Is this post-Duncan team a legit contender?

[Mel_13]

"post-Duncan team"

[Richie]

No. And no major FA's are going to come here so tank and build through the draft imo. There's nothing worse than being a middle-of-the-road playoff team who isn't an actual contender. It's NBA purgatory.

I do generally agree, but I don't think we lose much on the court by swapping out 38yo Timmy for prime Marc Gasol. Duncans locker room presence is irreplaceable but if Tony can keep playing at a high level and Kawhi steps up I think that team is a 60-win real contender

[dbreiden83080]

7 or 8 seed and 1st round exit..

[hater]

nope

[unforeseen]

7 or 8 seed and 1st round exit..

+1

[chazley]

I want Davis!

I'm sure you do. Anthony Davis is the third best player in the league.

[Spursfanfromafar]

I think if Love was as good as everyone says, he would have lead a team to a .500 record already. For a player who is supposed to be a Top 3 PF in the league to have never even won 40% of his games in a single season is pathetic. I understand the West is stacked so it's tough to make the playoffs, but they've never even been close.

Well...sometimes you should watch some basketball instead of only reading experts or seeing box scores. You will realise the kind of restrictive environment in which Kevin Love is thriving.

[Maddog]

No. And no major FA's are going to come here so tank and build through the draft imo. There's nothing worse than being a middle-of-the-road playoff team who isn't an actual contender. It's NBA purgatory.

The honest truth-it's going to be painful for a period of time- who knows maybe a long time.
Big name free agents are not going to come here, further more SA doesn't have the resources to sign big name free agents with the intent of taking a cap hit down the road.

[Chinook]

What about this team?

Parker/Room exception PG
Green/Bogdanovic
Leonard/Bertans
Aldridge/Diaw
Splitter/FA center

With players like Jean-Charles, Hanga and other draft picks to fill the gaps. I think there's a good chance that such a team would be the second- or third-best team in the West during that time, given that Portland would obviously be done. Really only OKC and Houston would be challengers, unless the Pelicans can get their act together and build properly around Davis.

I feel like Aldridge will leave the Blazers if Portland can't get out of the first round the next two years. I think he's going to start having Lebron syndrome where he becomes disillusioned from having to put up legendary performances just to eek in a game against the fourth seed. I haven't heard talk about him looking for a bigger market, so I think the Spurs would have a real chance to get him if they go after him hard enough. LA is from Texas, played at UT, and he knows the Spurs can build a strong supporting cast around him. I think the situation up in Portland will be a pretty interesting one to watch in the summer. If Aldridge doesn't extend after the playoffs, I think he's gone.

[ElNono]

What about this team?

Parker/Room exception PG
Green/Bogdanovic
Leonard/Bertans
Aldridge/Diaw
Splitter/FA center

At first sight, no. Too soft inside, no actual defensive anchor in the paint.

[jimbo]

What about this team?

Parker/Room exception PG
Green/Bogdanovic
Leonard/Bertans
Aldridge/Diaw
Splitter/FA center

With players like Jean-Charles, Hanga and other draft picks to fill the gaps. I think there's a good chance that such a team would be the second- or third-best team in the West during that time, given that Portland would obviously be done. Really only OKC and Houston would be challengers, unless the Pelicans can get their act together and build properly around Davis.

I feel like Aldridge will leave the Blazers if Portland can't get out of the first round the next two years. I think he's going to start having Lebron syndrome where he becomes disillusioned from having to put up legendary performances just to eek in a game against the fourth seed. I haven't heard talk about him looking for a bigger market, so I think the Spurs would have a real chance to get him if they go after him hard enough. LA is from Texas, played at UT, and he knows the Spurs can build a strong supporting cast around him. I think the situation up in Portland will be a pretty interesting one to watch in the summer. If Aldridge doesn't extend after the playoffs, I think he's gone.

Looks like a slightly better version of this year's Blazers. If Pop is still coaching that's a "darkhorse" contender.

[Sean Cagney]

Watching the game yesterday further proved to me Tim is the best player on the team, without him and a legit replacement no way they are at all a contender.

[maverick1948]

Love? Davis? M. Gasol? Are you people nuts or do you just dream up something to get your jollies off? L. Aldridge? M. Gortat? Will they come here? Not likely. What free agents would maybe come here that would help replace Duncan. How about Spencer Hawes FA this season.


That's about the extent of 2014 FA in the big department.

[Chinook]

Love? Davis? M. Gasol? Are you people nuts or do you just dream up something to get your jollies off? L. Aldridge? M. Gortat? Will they come here? Not likely. What free agents would maybe come here that would help replace Duncan. How about Spencer Hawes FA this season.


That's about the extent of 2014 FA in the big department.

We're talking summer 2015 here. 2014 is pretty much blacked out from the Spurs already unless Duncan retires after the playoffs. If that's the case, the team will be in full scramble mode. Gortat and Hawes aren't options since they're FAs this upcoming summer when the Spurs won't have cap space. Davis is a pipe dream that people need to stop having. The others will be interesting to monitor. I'd say Gasol would be the easiest to lure, followed by Bosh, Aldridge and Love in that order.

[Baam]

If we had signed RoLo we could have had the inside track for BroLo in 2015... My dream post Duncan team could be something like this :

TP
Stephenson
Kawhi
BroLo
RoLo

Bench : Green, Diaw, Livio

[Chinook]

If we had signed RoLo we could have had the inside track for BroLo in 2015... My dream post Duncan team could be something like this :

TP
Stephenson
Kawhi
BroLo
RoLo

Bench : Green, Diaw, Livio

wut

[Baam]

Stephenson and the Lopez bros...

[cjw]

We're talking summer 2015 here. 2014 is pretty much blacked out from the Spurs already unless Duncan retires after the playoffs. If that's the case, the team will be in full scramble mode. Gortat and Hawes aren't options since they're FAs this upcoming summer when the Spurs won't have cap space. Davis is a pipe dream that people need to stop having. The others will be interesting to monitor. I'd say Gasol would be the easiest to lure, followed by Bosh, Aldridge and Love in that order.

On top of that, it's not that the team has had the opportunity to attract a max-level guy. Being compe ive for 16 straight years will do that to you ... nowhere near max money while keeping the team in tact. Summer of 2015 (assuming Duncan means a couple of more playoff runs = ending after next year) is a different story completely.

[xmas1997]

I'm sure you do. Anthony Davis is the third best player in the league.

He is?????????????
Then where does LaMarcus Aldridge fit it?

[Chinook]

He is?????????????
Then where does LaMarcus Aldridge fit it?

Somewhere behind Davis.

[Mel_13]

If we had signed RoLo we could have had the inside track for BroLo in 2015... My dream post Duncan team could be something like this :

TP
Stephenson
Kawhi
BroLo
RoLo

Bench : Green, Diaw, Livio

So much wrong with this, but I'll settle for the answer to one simple question.

In your alternative reality where the Spurs signed Signed Robin Lopez, how do they still have Diaw?

[Malik Hairston]

Lopez frontcourt and Lance Stephenson ..

[ElNono]

holy

[rascal]

People take Duncan's greatness for granted. The Spurs are a lottery team the year after Duncan retires.

[rascal]

Watching the game yesterday further proved to me Tim is the best player on the team, without him and a legit replacement no way they are at all a contender.

If Duncan doesn't come back in they get blown out yesterday.