Roster Reloads (playoffs): Charlotte Bobcats | Chicago Bulls | Houston Rockets | Atlanta Hawks | Memphis Grizzlies | Golden State Warriors
Toronto Raptors | Portland Trail Blazers | Brooklyn Nets | Washington Wizards | Indiana Pacers | Oklahoma City Thunder | Miami Heat
Once again, the Spurs wowed the league with a brand of egalitarian basketball that left purists swooning. Once again, Gregg Popovich masterfully handled the rotations and minute loads for all his players, successfully sitting key players throughout the season without witnessing any drop in production or performance. Once again, San Antonio moved through the Western Conference playoff bracket while gaining momentum, making it to the NBA Finals. Once again, the Spurs put together dominant performances in the Finals, humbling the mighty Miami Heat for much of the time. And this time, there were no Heat miracles.
For almost the entire season, San Antonio was lauded as the model franchise, playing the model style of basketball, and it looked set to win a title. But that's just as it was last season. So the question now is whether it can be repeated. Do the Spurs need to make additions? Could they actually get better?
Here's a look at some of the options available in our final Roster Reload of the 2014 NBA playoffs.
2014-15 STATUS QUO BASELINE: 61.9 wins
(from Bradford Doolittle's ATH system)
I. Main assets (personnel)
Elhassan: They're not as great as they used to be as individual players, but the Spurs' success still starts with the Big 3: Tony Parker led the way again as the team's "primary" offensive option, and was his usual efficient self in the paint while remaining judicious with his perimeter shot selection. Manu Ginobili experienced a bounce-back season, and was one of the best bench players in the league this year, while Duncan was his usual stalwart self, as a terrific defensive anchor and rebounder and reliable go-to option offensively even without demanding touches. The youth corps for San Antonio, Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard, both were outstanding defensively and showed growth in their offensive games (particularly Leonard, who started the season slowly, then was injured). Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Marco Belinelli ... look, everyone played exceedingly well in the system and stepped up when called upon.
Doolittle: Nothing ever changes in San Antonio, and so long as Gregg Popovich, Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and company are around, the Spurs will look like a championship contender on paper. And they'll be one in the real world, too. There was no real difference between this year's Spurs and last year's version, other than the final result. There are some subtle changes. Tony Parker hits 30 next season, and his forecast dips a little. But that's offset by Leonard's rise and the presence of Patty Mills. It'll be interesting as always to see what kind of upgrades Popovich and R.C. Buford make on the margins. They've always had a knack for knowing when to let go to avoid cluttering the payroll, and we've seen players such as Beno Udrih, Gary Neal and DeJuan Blair move on to productive roles elsewhere. The San Antonio machine really is a marvel of efficiency. Despite the strength of the roster, Splitter is the only player on the roster with guaranteed money on the books beyond next season.
II. Shake it up
Elhassan: Duncan can opt out of his $10 million deal, but he would likely do so only to re-sign a more cap-friendly deal for San Antonio. Austin Daye's salary is only $250,000 guaranteed, so expect him to be waived then re-signed via the veteran minimum, if at all. Otherwise, the Spurs' main free agents are Diaw, Matt Bonner and Mills. Diaw is most likely to return: he's in a comfortable situation, playing alongside his best friend in a system and for a coach who respects and take advantage of his talents.
Mills is most likely to leave: After having a career year, someone will likely give him the type of contract that the Spurs would deem too rich, much like Neal's departure to Milwaukee a year ago. That leaves stretch big Bonner, who played the fewest minutes of his eight-year San Antonio tenure. It wasn't his shooting that kept him on the outskirts of the rotation, as he connected on 43 percent of his 3PA. Rather, it was his defensive issues. Bearing that in mind, the Spurs could seek to upgrade their stretch big position by pursuing Channing Frye, who can opt out of the last year of his deal in Phoenix. An elite shooter, Frye also is an underrated post defender and works well within team defensive schemes, and he was rebounding the ball well until he began to wear down over the second half of the season.
Doolittle: Barring some unexpected retirement pressers, there won't be any major upheaval in San Antonio. Diaw and Mills are important players headed for free agency, but if they leave, the Spurs will find someone to fill their respective roles at a level of remuneration appropriate to the pay structure. They always do. There's the No. 30 pick, and if you're a betting person, you'd predict it will be spent on a person who makes his residence outside the borders of this country, while last year's first-rounder, Livio Jean-Charles, remains highly regarded. San Antonio retains the rights to DeShaun Thomas as well, and he looked like a potential NBA player last summer. The area of weakness along the team stat line was a 13th-place ranking in turnover rate. That's actually six spots better than last season, but miscues burned the Spurs during the first round. Mills had the lowest turnover rate among the regulars even though he's a guard, and if he leaves, the Spurs will need someone who can calm the offense when things get ragged.
III. Obstacles to success
Elhassan: The Spurs are in the no-man's land where the only way they can operate as an under-the-cap team is by renouncing the rights of all their free agents. If they don't, they'll have the midlevel and the biannual exceptions available, which would be more advantageous than cap space if they've targeted the types of players who will accept $5.3 million or less. Another "obstacle" is the question of whether to tinker with anything at all: this team has been one of the best units in the last three seasons; did they lose because of an unfavorable matchup? Or worse, because of bad luck? In the words of Charles Oakley, if it ain't broke, don't break it! A different version of that question is how long can they keep this up, and if adding more role players with limited trade value just prolongs the inevitable reconstruction project.
Doolittle: Father Time has been plotting against the Spurs for a long time, but I long ago gave up forecasting a Spurs demise. They can bring back the exact same roster as this season, and win the championship next season. Or they can go down in the first round, as almost happened a few weeks ago. That's just the nature of the competition of the Western Conference. If you really, really want to think of a reason to worry, you could point to widely recognized, but largely untapped, potential of Leonard. Will he bide his time as a role player forever before getting disgruntled? He's up for an extension, and if it doesn't get done early, it would be human nature to want more time in the spotlight.
The Ideal Roster
Elhassan: I opted to renounce all free agents to remove cap holds, with the exception of Diaw, who I resigned to a three-year, $11 million deal starting at $3.5 million. With the resulting cap space, the Spurs can offer Frye a three-year, $19.6 million deal starting at $6.25 million: it's a pay cut for him, but an opportunity to be a contributor on a team poised to win a title. Finally, I'd bring back the renounced free agent Mills by offering a three-year deal starting with the room from the midlevel exception starting at $2.7 million. Of course, the Spurs would have more flexibility if Duncan is willing to opt out and lower his salary, but that might be a bit much to ask of someone who has already sacrificed so much.