tarheel

Do you think the Spurs will improve or get worse? They might get worse because Robinson,Ferry and Smith are getting older and Porter retired but they still have Malik, Timmy, a more expirienced Tony Parker, and New Spurs Speedy Claxton and Emmanuel Ginobli. I personally think that the Spurs could challenge the Lakers and Kings for the Western Conference Title with a line up that could look like this:

PG Tony Parker/ Speedy Claxton/ Antonio Daniels
SG Steve Smith/ Emmanuel Ginobili/ Antonio Daniels
SF Bruce Bowen/Danny Ferry
PF Tim Duncan/Malik Rose
C David Robinson/?

Tell me what yall think because I am a biased Spurs fan so I think they can challenge the Lakers but i want to know what other NBA fans think.

LOL

If they get a second scoring threat they can beat the lakers. Tim Duncan can't do it all by himself.

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robyg1974

The Spurs will definitely be a lot better than people think next year. Everyone will be picking a Kings vs. Lakers rematch.

It is starting to look like Tim Duncan WILL re-sign with the team after next season. They are certainly doing a great job of giving him a nice young supporting cast. Malik Rose, Speedy Claxton, Emmanuel Ginobili, Tony Parker--all are nice players. Bruce Bowen is a nice defender.

But the team needs to come up with longterm replacements for Steve Smith and David Robinson. Hey, am I the only person who realizes how far under the cap this team is going to be next offseason? It's looking like Michael Olowokandi will be an UNrestricted free agent next summer. The Spurs will have plenty of cap room to make him the kind of offer he wants. But what to do about a longterm replacement at SG? Two guys who are locked up to reasonable longterm contracts who can be had in exchange for very little (Antonio Daniels and filler, e.g., Cherokee Parks and/or Stephen Jackson and/or Amal McCaskill) are Lamond Murray and Tony Delk. After giving Olowokandi a big deal next summer, and, of course, re-signing Duncan, the Spurs look like a team that can win a couple of NBA titles over the next several seasons:

PG Tony Parker--Speedy Claxton
SG Lamond Murray/Tony Delk--Emmanuel Ginobili
SF Bruce Bowen--Danny Ferry
PF Tim Duncan--Malik Rose
C Michael Olowokandi

The Lakers and Kings are a lot closer to being done than people seem to realize. Shaq's contract starts getting ENORMOUS over the next few seasons (topping out at over $30 mil), so the Lakers will have some payroll problems. The Kings aren't as young as you think--in two years, their starting center will be Scot Pollard instead of Vlade Divac, which TOTALLY changes the way they play. Not to mention the fact that THEY will start having payroll problems, too--Mike Bibby and Hedo Turkoglu will both get some big offers from other teams, so this team may not stay together for much longer, next year may be its final chance at winning a title.

In other words, the key rivalry in the NBA will shift from Lakers-Kings to Spurs-Mavs a LOT sooner than people realize! We SHOULD be looking at a Lakers-Kings rematch in the Western Conference Finals (which are, as we all know, EFFECTIVELY the NBA Finals). But in 2003-04? I'm going to go ahead and call it, Spurs-Mavs--and that rivalry should continue for a few seasons!

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NBA4life

Yeah, I think some people are forgetting that San Antonio could once again be serious Championship contenders down the line. To add to the previous post....San Antonio will have a lot of money to go after not only Olowokandi, but they could also go after Elton Brand or Jermaine O'neal instead. They'll have the cap space to sign a big time free agent next. Assuming Duncan stays, the Spurs will actually have a pretty young nucleus to surround Duncan with. If things pan out, Ginobili could be the future SG for the Spurs and the second scoring option that the Spurs need. Parker and Ginobili could be an exciting backcourt for years to come. Ginobili likes to run and Parker has shown that he can push the ball up the court super fast.

As far as the upcoming season, San Antonio still has to be considered as championship contenders simply because Robinson/Duncan still anchor one of the best defenses, if not the best defense, in the NBA. Some might consider them a "dark horse" because they could come out of nowhere and surprise some teams. Most of the talk is either for LA, Sacramento or Dallas, but the Spurs are always in the hunt.

hOnDo

IMO the Spurs need to find a way to let Steve Smith go. I dont think that he really contributes as much as they want him to. He averaged 11-2-2 this year and I think that they could get someone who can play better than that. Now dont get me wrong, he is a great 3-ball and free-throw shooter, but for playing the 2 for the Spurs, i dunno, they need someone to be the 3rd scorer.

Hawkeye Pierce

yes the spurs should defintiely be in the hunt again next year especiall,y if duncan puts up similar numbers. an improved parker at point(he really needs a consistent jump shot doesnt he?? hed be great if he could keep defenders honest with a j) claxton could come on the court as a 2 at times but definitely not for extended periods, and malik rose is a great cleanup tought working type of player. but yes they really really really need a perimiter scorer.

twolvefan11

prolly get worse, not this year, next year, they will lose duncan

TheRifleman

The problem with that line up is "scoring" enough points "when" they are needed and also, the following positions do not help the Spurs offensively(Plus Bruce Bowen can't seem to hit the bucket even when wide open - which is often because nobody needs to guard a guy who not only can't shoot - BUT WON'T SHOOT!!):

<b>SF Bruce Bowen/Danny Ferry

C David Robinson/? </b>

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Quasi-Quasar

The Spurs will improve big time with Manu on board. With Parker having a year under his belt he will be far improved and Manu will be ROY and average 19 points. Also Speedy gives the Spurs a solid backup PG that they lacked, and if Daniels is traded for a PF or a SF, watch out...The Spurs could be the #2 seed or could be as low as #5 but not lower.

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Bighead734

Sounds like unless the Nets get another star, Kidd will leave and probably go to San Antonio. Then maybe they can dethrone the Lakers.

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