Expensive Summer Affords Sage San Antonio Spurs Another Title Shot

Tony Parker crashed to the ground, his ankle wrecked after a missed floater in traffic caused an awkward landing. The San Antonio Spurs young star left the game in agony, and any chance of a winning season seemed to crumple with him.

With the Miami Heat's fast start in the eventual home loss forcing Tim Duncan to the bench, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said the five Spurs on the floor might comprise the least talented group in the league. Instead of veteran playoff performer Robert Horry or even banger Kurt Thomas, Gregg Popovich was left with rookie Anthony Tolliver.

George Hill had not developed, Roger Mason Jr. was still learning the basics of the system, and Michael Finley and Matt Bonner had no All-Stars to give them open looks.

During a timeout in the 98-83 loss, Popovich had to ask the assortment of new Spurs, "Who are you guys?"

Duncan, ever the jokester, introduced himself to the coach. The five players struggling to keep up with Dwyane Wade's bunch, though scrappy, looked like lottery fodder, not a championship squad, and the coach needed to laugh to ease the pain.

Through the struggles, and a several-week period without Parker and Ginobili, the Spurs improbably won 54 games and secured the Southwest Division title in an overtime thriller.

The humiliation that came next was necessary, too. The Dallas Mavericks dispatched the former champions--reduced to rubble with a hobbled Duncan and the absence of Ginobili--in five games.

As many as eight new faces will greet Popovich when he begins training camp this week, the bolstered artillery coming thanks to the costliest summer overhaul in franchise history.

This time, however, Popovich won't have to question the talent of the newbies or ask why they're in San Antonio.

Those who worship the idea that things happen for a reason should delight in dissecting an offseason borne from desperation, a multi-million dollar hand forced by a ruthless dealer.

Some call it karma.

A small-market franchise known for its frugal tweaks decided to go all-in, mindful that future Hall of Famer Duncan cannot man the middle for eternity.

Duncan will someday hang up his basketball shoes as former teammate David Robinson did and join peers Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O' Neal, Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd in a pantheon of all-time greats.

GM R.C. Buford, Popovich and Owner Peter Holt needed to realize that the Spurs of last season were too old and perimeter oriented to contend for a fifth title.

If the conference finals loss to the Lakers suggested it, the first-round flameout against the Mavericks made it the truth.

Supplied with the most talented roster in franchise history, the Spurs have the right stuff to challenge the vaunted Lakers.

Some of the George Gervin-led teams of the 80s—which featured Mike Mitchell, Artis Gilmore and Johnny Moore among others—come close in talent. None of those squads, however, pack the defensive and offensive versatility this one promises.

The Spurs of the 80s didn’t win when it counted in the playoffs, either.

The 2003 championship team merits mention if only because David Robinson and Tim Duncan still patrolled the paint together.

Manu Ginobili was an NBA rookie, and Tony Parker was maddeningly inconsistent.

Richard Jefferson will more than fill Stephen Jackson’s role without, as Popovich put it, “all the heavy drama.”

Here’s a look at the revamped roster, reloaded with care to give Duncan the title-worthy roster he craves.

Younger, faster and more athletic

The Spurs shed two years in average age this summer, no small feat for any team.

Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff become the team’s oldest players, at 35 and 37, respectively.

Duncan will turn 34 during the 2010 playoffs, and Ginobili inches closer to 33.

However, the team’s top scorer, Tony Parker, is just 27 and entering the prime of his career. Richard Jefferson is 29 and still in his prime.

French seven-footer Ian Mahinmi, 22, Roger Mason, 29, and George Hill, 23, will play critical roles.

Rookie Dejuan Blair, 20, is expected to contribute. Draft picks Marcus Williams and Malik Hairston, both 22, will compete for the final roster spot. Former lottery pick and Euro import Marcus Haislip, 28, provides low-risk insurance at the four spot.

Calling the Spurs “old” should be as off limits as jokes about paraplegics. That label is so 2008.

Firepower found

Popovich conceded after the team’s first round loss to Dallas that firepower had been the difference in the series.

The Mavericks had it, the Spurs didn’t.

Frustrating as it was to watch a perennial contender bow in the opening round for the first time since 2000, the humiliation of the exit prompted Popovich and Buford to make a necessary concession.

The Spurs returned from a 2008 summer ended early by the Lakers touting Mason Jr. and Hill as game changers. Though both proved to be gems, with Mason arguably the best bargain find in that offseason, the front office signaled with a quiet summer that it believed a healthy Manu Ginobili would make the difference.

The Argentine slasher hobbled through the second round and conference finals that year, likely playing at 60 percent in the games against the Lakers.

His lone 30-point outburst in the conference finals was a display of grit and determination, not his ability level. He wasn’t healthy, and the absence of his explosiveness made Sasha Vujacic look like an all-world defender.

The Spurs were right to think that the series would have extended longer than five games with a Ginobili capable of executing his clever, quick first step. Popovich could say the same of the joust with Dallas, too.

However, there was no way, after such a thorough first-round defeat, Spurs execs could pin every failure on Ginobili’s absence.

The Spurs somehow managed to win a game seven in New Orleans despite going seven and a half minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter. They weren’t so lucky in the next round or against Dallas.

