Road ahead for the San Antonio Spurs

Gregg Popovich (L) with Tony Parker during this year’s NBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs nearly had a dream run in the play-offs before some missed Free Throws, some costly turn-overs and a certain Ray Allen deprived them of the fairytale end. While the Miami Heat need to be commended for their grit, determination and spirit, one can hardly argue against the fact that the Spurs for the major parts of the series looked like the better team. They played better defense, were smarter and more efficient with their offense, as well as managed to win the rebounding numbers.

To a basketball fundamentalist or a purist, basketball couldn’t get get better than what the Spurs showcased, maybe closest to what Naismith himself could envisage. They lost the series because they lost the key moments in Game-6 and Game-7, but overall they can take solace that they took the 65-game winning Heat to their limits and beyond.

The Spurs have an almost clinical uber-efficient game, effective with their passing, ball movement and floor spacing as well as having the versatility and the adaptability to go inside-out or milk it down low. With the changing run-and-gun modern game, where you have three’s playing the four and the four’s playing five, where teams have two wing spot-up shooters and the game is about playing up-tempo basketball, the Spurs were primed and almost custom-designed for the same.

While the Spurs may play the game smarter than anybody else in the game, they still have a few worries to contend with. Duncan is not getting any younger and despite his hyperbolic age-defying performances, he is surely no longer the alpha guy for the Spurs. Tony Parker has had a potential MVP season and has certainly proven his credentials of being the best point guard in the game. He now is no longer the slash and dash teardrop floater guy, as he has developed a reliable mid-range game and has had a career shooting year in 2012-13.

Kawhi Leonard does look like a potential superstar in the making and Danny Green has proven his credentials as among the best spot-up shooters in the game.

However, the Spurs also have a surprisingly low guaranteed payroll for the year 2014. Tony Parker is the highest paid guaranteed player on the Spurs team drawing a salary of $12.5m. The Spurs have Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Nando de Colo, Cory Joseph and Aron Baynes to add to the recently signed Patrick Mills. The good thing for the Spurs is that they have the backbone of their team already guaranteed for next year. To add to this they also have a player option on Boris Diaw, and considering his run in the Finals, one should expect him to stay put with the Spurs. Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter are restricted free agents and considering the rapid strides that both have made, it will be intelligent on the Spurs part to bring them back. All of this and the Spurs still have a payroll of close to $41m. This gives them quite a decent cap-room to exploit and most certainly the biggest question is whether they would exercise it to bring back Manu Ginobili. They also have DeJuan Blair and Tracy McGrady as unrestricted free agents, but with their minuscule minute it is difficult to imagine the Spurs investing much to bring them back.

Now, before one jumps the gun and starts making speculations, it is important that one looks into what exactly the Spurs need to add to an already superfluous roster. They need to look down deep and look at positions that they believe they need to improve in, positions that left them severely short-handed against the Miami Heat. The two major concerns were:

• Shot-blocking and lack of a suitable back-up to Duncan
• Egregious ball-handling when Parker wasn’t on the floor
• Get a back-up for Kawhi Leonard

Manu Ginobili: The Spurs should keep hold of the veteran Argentinian for next season

The first is the Spurs greatest concern because despite Splitter being an excellent pick-and-roll defensive player and a low post defensive player, he is not a great rebounder or shot-blocker and post Duncan there is almost no rim protection for the Spurs. The Heat exploited the same to great effect as every single minute Duncan was on the bench, it was almost an open lane for the Heat. Considering the fact that the Western Conference house some of the best slash and dash guards in the game, it is imperative that the Spurs look to add a player who can give them some shot-blocking, rebound the ball and also add some vital points in the paint. Houston is looking to let go of Thomas Robinson in their pursuit of Dwight Howard, something that the Spurs could look to exploit. They also have the 28^th pick in the draft and though the Spurs would be very lucky to get some quality in an already weak draft class, the Spurs shouldn’t be swayed as they have a history of making the greatest draft steals and bargain picks. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Thiago Splitter are good enough examples to validate the same. The Spurs could possibly be looking at Lucas Noguiera, Brandon Davies, Rudy Gobert or even Livio Jean-Charles to fill the positions.

Jean-Charles might very well be their best prospect as the 19-year old is very much in the mould of a Kawhi Leonard and could serve as an ideal back-up to Kawhi. Standing at 6’9”, he can play both as a three and four, and his 7’2” arm-span should go a long way in him developing a defensive versatility similar to Leonard. He may still be a suspect ball-handler and his jumpers need improvement, but the prospect and the promise is there for everyone to see. The Spurs have a raving reputation of developing players much beyond their potential and Jean-Charles could be a natural fit with the Spurs.

The Spurs would also be aware that Manu is soon going to be 36 and may have his best days behind him. Despite that he is too important a player for the Spurs to lose in free agency, and despite reports of him contemplating retirement, it will be a PR disaster if the Spurs don’t resign Ginobili. Ginobili may not command the $14m he earned in the last campaign but a cut-price Ginobili can turn out to be a huge bargain indeed. Ginobili may have had his weak moments in the NBA Finals especially with his egregious ball-handling and costly turn-overs in Game-6 and Game-7, but he still remains among the best playmakers in the game. Plus, one can’t count one poor series against a career of clutch plays. Popovich needs to manage his health and minutes more carefully and let Gary Neal take more of the responsibility, but Ginobili if healthy is still too big a weapon for the Spurs to give up.

The next season will truly be the last for the Spurs BIG THREE to make a combined quest for the NBA title. The Spurs have most of their pieces in place and have the cap room to go ahead and make some moves in the free agency market. They can’t afford a Chris Paul or a Dwight Howard but they can look for some cut-price bargains that can get their team better. Don’t expect any major changes, but the Spurs certainly don’t need any. They would still be smarting from the loss to the Heat and will have major motivation to work harder to go that extra step and win the Championship. And if they ever do falter they will still have the best coach in the league to continually motivate them and get them believing. Next year may not be that easy, because the Clippers will be stronger, the Thunder will be better and maybe even the Grizzlies and the Rockets would be pressing their claims as being among the best in the West. But, till any major moves happen in free agency the Spurs have enough reason to believe they have enough to be the Conference Champions again and stake another claim at the NBA crown.