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San Antonio Spurs: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (left) hugs Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (right) talk after game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-82. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (left) hugs Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (right) talk after game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-82. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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San Antonio Spurs
Apr 27, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) before game four against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Scoring LaMarcus Aldridge

The reason so many people are ready to anoint the San Antonio Spurs as the future representatives of the Western Conference for the 2016 NBA Finals? This acquisition right here.

By landing Aldridge with a four-year, $84 million max contract, San Antonio has somehow made last year’s title contender even better, securing the long-term AND short term future of the franchise no matter how well Duncan and Ginobili are able to play this season.

Aldridge was the NBA’s top free agent this summer (among those who were actually leaving), so anytime you’re able to land that kind of player, you’re doing something right. Now San Antonio’s long-term replacement for Duncan at the 4 is a 29-year-old who averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game last season while expanding his range to three-point territory.

The loss of Splitter hurts the Spurs on the defensive end, and the reason the Phoenix Suns’ pitch was so strong was they came into the meeting with a bonafide defensive presence at the 5 in Tyson Chandler. In San Antonio, Aldridge may have to log time at center, a position he’s not as comfortable with and nowhere near as suited for given his mediocrity on the defensive end.

However, any qualms about San Antonio’s defense or their loss of depth in order to acquire Aldridge should be dismissed once you remember that this team, which was considered a title contender last season, just added one of the best three power forwards in the game.

Even as Aldridge heads into his 30s, San Antonio’s starting five is now as good as any in the NBA. So even though it remains to be seen how Aldridge’s one-on-one skills mesh with the Spurs’ patented ball movement, LMA provides them with a bailout option on offense and plenty of rebounding on the other end. Those damn Spurs just always have the answer, and this summer it was LMA.

Grade: A-

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