Are the Spurs still the Spurs?
The San Antonio Spurs have served as the hallmark of a successful sports franchise. They have won 50 or more games for the past 20 seasons. They have the greatest coach in the game in Gregg Popovich, flanked by a multiple Executive of the Year winner R.C. Buford and possibly the deepest coaching staff in the league. The organization has seamlessly transitioned from David Robinson to Tim Duncan to Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker to Kawhi Leonard. They turn undrafted free agents like Danny Green, Patty Mills and Bruce Bowen into championship contributors.
The Spurs run a somewhat comically tight ship. They won't even reveal what they put in their players' juice smoothies. They decline hundreds of interview requests a year. Think about it: when is the last time you read an in-depth profile on a current Spurs player?
Their stoic culture, however maddening it may be for reporters and fans, has brought undeniable success. Five championships over the course of those 20 years, with the potential for many more on the way.
But how long can this all truly last? Certainly not forever, and the cracks are already starting to show.
The word is out star LaMarcus Aldridge requested a trade last season, and while it seems that relationship has been somewhat mended, you never know what could happen with a player who broke tradition by actually asking to be traded BY the Spurs. That never happens. The Spurs are supposed to poach disgruntled players from other teams then mold them into their pristine culture, not the other way around.
Then there is the matter of Kawhi Leonard, who has played a grand total of nine games this whole season due to a nagging quad injury. Adrian Wojnarowski reported Leonard and the Spurs have grown distant from each other, with Jalen Rose claiming that Leonard wants out of San Antonio. And while there is probably some unease between the two sides, who could blame the parties involved? The Spurs are one of the most forward thinking franchises when it comes to sports nutrition and medicine. It's not like they are self-sabotaging Leonard's recovery process. But the bottom line is that Leonard is still not physically right, and frustration from both sides is natural.
But, the fact still remains that within the span of six months, the Spurs' two best players have both reportedly been disgruntled with their current predicament. That's not just rare for the NBA's most successful franchise, it's unheard of, and something has to be off.
When taking a good long look at the Spurs' current roster, it's astounding to realize how precious little talent there is after Leonard and Aldridge. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli are still croaking around, but they are both way past their primes and Parker just lost his starting job to the raw DeJounte Murray. Sure, Danny Green and Patty Mills are quality role players, but they struggle to create their own shots. Pau Gasol can barely move. Rudy Gay is injured again. And now, we are already down to the Davis Bertans' and Bryn Forbes' of the world.
The Spurs are having more difficulty scoring than ever before. They managed a measly 78 points against the Brett Brown-led Philadelphia 76ers just last night. Without Leonard, the Spurs' only sources of dribble penetration are Parker's pitiful forays into the paint and Kyle Anderson meticulously boring his defender to sleep. Aldridge post-ups have become the team's lifeblood after failed attempts at driving into the teeth of the defense. The team is very old. Pop has openly admitted he rarely even watches film anymore.
And yet, the Spurs endure. Even without Leonard, they sport the league's 5th best record and 2nd best defensive rating. Aldridge has embraced being The Man, and is having a career season. Murray has all the tools to eventually become a two-way force at the point guard position. Pop may have the three best assistant coaches in the league in Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka and James Borrego. Leonard is still only 26 years old, and one of the NBA's top 5 players when healthy. The chances of him actually forcing a trade are still very slim. They are the Spurs, they'll be fine.
Both points of view on whether the Spurs' dominance is slowly eroding or has no signs of slowing down are valid. After two decades, we should always give them the benefit of the doubt. The Spurs should never be counted out, but we should take note a huge chunk of their cap space for the foreseeable future is tied up in two aging bigs.
Running it back and letting Parker, Ginobli and Gasol gracefully drift off into the sunset is still a sustainable way to win. Leonard, Aldridge and Murray form a very strong core of players who excel on both ends of the court.
Whether Leonard really does seek a fresh start is almost besides the point. The simple fact that it leaked should be troubling for the NBA's gold standard of a franchise.
The Spurs run a somewhat comically tight ship. They won't even reveal what they put in their players' juice smoothies. They decline hundreds of interview requests a year. Think about it: when is the last time you read an in-depth profile on a current Spurs player?
Their stoic culture, however maddening it may be for reporters and fans, has brought undeniable success. Five championships over the course of those 20 years, with the potential for many more on the way.
But how long can this all truly last? Certainly not forever, and the cracks are already starting to show.
The word is out star LaMarcus Aldridge requested a trade last season, and while it seems that relationship has been somewhat mended, you never know what could happen with a player who broke tradition by actually asking to be traded BY the Spurs. That never happens. The Spurs are supposed to poach disgruntled players from other teams then mold them into their pristine culture, not the other way around.
Then there is the matter of Kawhi Leonard, who has played a grand total of nine games this whole season due to a nagging quad injury. Adrian Wojnarowski reported Leonard and the Spurs have grown distant from each other, with Jalen Rose claiming that Leonard wants out of San Antonio. And while there is probably some unease between the two sides, who could blame the parties involved? The Spurs are one of the most forward thinking franchises when it comes to sports nutrition and medicine. It's not like they are self-sabotaging Leonard's recovery process. But the bottom line is that Leonard is still not physically right, and frustration from both sides is natural.
But, the fact still remains that within the span of six months, the Spurs' two best players have both reportedly been disgruntled with their current predicament. That's not just rare for the NBA's most successful franchise, it's unheard of, and something has to be off.
When taking a good long look at the Spurs' current roster, it's astounding to realize how precious little talent there is after Leonard and Aldridge. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli are still croaking around, but they are both way past their primes and Parker just lost his starting job to the raw DeJounte Murray. Sure, Danny Green and Patty Mills are quality role players, but they struggle to create their own shots. Pau Gasol can barely move. Rudy Gay is injured again. And now, we are already down to the Davis Bertans' and Bryn Forbes' of the world.
The Spurs are having more difficulty scoring than ever before. They managed a measly 78 points against the Brett Brown-led Philadelphia 76ers just last night. Without Leonard, the Spurs' only sources of dribble penetration are Parker's pitiful forays into the paint and Kyle Anderson meticulously boring his defender to sleep. Aldridge post-ups have become the team's lifeblood after failed attempts at driving into the teeth of the defense. The team is very old. Pop has openly admitted he rarely even watches film anymore.
And yet, the Spurs endure. Even without Leonard, they sport the league's 5th best record and 2nd best defensive rating. Aldridge has embraced being The Man, and is having a career season. Murray has all the tools to eventually become a two-way force at the point guard position. Pop may have the three best assistant coaches in the league in Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka and James Borrego. Leonard is still only 26 years old, and one of the NBA's top 5 players when healthy. The chances of him actually forcing a trade are still very slim. They are the Spurs, they'll be fine.
Both points of view on whether the Spurs' dominance is slowly eroding or has no signs of slowing down are valid. After two decades, we should always give them the benefit of the doubt. The Spurs should never be counted out, but we should take note a huge chunk of their cap space for the foreseeable future is tied up in two aging bigs.
Running it back and letting Parker, Ginobli and Gasol gracefully drift off into the sunset is still a sustainable way to win. Leonard, Aldridge and Murray form a very strong core of players who excel on both ends of the court.
Whether Leonard really does seek a fresh start is almost besides the point. The simple fact that it leaked should be troubling for the NBA's gold standard of a franchise.
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