San Antonio Spurs Getting Healthy at the Perfect Time
It's about time the San Antonio Spurs are healthy.
The defending NBA champions battled to a 26-16 record barely over halfway through the 2014-15 season, though the cruel irony of the Western Conference is how mediocre that mark is.
San Antonio has played the second-most games against conference opponents by any franchise in the West. As the current standings suggest—nine teams at or above .500 and one within a game—the league's superior circuit has been as brutal as expected.
To make matters worse, the Spurs were constantly hindered by injuries to key players, particularly starters. Tiago Splitter, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard were each unavailable for an extended amount of time, and Tim Duncan also missed some time because, well, he's old.
| Tiago Splitter | Calf | 20 of 21 |
| Kawhi Leonard | Hand | 17 of 19 |
| Tony Parker | Hamstring | 14 of 19 |
| Tim Duncan | Rest | 5 |
Entering a Jan. 16 matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, then, the starting five of Parker, Danny Green, Leonard, Duncan and Splitter had logged just eight minutes together during the 2014-15 season.
Pardon the shriek, but EIGHT minutes in 40 games—or an average of 12 seconds per contest. During the past two games versus Portland and the Utah Jazz alone, the five-man unit practically tripled that mark and registered 22 minutes.
But starters weren't the only ones affected by the injury bug, since Patty Mills (shoulder) was inactive for the first 31 outings of the year. Plus, Marco Belinelli (groin) missed seven straight games early on and hasn't played five consecutive nights as of this writing.
Once again, add six rest days for an old guy—this one being Manu Ginobili—and the Spurs' top 2013-14 bench unit hasn't been available often, either.
The four-man group of Mills, Ginobili, Belinelli and Boris Diaw recorded 245 minutes last season, a team high for an all-reserve faction by 57 minutes—nearly 25 percent. At plus-115, they comprised the second-highest scoring unit on the team.
This year, they've managed just 31 minutes, and the rusty group has been outscored by two points.
Consequently, Gregg Popovich is still adjusting his rotations so key Spurs receive adequate playing time. Granted, that process is finally an encouraging struggle instead of a reactionary issue. Heck, Cory Joseph—who averaged more than 20 minutes per showing and shined before Mills' return—is garnering little non-garbage-time action.
"It's a good problem to have," Mills said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. "We've had too many bad problems so far."
Establishing the rotation will undoubtedly take some time, but San Antonio has entered a long-awaited favorable section of the 2014-15 schedule. Riding a three-game winning streak with victories over the Charlotte Hornets, Trail Blazers and Jazz, the Spurs can make some serious noise in the West.
San Antonio currently holds the No. 7 position in the Western Conference standings, trailing the Los Angeles Clippers by 1.5 games and two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
| Jan. 20 | Denver Nuggets | 18-23 | Denver, CO |
| Jan. 22 | Chicago Bulls | 27-16 | Chicago, IL |
| Jan. 23 | Los Angeles Lakers | 12-30 | San Antonio, TX |
| Jan. 25 | Milwaukee Bucks | 21-20 | San Antonio, TX |
| Jan. 28 | Charlotte Hornets | 17-25 | San Antonio, TX |
| Jan. 31 | Los Angeles Clippers | 28-14 | San Antonio, TX |
| Feb. 4 | Orlando Magic | 15-29 | San Antonio, TX |
| Feb. 6 | Miami Heat | 18-22 | San Antonio, TX |
| Feb. 8 | Toronto Raptors | 27-14 | Toronto, Ontario, CN |
| Feb. 9 | Indiana Pacers | 15-28 | Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb. 11 | Detroit Pistons | 16-26 | Auburn Hills, MI |
| 11 GAMES | 3 vs. West, 8 vs. East | 19.5-22.5 | 6 HOME, 5 AWAY |
The Spurs start their annual Rodeo Road Trip, they encounter a six-game homestand and can improve their 15-6 record at the AT&T Center.
More importantly, perhaps, Pop's crew receives a respite from the terrific play of the West for the first time since late November. Eight of its next 11 contests are against Eastern Conference foes, six of which are one game above .500 or worse.
None are to be overlooked, but the upcoming slate is a heckuva lot more appealing than constantly opposing Western franchises. Nineteen of San Antonio's last 24 matchups came from the West, and it trudged to a 13-11 clip.
When the Spurs last arrived at an Eastern-heavy portion of the schedule—Nov. 10 to Dec. 16—they won 13 of 15 games. If the offensive display the Spurs unleashed on Portland in a 110-96 triumph was any indication, they certainly could rip off nine or 10 more victories over the mediocre teams.
"I repeat, the Spurs are back and the season is over.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 19, 2015"
San Antonio must win a handful of outings on the road for that to happen, of course. A Feb. 8 showdown with the Toronto Raptors denotes the beginning of the nine-game stretch away from the River Walk.
But once again, the situation favors the Spurs. The All-Star break splits the road trip into two pieces. Although it's happened previously, the week-long intermission doesn't always interrupt the lengthy span.
What's more, San Antonio will only face a pair of back-to-backs. During that 24-game period, eight back-to-backs confronted the franchise, and the short-handed squad managed an 8-8 clip overall.
The Spurs continue to receive a lucky bounce when Popovich sticks to his rest-the-veterans philosophy if they suit up on consecutive nights. They'll oppose the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers instead of clashing with Portland, the Dallas Mavericks or New Orleans Pelicans on the latter end like they did in December.
For a team guided by veterans, San Antonio could hardly ask for better midseason circumstances: a majority of matchups against Eastern foes, only two back-to-backs and softer landing spots when those arrive.
After nearly three months of an injury-riddled roster, it's about time the Spurs are healthy. Actually, considering the schedule, it's the perfect time.
Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference and are accurate as of Jan. 19.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR
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