San Antonio Spurs: David West Adds To The Reloading Madness

Continuing to make a mammoth-sized splash in free agency, the San Antonio Spurs are ruining lives again.  According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, free agent forward David West has agreed to join the Spurs this summer.  Aldridge is reporting that West’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum, which will be around $1.4 million for the 34-year-old big man.

West walked out the Pacers’ door in June, leaving $12.6 million on the table by opting out of his contract.  Instead, he wants a chance to compete deep into the playoffs, and that’s not something he pictured for Indiana next year.

It’s really a match made in heaven, if you want to consider the type of identities and reputations each side has garnered through the years.

David West, regardless of which city he’s playing in, has developed a character full of diligence, pragmatic behavior, and top-notch professionalism.

New Orleans not only admired and embraced his on-court passion as a power forward, but they also appreciated everything West did within the community as he helped victims from the disastrous Hurricane Katrina.

Moving on to Indiana at age 31, West noticed a roster that was on the verge of breaking through the door. Young pieces were in place with the Pacers, including a big man that could absorb most of the defensive responsibilities in Roy Hibbert. West provided Indiana with the exact disposition Larry Bird aims for in a player;  The no-nonsense, work-before-fun, aggressiveness-over-beauty type of play.

He never takes the horseplay.  He never puts up with the out-of-line BS that he deems immature. In his 30’s, West’s playing style may not be as appealing as viewers want to see with the modern game. But, it’s effective because of how fierce, and how fervid he plays in the post.

As an organization, the San Antonio Spurs are no different.  They draw extreme parallels to the type of player West has been since the 2003 Draft.

People still have the belief that it isn’t “enjoyable” to watch the Spurs play, simply because of the average age of their “Big 3” being 36.7 years old.  In reality, we all know there’s nothing more heart-stopping than watching San Antonio’s surgical ball movement.  But, the casual fan will always fall in love with the up-tempo fashion the NBA is pushing towards.

Moreover, casual fans will be more in awe of extreme sides to a spectrum (Houston’s insane 3-point reliance, or the Clippers’ method of Lob-City to rule the highlight reel). The Spurs’ push for a great middle-ground will never be appreciated, or mocked, to the extent of those “more exciting” teams.

Gregg Popovich is the luminary who once said … “No one person is bigger than the team. If you can’t do things our way, you’re not getting time here, and we don’t care who you are.”

It’s still incredible that players in this generation would be so willing to turn down larger piles of cash to join that philosophy. With the young stars rising in today’s game, you just get the sense that they’d be more about their individual glamour, and huge dollar signs.

With this free agency period, we learned that LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t afraid to sacrifice individual stardom.  Two days later, it was confirmed why David West is always so beloved by his teammates, and majority of his city’s fans.  He’s all about the theory of teamwork, with each player not trying to climb on top of others in level of importance and responsibility.

West has always found his perfect obligation or duty to a team, and stuck with it.  He’s never tried to exceed it, shy away from it, or make excuses for not fulfilling it.  For that reason, he’s always fit the Spurs’ framework.  Under Popovich, the Spurs (although older), still have the same type of skeleton they’ve always had.  Each part has its own function, with a unique role that’s destined to help the overall good of the team.

West sacrificed more than $11 million just to fit in as another bone to the Spurs’ skeleton.  With the major additions San Antonio made this week, it will force Duncan to have to reconstruct his contract so that Aldridge can receive his maximum money.

This team is more than “all-in” on giving it one last push before Duncan walks away.

The On-Court Fit

After trading Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio could only hope they would have a chance to re-fuel with Aldridge and other free agents. Splitter’s passing from the post and ability to make the most of his shot opportunities was valuable to San Antonio. He only had 5.8 shot attempts per game when he was healthy this season, but did rank 6th of all centers in true shooting percentage (minimum 19 minutes per game).

Replacing Splitter with two strong forces at power forward will obviously throw more of the center responsibilities on Tim Duncan, but it makes the Spurs a lot deeper up front.

Bringing West along to join the group, San Antonio now has another power forward with a similar body-style to Boris Diaw.  Both West and Diaw have roughly the same build (250 pounds), but West is a bit taller and much more aggressive on defense.

Diaw has been known to step out and stretch the floor for Popovich, taking 3.1 long-range attempts per 36 minutes last season (a career-high). West, on the other hand, is much more traditional as a four-man.  He hasn’t been encouraged to extend his offense past the mid-range area, although he’s shown in flashes just how capable he is from deep. Frank Vogel probably just never preached it to him.

West has a crafty twist to his game … something very similar to Diaw.  Both power forwards have this unique, artful way of finishing from close-range. They both have this special skill of getting into the paint (on the move), scoring in a variety of ways:

That’s a strong reason why Popovich is going to love inserting West into the rotation.  Pop only likes to deal with smart, keen players, and that’s what West exemplifies when he’s making a play.  Contrary to how simple it may seem, it’s actually hard to find a big man that has the patience to make careful plays around the basket (pump-fakes, hesitation moves, nifty fadeaways, etc.). When you typically see a forward with West’s body stature, they mainly try to use their power to force their way into a close shot.

