ceperez
08-07-2009, 06:54 PM
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/08/07/haves/index.html
DA's Offseason Rank: No. 1
Last season: 54-28, first place, Southwest; Lost in first round of playoffs.
Added: F Richard Jefferson (trade with Milwaukee), F/C Antonio McDyess (free agent, Detroit; three years, $15 million), C Theo Ratliff (free agent, Philadelphia; one year, $1.3 million), F DeJuan Blair (second-round draft pick)
Lost: F Bruce Bowen (traded to Milwaukee), F/C Kurt Thomas (traded to Milwaukee), F/C Fabricio Oberto (traded to Milwaukee), F Drew Gooden (signed with Dallas)
Retained: None
The key man: C Ian Mahinmi. Any chance that a post-Tim Duncan era will amount to squat depends on whether the 22-year-old Mahinmi is ready for prime time.
The skinny: Incredible work by GM R.C. Buford to retool a still-good team and make it a contender again. The Jefferson deal is this offseason's version of the Gasol Heist of '08; with RJ on the floor the Spurs aren't held hostage by Manu Ginobili's deteriorating body parts -- though a healthy Manu is the key to a potential title run. Bad knees or not, Blair was a great second-round pickup, and McDyess classes up any locker room.
DA's Offseason Rank: No. 1
Last season: 54-28, first place, Southwest; Lost in first round of playoffs.
Added: F Richard Jefferson (trade with Milwaukee), F/C Antonio McDyess (free agent, Detroit; three years, $15 million), C Theo Ratliff (free agent, Philadelphia; one year, $1.3 million), F DeJuan Blair (second-round draft pick)
Lost: F Bruce Bowen (traded to Milwaukee), F/C Kurt Thomas (traded to Milwaukee), F/C Fabricio Oberto (traded to Milwaukee), F Drew Gooden (signed with Dallas)
Retained: None
The key man: C Ian Mahinmi. Any chance that a post-Tim Duncan era will amount to squat depends on whether the 22-year-old Mahinmi is ready for prime time.
The skinny: Incredible work by GM R.C. Buford to retool a still-good team and make it a contender again. The Jefferson deal is this offseason's version of the Gasol Heist of '08; with RJ on the floor the Spurs aren't held hostage by Manu Ginobili's deteriorating body parts -- though a healthy Manu is the key to a potential title run. Bad knees or not, Blair was a great second-round pickup, and McDyess classes up any locker room.