Skip to main content

Spurs: A Winning Culture


        Just when you think the Spurs' dynasty has come to an end, they keep kicking. They also flash the money as has been shown with this off-season's two biggest signings for the Spurs, Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard (5yr/ $94.3M) and former Trail Blazer star LaMarcus Aldridge (4yr/ $84M). The Spurs don't usually break the bank like this, especially not for a player that they themselves didn't develop, which is why it's odd to see them over the luxury tax threshold. What has helped soften the blow is how the three veterans Tim Duncan (2yr/ $10.85M), Tony Parker (3yr/ $43M), and Manu Ginobili (2yr/ $5.83M) have for the most part taken cuts with the exception of Parker, which isn't really a problem considering how underpaid Tony has been throughout his career with San Antonio. Bringing back their starting shooting guard Danny Green (4yr/ $40M) is also a great sign. Besides Tiago Splitter, who the Spurs traded to the Hawks in exchange for a future second round pick and Georgios Printezis, they have managed to not only keep their team together but to also add a huge piece in the process. But will all this spending be worth it come playoff time?


        Coming off of what is undoubtedly the best season of his career, Kawhi Leonard has become a star player in the NBA through his outstanding defense as well as his 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds per game stat line. As if he didn't already deserve big bucks for his showing in the NBA Finals last year, this past season only ensured that the future of the Spurs is as bright as always. Kawhi alone would be enough to keep San Antonio hopeful. Now their hopes are set on the NBA Finals next season. The reason as to why is found in the big time signing of star big man LeMarcus Aldridge. This 9-year veteran just had his best season with Portland, putting up 23.4 points (Career-high) and 10.2 rebounds while also having his best year from the charity stripe (84.5%) and the three point line (35%). Even though his last season might end up being the pinnacle of his career statistically, coming to a group play-focused team will help his chances of holding up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy come June even if it does mean that he'll have to sacrifice his stats in order to accomplish such a goal.

        Bringing back Tim and Manu will definitely help there cause. Tim is still posting up impressive numbers at 39 which shouldn't be a surprise at this point. While last season's 13.9 points per game isn't comparable to his best years, he still remains as a threat on the boards (9.1 rebounds per game) as well as on defense (2.0 blocks per game). There is no doubt that Duncan will have a positive impact on this San Antonio team next season as he enters his 19th season in the league. Expectations from Ginobili remain the same. With Danny Green still on the Spurs squad, the pressure of scoring at the shooting guard position will not rest solely on him. He'll do a little bit of everything for them and as long as he stays healthy, Manu will have a solid year. Parker, while also slowing down, can still have an impact on this team with his unique way of  scoring by way of slashing as well as his ability to come up big when needed in the clutch. The 14.4 points per game he put up last season while shooting at 48.6% shows that he still has what it takes to push this team deep into the playoffs.


        With the Big 3 slowing down there is hope that they can add another ring to their already expansive collection brought to San Antonio by these same three amazing players. With Kawhi surpassing expectations and LaMarcus Aldridge now in black and gray, this team will be a threat for the other top teams in the Western Conference and may even be more dangerous than ever. One can only hope that age doesn't show it's face this season for the Spurs.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's Next for the Toronto Raptors?

           After the dominating performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers spear-headed by Lebron James' 36 PPG, 8.3 TRB, and 5.3 AST onslaught, there are many concerns as to what will be the fate of this current Raptors roster. Even with the mid-February acquisition of Serge Ibaka from the Orlando Magic, the boosted defensive presence at the rim seemed to be a downgrade from the efforts of Bismack Biyombo in their prior playoff run. With the Raptors GM Masai Ujiri recently mentioning the need for a "culture reset", this upcoming off-season could shape the future of the Eastern Conference. This all ultimately boils down to one question: Who's on the chopping block? The mention of a change in the culture within an organization usually points towards the coaching staff, which paints both the picture of success and inconsistency. Raptors' head coach Dwane Casey has helped turn a struggling Toronto franchise into a top contender in the East, boasting a 50-pl...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Future of the New York Knicks

        To be completely honest I'm a bit stumped by Phil's plans for the Knicks. The recent acquisitions of Robin Lopez (4yr/ $54.01M), Aaron Afflalo (2yr/ $16M), Derrick Williams (2yr/ $8.8M), and Kyle O'Quinn (4yr/16.01M) makes this current roster seem pretty deep with not only starting big men but young talent coming off of the bench as well. The chance of Afflalo, a once perennial starter, possibly being used at the sixth man will bring additional offense and take at least some of the load off of Carmelo Anthony's back. Add that with the 2015 Draft Pick Kristaps Porzingis, and you have enough potential to get a spot in the playoffs. But what about a ring?         It's obvious that this team doesn't have much chemistry at the moment besides the Porzingis-Grant duo that surprised the NBA Summer League, which is expected and is almost a non-problem. Players will not mesh in a day especially when they haven't played a single game with each...
Post a Comment
Read more

Miami Heat: The Third Coming

        Looking at the Miami roster as it is, there are a ton of reasons why fans would be hopeful of a potential deep playoff run. With 10-time All-Star Chris Bosh (4yr/ $98.06M), three-time NBA Champion Dwyane Wade (1yr/ $20M), the "Dragon", Goran Dragic (5yr/ $85M), NBA sensation and 2k addict Hassan Whiteside (1yr/ $981K), and veteran swingman Luol Deng (1yr/ $10.1M), this squad looks surprisingly impressive for a team that refused to take the rebuilding route and instead built on their star pieces. To add on to this solid starting group, the recent acquisition of former Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire (1yr/ $1.49M) and the steal of a draft in Justice Winslow makes an already solid bench a lot more versatile. There are, however, many issues that can come with this current Heat roster. Last season was unfortunately a perfect example of why some have the right to not gush over this team just yet, whether it was the blood-clot that Bosh suffered from or the sud...
Post a Comment
Read more