2009-10 NBA preview: San Antonio Spurs

It seems every NBA pre-season everyone lines up to say the same thing about the San Antonio Spurs. The running joke is that each and every year they are one step closer to a Social Security check than they are to a NBA title. In most years this seemed to fire up the Spurs and they would prove everyone wrong and go out and win, or at least contend for the title. That is not exactly how the 2008-09 season went. While they did win 54 games and their division, they were unable to keep up with the Dallas Mavericks, and were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

It isn’t so much that the Spurs are an older team, but they are old and were robbed of the presence of Manu Ginobili for much of last year, but their approach to the game is dated. The NBA of today is an ever increasing up tempo style to it, the Spurs seems stuck in the past when the balls use to have laces. Far too often the Spurs ride Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in half court sets, which are sometimes painful to watch. Their offense should change a lot with the addition of Richard Jefferson and Antonia McDyess.

The Spurs think that if they can keep their power trio of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili healthy they can still contend with any team in the West. They may be right and with a few additions they may just have one NBA title run in them.