San Antonio Spurs: A Game Plan After Corey Maggette's Snub

Shaun Livingston is a point guard who showed a lot of promise with the Clippers before having both of his arms cut off by a chainsaw.  Fortunately they were able to reattach them and it appears that his rehab is going fairly well, but the Clippers were so wary of his health after four years of inconsistency that they didn't tender him an offer sheet to make him a restricted free agent. 

Again, something in the area of $2 million-$3 million per season would probably be enough to get him, but he could be a steal or a total waste of money.

Wizards point guard Roger Mason had a career year last season while filling in for Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels.  Whether it was a lucky year or a sign of a developing player is anyone's guess.

Nuggets guard Yakhouba Diawara's name has supposedly been linked to the Spurs.  I have no idea why, as his numbers were utterly unremarkable last year and he was another one of those players whose team didn't bother tendering an offer sheet.

Timberwolves guard Kirk Snyder was a solid stop-gap starter who was able to score here and there and shot over 50 percent last year.  Unfortunately, his three-point shooting has been plummeting ever since he came into the league, which is usually a requirement to play wing for the Spurs.

Bonzi Wells has never been the same player since leaving the Kings two years ago.  But the Spurs still remember what a strong, physical presence he was in their series against the Kings that year, and if the Spurs can rekindle some of that player, the Spurs would have a steal at $2 million.  Of course, that's what the Rockets and Hornets have been thinking.

Alonzo Mourning apparently wants to play one more year, and when he's been healthy he's shown he can still be a strong defensive presence.  The rebuilding Heat may not want him back, but it's unclear if he would consider playing for anyone else.  Also unfortunately, this move would make the Spurs older, not younger.

Heat restricted free agent forward Dorrell Wright has been hyped ever since coming into the league, but he's always been battling injuries that have kept him from achieving his potential.  Unquestionably athletic, could the Spurs pry this young guy away from the Heat for $2 million-$3 million a year?

Stay the Course

Likely the least satisfying but perhaps the most probable outcome could be the Spurs simply re-signing Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, and Robert Horry and returning the same team from last year.

Though many Spurs fans would immediately wonder why a team that seems to simply be a year older could improve on their conference finals exit, there would be a few reasons why this might make some sense.

First of all, it can easily be argued that the Spurs were one healthy Manu Ginobili ankle or foul call on Brent Barry's three-pointer from making it back to the Finals. 

Barry had one of his strongest seasons as a Spur when he was healthy this year, Finley still played well in stretches, and Horry might be able to still contribute if he can stay healthy for the whole season.  The Western Conference Finals look a lot closer than the 4-1 final result when seen through those rose-colored glasses.

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