Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs

by David Pincus
2006-06-28

After winning the championship for the third time in seven years, some very confused individuals were starting to call this team a dynasty. Whether dynastic or not, it was clear that this was the team to beat in the West. Unfortunately a foul on a Dirk Nowitzki layup in Game 7 sent them to OT and the Spurs season was over.

Their year began very promising. The Spurs picked up Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley for cheap and San Antonio’s bench became the deepest in the League.

Sure enough the Spurs got off to a great start. Tony Parker became the team’s leading scorer as Duncan had an off year. Ginobili and several other Spurs had a series of injuries that tested their depth.

By the end of the year the perception of the Spurs was 50-50. The Spurs won a franchise record 63 games and finished #1 in the Western Conference. But many analysts were skeptical. The Mavericks challenged the Spurs all season long and at times they looked old compared to some of the younger teams.

In the first round the Spurs struggled to put away the Kings. It took a major effort by San Antonio to win in six games, as Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim played out of their mind.

In the semi-finals the Spurs reached Dallas in what will be known as one of the tightest series in playoff history. San Antonio trailed three games to two and faced the Mavs in Game 6. But thanks to Jason Terry’s Game 5 suspension the Spurs won and got to a Game 7.

After blowing a three-point lead in the finals seconds of regulation, the Spurs blew the series and their season was over. Now what approach will the Spurs take this offseason? Will they make some changes to try to topple Dallas or will they settle with the club they have.

Needs:

A productive Center

With Rasho Nesterovic traded and Nazr Mohammad a free agent, San Antonio will be without a Center for the start of next year. Nesterovic and Mohammad weren’t contributing anyway as Popavich would start Duncan at Center in the playoffs. Starting Fabricio Oberto at Center will be a bad way to get ahead of Dallas.

The Spurs could probably get away with starting Duncan at Center, which would have them pursuing a Power Forward instead. As long as they can get a physical bigman who can rebound they’ll be fine. Drew Gooden will be looking for big money, but an Al Harrington or Alonzo Mourning could work well.

They need to have at an alternative bigman besides Duncan, since he will undoubtedly miss ten or more games. San Antonio hasn’t had a consistent Center since David Robinson retired. The Spurs don’t need to get Ben Wallace or spend giant money. They only need a decent player who won’t totally desert Duncan when the postseason comes around.

An up-tempo guard

San Antonio won 63 games last year and was a foul here or jumper there from getting back to the Finals. They don’t need to completely abandon their roster; they just have to tweak their lineup just a bit.

Nick Van Exel signed a one-year contract to win a title with the Spurs. San Antonio will be one of the favorites for next year and Van Exel may be tempted to return to the team. However he had an unproductive year and Beno Udrih is waiting behind him. Udrih could be a good backup but he hasn’t gotten regular playing time. If he plays 15 minutes a game he might be their answer.

The Spurs are slow and old. They aren’t archaic by any means, since I’ll reiterate that they did win 63 games. Maybe a Trevor Ariza or DeShawn Stevenson will do. As long as Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are together they’ll be right for the future. But unless their bench gets a little younger the Spurs will be retooling the other nine guys soon anyway.

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Rasho Nesterovic Traded (6/22/06)