Spurs Interested In Replacing Tim Duncan With Marc Gasol?
By Marcus Bass
How unfair would it be if the defending champion San Antonio Spurs were to keep their annual Larry O’Brien trophy hopes alive by adding another superstar big man to the post for the next decade?
David “The Admiral” Robinson ended his 21 points and 10.6 rebounds per game career when he passed the torch to Tim Duncan, who has averaged 19.8 points and 11 rebounds per game in his 17-year career. As Duncan is expected to retire at the end of this season or after the 2015-16 campaign, the Spurs have set their sights on securing their next superstar big man who will lead the club for the next decade. They’re rumored to be looking at Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol.
In what was written as a memo of precaution for the New York Knicks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Phil Jackson‘s nemesis Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are in prime position to lure Gasol to San Antonio:
"“The Knicks’ main free-agent target, Marc Gasol, is also being targeted as a possible replacement to Tim Duncan assuming Ol’ Man Riverwalk retires this summer. The Knicks will be players for the Memphis center mainly because of the first three rules of real estate — location, location, location — and because Gasol is familiar with both Jackson and Derek Fisher since older brother Pau spent the best years of his career with the Lakers.Otherwise, staying in Memphis will be appealing to Gasol, whose team is a legitimate championship contender. The Grizzlies can offer Gasol the most money, and he has grown to love the city, having lived there since high school when Pau broke in with the Grizzlies.”"
Gasol is currently in his seventh season with the Grizzlies, coming off a 2013-14 season where he appeared in a career-low 59 games due to nagging injuries. On the season he’s averaging 18 points and 7.8 rebounds, leading the Grizzlies to a surprising 10-2 record, good enough to sit at the top of the Western Conference standings.
He’s been promised the keys to the Memphis kingdom, and for the previous two or three seasons he’s undoubtedly been the man. However, with their championship aspirations drowned in postseason losses in recent years, Gasol could bolt for what would be a more championship-oriented organization in the Spurs. Not to mention Gasol’s natural skill set is a perfect fit for Popovich’s system, and would provide a seamless transition out of the Duncan era.
Marc Gasol in a Spurs uniform might be a better option than what San Antonio currently has with Tim Duncan. Although he’s starting in a center’s role right now for the Spurs, Duncan is primarily a power forward. Much of the reason why the Spurs have added bulky big men in past seasons was to alleviate much of the banging and physically bruising minutes typically attributed to a starting center. In their last couple of seasons, the Spurs have been starting two power forwards in Boris Diaw and Duncan.
Gasol doesn’t shy away from physical contact (not to suggest Duncan does), and with his ability to pass and shoot from the perimeter he’s the upgrade Popovich is salivating over if he intends on keeping the Spurs competitive well after his big trio of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan retires.
Not to mention the Spurs already sport more international talent than any team in the league, which could serve as a more comfortable fit for Gasol. Last, the opportunity to be paired with Kawhi Leonard could be an attractive situation for the Spanish big man. Nothing is concrete, however it’s expected that the Spurs organization will do everything they can to inject talented youth into the roster to keep Popovich coaching for as long as possible.
If they land Marc Gasol, don’t expect Popovich to go anywhere.