I think the silver and black are contenders, assuming these things work out:
A. I was stoked about the this year's draft pick in James Anderson, perfect fit for this team's needs and personality.
B. Signing Splitter will fill the other glaring need for a big post presence and additional scorer at center.
C. Richard Jefferson opting into a more befitting contract makes the Spurs more competitive for the long term.
D. I still love Blair:
2-first NBA rookie to record two 20 point-20- rebound games since Joe Smith in 1995-96
3-number of Spurs with double-doubles in debut (David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Blair)
6.4-highest rebounding average by a Spurs rookie since Duncan (11.9) in 1997-98, second-best among NBA rookies for the season
7.8-highest points average by a Spurs rookie since Tony Parker (9.2) in 2001-02
23-most starts by a Spurs rookie since Parker (72)
55.6-best shooting percentage by an NBA rookie in 09-10
82-only Spur to play in every game

Lastly, the NBA landscape has changed a great deal and without going into every other team, I still believe the Lakers and now the Heat are beatable. Time will tell.

with PHX and Utah dead, the Spurs are a lock for the 2-3 seed-

I agree. But this year is going to be the Spurs' last chance to win one for a while. I really like this team if RJ comes back. The Lakers are still head and shoulders above the west landscape, but hopefully Splitter can give the Spurs a chance to contend.

And Blair has been working his butt off during the summer. He's trimmed down and has added quickness to his game. His outside shot and defense are a point of emphasis this off season.

I'm not expecting anything better than a 4th or 5th place finish in the west. Teams are still pretty stacked. I don't expect Utah to drop off that badly, Houston might be a bit better, Durant and Westbrook will be ballin' even more this year, and Phoenix will probably find a way to not suck without Amare (in the regular season at the very least).

I do like that the Spurs appear to have been successful with achieving personnel continuity from last year to this year. The importance of that can't be overstated, especially for a team with some older pieces. I would expect that Splitter and Anderson will each have significant impacts, and neither will be asked to play over their head.

Of concern is that they have yet to remedy two of their primary weaknesses last year:

1. 3 point shooters --Besides Hill, Ginobili, and Bonner, they've got no one else to hit outside shots. James Anderson might get some open looks, but he only shot 34% from the college line last year (yes, I know he was also the focus of opposing defenses). Maybe Parker suddenly hits a better percentage since he's in a contract year? Doubtful.

2. A decent backup for Manu. If he's hobbled or in foul trouble, the Spurs are toast because there is no one to pick up the slack when he's out. This is where Roger Mason was so valuable two years ago. He was absolutely clutch and won all those games at the last second. I almost wish they'd give Mason one more shot this year to prove himself. I find it hard to believe he just forgot how to play over the course of last year. Maybe he just needs a chance to heal up some more?

Who knows...maybe Hill can move more into a SG type role when Ginobili goes out. For this to happen, Parker would have to stay healthy all year and / or Temple would really have to make some big strides.

IF the Spurs can put it all together, they should at least have an outside shot at beating the Lakers. I certainly won't hold my breath. And even if they somehow made it past them, the Heat / Magic / Celtics will all be really damn tough as well.

I think it's become mostly a pipe dream at this point. But you never know...that's why they play.

quote:

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Houston might be a bit better

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Um, Houston will be MUCH better. We lost virtually nothing and we gained Yao and a very undervalued draft pick in Patrick Patterson.

Houston will be top 5 in the west.

The reason I said "might" and "a bit" is because I don't believe Yao stands any chance at making it through the year healthy. Even with Yao, I still don't see them ahead of LAL, DAL, SAS, or DEN. OKC and POR aren't going to fall off the map either.

That said, stop trying to highjack the Spurs thread.

Splitter will have to be very good for the Spurs to have a chance before Tim's time runs out.


Hopefully Tony will come back healthy and hungry, skipping international games and in a contract year

Manu needs to play like the Manu that carried the team into the playoffs.

Tim looked very slow at the end of the year. Hoping that the Splitter add takes some pressure off of him and adds a little more legs in the playoffs

Jefferson has to find a role.

Would love to see a Blair soph jump similar to Hill's improvement.

Big Z, Shaq, or Oberto might be good pickups for the Spurs.

Pargo was pretty good for the Hornets a couple of years ago...

Rafer Alston or Arroyo...

Would you give Tracy McGrady a go?


Acie Law and Antoine are out there

double post


[This message has been edited by claym711 (edited 7/12/2010 8:58a).]

quote:

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Big Z, Shaq, or Oberto might be good pickups for the Spurs.

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Spurs currently have too many posts as it is.

Duncan
Splitter
Blair
MyDyess
Bonner

No need for some slow old player that doesn't play defense. None of those guys are coming to SA.

I've said the same thing about houston in that I think you guys will be wanting yao OUT of houston by the end of the season. Houston has gotten much more athletic and yao doesn't fit with that. He will slow things down. I think you guys are getting too optimistic about yao returning.

I agree. I don't think we will see the same Yao. He is going to be even slower and less agile. The Rockets are so young and athletic, that is going to really be at odds with the team.

Remember how the Rockets streaked without Yao? They are even more athletic now than then.

It will be very interesting. Brooks really made strides last year, but I don't think he is a half-court PG. Yao is certain a half-court player.

Health will once again be a major factor for the Spurs. But outside of that obvious point the Spurs need:

- Jeffereson to resign and come back about 15-20 pounds lighter. I really think he was too heavy last year and it made him a very limited player. Sean Elliot talks about how players always feel like they need to bulk up and it hinders their quickness and makes them injury prone. I really hope to see RJ get that message.

- Splitter needs to be a beast from day one. I'm talking defense. If he has any presence at all down low then the Spurs instantly make up ground on the Lakers. If he is a nice offensive player then that is nice too but he wont see the floor if he's not defending.

- Parker needs to be back. All indications is that he is poised to have another monster year. He's getting rest and it's a contract year.

- Hill and Blair need take the next step. I really could see Hill being a better shooting Rondo and Blair can become more efficient. Who knows if that will happen but it needs to.

Even with all that it would still take some luck to win a title. But I could see them finishing 2nd or 3rd in the West.

The Spurs will have one more window and that would be the next 2 years. Duncan and Ginobli are aging quickly. It remains to be seen if Tim can string together a series of games as the best player on the court. Once or twice per 7 game series won't cut it. Also Pop's habit of resting his stars during the regular season is going to make it tough for the Spurs to be a high seed.
There is no way I would want to see them in the first round, because if healthy they are very dangerous. I see them as a 6 seed this year.