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San Antonio Spurs Tickets – A Look at the Offseason

While the highlight of the San Antonio Spurs’ 2009-10 season was an upset of the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, it became clear that the Spurs are no longer a championship contender during their second-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns.  The Suns had more talent and energy than the aging Spurs and the San Antonio organization might look to make some major moves in the coming offseason in order to set this team up for future success.

For the past 15 years, nobody has sold more <a href=”http://www.stubhub.com/san-antonio-spurs-tickets/”>San Antonio Spurs tickets</a> than Tim Duncan.  Duncan appears destined to go down as the best power forward to ever play the game of basketball, but his best days are getting smaller in the rear view mirror with every passing game.  Duncan is no longer the dominant low-post presence that he once was, and it’s time that the Spurs recognize that.  This is not to say that the team should begin preparing for life without Duncan, but they might want to look to acquire some younger talent, as the team’s title window seems to have closed.

The Spurs beefed up their roster last offseason with several moves aimed at helping this unit make one last push for a championship.  The trio of Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker brought several championships to the city of San Antonio, but those three guys are no longer enough to carry a team.  While the acquisitions of Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson made sense last offseason, another title run seems unlikely and the Spurs might want to consider breaking up their big three.  Duncan and Ginobili both have several years left on their respective contracts, so if the team is looking to move anyone it could end up being Parker.

Parker will enter into the final year of his current deal in 2010-11; that factor and the emergence of point guard George Hill could make him a potential trade candidate.  Several teams are in need of point guard help, so there would be a market for the 27-year-old point if the Spurs decided to shop him.  The Spurs might require any team looking to trade for Parker to take on the remaining two years of Richard Jefferson’s contract, though, which could make it more difficult to find a suitor.  Jefferson struggled to assimilate into San Antonio’s system and could be better-suited in a more up-tempo offense.  Regardless of what moves they make, the Spurs should be looking to land some youth to inject into their aging roster.

Looking at the team’s current players, there is not a lot of youth on the roster.  George Hill (24) and DeJuan Blair (21) are the only two youngsters that logged significant minutes in 2009-10.  Hill could end up being a star player, but is still developing, while Blair projects as a solid inside role player that will have some trouble with taller bigs.  The team will look to bring over Tiago Splitter (25) from Europe next season, and he could help inject some youth into the roster.  He projects as a solid defensive and rebounding big man, but not much else.  He could end up being a solid frontcourt complement to Duncan in the future Hall-of-Famer’s waning years.

One scenario that comes to mind that could be the best-case for San Antonio would be to swing a sign-and-trade with Memphis this offseason.  The Grizzlies feel that they’re on the cusp of making the leap to the next level as a team, but may lose small forward Rudy Gay to free agency this summer.  If Gay signals to the team that he’s leaving this offseason, the team could look to make a sign-and-trade.  The Spurs could be a logical trading partner, as the Grizzlies don’t seem set on Mike Conley as their franchise point guard.  If Memphis is interested in Parker, there is a trade that could make sense.

The Spurs could send Parker and Richard Jefferson to Memphis for Gay, Hasheem Thabeet and another contract to make the deal work financially.  This would give Memphis a reliable point guard and a small forward to plug into the hole vacated by Gay’s departure.  Memphis would then have a starting lineup of Parker, O.J. Mayo, Jefferson, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, which certainly looks like a playoff team as long as the Grizz can find some bench contributors.  It would likely elevate the Grizzlies to the next level, which will be hard for them to accomplish if Gay decides to leave and the team nets nothing in return.

San Antonio would be an attractive destination for Gay, as he would find himself in a winning culture and could be viewed as the franchise player of the next generation of Spurs teams.  The Spurs would still be a contender in the short-term with a starting lineup of Hill, Ginobili, Gay, Duncan and Splitter, and would have several young players to build around going forward.

Obviously this is all speculation and a long shot to actually take place, but it’s an option that will be worth considering for both teams should Gay decide to bolt Memphis.  The Spurs will need to consider shaking things up in a big way this offseason, and could find themselves on the decline if they fail to.  This organization has been one of the best in the league for the past 15 years or so, and should continue to be if they’re able to keep an open mind.

About the Author

Morgan C. Dunn wrote this article in association with <a href=”http://www.stubhub.com/”>StubHub</a>. If you are looking for <a href=”http://www.stubhub.com/san-antonio-spurs-tickets/”>San Antonio Spurs tickets</a>, sports tickets, theatre tickets, concert tickets, or any other kinds of tickets, StubHub.com is one of the best places to find them.

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