spurscenter
06-28-2007, 12:08 PM
Off-Season Game Plan: Spurs
Scott Cullen, tsn,ca
After winning annother championship, the San Antonio Spurs only need to tweak their lineup to be right back among the contenders next year.
Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Spurs might do to get even better.
What's interesting about these Spurs is that, while they seemingly coasted to the NBA title, there are plenty of areas to improve.
They rotated a mish-mash of centres next to Tim Duncan in the post; not one of which was a capable NBA starting pivot.
Small forward Bruce Bowen is a one-dimensional defensive player and, while he's still a lockdown defender, the years could be starting to catch up to him.
The bench consists of aging warhorses like Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Brent Barry. While their experience is obviously of value to a team playing for a championship, the Spurs could use some younger legs to keep re-generating the rotation.
Of course, being an annual contender has its perks too. The Spurs can count on interest from any number of free agents -- really any of the ones that can be had for the midlevel exception or less.
Grant Hill, Morris Peterson or Desmond Mason would be some free agent wings that might fit into San Antonio's plans next season, while centres like Jamaal Magloire and Mikki Moore might be worth bargain shopping efforts.
Really, though, there's little concern that the Spurs will somehow mismanage the off-season to the point that they won't be contenders again next year.
As long as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back in full force, the Spurs can surround them with solid role players and be part of the title talk once again.
GM/COACH
R.C Buford/Gregg Popovich
Returning Centres
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Francisco Elson 58.45 $3.0M
Jackie Butler 56.87 $2.38M
Free Agent Centres
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Melvin Ely 41.41 UFA
Fabricio Oberto 58.89 RFA
A cast of mediocre talents rotated through the middle for the Spurs last season.
Francisco Elson earned the most starts, but with 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, he's easily replaceable if a productive alternative could be acquired.
Fabricio Oberto was supposed to be the better alternative, but he's still a work in progress. He improved in his second season, but still has a ways to go before he's ready to handle a starter's role.
Brought in as a free agent signing, Jackie Butler was a bust, playing in only 11 games. He is just 22 and, based on what he did with the Knicks in 2005-2006, he could still have some interest around the league.
Returning Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Tim Duncan 100.41 $19.01M
Robert Horry 48.90 $3.63M
Free Agent Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Bruce Bowen 67.00 TO
Matt Bonner 48.05 RFA
Tim Duncan is so exceptionally consistent that he doesn't always get the credit he deserves. His .546 field goal percentage was his highest mark since his rookie season and there may not be a better all-around defender in the game. To nitpick, he hasn't hit 70% from the line in any of the last four seasons, so he could always improve that part of his game.
Defensive stopper Bruce Bowen plays in the grey areas of the rulebook, aggravating (and sometimes injuring) opponents, but his work on the wing is a big part of the Spurs' defensive style. With Bowen now 36 years of age, the Spurs could go for a young, athletic wing player to succeed Bowen.
Robert Horry has a minimal regular season impact, but his championship experience -- not to mention his penchant for nailing a clutch three -- is a nice asset to have coming off the bench.
All-around good guy Matt Bonner enjoyed more individual success in Toronto, but he earned a ring for his lighter workload in San Antonio. Bonner could still earn more minutes in San Antonio if he focuses on his defence and rebounding.
Argentinian forward Luis Scola, a second-round pick in 2002, could be a wildcard. Opinions vary back and forth on whether he will come over from Spain, where he's been playing since 1998, but Scola has experienced enough international success to think that he could be a solid addition to the Spurs.
Returning Guards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Tony Parker 93.66 $10.5M
Manu Ginobili 92.19 $9.08M
Brent Barry 65.56 $5.55M
James White 61.58 $427K
Beno Udrih 50.06 $1.75M
Free Agent Guards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Michael Finley 65.06 PO
Jacque Vaughn 46.89 UFA
Tony Parker's outstanding speed makes him one of the toughest match-ups at the point and, even though his shooting range is limited, his ability to penetrate time after time makes him an efficient offensive performer.
Despite coming off the bench more than he started, Manu Ginobili still scored a career-best 16.5 points per game; all the more remarkable because his 27.5 minutes per game was his lowest mark since his rookie campaign in 2002-2003.
Ginobili is obviously good enough to be a starter at off guard, but his offensive spark can add a different dimension with the second team on the floor. It's just a matter of having a solid starter in place.
35 year-old Brent Barry plays a reduced role in San Antonio, but his dead-eye three-point shooting (44.6% last season) makes him very valuable.
Michael Finley is starting to slow down, at 34, but he's still an effective bench player. He does have a player option for next season, so he could be tempted to opt out and sign one more free agent deal. On the other hand, with as much money as Finley has made in his career, maybe an opportunity to defend the title is worth staying in San Antonio.
High-flyer James White will have to keep improving if he's going to crack the rotation and Beno Udrih likely needs a change of scenery.
The big need here would be for a backup point guard to replace Jacque Vaughn, who could leave via free agency.
DRAFT
28th - Marc Gasol, Sean Williams, Jared Dudley
FREE AGENCY
The Spurs have approximately $65-million committed to salaries for next season
Needs: Centre
TRADE MARKET
Butler, Udrih, Barry
Scott Cullen can be reached at [email protected]
Scott Cullen, tsn,ca
After winning annother championship, the San Antonio Spurs only need to tweak their lineup to be right back among the contenders next year.
Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Spurs might do to get even better.
What's interesting about these Spurs is that, while they seemingly coasted to the NBA title, there are plenty of areas to improve.
They rotated a mish-mash of centres next to Tim Duncan in the post; not one of which was a capable NBA starting pivot.
Small forward Bruce Bowen is a one-dimensional defensive player and, while he's still a lockdown defender, the years could be starting to catch up to him.
The bench consists of aging warhorses like Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Brent Barry. While their experience is obviously of value to a team playing for a championship, the Spurs could use some younger legs to keep re-generating the rotation.
Of course, being an annual contender has its perks too. The Spurs can count on interest from any number of free agents -- really any of the ones that can be had for the midlevel exception or less.
Grant Hill, Morris Peterson or Desmond Mason would be some free agent wings that might fit into San Antonio's plans next season, while centres like Jamaal Magloire and Mikki Moore might be worth bargain shopping efforts.
Really, though, there's little concern that the Spurs will somehow mismanage the off-season to the point that they won't be contenders again next year.
As long as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back in full force, the Spurs can surround them with solid role players and be part of the title talk once again.
GM/COACH
R.C Buford/Gregg Popovich
Returning Centres
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Francisco Elson 58.45 $3.0M
Jackie Butler 56.87 $2.38M
Free Agent Centres
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Melvin Ely 41.41 UFA
Fabricio Oberto 58.89 RFA
A cast of mediocre talents rotated through the middle for the Spurs last season.
Francisco Elson earned the most starts, but with 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, he's easily replaceable if a productive alternative could be acquired.
Fabricio Oberto was supposed to be the better alternative, but he's still a work in progress. He improved in his second season, but still has a ways to go before he's ready to handle a starter's role.
Brought in as a free agent signing, Jackie Butler was a bust, playing in only 11 games. He is just 22 and, based on what he did with the Knicks in 2005-2006, he could still have some interest around the league.
Returning Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Tim Duncan 100.41 $19.01M
Robert Horry 48.90 $3.63M
Free Agent Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Bruce Bowen 67.00 TO
Matt Bonner 48.05 RFA
Tim Duncan is so exceptionally consistent that he doesn't always get the credit he deserves. His .546 field goal percentage was his highest mark since his rookie season and there may not be a better all-around defender in the game. To nitpick, he hasn't hit 70% from the line in any of the last four seasons, so he could always improve that part of his game.
Defensive stopper Bruce Bowen plays in the grey areas of the rulebook, aggravating (and sometimes injuring) opponents, but his work on the wing is a big part of the Spurs' defensive style. With Bowen now 36 years of age, the Spurs could go for a young, athletic wing player to succeed Bowen.
Robert Horry has a minimal regular season impact, but his championship experience -- not to mention his penchant for nailing a clutch three -- is a nice asset to have coming off the bench.
All-around good guy Matt Bonner enjoyed more individual success in Toronto, but he earned a ring for his lighter workload in San Antonio. Bonner could still earn more minutes in San Antonio if he focuses on his defence and rebounding.
Argentinian forward Luis Scola, a second-round pick in 2002, could be a wildcard. Opinions vary back and forth on whether he will come over from Spain, where he's been playing since 1998, but Scola has experienced enough international success to think that he could be a solid addition to the Spurs.
Returning Guards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Tony Parker 93.66 $10.5M
Manu Ginobili 92.19 $9.08M
Brent Barry 65.56 $5.55M
James White 61.58 $427K
Beno Udrih 50.06 $1.75M
Free Agent Guards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Michael Finley 65.06 PO
Jacque Vaughn 46.89 UFA
Tony Parker's outstanding speed makes him one of the toughest match-ups at the point and, even though his shooting range is limited, his ability to penetrate time after time makes him an efficient offensive performer.
Despite coming off the bench more than he started, Manu Ginobili still scored a career-best 16.5 points per game; all the more remarkable because his 27.5 minutes per game was his lowest mark since his rookie campaign in 2002-2003.
Ginobili is obviously good enough to be a starter at off guard, but his offensive spark can add a different dimension with the second team on the floor. It's just a matter of having a solid starter in place.
35 year-old Brent Barry plays a reduced role in San Antonio, but his dead-eye three-point shooting (44.6% last season) makes him very valuable.
Michael Finley is starting to slow down, at 34, but he's still an effective bench player. He does have a player option for next season, so he could be tempted to opt out and sign one more free agent deal. On the other hand, with as much money as Finley has made in his career, maybe an opportunity to defend the title is worth staying in San Antonio.
High-flyer James White will have to keep improving if he's going to crack the rotation and Beno Udrih likely needs a change of scenery.
The big need here would be for a backup point guard to replace Jacque Vaughn, who could leave via free agency.
DRAFT
28th - Marc Gasol, Sean Williams, Jared Dudley
FREE AGENCY
The Spurs have approximately $65-million committed to salaries for next season
Needs: Centre
TRADE MARKET
Butler, Udrih, Barry
Scott Cullen can be reached at [email protected]