Manu Ginobili and David West Give Spurs Necessary Depth to Compete for a Title

Manu Ginobili and David West just solidified the San Antonio Spurs' 2015-16 championship hopes.

After signing LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs were surely going to contend for the Western Conference crown next season. But Aldridge came at a hefty price: The Spurs sacrificed three rotational players and one terrific reserve.

San Antonio dumped Tiago Splitter and his $8.5 million contract on the Atlanta Hawks, who happily accepted a defensive-minded big man to back up Al Horford.

Aron Baynes, to whom the Spurs did not extend a qualifying offer so they would have additional salary-cap space for Aldridge, agreed to terms with the Detroit Pistons. Cory Joseph and Marco Belinelli landed with the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, respectively.

Five days into free agency, San Antonio's depth chart lacked, well, depth. Patty Mills and Boris Diaw were regulars last season, but Kyle Anderson spent a majority of his rookie campaign in the NBA D-League, and Reggie Williams managed 105 minutes last year.

POSITION	STARTER	BACKUP
PG	Tony Parker	Patty Mills
SG	Danny Green	Kyle Anderson
SF	Kawhi Leonard	Reggie Williams
PF	LaMarcus Aldridge	Boris Diaw
C	Tim Duncan	--- --- ---

But the Spurs' outlook for acquiring suitable players was grim, to say the least. The front office did a tremendous job of opening cap room for Aldridge, but it essentially opened the exact space necessary.

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders noted that Tim Duncan must sign a contract worth no more than $5 million to make the numbers work. Based on reported salary numbers for Kawhi Leonard (five years, $90-plus million), Danny Green (four years, $45 million) and Aldridge (four years, $80 million), San Antonio was dangerously close to the matching the $67 million cap.

So, the front office could only sign an interested free agent via a $2.8 million room exception or a minimum contract. The roster seemed headed for a Cleveland Cavaliers-esque model, an undisputed Big Three complemented by a couple of solid role players and an underwhelming bench.

Plus, since the salary cap is rising, finding an every-night player for next to nothing would be practically impossible.

Not for the Spurs, apparently.

Ginobili and West—and their respective willingness to take a paycut—have eliminated the Spurs' potentially glaring problem.

The longtime shooting guard announced his return on Twitter, while TNT's David Aldridge reported West will accept the veteran's minimum to join San Antonio.

Although Ginobili's inconsistency has annoyed Spurs fans for years, the future Hall of Famer offers the ability to create off the dribble, a skill not present in the second unit—namely from Mills—before Monday. Ginobili tallied 10.5 points and 4.2 assists per game in 2014-15.

West played the last four seasons for the Indiana Pacers but recently turned down a $12-plus million player option. He cited a desire to win a ring, per Sam Amick of USA Today, and followed through by taking a $1.4 million contract with the Spurs.

The power forward recorded 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds last year, and NBA.com indicates he shot 50.2 percent on two-pointers from 16-plus feet away from the basket. West isn't a tremendous defender, but he's a cerebral player who shouldn't have much difficulty adapting to San Antonio's style.

As a result, the team now boasts a nearly complete, title-worthy roster.

POSITION	STARTER	BACKUP	3RD-STRING
PG	Tony Parker	Patty Mills	--- --- ---
SG	Danny Green	Manu Ginobili	Kyle Anderson
SF	Kawhi Leonard	Reggie Williams	--- --- ---
PF	LaMarcus Aldridge	Boris Diaw	--- --- ---
C	Tim Duncan	David West	--- --- ---

Note: Anderson is likelier to play than Williams, though the latter is technically the team's backup small forward as of July 6.

San Antonio needs to add a few more players to reach the league's roster minimum of 13, and it could waive Williams. The 28-year-old journeyman has a non-guaranteed contract.

But no matter what the Spurs decide on that front, their final three—or four—signings won't be more than filler. That's a stark contrast to what might have appeared necessary if Ginobili had retired or West had opted to join a different franchise.

Veteran's minimum candidates—such as Matt Bonner, Rasual Butler and Tayshaun Prince—are no longer potential emergency second-unit signings due to their affordability. Rather, they're candidates to sign for the minimum and receive a front-row seat to watch a possible run to the NBA Finals.

That championship certainly won't come easy, considering the Golden State Warriors stand in the way. Until proven otherwise, the reigning champs deserve to hold that title, as Bleacher Report's Howard Beck said:

"

I have a policy: You don't declare a favorite to anybody other than the defending champions if the defending champion is intact, and the Golden State Warriors are still intact. So, they get to keep that favorite status in my mind.

But the San Antonio Spurs absolutely deserve to be talked about as a contender, as a team that might be the most likely now in the West—probably is the most likely—to knock off the Warriors if anyone's going to.

"

Golden State re-signed versatile small forward Draymond Green and boasts the league MVP (Stephen Curry), an unquestionably elite three-and-D weapon (Klay Thompson) and a stout rim protector (Andrew Bogut), among other assets.

With Ginobili and West in the fold, San Antonio is capable of challenging the Warriors for 48 minutes and won't be overrun by a small-ball lineup. West and Boris Diaw match up well with Green and Harrison Barnes, while Tony Parker, Green and Leonard can hold down the perimeter.

While the Spurs must respect the rest of the league, they shouldn't necessarily be concerned.

Cleveland spent millions of dollars past the salary cap to keep its East-winning roster. The Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies retained their respective cores, and Memphis signed Brandan Wright.

The Dallas Mavericks added DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews. Kevin Durant will rejoin Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Each of those five teams—and it would be a mistake to not mention Anthony Davis and the rising New Orleans Pelicans—is dangerous, but at least on paper, none have the reserve unit to match the one San Antonio now has in place.

Yes, that's why the games are meant to be played, Cinderella stories are meant to be written and favorites are meant to fall.

But the Spurs no longer need to stretch Aldridge, Leonard and Green on a nightly basis. Gregg Popovich won't be forced to make the triumvirate log unnecessary playing time during the regular season, limiting its effectiveness in the playoffs.

Ginobili and West won't be All-Stars off the bench. They'll simply provide 20 minutes per night and keep the team on track when its stars leave the floor. Without them, however, an injury, individual struggle or the Warriors would have likely decimated San Antonio's championship goals.

Aldridge is the undisputed prize, but the Spurs are built to compete for a title because of Ginobili and West.

 Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.