You've probably heard by now that the defending champions are no longer a part of the NBA Playoffs, but what adds to sorrow is the doubt circling over this franchise in the future.
There was always this feeling that even though the Lakers looked unbeatable in a seven game series, the Spurs experience would help overcome the momentum the Lakers had. Today, that experienced squad turned into nothing more than a team of old guys.
The next few years look to belong to the Lakers, with the Hornets, Jazz, and Blazers being part of the mix. As difficult as it may sound, the big three in San Antonio might not be enough.
Tim Duncan is 32, and potentially has three good years left in him. Manu will be 31 heading into next season, and showed that he is not immune to the injury bug or fatigue.
Gregg Popovich did an excellent job resting his players throughout the regular season in order to preserve them for a late playoff battle, but unfortunately it did not produce a championship outcome.
This means the roster must be dealt with and improvements are needed.
It is so unfortunate that the strong Spurs bench is even looking at the wrong side of the age factor. Bruce Bowen is 36, Oberto is 33, and the rest such as: Horry, Finley, etc. don't need their ages mentioned because the way they played are indicative of how old they are. Even Ime Udoka is 30, and he is considered young in comparison to the rest.
So what is next for the Spurs?
They have a few options to consider before hitting the floor next year. The decisions they make this off season could help them be serious contenders next year. They can also give them a year to readjust and then compete, or they can force them to be perennial first/second round dwellers.
Option One
The Spurs need to look to their previous drafts, and this year's draft for a trio of contributors. This situation might call for some spending and moves that the Spurs aren't used to, but needed.
Tiago Splitter, Ian Mahinmi, and the first round pick of 2008 will need to be added to the roster immediately. Tiago Splitter, the 28th pick in the 2007 draft, gives the Spurs a versatile big man at 6'11" who can run the floor and help on the offensive end.
At the age of 23, Splitter gives them the youth they need and a player who many saw as a Pau Gasol, but more likely will be a younger PJ Brown, or versatile Kurt Thomas.
He is currently signed to TAU Ceramica in Spain until 2009-2010, so this move could cost money in order to have him come to the U.S.. Perhaps it is a gamble worth making, especially since Luis Scola left for Houston, and now seems to be a gem.
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The Spurs will also need to bring Ian Mahinmi, the 28th pick in the 2005 draft, he will also be needed on the roster next year. Mahinmi, who is listed at 6'11", will give the Spurs a strong interior presence who can play center or power forward.
Mahinmi, unlike Splitter, is not property of another European team, but instead in the D-Leagues, and has been a development project. Mahinmi has flashed raw potential, but has not yet shown discipline needed to play in the Spurs' system. He needs more looks in order to be fully evaluated and could be a big piece of the puzzle.
The Spurs will be looking at a late first round pick in the 2008 draft, but have had a history of striking gold. They will need to return to the well that has given them so much one more time.
This time the logic is different though, this time they need to find someone who can help immediately, or is the best talent available. The pick must be willing to learn on the job, rather than overseas or the D-League.
It is being speculated that the Spurs could have a pick of someone readily available to contribute, or another European player who could be left overseas, or given a shot to come and play immediately.
The player is Nicolas Batum of France. Batum is a 6'8" shooting guard, with great athleticism and a natural feel for the game. The big knock(s) on Batum is regarding his body being NBA ready, and the experience factor, since around draft time he will only be 20.
Option Two
Trades might be another avenue to explore. Players such as Walter Hermann, the lightly used Detroit reserve, and Andres Nocioni, the Chicago Bulls forward, could be of interest. They are great system players and also have experience with Ginobili via Argentina.
Since the Spurs do not have much to really offer, it seems plausible that option two is either become creative or resort to being a first/second round dweller.
Unless injuries or issues occur on other squads, the window of opportunity might just have closed.
Option two isn't as vast as option one, because it requires some creativity from the Spurs' brass. I just don't think much can be done with this roster without breaking the big three apart.
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4 months ago
The only highlight of Walter Hermann I've ever seen was his feeble attempt at a shot against Orlando in this years playoffs and it was sent into the crowd by Dwight Howard. I'll give you Andres Nocioni as a possibility but why even bother mentioning Hermann?
The Spurs as much as it goes against everything they do should look for some young talent and stop feeding at the Tim Duncan trough. They need to get bench players they can rely on to play quality minutes for them. If they get a little better supporting cast they will be able to comfortably rest their senior citizens. Some of their draft picks they've been hiding overseas and in the D-League should look to come over now as you said.
They probably weren't expecting the NBA to make a comeback this quickly as far as competition goes. It went from a horrifying NBA finals with them and Cleveland a year ago to the reunion of the greatest rivalry of any era in sports being renewned. The average age of the spurs 15 man roster is about 32 years old. They need to make some youthful changes.
The Fabricio Oberto experiment is almost over as he is 33 years old now and isn't much of a presence on the floor. Four guys that should not be re-signed for San Antonio are Brent Barry, Damon Stoudamire, Jacque Vaughn, and Kurt Thomas. Thomas is a good player but he'll be 36 next year is makes about 9 million a year. Matt Bonner could probably go as well, he's 28 and makes almost 3 million a year and I only know of him because I followed him in college.
4 months ago
The spurs r too cold to not be able to win another two championships in the next few years even with their roster i believe they can still be like a second or third seed in the west. Wuz up tim i see you boy. Go spurs go.
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