12. Will the Spurs evolve?
The Spurs are perhaps the best of the “if everything goes right …” contenders, but they’ll need more than fortunate health to challenge the Lakers. Someone in the George Hill-DeJuan Blair-Richard Jefferson-Tiago Splitter group must become an impact player, nearly on par with the Spurs’ Big Three in terms of scoring production and individual creativity. But more than that, the Spurs have to move away — at least a bit — from the brand of low-risk basketball they’ve been playing on both ends for most of the Tim Duncan era. Gregg Popovich has promised the team will try to run more, and the Spurs have the personnel to do so, especially on possessions that start with Duncan — their one slowpoke — grabbing a defensive rebound and tossing an outlet pass to a speedier player. They could also stand to grab more offensive boards, and they need to get to the foul line more.
13. What happens to Tony Parker?
Parker and Anthony are the top names in a so-so 2011 free-agent class, and if things go badly in San Antonio through the first 50 games, the Spurs would have to consider floating Parker’s name on the trade market, especially if Hill continues to develop.
Parker makes $13.5 million this season, so a match won’t be easy to find. But teams will obviously be interested in a 28-year-old with a Finals MVP on his résumé — even if players who base their game on pure speed tend to age poorly.
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