Are the Spurs back?

As the 2008-2009 season got under way, the San Antonio Spurs were merely an afterthought.

Their key role players were getting too old. Bowen and Finley have been around so long. Horry's gone. Duncan is still a hall-of-famer, but Manu and Tony Parker are often on the injury watch.

Yeah, they're still a tough veteran team, but the Lakers stepped past them in last years West Finals. Maybe the Spurs will make it back to the playoffs, but they're not a title contender.

It may be time to reconsider this consensus.

First off, I'll mention that Ginobili was injured during those West Finals. This year, they started out 2-5. I saw them play the Suns at the start of the season and they looked flat on defense. That's their bread and butter.

Moreover there are many fresh faces taking big roles on this team, particularly during the stretch of November when Parker was injured.

Last time the Spurs won the Finals, Matt Bonner was one of the last players on the bench, today he starts at center. He's still a bit young and raw, but he's an active rebounder and plays within the defense. Also an effective 3-point shooter, a real asset for a big man. Good counterpoint to Duncan.

A rookie that few have heard about is George Hill from IUPUI. I doubt even the millions of Americans who follow march madness but won't watch NBA because the players "don't care" have even heard of the kid, much less the college.

I saw him play for the first time at Denver last Thursday. He was finding the right spots on the court, something that is often a big adjustment from the college game to the pro game. He got some nice rebounds, a couple buckets, and helped the Spurs pull away from the Nuggs.

The rookie spotlight is on Rose and Beasley, but here's another contributing rookie in a 2008 class that I think is looking pretty strong so far. He's averaging 10.4 points and 3.1 assists on 23 minutes. Yet another diamond in the ruff for the Spurs.

And last but certainly not least is Roger Mason, the 4th year player out of Virginia. He was just getting it going last season, shooting lights-out from the three point line for the Wiz as he got plenty of minutes in Arenas' absence.

This offseason I was appalled that the Wizards let him go. During last season when the Wiz got in a good groove and beat Boston two games in a row, I sacrilegiously thought, "they're better with no Arenas and with Caron as the star."

So over the offseason I thought, they might be better off letting Arenas go and keeping Mason. At least he's able to play. Now he's blossoming for the Spurs.

NBA TV gave us a glimpse of double overtime in Dallas Tuesday night. Mason was in for key minutes at the end. He was grabbing rebounds and making pressure free throws that were needed for the win.

He's getting 13.9 points, 2.5 assists and 48% 3-point shooting on 32.6 minutes.

And then I did a double take at the final score: Spurs 133, Mavs 126. I'm sure Popovich chewed his guys out for giving up so many points, but when have they ever scored 133?

These new support players give the Spurs more fine shooting and give this team a new offensive dimension. That said, Pop is still re-working the defense. The old veterans are maybe a step slower, and the young guys are still learning.

But the Spurs hung in there during that November stretch when both Manu and Parker were injured, and some of these younger guys started stepping up.

Give the team time for its two star guards to get back in rhythm and time for the defense to get back to its normal stinginess, and this year's Spurs will be able to compete with anyone.
If NBA fans know anything, it's to never count out Greg Popovich, who only won 4 NBA Titles in a 9 year stretch.