders who had all retooled and improved. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Magic and Lakers all made big offseason moves to improve and Nuggets will be going into their first full season with their current core group of players together. With key players getting older, and a weak supporting cast, they would not be able to keep up with the leagues contenders.
The Spurs responded with one of the summer’s biggest trades in acquiring Richard Jefferson. With this trade, the Spurs acquired an athletic, still in his prime, small forward with Finals experience. When the Spurs have been at their best their attack was based on Duncan’s steady play and the explosive backcourt of Ginobili and Parker. Jefferson gives the Spurs another explosive scorer to add to that mix.
Also, over the last few seasons defensive stopper Bruce Bowen had begun to slowdown significantly. The addition of Jefferson should be a huge upgrade at the small forward position. Jefferson will be able to defend quicker wing players and will surely provide more offense than Bowen.
Being an athletic small forward, Jefferson is most comfortable running the floor and playing in a faster paced offense, but he is still able to create his own shot and he is a career 35% 3-point shooter who should be able to keep defenses honest and spread the floor for Duncan.
The Spurs were also able to pick up Antonio McDyess, who signed with the team as a free agent after playing the last five seasons with the Pistons. This was a huge signing for the Spurs who needed to add front court depth after losing Oberto and Kurt Thomas in the Jefferson trade. McDyess is a solid veteran power forward with a polished offensive game and a reliable midrange jumper. Last season he averaged nearly 10 points and 10 rebounds a game for a disappointing Pistons team. With the Spurs lacking depth in the front court the Spurs will be depending on McDyess to be a key contributor. McDyess should provide the Spurs with scoring and rebounding and he is also known as a consummate professional who should fit well into the Spurs philosophy. Not only will McDyess be looking forward to playing for a contender again, but at this stage of his career, he should be more motivated than ever to get that elusive championship.
In addition to the great free agent pick-ups the Spurs have made this off-season, they also did well in this year’s draft. The Spurs managed to pick up power forward DeJuan Blair in the second round of the draft. While it’s doubtful that Blair will be a star at the NBA level, he should provide some depth off of the bench for a Spurs team that was seriously lacking in that department last season. The Spurs have also been one of the best teams in the league at player development and they will be looking for young players to make an impact. Last year, combo guard George Hill played significant minutes for the Spurs as a rookie and will be looking to build on a promising rookie season.
The Spurs will likely rely on their younger role players a little more than usual this season, with Blair and Hill getting as many minutes as possible to keep their key veterans such as Michael Finley, Duncan and Ginobili as fresh as possible for a deep playoff run.
The Spurs have managed to upgrade or hold strong at every position this offseason. Their biggest challenge coming into this season will be to integrate all of their new players into a system that has already been successful.
Being the favorites on paper doesn’t always translate into wins on the basketball court, but with the moves that the Spurs have made this season, they have to be considered NBA title contender. |
