NBA: Fall of San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs is a team that is merely based on veteran players. The Spurs skeleton consists of old and experienced players such as Tim Duncan 34, Manu Ginóbili 32, and Tony Parker 28, being the youngest of the trio.
The Spurs is one of the strongest teams in the NBA; they have made it to the playoffs in 13 straight seasons and have won four NBA Championship titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
However the team might have stars at the moment but few years down the line Tim, Ginobili and Tony will retire and leave behind a cast which might be supportive and hardworking but they are not built to continue the Spurs legacy. The roster consists of Alonzo Gee, James Anderson, George Hill and DeJuan Blair, but sadly none of these players have leadership qualities.
Tony Parker is the only player out of the trio who is reaching his prime and proving to be a world class player as time passes by but sadly that cannot be said for Duncan and Manu, who turned 33 yesterday. While on the other hand Tiago, Blair and Hill are backups and they suit the role, but filling in the shoes of the trio is unlikely to happen. The Spurs consistent performance and the team’s whole outlook will die out sooner than we think.
Tim has already started showing signs of aging as his game is slowing down, his scoring average is decreasing slowly and minutes deteriorating, whereas Manny has faced several injuries over the years and has conversely slowed down; the Argentinean native has not been able to play more than 75 games per season since the past decade.
The San Antonio Spurs last year signed on a 35 year old centre Antonio McDyess, who plays as the starter for the team now. The Spurs age old roster is not the only problem they will be facing in the near future but Tony will be becoming a free agent by next year and experts say he just might opt out so he could join a fresh new team.
Basketball enthusiast’s says that in four years Ginobili and Tim will be in their late thirties and Parker, who will be 32, is probably going to lose his sharpness. Alonzo, DeJuan and Splitter in the background will really put the team’s long-term success in question. The Spurs line up is weak and will not be able to secure the team’s future, let alone the team might break down over a few years and might not be able to even make it past the first round of the playoffs.
When Parkers contract ends it will be irrational for him to continue his future with the Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs might be a quality team but that does not mean they can bring championships in the upcoming years, especially if compared to the newly built teams this year after the draft and free-agency season.
Rumours of Parker being interested in playing for the New York Knicks have already started surfacing. If Parker actually decides to leave by next year, Tim will definitely re-think of his future too because he might just realize that without Parker and Ginobili the Spurs are just an ordinary team. Tim has an Early Termination Option (ETO) in his contract meaning he could opt out any time he wants by next season.
Whether or not the predictions will take another 5 years, one thing is certain that the franchise is going to fall from grace eventually, and with the reigns going into George Hills' hands, things will turn disastrous for the team.
No Doubt the Spurs have backed their team up with strong fresh players but none of them has leadership qualities. It is time for the Spurs to embrace the fact that their team is weakening day by day; in order to see a brighter future the team needs to sign on a true team leader who could guide the young players on the roster to another championship.
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