State of the Cap: San Antonio SpursBy:

By Josh Redetzke
7/29/08

2008/09 San Antonio Spurs Payroll: $59.3 million
2008/09 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $58 million
Roughly: $1.3 million over cap




The Good:

	Tim Duncan

The Spurs once again failed to repeat as NBA champs, but their
trio of great players continued to dominate the competition. As always, Tim Duncan
led the way with his dependable, monotonous 19.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2
blocks per game. At this point, only death and taxes are more of a sure thing
than Duncan. He even decided to add clutch, game-tying three pointers to his playoff
resume this season. As if San Antonio needed any more return on their $82.7 million
investment over the next four years. Duncan is one of the few players in the league
who truly earns his $20 million dollar salary.

Like
Duncan, point
guard Tony Parker has been an impressive model of consistency. For the past three seasons, Parker has stayed
very close to his 18 point, 6 assist, and 52% shooting averages. His marriage to Eva Longoria certainly hasn’t
been a distraction according to those numbers.
Parker is signed for the next three years at a total of $37.6 million, a
modest sum compared to what he produces on the court. The scariest thing about him might be that he
is only 26 years old. Parker is just
entering his prime and will continue to be one of the quickest players in the
league for years to come.

In
his sixth NBA season, Manu Ginobili had his best year as a pro. He set career highs in points (19.5),
rebounds (4.8), assists (4.5), and three point shooting (40.1%), all while
playing a reserve role that won him the Sixth Man of the Year award. Ginobili is a great bargain at just $9.9 and
$10.7 million the next two years. That
might sound like a lot for a bench player, but we all know that Ginobili is one
of the best guards in the game today and well worth the price San Antonio is paying.

Veteran
forward Fabricio Oberto plays intelligent, efficient basketball and is the
Spurs’ second best front court player.
The team managed to keep Oberto around for just $3.5 million a year the
next two seasons. His 4.8 points and 5.2
rebounds may not sound like much, but if you factor in that he outplayed Kurt
Thomas, a guy who made more than twice as much as Oberto, then you can see why
he is such a great value.

The Bad:
I would normally talk about low value players
here, but considering that no one is currently under contract for more than $4
million after Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, there really isn’t much to gripe
about. Matt Bonner is probably the
biggest waste of space at roughly $3 million each of the next two years. For an
outside shooting forward, Bonner sure doesn’t make many of his outside
shots. Since he doesn’t bring anything
else to the table, that money would be better spent on a role player that might
actually contribute.



The Future:
As long as Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili are around, the
Spurs will always be in the thick of the hunt in the Western Conference
playoffs. There is, however, a small
concern heading into next season. While
their top three players are great, the Spurs’ success largely depends on the
quality role players that surround them.
Bruce Bowen is still a great defender and will only make $4 million a
year, but he is very old and will have to be replaced soon. Brent Barry has gone to Houston.
Michael Finley and Robert Horry are unsigned. San
Antonio needs to reload their bench in order to keep
up with the other power teams in the West.

Finley
would be a good veteran to re-sign, but Horry was very ineffective
last season and might not return. While Kurt Thomas has been resigned, the
team definitely needs to add more depth to their front line. The back court should be okay, especially if
they retain Finley. Roger Mason from the
Wizards was signed to a cheap, two-year contract to help replace the
three-point shooting of Barry. Ime Udoka
really emerged as a viable option in place of Bowen at small forward. He is one of those players that never seems
to make a mistake, a staple of the Spurs’ bench over the years. I fully trust Greg Poppovich and the team’s
front office to find a way to fill their holes and put another championship
contender on the floor. San Antonio has won every other title since
2002-03. Are you going to bet against
them next season?

Free Throw:
The Spurs have always done an excellent job
drafting overseas talent and adding them to the team when they are ready. That being the case, what in the world were
they thinking when they gave up Luis Scola to the Rockets for almost
nothing? I’ve heard that they were
worried about how he would share the post with Duncan and whether his game could be
effective against NBA big men. As we’ve
seen in Houston,
the Spurs were very wrong. Since they
rarely make such mistakes, I’m willing to give them a mulligan on this one.

Grade: A

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