Running Around!

The Spurs angle is most compelling to me. The Big Three is fine but getting a little old. The problem is that their margin of error is so thin with those guys because they’re old at this point and their bench isn’t strong enough to make up the delta if one of them goes down. (and Duncan can no longer go for 30/15 games when he needs to) So what should the Spurs do? There was some talk of the Spurs trading either Parker or Ginobili. Personally, I didn’t like either of these options. Both have reasonable deals, Parker is particularly young, and they would be breaking up a really well put together team. They could beef up the bench which is what they’ve done in the past. The other alternative is what they ended up doing — picking up a star (Jefferson is arguably a border line all-star caliber player at this point). Here’s where it gets interesting. In today’s NBA economic climate, it’s possible to do the latter without giving up a lot in return. Notice the Spurs gave up Bowen, Oberto (both of whom will be cut by the Bucks) and Kurt Thomas. In other words, pure salary dump. They didn’t even have to give up a draft pick to acquire Richard Jefferson. So all the Spurs had to do was decide that they were willing to take on some more salary for the next two years. They’re zigging while everyone else is zagging.

I’m sure it’s fashionable to pick the Lakers as the early favorites for next year’s NBA championship. However, if the Spurs were healthy this post-season, would they have gotten past the Spurs? I never count the Spurs out. Now they’re adding an excellent piece in Jefferson. Don’t forget, Jefferson’s personality fits in perfectly with the Spurs. He’s a good team player with the ability to score and contribute in many aspects of the game.