Teach Me How to Dirk: How the Spurs Can Win It All in 2012

One of the biggest lessons learned (and seemingly every year) from the NBA finals is that individuals may win games and awards, but only a true team can win it all.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle utilized every bit of talent and ability on his roster, refusing to play the Heat 3-on-3 but instead forcing them to react to zone defenses, staggered screens and relentless ball movement.

The Spurs don't need a superstar free agent signing or any other drastic moves. Instead, it's Coach Spoelstra's year-long mantra that the Spurs must keep in mind - "Stay the course."

Dallas won it all after being unceremoniously bounced in the first round last year by our very own, and with a few tweaks and fortuitous bounces, the Spurs could find themselves doing the Dirk in 2012.

1. Who's Got Timmeh's Back?

The greatest power forward of all time merely looked good against Memphis, but good isn't enough when both Marc Gasol and Z-Bo were playing out of their minds.

Though Antonio McDyess has the heart of a lion, he simply lacked the size and length to routinely change shots at the rim. Who Timmy needs is an athletic shot blocker who can guard the PF position every night, as well as erase mistakes made on the perimeter.

The West will only grow tougher with the continued development of players like Serge Ibaka, Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum. It is not a good sign when the Timberwolves shredded their interior defense this year.

Though Tiago Splitter has the requisite desire and size to be a competent defender, he is still a work in progress.

The Spurs' best bet here is to continue developing Splitter and draft an athletic shot-blocker. By the end of the season the tandem could provide the interior defense the Spurs will need to take on the West's heavyweights.

2. Tony, meet the 3-Ball

When Tony Parker developed that deadly 18-foot spot-up jumper years ago, Spurs fan rejoiced. Finally the team could have proper spacing; finally teams would no longer be able to collapse on TD with impunity.

But this years' playoffs have shown that the 3-ball is a dangerous weapon, and elite guards like Dwayne Wade and Russell Westbrook make it difficult to simply get by with an adequate jumper.

Parker must seriously question whether his current arsenal is enough to propel the Spurs back into title talks. The road to the title would be much smoother with a PG who can hit the open three.

3. Coach Gregg Popovich must develop the bench

One of the biggest stories coming out of the Spurs' training camp next year will be the development of their young studs, and rightly so. The progress of James Andersen, DeJuan Blair and George Hill will be crucial to San Antonio's title hopes.

Blair's strengths are his motor and rebounding instincts, talents better served to spark the bench. His size and youth make him a defensive liability, but he could absolutely lead a dangerous and relentless second unit.

If he stays off the What-A-Burger and instead demonstrates What-A-Rebound, no team would have a more frightening reserve corps than the Spurs: Hill, Neal, Andersen, Bonner, and Blair.

Andersen provides a shooting threat and defensive acumen, but injuries have hampered his development. The OSU product will have a season to learn under Ginobili's wings and hopefully provide the Argentinean with reliable rest in games.

Hill has the talent to start for many NBA teams, but for the Spurs his role is to commandeer the second unit and to be, as he beginning to be known, "Indiana George." He has a reliable three-point shot and can finish nearly as well as Parker around the rim, tools that will certainly have him in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.

If he hones his mental focus and learns to sometimes slow his game down, Hill could make a Jason Terry-type impact in next year's playoffs.

Neal works well within his skillset, but he could do with finishing better around the rim and improving his athleticism.

Bonner doesn't deserve a lot of the vitriol sent his way. He was simply asked to do too much in the postseason. His role is to provide size and spacing as a reserve, not to hit every three he takes. That he was roundly criticized for his subpar performance in the postseason is a reflection of the weaknesses inherent in the Spurs roster, not incompetence in his role.

If the Spurs can find the sorely needed athletic big man, Bonner can slip back into his 15-20 minute role and bomb away more comfortably.

4. Richard Jefferson must continue to evolve

RJ 2.0 was superior to the disaster two years ago - last season he looked more comfortable in the Spurs offense, shot well beyond the arc and cut down on his brain farts. What manifested in the playoffs, however, was his loss of explosiveness and tentativeness in his role.

RJ knows he isn't the primary scoring option on this team, which explains this familiar sequence: The play breaks down and RJ finds himself with the ball. With the shot clock winding down, he fakes his corner three,  laboriously drives to the paint and will either kick it out or weakly attack the rim.

Why not relegate him to the second unit? Jefferson would find himself back in his glory years in New Jersey, driving at will against the opponents' reserves. The Hill/RJ/Blair triumvirate could provide consistent scoring to the Spurs' Big Three. RJ would thrive in his bench role, becoming a leader for the best second unit in the league. Obviously, this would require that the Spurs find a new starting SF.

It is important to note the Spurs won titles with Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen as starting forwards, respectively. San Antonio does not necessarily need to find a player "better" than RJ - just someone who fits their starting SF spot better, an athletic, long wingman who can guard the opponent's best guard every night and hit the spotup 3.

5. Make a trade

R.C. Buford mentioned in an interview last week that the Spurs would attempt to build through trade and not through their traditional channels of drafting and free agency.

The best pieces, then, will be Blair and Neal. As much as both are fan favorites, of the current roster Neal and Blair have the best combination of trade value/expendability.

The dark horse trade pieces are RJ and Parker. The former is difficult to trade because of salary, the latter because of sentiment.

Yes, Parker is a former Finals MVP, has three titles and is a one man fast break, but with the development of Hill, the front office could exchange Parker for a quality athletic big man or a defensive specialist in the SF position, pieces the Spurs need far more than a PG who can't shoot threes.

With all that said, I believe Parker is sincere when he says he does not expect to be traded, and I do not believe trading Parker brings the Spurs any closer to a title.

This is a complex situation with many different pieces, and many would not be surprised to see the front office wait until midseason to make any moves. The Spurs, however, value continuity and chemistry, so I imagine Buford and Co. are scanning the horizon to see if a deal can work before the season begins.

Outlook

The Mavericks have proven that superstars alone does not a championship make. It takes capable role players, a coach willing to adjust when necessary, and the kind of mettle and toughness that can overcome double digits leads in the fourth quarter and eventually win it all.

If anything, the Mavericks have given the Spurs hope: a title can still be hoisted with aging arms, so long as all the body parts are working well, and working in harmony. The Spurs don't need sweeping changes; they beat Dallas 3-1 last season, and in Dallas too.

What the Spurs need is a shrewd trade, good health and better bounces to make one more hard push for the championship.