The team needed an infusion of athleticism and scoring and found it in Jefferson.

The mere prospect of having four 20-point scoring threats on the court at the end of a game is delicious. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are former NBA Finals MVPs, Ginobili could have been one in 2005, and Jefferson has played in two Finals.

No team in the NBA will roll out better talent or more experience at positions one through four than the Spurs.

The acquisition of Antonio McDyess gives Popovich enviable options in the endgame. He could play Duncan at center and go small with Jefferson, Ginobili, Mason and Parker, or he could sit Mason and play with a second big in McDyess.

Defenses that once focused on suffocating the big three will now have to deal with a fourth All-Star caliber talent and a bevy of dangerous role players.

The offseason additions should mean easier shots for Matt Bonner and Mason, both deadly from long range. Michael Finley will also garner his share of open looks, and Derek Fisher reminded observers in the NBA Finals what mid-30s veterans can do when poise and guts define their games, not leaping ability.

More weapons should give Duncan, Parker, Ginobili more rest

No team has relied on three players more than the Spurs in the last few seasons. Previously expected to combine for at least 75 in a given playoff game, the star trio should face considerably less pressure to carry the offense over the 82 game span. That should leave them fresher when it matters most in the postseason.

Popovich's regime of accountability can make this work

It is reasonable to question whether the summer's roster alterations will mesh with an established core.

The Spurs will also have to answer injury questions the Lakers won't have to, by virtue of playing in San Antonio.

The best reason to believe the offseason renovation will translate into hardwood success is Popovich.

The no-nonsense military man won't let his squad believe it is superior to the defending champion Lakers until it has finished the job.

He will remind his players that the Lakers are the team to beat, and prying the Larry O’ Brien trophy from Kobe Bryant’s cold, calculated hands will prove a nasty task.

Pau Gasol has not failed to reach the NBA Finals since landing in Los Angeles.

Lakers fans will rightfully buy the hype. Some of them are already planning trips to the repeat parade.

Popovich will stymie arrogance at its first appearance, and he will engrain into his new recruits that excuses are unacceptable.

Players will not gripe about playing time, and discussions about the team will involve basketball, not superfluous distractions.

A closer look at the newest Spurs

ANTONIO McDYESS

Tough and defensive-minded, McDyess should prove to be Duncan's best frontcourt mate since Robinson. He's Kurt Thomas with a more appreciable offensive game.

His turnarounds in the post are automatic, and his basketball IQ and unassuming personality make him the quintessential Spur.

At 6'9", his size might be a concern against taller opponents. Popovich will need to monitor his minutes, too, so he's not worn out when the playoffs arrive.

Still, McDyess is fiercly loyal, choosing to re-sign with the Detroit Pistons after they had traded him, even when it was clear the team was headed for a downward spiral.

He'll be a wonderful influence in the San Antonio community, and no one will question his competitiveness.

DEJUAN BLAIR

The bonafide best rebounder in college basketball should have no problem translating his brilliant board work to the pros. He showed his nose for the ball in Summer League play and had Hornets coach Byron Scott shaking his head.

He'll need to learn the nuances of NBA defense. He will also have to adjust to a league of players faster and stronger than what he played against in college.

At 6'7" with a freakish wingspan, he has the potential to be an impact player. Until Spurs coaches see him perform in a real NBA game, speculation about Blair's potential is just that.

KEITH BOGANS

Primarily a defensive specialist, Bogans will be asked to spot Jefferson in guarding the opponent's best perimeter players.

His offensive repertoire is limited to catching-and-shooting, and he isn't much of a threat around the hoop.

Expect Bogans to play a limited role with gusto. If he defends earnestly and drops in a bucket or two in each game, the coaches will be thrilled.

MARCUS HAISLIP

After showing himself not worthy of lottery selection in a forgettable tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, Haislip was forced to bolt for Europe, where he refined his approach and his work ethic.

He signed a guaranteed contract, and he will compete with Hairston and Williams--both favorites of the Spurs brass--for a rotation spot.

His addition provides the greatest intrigue, given his low price tag. If he has indeed become a worthy pro, Popovich will have another athletic big with shooting range to use in designated situations.

If Haislip has not progressed enough, the Spurs can let him walk next year no worse for the experiment.

RICHARD JEFFERSON

The prize of the offseason, Jefferson will inject a sagging roster with athleticism and an offensive arsenal that should expand the team's scoring prospects in the open court.

Popovich hopes the former Arizona standout can return to his days as a belligerent man-to-man defender, taking nightly turns on the opponent's top scorer.

In select matchups, he can log minutes at power forward, and he can back most threes down in the post and score with reliability.

He's overpaid for a fourth best player, but if he changes the Spurs the way Gasol changed the Lakers, Holt shouldn't think twice about paying him $29 million over the next two years.

THEO RATLIFF

Ratliff is 36, and you can insert your fossil joke of choice here.

He will serve as a shot-blocking specialist and a tall body to eat up space against squads with imposing length.

How much Ratliff has left to give is debatable. The Spurs will not ask him to do much, and any rebounds he snares or shots he alters will help the cause.