The San Antonio Spurs are the monster in the horror movie that has you restless every night. They're Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. You can think you've killed them -- and sure, they look dead -- but they're always back, whether it's a vengeful 2014 playoffs rampage to win the title stolen from them the year before or the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge to retool their roster this summer.
San Antonio Spurs 2015 roster: LaMarcus Aldridge has Spurs fans thinking championship
The Spurs got the top free agent on the market and are poised to compete for a sixth title since 1999.
Once again, the Spurs have found a way to put themselves among the top of the Western Conference. With Aldridge and David West coming on, along with Kawhi Leonard and the aging Big 3, San Antonio is favored by some to win it all -- even over the reigning champion Warriors and LeBron James' Cavaliers. It's yet another sequel for the terrifying dynasty that has ruled the West since 1999.
There are still questions about the Spurs and how their bench will recover from a few small, but important, losses and there’s still an adjustment period that should be expected as Aldridge learns to play like a Spur, but San Antonio should be one of the league’s most dominant forces this year anyway.
LAST YEAR
RECORD: 55-27 (6th in Western Conference)
PLAYOFFS: Lost to Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in first round
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 106.2 (7th)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 99.6 (3rd)
ROSTER
No. | PLAYER | POS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | AGE | COLLEGE |
| 1 | Kyle Anderson | SF | 6-9 | 230 | 22 | UCLA |
| 2 | Kawhi Leonard | SF | 6-7 | 230 | 24 | San Diego State |
| 3 | Ray McCallum | PG | 6-3 | 190 | 24 | Detroit |
| 8 | Patty Mills | PG | 6-0 | 185 | 27 | Saint Mary's |
| 9 | Tony Parker | PG | 6-2 | 185 | 33 | France |
| 11 | Jeff Ayres | C | 6-9 | 250 | 28 | Arizona State |
| 12 | LaMarcus Aldridge | PF | 6-11 | 240 | 30 | Texas |
| 14 | Danny Green | SG | 6-6 | 215 | 28 | North Carolina |
| 15 | Matt Bonner | PF | 6-10 | 235 | 35 | Florida |
| 20 | Manu Ginobili | SG | 6-6 | 205 | 38 | Argentina |
| 21 | Tim Duncan | C | 6-11 | 250 | 39 | Wake Forest |
| 32 | Jimmer Fredette | PG | 6-2 | 195 | 26 | BYU |
| 33 | Boris Diaw | C | 6-8 | 250 | 33 | France |
| 55 | Reggie Williams | SF | 6-6 | 205 | 29 | Virginia Military |
| 99 | David West | PF | 6-9 | 250 | 35 | Xavier |
| Jonathon Simmons | SG | 6-6 | 195 | 26 | Houston | |
| Boban Marjanovic | C | 7-3 | 290 | 27 | Serbia | |
| Rasual Butler | PF | 6-7 | 205 | 36 | La Salle |
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Assistant coaches: Ettore Messina, Jim Boylen, Ime Udoka, Chip Engelland, Chad Forcier, Becky Hammon
OFFSEASON CHANGES
IN: LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Jimmer Fredette, Ray McCallum, Jonathan Simmons, Boban Marjanovic
OUT: Cory Joseph, Tiago Splitter, Marco Belinelli, Aron Baynes
The Spurs lost some of their vaunted depth, but added it back by nabbing West at the league minimum and, of course, Aldridge. Fredette and McCallum are unproven backup guards and that’s the position that is the Spurs’ biggest question mark headed into the season.
DEPTH CHART
POINT GUARD | SHOOTING GUARD | SMALL FORWARD | POWER FORWARD | CENTER | |
STARTER | Tony Parker | Danny Green | Kawhi Leonard | LaMarcus Aldridge | Tim Duncan |
RESERVE | Patty Mills | Manu Ginobili | Kyle Anderson | David West | Boris Diaw |
RESERVE | Ray McCallum | Jonathon Simmons | Rasual Butler | Matt Bonner | Boban Marjanovic |
RESERVE | Jimmer Fredette | Reggie Williams | Jeff Ayres |
THE KEY QUESTION
Is Tony Parker still an above-average starting point guard?
Two years ago, Tony Parker was coming off arguably his best season as a pro, finishing sixth in MVP voting after averaging 20 points and seven assists while shooting 52 percent from the floor. The basketball gods have not been kind to him ever since, as he’s battled a nagging hamstring injury that has limited him severely.
Whether his considerable dip in production stems solely from his health issues is the real question. Parker is 33 years old and point guards who rely on speed don’t typically age well (see: Steve Nash). His poor performance representing France in EuroBasket only raises more concerns.
The Spurs need Parker to run the offense and create off the dribble to achieve their full potential. If he can’t bounce back after two mediocre seasons, San Antonio’s championship chances decrease.
-Jesus Gomez, Pounding the Rock. Read the full preview here.
PREDICTIONS
BEST-CASE: Duncan gets one for the other ring finger.
WORST-CASE: The big three of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker finally hit a downturn, dealing with ineffectiveness and injuries throughout the season. LaMarcus Aldridge is good but not great, looking out of rhythm as Popovich doesn’t allow him to isolate as often. The Spurs limp into the playoffs and are again ousted in the first round.
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