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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/sports/basketball/03dribble.html?_r=1
Spurs Face a Rebuilding Future
By HOWARD BECK
Published: May 2, 2009
There may be no more excruciating choice for an N.B.A. executive than deciding when to blow up a roster, especially a championship-winning roster.
The Detroit Pistons started the process last fall, despite making six Eastern Conference finals in a row and winning the championship in 2004. Is it now the San Antonio Spurs’ turn to press the plunger?
The Spurs, eliminated by the Mavericks, 4-1, were bounced in the opening round for the first time since 2000.
The Spurs no longer appear capable of minor miracles, not without the injured Manu Ginobili, and not with the mediocre cast that now surrounds Tim Duncan, above, and Tony Parker, the Spurs’ remaining stars.
Duncan and Parker played brilliantly in Game 3, combining for 68 points, but the Spurs never had a lead in the final 22 minutes. Afterward, Parker made an admission that championship teams never make, “They have a lot more weapons than us.”
If Ginobili were healthy, the Spurs might have had a fighting chance against Dallas. But could they beat the feisty young Nuggets, much less the talent-rich Lakers? How much longer can the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili threesome contend in a Western Conference that is becoming more competitive each season, with rising teams in Portland, Utah and Houston?
The Spurs have become too old in spots (Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto), and their young additions (Roger Mason, George Hill) have fallen flat. They have no appealing assets to trade, outside their three all-stars.
The Pistons made that leap in November, trading their star point guard Chauncey Billups in a move to create salary-cap room. The rebuilt Pistons made the playoffs as the eighth seed, but were swept in the first round by the Cavaliers. The Spurs — who beat the Pistons in the 2005 finals — are not ready to entertain such radical possibilities.
“Our group is going to be, more than likely, a group that we don’t pull the plunger on,” Spurs General Manager R. C. Buford said. “We’ll continue to build around those three and hope to add better pieces.”
San Antonio will not have cap space until 2010 (when Ginobili’s contract expires), but there will be plenty of talented free agents who may accept the midlevel exception this summer. Expect the Spurs to make a run at Rasheed Wallace, the longtime starting power forward for the Pistons.
One franchise’s implosion could help delay another’s...
Note: I added a bit of the article, just as a tease. - VF21
Spurs Face a Rebuilding Future
By HOWARD BECK
Published: May 2, 2009
There may be no more excruciating choice for an N.B.A. executive than deciding when to blow up a roster, especially a championship-winning roster.
The Detroit Pistons started the process last fall, despite making six Eastern Conference finals in a row and winning the championship in 2004. Is it now the San Antonio Spurs’ turn to press the plunger?
The Spurs, eliminated by the Mavericks, 4-1, were bounced in the opening round for the first time since 2000.
The Spurs no longer appear capable of minor miracles, not without the injured Manu Ginobili, and not with the mediocre cast that now surrounds Tim Duncan, above, and Tony Parker, the Spurs’ remaining stars.
Duncan and Parker played brilliantly in Game 3, combining for 68 points, but the Spurs never had a lead in the final 22 minutes. Afterward, Parker made an admission that championship teams never make, “They have a lot more weapons than us.”
If Ginobili were healthy, the Spurs might have had a fighting chance against Dallas. But could they beat the feisty young Nuggets, much less the talent-rich Lakers? How much longer can the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili threesome contend in a Western Conference that is becoming more competitive each season, with rising teams in Portland, Utah and Houston?
The Spurs have become too old in spots (Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto), and their young additions (Roger Mason, George Hill) have fallen flat. They have no appealing assets to trade, outside their three all-stars.
The Pistons made that leap in November, trading their star point guard Chauncey Billups in a move to create salary-cap room. The rebuilt Pistons made the playoffs as the eighth seed, but were swept in the first round by the Cavaliers. The Spurs — who beat the Pistons in the 2005 finals — are not ready to entertain such radical possibilities.
“Our group is going to be, more than likely, a group that we don’t pull the plunger on,” Spurs General Manager R. C. Buford said. “We’ll continue to build around those three and hope to add better pieces.”
San Antonio will not have cap space until 2010 (when Ginobili’s contract expires), but there will be plenty of talented free agents who may accept the midlevel exception this summer. Expect the Spurs to make a run at Rasheed Wallace, the longtime starting power forward for the Pistons.
One franchise’s implosion could help delay another’s...
Note: I added a bit of the article, just as a tease. - VF21
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