SPUR-EVER: Ten Titles

Coach Pop welcomes Tim Duncan to the sidelines. With free agent buzz quieting down to a simmer, the Spurs training camp is underway with many new faces on the court and on the training staff, especially former player and champion Tim Duncan, who has officially replaced Ime Udoka (bound for a bigger role with the Philadelphia 76ers) after never quite leaving the Spurs organization since his retirement. "Oh, yeah. We've been busy. We've got ourselves a bunch of new guys to welcome and mold into our own, see what they offer on the court, except for old Timmy," Popovich remarked. "Calling me old, now?" Duncan joked next to his former coach. "I'mma let him do all the work," Popovich went on. "Nothing ever changes around here, I guess," Duncan chided. The Spurs have only four players left from last year's roster: Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, Avery Bradley & Dragan Bender. The team still has time to make decisions on t...

The Spurs see potential in the Croatian big man. After his option was declined by the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs traded for Dragan Bender - a talented tall shooter that hasn't quite realized his #4 Pick potential - and welcomed flashes of strong defense and potent scoring ability on the wing during the second half of the season and in the playoffs. There were doubts that Bender would make a return to San Antonio, with rumors of interest from international teams and the recent acquisition of other raw prospect Jarrett Allen and veteran Timofey Mosgov filling the 5 spot. However, Bender did a solid job at being the third string center in the mix with Kyle O'Quinn & Joakim Noah last season. With both of those players gone, Bender offers less of the unknown at the center spot. The loss of Skal Labissiere at the four position also means more playing time there, given the similarly new arrivals of Taurean Prince & P.J. Tucker. The second year of Bender's contract i...

Lin is a slasher/playmaker veteran talent. Once praised by Coach Popovich during the days of "Linsanity", Jeremy Lin has bounced around the league all the while consistently proving on the court that Taiwanese guys can play basketball and that racism is bad. Lin, the Harvard graduate, joins the Spurs on a MLE deal, the biggest payday for his market, making it an easy choice. Lin is a trustworthy playmaker, ideal for a second unit, with the ability to close out a game here or there as seen during his days in Charlotte, and slash his way to the basket when points become hard to find. A philanthropist, Lin should fit in nicely with Coach Pop and the rest of this new-look roster, as his personality is lauded for being friendly and a good spirit to have around during the long NBA season. Lin will definitely see lots of action, despite a bad knee injury to his patella tendon that cut short his tenure with the Nets, before being misused by the Hawks and Raptors. One of the t...

Versatile wing player Taurean Prince is coming home. "Coach P. & R.C.", as always, have executed a vision for the team's future as the Spurs move forward from a decade of dominance, with the value of relevancy and success paramount. A three-team trade was made official by the league today, involving the Nets and Rockets. Taurean Prince, the Hawk-turned-Net, Baylor alum, will be coming to the Spurs in a homecoming acquisition. Prince, during the off-season, hosts youth basketball camps in San Antonio and still holds his home state of Texas close to his heart. He is a diligent, auspicious talent whose career-high 36 points last season raised eyebrows, able to defend well on the perimeter and shoot from beyond the arc, along with driving to the rim. In his exit interview, Prince prioritized effort and visible impact to a team's success over a stat sheet: that centralized focus and heart is highly-sought in San Antonio. Although he will be a restricted free ag...

Timofey Mosgov, at age 32, is finally a Spur. Timofey Mosgov is one of the last big man centers from what critics call "the old ways" of the NBA, where size ruled all and a big man didn't need to chuck shots from thirty feet out. Mosgov, the thirty-two year old, 7'0", 275lb Russian from Saint Petersburg State University, has bounced around the league as a result. The Spurs were interested in Mosgov years ago, but were unable to acquire him. The rest is now history. Signed in 2010 by the Knicks, Timofey soon joined the Nuggets in the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade. It was in Denver that the big man would have a 23 points and 29 rebounds in a winning performance over the Warriors that turned heads, showcasing his footwork in the post with shades of Pau Gasol as he splashed in mid-range jumpers and sparked the Nuggets to a road victory. Mosgov never got a fair shake in LA. After Denver, Mosgov joined the Cavaliers before eyebrows rose again upon his ...

With too many bombshells to list here, the NBA had arguably its wildest off-season and more moves could still happen before this season officially kicks off on opening night. Tirades about tampering, abolishing the moratorium, every sports air wave sizzling with rumors, speculation, debate, predictions, even rants on players reneging on verbal contract agreements, never mind a WOJ Bomb here, a WOJ Bomb there (https://twitter.com/ @wojespn ). It was madness! Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving shocked the NBA world. All this and more provided an extra oomph to the typical exciting NBA summer (#SummerLeague), as rookies adjust to a new lifestyle (#ZionWilliamson) and superstar free agents like Kevin Durant (#BrooklynNets) being fitted into a new team jersey on NBA Media Day, even if it ultimately means rehabbing a severe injury (#KlayThompson). The Highlights : The Lonzo Ball era is over in LA, as the Lakers have signed just about twenty-five free agents with the money left behin...