Saturday, May 31, 2008

What's ahead for the Spurs this off-season?

With the Spurs bowing out to the Lakers, San Antonio will begin analyzing its roster.  Who stays?  Who goes?  Here's a quick review:

Damon Stoudamire saw little time.  During the last half of the season, SA could have used his roster spot for a promising young NBDL player.   

Robert Horry would make a great player development guys who could help mentor younger players.  His 15 years on the floor is enough.  It's been a great career.

There are a bunch of tougher decisions.  Finley still has some game left, but is on the back side of his career.

Barry has great range and is a good passer.   But he has 12 years of NBA play on his legs.

Bonner's not an athlete, but he's a good guy who works hard and who understands his role.
 
Like Bonner, Vaughn is a great guy.  He's smart and will make a good coach in the future.  Jacque is a guy you want in your locker room.  He defends well and can run a team, but his shot-range is limited and is still an offensive liability.

It's clear that the Spurs will keep their big three in Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili.  They're three of the league's best players.

That leaves Oberto, Bowen, and Mahinmi.  Oberto is a young, aggressive player who doesn't need the ball; he gets his points from garbage.  I think he's better-suited as a back-up power forward to supply energy off the bench.

At 37, Bowen is still a valuable defender and reliable spot up shooter, and Mahinmi is a young player with height who is worth spending some time to develop.