Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Bowen
4 Duncan
5 Oberto
Bench
1 Stoudamire
1 Vaughn
2/3 Finley
2/3 Udoka
4 Horry
4 Bonner
4/5 Thomas
The Thomas trade added some balance to the frontcourt rotation, something which needed to be done with Horry not fully integrated back into the rotation and Elson not showing any improvement in his second season with the Spurs. Anyways, here's a quick rundown by position.
1 - Obviously, Parker's health is a concern. It's good that there doesn't seem to be much pressure to rush him back. With Vaughn and new acquisition Damon Stoudamire the Spurs can wait a little for TP to heal. I like Vaughn, I truly do, but sometimes he can be a little shaky. But he plays hard and focused. His jumper makes one nervous. Stoudamire definitely has an opportunity to get some minutes and take some shots if he can bring more consistent play. If so, the Spurs will have their best backup 1 in a while. Overall, this is the deepest the Spurs have been at point in quite a while.
2 - Manu. Manu. Manu. Save some of that for May and June. I think right now you have to be comfortable with him and Finley. Hopefully Manu's minutes can be curtailed with Parker's return to rest him a little for the postseason. The Spurs have lost some depth and flexibility here and at the 3 with Barry's exit.
3 - I think the Spurs are fine here. Some are starting to think about reaching for the panic button with respect to Bruce, but he'll be fine come the second season. I'd much rather he not overly exert himself right now. The Ime Udoka acquisition looks better and better. He does look capable of being the small ball 4. Consistency would be nice. But he's on the right track.
4 - Keeping on keeping on. Another season for Tim Duncan. His FG% is down slightly from last season, but his FT% is up 6% to 70%. His rebounding is up, his blocks are down, but so are his TOs. Horry started this season in street clothes and really hasn't found consistent playing time until the last 10 or so games. Of course, it's February. New acquisition Kurt Thomas should help to make this the best position for the Spurs (helped in no small part by the aforementioned Duncan). Thomas should help on the glass, on defense, and provide a little better spacing on offense. With TD seeing half of the game at the 5 it is important that the Spurs have a quality reserve big to play the 4. Matt Bonner was not able to establish himself in the rotation earlier this season.
5 - This position had deteriorated to its worst since DRob left. That includes Radoslav, so that's saying something. Oberto is enjoying his finest season as a Spur, at least statistically, but still plays half a game. The two headed monster that was enough to win it all last season faded during the 1st half this season, primarily due to Elson, who unfortunately regressed after his first season with the Spurs. At least last year Pop could go with one or the other on most nights for half of the game and give TD the other half, before the postseason. Now with Thomas, the bigman rotation is solidified and Pop has some flexibility. Rebounding and toughness have been added. Some new wrinkles will be added on offense.
It will be interesting to see how this season shakes out for the Spurs. They aren't where they were last season, when they were among the league leaders in offensive and defensive field goal percentage. But there are signs that they are slowly rounding into post-season form. In an ultra-compe ive Western Conference that has seen some interesting player movement over the last month, it will be imperative that the Spurs tighten things up and settle into executing at both ends of the floor. That starts obviously with getting Parker back and getting a rotation set for the post-season. If Barry is indeed bought out by the Sonics, it would be nice to have him back for depth and experience (if healthy). Right now many claim that the West is wide open, perhaps it is. The Spurs have again been relegated to also-ran status by the same pundits who placed them there last year and in championship years prior. However, the Spurs don't play for the pundits but rather for rings.
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