San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs look to repeat as champions with almost the exact same team as last year. The Spurs lone move? Drafting Saint Anthony’s alum and New Jersey native Kyle Anderson will the 30^th pick in the draft. Anderson fits the Spurs like a glove, as his pro comparison, Boris Diaw is on the roster. Anderson (nicknamed Slomo) should be able to learn how to be effective in the Spurs system. Diaw carries a lot of the same traits as Anderson as he is very slow and can lead the offense as a point forward but Anderson has a chance to be better. Anderson was a great shooter, rebounder and distributer in college but that won’t mean much in the NBA. Don’t look for Anderson to do much this year though as the Spurs will likely play with the same rotation as last year. Tony Parker is a great point guard and an elite finisher at the rim. Manu Ginobli had a bounce back year in 2013 and will look to continue his fabulous career as a Spur. Tim Duncan is one of the greatest players and might be the greatest power forward of all time. NBA finals MVP Kawai Leonard will look to develop his offense, as his perimeter defense might be the best in the league. Patty Mills was great last year backup up Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter was solid as usual. Danny Green is one of the best spot up shooters in the league. So why am I projecting a second place regular season finish for the Spurs? Greg Popovich is the best coach in the league and knows that the regular season is too long. He’ll rest his players and give up some games for the playoffs. The Spurs know that home court doesn’t mean that much when you only need 5 games.

What else is there to say? The Spurs are the best organization in sports.

Question: is this the year the Spurs take a step back?

We all know it’s coming. The Spurs dynasty will end but when exactly will it happen? We thought it was last year. We thought it was the year before that and the year prior but the Spurs keep on trucking. This would seem to be the year after a championship run that the Spurs bump the breaks a little. Tim Duncan is 38, Manu Ginobli is 37 and Tony Parker was hobbled in the finals. Parker is more injury prone than the two oldies and who knows if Boris Diaw will be the player he was for the Spurs last year. The Spurs might have a championship hangover and they might lose a little of the will to fight that fueled them in their revenge year on the Heat. If there is any coach to repeat, it’s Pop.

X-factor: Kawai Leonard

Leonard (above) has the chance to be special

If the Spurs hope to repeat, Kawai Leonard needs to be a star. Leonard is already a tremendous defender and an athletic freak. Leonard has a good jump shot (37.9% from deep) and an established offensive game would make him near unstoppable. Leonard does most of his work on offense off of cuts and fast breaks but if he could learn how to score off the dribble, he would be that much more dangerous. The thing about the Spurs is that an x-factor does not really exist. The Spurs are set up that they do not really rely on one person or one position. The system allows them to share and distribute responsibility. Leonard should be able to handle more of the load and would turn into a superstar if he does.

Best case: Spurs deny the inevitable and continue their dominance on the league.

Worst case: Father time catches up with the likes of Duncan and Ginobli, Parker can’t stay on court.

Bold Prediction: Kyle Anderson is a steal at 30 and makes an all rookie team.