For almost 20 years now, there has been one team that has done all it can to stay true to their method of wanting to get their talent built up their own ‘Spursian’ way. The San Antonio Spurs have never been a team to try and sign the biggest names and get talent that way. They’ve either always drafted their talent and developed them in house or signed the 12th man on the worst team the year before, brought them in and made them the league’s biggest surprise.
Don’t believe me? Just ask Cory Joseph, Gary Neal, Boris Diaw, Danny Green, Patty Mills, Matt Bonner, George Hill, Bruce Bowen or even Fabricio Oberto about how the Spurs affected their careers.
Now it seems like there’s some concern around the Alamo. It looks like the Spurs might be putting a pause on their traditional ways to make an exceptionally big splash in free agency this summer.
From Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
For much of the year, a rumor has simmered that the Spurs are girding for the retirements of both Duncan and Ginobili, and, according to league sources, are prepared to chase hard after one of the top free agents on the market this summer: Grizzlies center Marc Gasol.
“It depends on what Tim and Manu and everyone there does,” one Western Conference executive told Sporting News. “But if they’re going, the Spurs are not going to step back and rebuild, no one thinks that. The understanding is Gasol would be their top target.” …
“They tend to fly under the radar on this kind of thing, then pop up and make the George Hill trade or almost get Jason Kidd,” one general manager said. “With their situation, you’d expect that to be the case again. If it is not Gasol, it will be a trade for a draft pick, something on draft night, it will be someone you’re not expecting. It’s not an organization that has gotten where it is without being prepared.”
I mean, you lose Tim Duncan and replace him with Marc Gasol. You’re not really skipping a beat there. Manu and Duncan’s importance to the franchise can never be matched and even that is an understatement. Getting a guy like Marc Gasol, who’s been having a career year, might be a good way to ease the pain of losing 2 of your top 3 guys of the past decade.
There still is the issue though of what Marc Gasol wants and all signs indicate that he wants to stay in Memphis. It’s been his second home since he left Spain to join his brother in Memphis when he was playing with the Grizzlies at the time. Marc played high school ball in Memphis, he started his NBA career in Memphis and he’s been there ever since he was traded for his brother on draft day.
Spurs having interest in Gasol hasn’t been a secret but now, the secret might be getting a little more serious.
