No one can turn back the hands of time and after 9 seasons of
championship contention, Father Time has finally knocked down the Spurs
door.
This year's Spurs had an older average age
(of guys who played 15 minutes or more during the regular season) than
Bird's Celtics, Magic's Lakers, Jordan's Bulls, or Shaq's Lakers in any
of their final championship years.
2007-08 San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili: 30 years old, 31.1 minutes per game.
Tim Duncan: 32 years old, 34.0 minutes per game.
Tony Parker: 26 years old, 33.5 minutes per game.
Michael Finley: 35 years old, 26.9 minutes per game.
Brent Barry: 36 years old, 17.9 minutes per game.
Bruce Bowen: 36 years old, 30.2 minutes per game.
Ime Udoka: 30 years old, 18.0 minutes per game.
Fabricio Oberto: 33 years old, 20.1 minutes per game.
Kurt Thomas: 35 years old, 18.7 minutes per game.
Jacque Vaughn: 33 years old, 15.4 minutes per game.
Average age: 33
Not to mention Robert Horry, who averaged 12.9 minutes per game
during the regular season and 13.3 meaningless minutes in the
Conference Finals. Horry is 37 years old.
After the game, Tim Duncan said the Spurs needed to "tweak a few things here and there" and "add a few pieces."
Gregg Popovich insisted that "wholesale" changes weren't necessary.
Pop said: "So when you lose, you've got to make changes, right? If
we won, we wouldn't have to do a damn thing. I think that's too
superficial of an analysis of any team at the end of the season. Every
team makes some kind of changes. So we'll look at our team and see what
we need to do. We've made some changes every year, whether we won or we
lost."
But these changes are different than the changes any of the three previous Spurs title teams (2003, 2005, 2007) have made.
Their 1999 championship team featured six key players over the age
of 30 (David Robinson, Avery Johnson, Mario Elie, Sean Elliot, Jerome
Kersey, Steve Kerr).
It took San Antonio four years to rebuild and win another
championship. Partly because of the Shaq/Kobe dynasty but also because
it took time to develop guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
With Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili on the downside of their careers, the Spurs don't have four years to rebuild this time.
Ginobili had his best season statistically but was hobbled by an
arthritic ankle in the end. Tony Parker is as quick as ever. Duncan has
three, maybe four seasons left at an elite level.
Bruce Bowen has a lost some of his lateral quickness and couldn't
keep Chris Paul or Kobe Bryant in front of him like he could in year's
past. Oberto was a non-factor in the Western Conference Finals and Kurt
Thomas didn't receive enough playing time until it was too late.
San Antonio needs to get younger and more athletic.
General Manager RC Buford has to be cursing the day he let go of
Luis Scola. Scola, at 28 years of age, was a Rookie of the Year
candidate this year, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds per game. He
would have helped the Spurs immensely.
Despite San Antonio's age, they remain one of the league's best
defensive teams but they couldn't sustain their defensive effort for a
full 48 minutes in Game's 1 and 5.
Led by Kobe Bryant, the Lakers came back from 20-point and 17-point deficits.
Game 1's letdown had to have been particularly defeating and may have set the tone for the series.
So where do the Spurs go from here?
Jacque Vaughn and Robert Horry probably won't (and shouldn't be) be asked to return.
San Antonio needs an athletic small forward who can create his own
shot. I'm not convinced that Udoka is the defensive player many people
believe he is so he's expendable. Brent Barry or Michael Finley should
be retained (one or the other).
General Manager RC Buford has drafted notoriously well but how many late first to
second round Parker and Ginobili's can one team be blessed with? How
many of those guys are out there to begin with?
The Spurs have the 12th highest payroll
($70,034,327, $53,621,368 committed for next year) in the league. Owner
Peter Holt may be forced to do the one thing that forced him to trade
away Scola this season -- grossly exceed the luxury tax threshold --
for the Spurs to remain competitive.
