Last season the San Antonio Spurs failed to get out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, bringing to an end an injury-plagued season and a decade long run at, or near, the top of the Western Conference in which the Spurs won four NBA titles. 

Heading into the offseason, the veteran-laden Spurs had a glaring need to get younger and more athletic, particularly on the perimeter.  In late June, San Antonio addressed that need when the club acquired Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks for the expiring contracts of Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen.  While the trade brought a much needed injection of youth and athleticism to the roster it, in turn, left the Spurs gravely thin in the frontcourt.

The Spurs helped satisfy their need for depth in the paint by signing power forward Antonio McDyess with the team's mid-level exception, inking the 14-year veteran to a three year deal.  McDyess, who was the second overall pick in the 1995 draft, averaged 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the Detroit Pistons last year.

Without a pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft (although the team held three in the second), many questioned how the Spurs would be able to secure a player who could come in and make an immediate impact.  On draft night the Spurs got an injection of something that every championship team needs a little of: luck.

Former University of Pittsburgh star DeJuan Blair, once considered a lottery pick, slipped all the way to 37th overall, where the Spurs gobbled him up like Homer Simpson would a doughnut.  After a standout college career, Blair entered the 2009 draft following his sophomore season.  In his second season at Pitt, Blair, who averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds (a whopping 5.6 of which were offensive) per game, led the Panthers to the team's first ever No. 1 national ranking before falling to Villanova in the Elite Eight of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

This month Blair led a group of young players on the Spurs summer league team in Las Vegas that showed a promising future to accentuate a veteran core in San Antonio that revolves around future Hall of Fame pivot-man Tim Duncan, 2007 NBA Finals MVP Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who was the MVP of the 2004 Olympic Games when he led Argentina to the Gold Medal. 

Along with Blair, who averaged 16.3 points (on .529 shooting) and 8.7 rebounds per game in Vegas, the Spurs got encouraging performances from second year point guard George Hill and 2005 first round draft pick Ian Mahinmi. 

Hill, a scoring guard out of IUPUI, showed flashes that he is ready to step in and provide the club quality minutes at the point behind Parker during summer league play, averaging 15.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest in Las Vegas. 

Mahinmi, who missed all of last season with a broken ankle and led the Spurs D-League affiliate Austin Toros to the NBDL Finals two seasons ago, impressed in Vegas as well.  The 6'11", 250 lb. forward from France averaged 10.8 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game at the VSL.  While he was foul-prone, Mahinmi shook off the rust that accumulated after sitting out last season and was active on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. 

With Jefferson and McDyess added to the team's veteran core of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker and the emergence of the youthful trio of Blair, Hill and Mahinmi, the Spurs, with a continuation of the luck that graced the team on draft night, appear poised to make yet another run at an NBA title.