* * *
The Spurs have clinched their 20th consecutive winning season, and at 42-13 are
very likely to win 50 games for the 18th season in a row. Do you see this San
Antonio run coming to an end anytime soon?
* * *
David Aldridge: Is Kawhi planning to retire and open an orphanage in Rio? (Wait:
that was Archie and Wanda in “A Fish Called Wanda.” Sorry.) The answer is no.
The Western Conference isn’t as formidable as it used to be. With Leonard,
LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, and with the usual cast of role players who
play with perfect pitch for coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have at least
another 2-4 seasons of 50-win caliber excellence in them–assuming no
catastrophic injuries to their core guys.
Steve Aschburner: So much winning! Actually, I threw that in for Pop, but this
run of theirs is remarkable — and I’d give them an asterisked 20 seasons in a
row after this one, given the success rate of the 1998-99 lockout season (37-13
pro-rates out to 60-22). San Antonio has changed pieces on the fly well enough
to handle player departures, so Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker getting the
shirt-in-the-rafters treatment soon shouldn’t break the streak. Presumably the
only thing that might is coach Gregg Popovich’s eventual exit, whether for a
second career in politics or as a snarly proprietor of a vineyard.
Fran Blinebury: Not as long as Gregg Popovich and Kawhi Leonard are breathing.
Shaun Powell: When I see Tony Parker struggle and Manu Ginobili being one step
away from retirement, I wonder. But then I’m reminded how the Spurs develop
players (Kawhi Leonard) and see Dejounte Murray and Jonathon Simmons playing
growing roles in the rotation and realize that Gregg Popovich is still pulling
strings and see them going at least another few years. Look, when Pop is done,
then we can talk.
John Schuhmann: Kawhi Leonard is only 25 years old (with room for more
improvement), the Spurs’ culture is firmly in place, they have the best coach in
the world, and they’ve continually refreshed the roster with quality role
players. So no, I don’t see their run of regular-season success ending anytime
soon. I do think they need to get another player at or near Leonard’s level to
truly be a threat to the Golden State Warriors in the postseason. Their depth is
what makes them a great regular season team, but its effect is reduced in the
playoffs.
Sekou Smith: I don’t see the Spurs’ run coming to an end anytime soon, not with
a foundational superstar like Kawhi Leonard in the fold and Gregg Popovich still
energized to do what he’s done all these years. Building a powerhouse team in
the Western Conference from the ground up without those two ingredients is a
challenge that could swallow up the best intentioned of franchises. But winning
big is in the DNA in San Antonio. The formula is locked in and they’ll continue
the “Spurs Way” for as long as Pop and his crew remain in place. And yes, this
run they are on is absolutely stunning.
Ian Thomsen: I’m afraid so. I’ve got them dropping down into the mid-40s in by
2030-31. By then Kawhi Leonard will be 39 and Popovich will be pushing 82 – it
has to end sometime.
Lang Whitaker: I mean, this has to happen at some point, right? The law of
averages and all. Then again, they weathered the loss of Tim Duncan without
missing a beat. Soon enough we’ll see Manu Ginobili go, and eventually they’ll
have to replace Tony Parker as well. But they’ve sneakily become really good at
working the free agency market, bringing in guys like Pau Gasol and LaMarcus
Aldridge, while unearthing D-(or G-) League talents and plugging them into the
system. At some point the Spurs just can’t consistently be this good anymore. Or
can they?
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