West, Diaw, and Aldridge are considered three of the most versatile and adaptable forwards in the game, and now they all wear silver and black. It’s quite stunning, when you take a step back and vision them rotating in and out for Popovich — especially through a long playoff run.

There’s something else Popovich envisions when trying to get big men to thrive on his team.  He’s one of the best professors when it comes to having forwards and centers create plays for others, either off the dribble or in simple catches.  With West, the Spurs are gaining yet another valuable decision-maker in halfcourt sets.

West’s high volume of mid-range jumpers has forced defenders to close out hard on him when he catches the ball with space.  Because 40.2 percent of his shot attempts last season came from 15-19 feet, his spacing has caused big men to make quick decisions:

Lineups with Kawhi Leonard (a great penetrator that’s only getting better), a healthy Tony Parker, and either Aldridge/West at the power forward slot would be able to do serious damage.  It’s just too difficult to guard, when you have four or five guys in a lineup that are either exceptional passers, or above-average passers.  Above, you see how a simple baseline drive by Solomon Hill was able to force the Knicks to send help for a cut-off (I know, it’s the Knicks!).  Then, with George Hill wide open near the rim, Louis Amundson notices West slipping out behind the free throw stripe.

Although it’s a simple no-look pass that doesn’t take the greatest player of all-time to execute, it’s the fact that West is able to make defenders nervous with his reputation of taking those mid-rangers.  Aldridge is the same way, although he probably isn’t as quick or good of a decision-maker as West. Then, you have Diaw who causes the same fear — except from even further range.

West is also one of the best big men in the league when it comes to making on-point outlet passes, because his strength allows him to:

For three years, West had the chance to experience a break-out small forward in Paul George, working with him greatly in full-court set-ups (the pass above), and even in some pick-and-roll action.

Now, he goes to help out the talents of an original Pacer, Kawhi Leonard.  Indiana drafted Leonard in the 2011 Draft, and West would’ve had the chance to play alongside him if he wasn’t traded to the Spurs.

West won’t lack in the fun category next season, having a perfect brew of young talent and older veterans in San Antonio.  Most of the guys around West will be in their 30’s, but it’ll be refreshing to have that “Paul George type” of player in Leonard, as one to run offense with.

Popovich and General Manager R.C. Buford have the easiest job in the world when July comes.  Trying to sell San Antonio’s organization as “the right destination” for free agents takes little effort.  That’s what six Finals appearances since 1999 does, and 16 straight 50-win seasons.

Together, they’ve built this unbelievable depth with their big men (Click image to see full table):

Not only will Duncan and Diaw have more help this season protecting the paint, but they’re getting two of the most prolific mid-range spacers at the power forward position.

Out of all forwards last season, there were none that shot more mid-rangers on a nightly basis than Aldridge. Per 36 minutes, Aldridge attempted 11.3 mid-range shots for the Blazers, which was over three more than Anthony Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, and Blake Griffin.

West wasn’t far below, taking 7.6 mid-rangers per 36 minutes.  Aldridge and West ranked in the top five of all forwards when it came to attempts per 36.  West had to take a step back last season in minutes (but still playing 28.7 per game), and he still did similar damage offensively.

The part that should infuse the folks of San Antonio with smiles is this:  West was even better than Aldridge from this distance, despite Aldridge being known as the most lethal mid-range threat for a big man.  West shot 6.6 percent better than Aldridge from 15-19 feet, and 5.1 percent better from all dimensions that define “mid-range.”

The fact that both of them joined San Antonio, a 55-win club in the hardest conference on Earth, is still juggling around in my head.  It hasn’t quite reached the side of my brain where everything is translated into coherent information.  It likely never will.

Duncan had the winning mentality once he stepped foot into the organization in 1997.  It took him two years to attach the hardware to it, and understand what a winning culture is about.

Defense first, and playing unselfishly with any lineup combination Pop throws out there. It’s not about getting big-headed, or believing you can do it alone.

Diaw has been through deep playoff runs with Popovich over the last few years, as he now has the same mentality.  West was born the same way, and there was no better place or coach for him to value the principles of defense than Indiana and Frank Vogel.

Aldridge is still working on adjusting his game defensively, but he’s in the right hands to learn from the best — on the court and in the huddle.

Together, this frontcourt in San Antonio may just be one of the most epic.  It’s one of a kind.  From the personalities and upbringings, to the style in which they’ve adopted throughout their careers, it’s one geared for the NBA Finals next June.

People have always asked the question … how meaningful is a championship ring to a rich player’s heart?  Would you rather have an eight-figure salary, or be able to show your kids a neat diamond one day?

David West just answered us.