2012-13 Vitals
58-24, 1st in Southwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference
103 PPG/96.6 OPP PPG
2013-14 Roster
Aron Baynes – C
Marco Belinelli – SG
Matt Bonner – PF
Nando De Colo – SG
Boris Diaw – PF
Tim Duncan – PF
Manu Ginobili – SG
Danny Green – SG
Cory Joseph – PG
Kawhi Leonard – SF
Patrick Mills – PG
Tony Parker – PG
Jeff Pendergraph – PF
Tiago Splitter – C
Offseason Additions
Marco Belinelli (FA), Jeff Pendergraph (FA)
Offseason Subtractions
Projected Starters
PG – Tony Parker
SG – Danny Green
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Tim Duncan
C – Tiago Splitter
Kawhi Leonard can have a breakout year next season and he’ll have to in order for the Spurs to have a shot at the title. (Photo: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule)
Season Outlook
From not being expected to make to the NBA Finals to a miraculous Game 6 run by the Miami Heat that eventually led to the title, the San Antonio Spurs had what was perhaps the most amazingly devastating season last year. With Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan a year closer to their retirements and no big additions this summer, the fans are left wondering: Is this the end?
The quick answer is no. However, the road ahead is much more rocky than last year’s. The Oklahoma City Thunder have Russell Westbrook back and the Los Angeles Clippers have made impressive moves this summer to make the Western Conference race as brutal as ever. Oh yeah, then there’s the Miami Heat and the other Eastern contenders that have improved.
Big expectations are needed to believe the Spurs will have equal or better success than last season. Pendergraph and Belinelli are good additions, but not in the areas where the Spurs were lacking, which has made for a rather disappointing offseason. The team leaders will have to produce at a high and consistent level, while the young guns also have to take the next step in their development. The top-tier teams in the league are too good to come back with the same production as last year. The team flat out needs more options to contend once again.
After 16 seasons, the Spurs’ championship hopes still live and die by Tim Duncan. (Photo Credit/Remembergoliad/Flickr.com)
Best-Case Scenario
Duncan and Parker are able to give another potential All-NBA performance, Leonard and Green expand their offensive games and break out to give the team two more huge weapons, and Ginobili is able to stay healthy and shake off his worst playoff series ever. The team is able to make it back to the finals, this time claiming the Larry O’Brien trophy after coming one game short last season.
Worst-Case Scenario
Ginobili never seems to recover from the Miami series and continues to play poorly in the games that he’s actually healthy enough to play, Green still looks uncomfortable taking any shot that’s not an open 3-pointer, Leonard is unable to handle the extra pressure on him to produce on offense, none of the backup point guards step up and Parker is left struggling to create on his own with no other shot-creating swingmen on the team. Last but not least, Duncan’s decline begins to take effect. Once that happens, it’s all over. Second round ceiling at best.
Predicted Finish
58-24, 1st in Southwest Division, 3rd in Western Conference
Add us as a preferred source on Google