Let the Point Guard Saga begin

Here are today’s best Spurs news and articles.

The San Antonio Spurs are facing an interesting situation heading into the 2017 off-season, but they’ve shown they can handle such things. Last year, they dealt with losing their best player in franchise history better than any team ever has before:

This summer, as they await word from the heart and soul of the team in Manu Ginobili, they at least know one thing about the remaining member of the Big Three: for the first time in 16 years, someone other than Tony Parker will be starting the season at point guard.

With Parker determined to return from a ruptured quad and the always loyal Spurs unlikely to trade him, many options remain out there for the Spurs, including the possibility of another All-Star joining the team. While much has been made about a possible Chris Paul signing, some extreme sacrifices will have to made on one side or the other, making this signing more of a dream than possibility, at least for now. We’ll take a look at that, plus some other options just in case it doesn’t work out.

But first…

Parker deserves better from us

• On “Don’s Extra Point”, one of my favorite local news segments since I was young, News 4 San Antonio’s Don Harris tells us why it’s time to show a little appreciation for The Wee Frenchman and all that he has done for the Spurs, even if we were and often still are too stubborn to acknowledge it.

CP3 Saga

• Here’s a Point-Counterpoint on how aggressively the Spurs really should go after Paul. Factors include age, price, and if the gain outweighs the all the losses the Spurs would endure.
• One of the most reliable names in sports media, Adrian Wojnarowski, told CBS Sports Radio how un-Spurslike gutting the roster for one player teetering on the edge of the hill would be and how he just doesn’t see the Spurs pursuing this move if Paul wants anything near the max.
• Hater’s Guide to Free Agency: the uphill battle every team faces on their quests for their top free agent targets, including…you guessed it…CP3 to the Spurs.

Other point guard possibilities

• The Spurs could always stand pat and do what they need to do to re-sign Patty Mills, who plans on testing the free agent waters but hasn’t ruled out returning to San Antonio.
• Dejounte Murray could get pushed into the fire in just his second season. He has shown plenty of promise for the future, but is he ready for a full-time starting gig on a contender?
• Another option the Spurs could roll with is a stop-gap PG until Parker returns. Derrick Rose has been mentioned as a possibility (but again, not very Spurs-like). Another option is someone like Spanish veteran Jose Calderon, who is looking to sign on with a contender. He also wouldn’t be a bad replacement for Mills off the bench should the beloved Aussie move on.

More Spurs Randomness

• Trying to think of the best finals match-ups ever? That often requires a relatively even and intense series, and the Spurs have had a couple of those. One you’d probably rather forget, but the other epitomized the “boring” yet tough-as-nails Spurs of the mid-2000’s that only true basketball enthusiasts could appreciate.
• The Spurs are known for making the most out of the NBA draft, even when more often than not presented with picks that typically don’t produce much more than decent role players. Here are the top 10 first round picks in Spurs history. (Note: first round means no Manu, so don’t freak out.)
• Here’s a list of what contenders in each conference can do to prevent Warriors-Cavs 4.0 next year, including…you guessed it…CP3 to the Spurs, but the caveat is finding a way to trade only one of their two handsomely paid big men while keeping both Danny Green and Parker.

Bonus: Lebron channels his inner Pop

Frustrated and tired after another blowout loss to the Warriors in Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals, LeBron James decided not to wait for his turn at the podium and gave a brief locker room interview to the media. All it took was one dumb question from a reporter (at the 34 sec mark) for The King to go full Pop and likely has him considering a career change this summer:

Have a good one!

Source: Pounding The Rock