Players Acquired: C Nikola Milutinov (draft), C Cady Lalanne (draft), F LaMarcus Aldridge (free agency), F David West (free agency), C Boban Marjanovic (free agency), G Jimmer Fredette (free agency), G Ray McCallum (trade), G Georgios Printezis (trade)
Players Lost: G Cory Joseph (free agency), F/C Aron Baynes (free agency), G/F Marco Belinelli (free agency), C Tiago Splitter (trade)
Recapping 2014-15
Another season, another trip to the playoffs. The San Antonio Spurs didn’t go away in 2014-15 (and they don’t look to anytime soon).
The team finished 55-27, good for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, which seems unfair. But that’s how good the freaking Western Conference is. Five players averaged 10.5 or more points, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 16.5 points. Tim Duncan will never, ever go away. He might play until 2089. He averaged 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds at 39 years old, which seems illegal.
San Antonio matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, because again, the West is freaking tough.
In a series that NBA TV will have on a constant loop one day, the Spurs lost in seven games, prematurely ending a season that probably deserved to go a little longer.
Tony Parker wasn’t the same player at the end of the season and in the playoffs. And that’s to be expected after 1,211 games (regular season and playoffs) in the last 14 seasons.
We thought that maybe the window for the Spurs that we’ve come to know and love was closing. Maybe Manu Ginobili and Duncan would retire.
But then the Spurs did exactly what you’d think the Spurs would do.
They signed the best free agent available. Which brings us to…
The Big Question
How will LaMarcus Aldridge fit in?
Aldridge is used to being the focal point in Portland’s offense. He took a bunch of midrange jumpers and tended to hold the ball a bit longer, slowing down the rhythm offensively. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when you consider how good Aldridge is at pretty much everything.
But the Spurs play with ball movement and hit 36.7 percent of their 3-pointers, ranking sixth in the league. There will definitely be talks of Aldridge taking a step or two back to turn his attempts into 3-pointers.
It’s also worth wondering how Duncan and Aldridge will play together. It probably won’t be a problem since Duncan has adjusted to pretty much everything throughout his career.
How Can The Wolves Beat Them?
The Wolves were 0-4 against the Spurs last season, being outscored by an average of 22 points per loss, which isn’t pretty at all.
With the Spurs, there’s no clear guy to stop. Austin Daye scorched the Wolves at the Target Center last season, so yeah, anything is possible.
The first focus should be on Aldridge, but it will really be about team defense to slow down Gregg Popovich’s squad.
Ratke’s Projection
It’s hard to bet against the Spurs and those who have done it over the last 15 years don’t have much to show for it.
I see the Spurs getting the third seed, behind the Clippers and Warriors. They will get a first-round matchup against the Grizzlies and beat them in six. I then have them losing in the second round to the Warriors in seven games.
This is a total guess, obviously. This team has everything it takes to win a title, much like six other teams in the Western Conference.
Describe This Team In 15 Words Or Less
Right when you think they’re done, nope. Can LaMarcus Aldridge get them another ring?