They just don't stop.
2015-2016 looks like the beginning of the new era San Antonio Spurs, and they're just as scary and dominant as the Spurs of old. After a wild offseason, San Antonio confidently strides into the new NBA year with a brilliant shot to win their second title in three years. Gregg Popovich and the Big Three are still doing their thing in the Alamo City, and they've added impressive pieces to put them atop of the Wild Western Conference food chain.
Offseason Moves:
San Antonio freed up cap space by trading Brazilian center Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks, allowing the Spurs to re-sign restricted free agent Kawhi Leonard to a five-year, $94 million contract. But that wasn't the juiciest Spurs storyline of the summer. Au contraire, San Antonio signed LaMarcus Aldridge to a four-year, $84 million deal and David West to a cool two-year, $3 million contract, turning their frontcourt into quite possibly the best in the NBA. The Spurs shocked the NBA world with the signing of Aldridge. Not only does Aldridge allow Tim Duncan to have more rest this season, but he can also become their new franchise player once The Big Fundamental moves on. Meanwhile, West adds a bruising body with a championship chip on his shoulder who can mentally will the younger Spurs through the rough and tough of a long NBA season. And the re-signing of Kawhi Leonard keeps the Spurs' obvious future franchise player in the River City for the next half decade.
Roster and Playing Time:
The additions made by the Spurs, along with their up-and-coming youngsters, combine to ease the strain off the Spurs aging Big Three: Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Duncan is still a cream of the crop NBA forward, but he definitely needs more rest, and Aldridge, West, and Boris Diaw will help with that. Parker has been statistically wavering over the past few years, so if he has issues with performance or health, Patty Mills and Ray McCallum wait in the wings of Gregg Popovich's bench. Danny Green will once again be Pop's starting shooting guard, but the Summer League emergence of Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons could prove to give San Antonio even more wing options off the bench. All in all, the Spurs may end up with one of their deepest teams in recent memory, especially if Anderson can step it up in his sophomore season. San Antonio will also be able to balance out playing time wonderfully, which Popovich is certainly used to doing.
Best of the West:
San Antonio enters the 2015-2016 NBA campaign as one of the top teams in the Wild Western Conference. The defending champions Golden State Warriors are surely the preseason favorites, but the Spurs will contend with every team in the NBA all year long, as they have for almost 20 years. They have talent, athleticism, and the best ball movement in the league. But they're final spot in the standings won't depend on those attributes, because the Spurs finished sixth in the West with the same strengths last season. This year, it depends on much more. How will Aldridge adapt to his new role on his new team? How will David West effect fellow veteran and younger teammates? Will Pop be able to figure out the best rotation? Will Kyle Anderson emerge as a young star? Will Patty Mills be a suitable back up to Parker with Cory Joseph leaving for the Raptors? All these questions will be answered soon, but it seems like the depth and experience of the Spurs should keep them among the contenders throughout the season.
Prediction:
How about a 58-24 record and a third place finish in the Western Conference behind the Warriors and either the Houston Rockets or Los Angeles Clippers? It's hard to see the outcomes of the usually unpredictable Western Conference playoffs, but a deep playoff run seems to be in the cards for the Spurs in 2015-2016.