The
San Antonio Spurs were eliminated before they had a chance to face the Warriors for the West title. What do they do now?
Is
Kevin Durant a future Spur? Can
Mike Conley be the answer at point guard? Should
Tim Duncan and
Manu Ginobili retire?
Our NBA Insiders debate the future of the Spurs.
1. What do you foresee and advise for the Spurs this offseason?
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: I think they roll the dice again and bring the band back together just one more time. Duncan and Ginobili could retire, but my sense is that they feel they can still play with the Spurs' sports science staff. They might pull a
David West and play for the minimum to help the cause.
Disappointing end for Spurs, but future bright
A 67-win regular season petered out in Game 6 of the West semis, but despite uncertainty surrounding key veterans, the Spurs' title window remains open.
Tim and Manu still too great to retire
With Tim Duncan at age 40 and Manu Ginobili 38, there's talk that it might be time for the Spurs legends to hang 'em up. But the numbers say they shouldn't just yet.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Backcourt help has to be high on the to-do list. Both
Tony Parker and Ginobili have shown the effects of aging, and it's tough to watch
Cory Joseph during these playoffs and not kind of wish he was still a Spur. That, of course, assumes that a Durant acquisition is not a possibility.
Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: San Antonio needs an infusion of youth. These don't have to be second-year players, but their career trajectories should ideally fall somewhere between
Kawhi Leonard and
LaMarcus Aldridge, as the franchise transitions to the Leonard era.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: There's no chance I'm advising Spurs general manager R.C. Buford of anything -- he knows what he is doing. They'll be smart, adding an athlete or two.
Kyle Anderson isn't an athlete, but he is a keeper.
Jonathon Simmons is an interesting guy for them next year too. I'd bet they will look for more shooters to surround Kawhi and Aldridge.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: I don't know that the Spurs will overreact to the way they lost. We saw a far bigger upset in the 2011 first round against eighth-seeded Memphis, and while San Antonio did make a relatively big trade (
George Hill for the pick used on Leonard), that move was actually long-term in nature. But I do think the Spurs will attempt to add athleticism, especially if Duncan and Ginobili retire and open up a modest amount of cap space.
Russell Westbrook go somewhere together or just stay in OKC and try to compete with the Warriors, as they're about to do in the West finals.
Pelton: Faction. It's hard to imagine Durant leaving for the team his Thunder just defeated, but if he re-signs for a one-year deal with a player option and Westbrook leaves in the summer of 2017, playing in San Antonio might seem like a better option then. That possibility passes my "any chance?" rule.
Haberstroh: Sure, why not? He went to college nearby and wants to win. That was enough for Aldridge last summer and I could see them pitching stability from the top down. Does KD go for it? I don't think so. My guess is if he leaves he goes east.
3. Fact or fiction: In terms of basketball decisions, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili should retire.
Pelton: Fiction.
As Jerry Engelmann argued, both players are still certainly good enough to help the Spurs. In that case, I don't see a compelling basketball reason that should suggest retirement is necessary.
Elhassan: Fiction. They both can provide value on the floor and in the locker room, but their roles should continue to be reduced.
Thorpe: Fact. Duncan has never looked older. His nimbleness is gone on both ends of the court. Sure, his mind and size mean he can be of value to a team, but will he want to just hang on? Manu is in a similar boat. He can bring value but to just be a rotation guy, still at risk to even more injuries, is cruel. Leaving after this series (following a 67-win season) is not the perfect way to retire, but for these two huge ring winners, it's good enough.
Haberstroh: Fiction. Duncan was one of the best defenders in the league, and Ginobili remains one of the best bench creators in the sport. They have the ability, but maybe they just join the team later in the season to preserve the legs.
Arnovitz: In basketball terms, probably. But it's unseemly for anyone to tell a grown professional when and why they should stop working.
Marc Gasol gets healthy, he might be interested in asking for an opportunity to rejoin Conley in San Antonio, assuming there is a workable trade.
Pelton: Parker, because barring
mutual interest from Conley there's no realistic way to add a starting point guard. But the real question is who fills that role in a couple of years when Parker's contract is up. While this year's draft isn't particularly deep in point guards who will surely be starters in the NBA, there are a number of interesting players like Wade Baldwin who project as backups with the upside of becoming starters. I'd like to see San Antonio take one of those players.
Haberstroh: Parker. He was far better this season than I expected after his playoff run and uneven international play. Mills is perfect in his role.
5. Fact or fiction: Before he retires, Gregg Popovich will win one for the other ring finger.
Arnovitz: Fact. Pop has always said that basketball is only basketball, and as competitive as he is, he just doesn't seem like the kind of person who will base a retirement decision on whether that finger gets fitted for a ring. That said, the Spurs are probably in position to nab another title in, say, the next five years, especially if they can lure another impact player in free agency.
Elhassan: Fiction. I really question how much longer Pop will coach after the Duncan era ends, and it doesn't look as if Golden State is going to slow down anytime soon.
Haberstroh: Fact. He just won 67 games and coaches an MVP-in-waiting in Leonard, who very quickly is eliminating every weakness in his game. I think he'll hang it up when he's ready and Leonard's peak is worth waiting for.
Thorpe: Fact. Kawhi and Aldridge are a fantastic tandem to begin again with. Whether it's Gasol,
Dwight Howard or a player to be named, they will find their key guys to make more runs. Nobody learns from losing better than Popovich.
Pelton: Fiction. That one definitely passes the "any chance" rule, but I'd put the odds of another Spurs title in Pop's run at less than 50 percent. Barring adding another star via free agency, it's hard to see how San Antonio stays at this level over the next couple of seasons, let alone improves. Of course, the Spurs have proved us wrong before. I remember writing about how their run had surely peaked after a disappointing playoff loss to a younger, more talented opponent (the L.A. Lakers in the conference finals ... eight years ago).
