I don't think that's a thing, though. Like who said talent trumps everything when you miss the playoffs? Teams that miss the playoffs perennially almost always have a ton of talent on their roster because of the train of high picks they get and the ability to overpay to get at least middling talent on their roster. To think Minny, for example, hasn't been talented AF for like six years is weird. Meanwhile you could argue that Dallas has very little talent outside Donicic (and Kristaps this past year) was still had a steady chance of making the post-season most years.
No offense, but it sounds like you're trying to make up axioms on the fly because you are unsure of how to handle a non-contender Spurs team.