With the Lakers, Hornets, Jazz, and Trailblazers primed to walk
through the doorway Father Time knocked down, San Antonio had better
rebuild quickly...before it's too late.
The Spurs are a class act.
They'll be fine.
With the big three still in their prime, the rest is just filling the role players in.
They'll add Tiago Splitter, who's the best player in Europe right now.
Keep Udoka, Bowen, Thomas, Oberto and Barry.
Get a back-up for Parker..like Earl Watson.
They draft so well, they'll figure it out.
It doesn't really matter, the Lakeshow is going to dominate for the next 5-8 years anyway.
The Spurs will be battling it out with the rest of the West for 2nd place.
The Spurs have a promising young guy playing ontheir development league team in Austin. Can't remember his name, but he was called up for awhile when Tony, Tim, and Manu were hurt. Looked pretty good.
Tiago Splitter is NOT coming to the NBA next season. He is locked up with his Euro team for 2 more seasons, I believe...
Keep Bowen?? No no no...trade his #### while some other team still ACTUALLY wants him! These "defense-only" guys fade FAST when they go...just look at Doug Christie!
Yes, they draft well. But they need to quit trading away their drafted players before they play a game - a la Barbosa and Scola. Can you imagine those two off the bench during this current season???
Pau is too soft and injury-prone for the Lakers to dominate for 5-8 years... and we will see if Bynum can stay healthy for an entire season...cuz if they CANT...there are no first round draft picks to help the Lakers out for the next TWO years...
SO...Laker fans...who do you want??? Boston for the sake of tradition...or Detroit for the sake of revenge??
I think Suprcse is referring to Ian Mahinmi, who's supposed to be pretty decent. There IS a chance Splitter comes next year, but it's a slim one. They might be able to buy out his contract.
If they sign one athletic 3 or 4 and add one or both of these young guys, their top 8 will look pretty good. I bet they're kicking themselves about Udrih and Scola though. They should keep Barry over Finley and resign Kurt Thomas.
Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Oberto, Barry, Thomas + Mahinmi and Splitter + the free agent you know they're going to steal. Not a bad 10 guy rotation. The Spurs aren't going anywhere.
Hoffman
I can tell you this Popovich has gone along with the age old tested method of age and experience. But the game is now becoming a young man's game with athleticism. And the Spurs just don't possess it as was evidenced last night.
They were made to look like geriatrics by a Lakers' team whose desire for the victory was far greater than that of the Spurs'.
I've alluded to as such in the piece I've completed as of today. If you're interested you can take a read of the piece in question.
It's titled Geriatrics Are Us The Why's The Where's And What Not's That Led To The Spurs' Demise !
As and when you're ready I'll look forward to reading your comments.
Chimin' out.
G: Udrih
G: Smith
F/G: Udoka
F/G: Barry
F: Bowen
F/C: Thomas
F/C: Blount or Boone
F: Splitter (if he comes over, it will be huge for S.A.)
All of a sudden, the Spurs are more athletic and versatile, they're bigger and tougher defensively, and they'll have better outside shooting and a nicer mix of younger players and veterans.
More than anything else they just need to get younger more athletic and a hell of a lot smarter. Enough with the use of staid veterans. As that's what has let them down this as evidenced by their poor play. They're nowhere near quick enough or athletic enough by any sretch of the imagination.
Bowen was made to look as if he'd been wearing his granmama's draws at times. And the rest of the Spurs' bench was so anemic that it was embarrassing to watch at times. Never mind the fact that they're rarely able to hold unto a lead.
whilst their rivals were going out and making trades they sought to stay pat but then what they do ? Obtain Damon Stoudemire ? Why not just go out and pikc up Jessica or Ashlee Simpson instead ? We'd have been better entertained by their ineptitude also. Stoudemire had nothing to offer the team at all.
I love basketball. While many basketball fans enjoy the month of March, I prefer the months of April, May, and June. I look forward to productive chats, heated debates, and honest opinions.
