Spurs Make First Big Splash of Off-season

The San Antonio Spurs acquisition of Richard Jefferson (left) could put a franchise in dire need of change in contention for a championship.

The San Antonio Spurs are on the decline. Tim Duncan isn’t getting any younger. Manu Ginobili is injury-prone. Tony Parker was forced to take the reigns and be more aggressive offensively, which tired him considerably as the season dwindled. Their bench was awful and old.

Aside from the fact that Duncan has a few good years left, and Ginobili and Parker are still relatively young, their future is clouded, without the youth that would bring them prolonged success. So, given their state entering the offseason, General Manager R.C. Buford sought out make a change, one that could steer the franchise into a new direction and turn San Antonio a title contender once more.

The Spurs traded center Francisco Oberto, 34, Kurt Thomas, 36, and Bruce Bowen, 38, for versatile forward Richard Jefferson, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Jefferson is a veteran, but, at 29, is certainly an upgrade over Bowen or any other past-their-prime guard/forward San Antonio had last season.

As a proven scorer and underrated defender, Jefferson fits into head coach Greg Popovich’s system. He has been extremely durable, having played in every game over the past two seasons, and can give an offense that struggled last season a boost of epic proportions.

If healthy, with Jefferson in the fold, San Antonio could be very dangerous in the jam-packed Western Conference. Jefferson joins a now lethal foursome of Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, and has the ability to make an impact on both ends. The Spurs could easily avenge a disappointing, early playoff exit and make a deep run.

The Michael Finley-Bowen combination at small forward was a debacle. Finley was once a prolific scorer, but is now nothing more than a role player who will occasionally make three-pointers. Bowen could hit three-pointers as well, but he was strictly a defensive specialist. Therefore, they were receiving a minimal amount of offense from one of the most important positions.

Jefferson has two years remaining on his contract. Since that may be all that Duncan and perhaps Ginobili have left in the tank, their time is now. So, even without Jefferson, San Antonio would have been faced with a two-year window, then forced to rebuild. Jefferson gives them the opportunity to seriously contend during this period, and ease their pain once the 2011 offseason begins.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons, on his radio show the ‘B.S. Report’, brought up an intriguing proposition for the Spurs. He said, given that Parker is at his peak, San Antonio should consider trading him for youth.

Parker, who averaged 22 points per game last season and shot 50 percent from the field, is one of the most gifted point guards in the NBA. Yet, because he is still in his prime and is highly regarded, the Spurs would be smart to make him available.

Sooner rather than later would be better.

Since the Boston Celtics are apparently listening to offers regarding point guard Rajon Rondo, maybe the Spurs should put their name in the sweepstakes. Personally, I think the Celtics would be obtuse to trade Rondo, their 23-year old point guard who was quite possibly the best player of the playoffs, especially since they are a franchise also growing in age. But, if Rondo is in fact on the market, the Spurs would be wise to pounce.

Parker will be 30 by the time his contract runs out, and given his frenetic nature, the miles on his legs could make him the equivalent of a 35-year old veteran. Rondo, however, has yet to hit his prime. So, if he was acquired to surround the newly acquired Jefferson and young guards Roger Mason Jr. and George Hill, the Spurs could begin their youth movement two years early.

The Bucks didn’t receive nearly enough in return for Jefferson. But that didn’t matter to them, considering they made the move for financial reasons.

Yes, Bowen, Oberto, and Thomas will play, but this trade took Jefferson’s contract off their books, which thereby allows them to re-sign both guard Ramon Sessions and forward Charlie Villanueva, who are restricted free-agents and building blocks for Milwaukee's bright future.

The Spurs future, all of the sudden, looks bright as well, as the first big trade of a presumptively exciting summer of moves was made.