Michael Finley and Theo Ratliff can't help but marvel as they look around the locker room at their San Antonio Spurs teammates.
Tim Duncan. Tony Parker. Manu Ginobili. Richard Jefferson. Antonio McDyess. Matt Bonner. Keith Bogans. George Hill. Roger Mason. Ratliff. Finley.
"Man," Ratliff said, shaking his head. "The list goes on and on."
On paper the San Antonio Spurs are among the deepest and most talented teams in the league. They're up there with the L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Orlando Magic. San Antonio brings waves of veterans off the bench.
"I think potentially it's the best, deepest talent we've had," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
And it'll also have some interesting young blood with slimmed-down Pitt rookie forward DeJuan Blair, who could be one of the best finds in the draft at pick No. 37.
But usually with such veteran depth there's a tradeoff - good health. And that's where this one-year recovery plan could hit a speed bump.
"We give ourselves a great chance if we stay healthy," Finley said. "That's been our Achilles' heel the last couple of years. But the management made organizational moves this summer in making some deep changes and major changes, and hopefully it'll work out for us."
There's a good chance it doesn't work.
Look at the Spurs' veteran talent through a skeptical lens. Duncan has been slowed recently by bad knees. Ginobili was slowed last season. So was Parker. Jefferson is nice, but he's not the difference-maker he was in his glory days with New Jersey. McDyess is in his 14th season. And Finley and Ratliff are in their 15th seasons.
In a way, it's a razor's-edge approach to a title. Except when you consider in the NBA, championships are won with veteran talent. So, using that logic, San Antonio addressed its most pressing need, adding players such as Jefferson, Bogans, Ratliff, and McDyess.
"We were depth-challenged the last couple of years," Popovich said. "When we got an injury we were really in trouble. It was one of the major emphases for the summer, besides trying to get a little bit younger at certain positions, to also get some depth, talent-wise, to add to the mix."
Even with the addition of the veteran talent one of the most exciting additions could be Blair. If you haven't seen him recently, you're in for a surprise. After losing about 30 pounds before training camp he'll no longer be referred to as "Heavy D." He's showing great footwork around the basket, nice touch on his shots, and soft hands on rebounds.
"He's a real mobile, agile player," Popovich said. "Even though he's got the girth, he has great quickness, so it's a heckuva gift along with that rear end that he was given."
Veteran depth doesn't ensure the Spurs are good enough to beat the Lakers in a best-of-seven series. For that matter, it doesn't ensure the Spurs could beat Dallas or Denver in a best-of-seven series. It just gives San Antonio a better chance than it had a year ago, or even two years ago.
"I think we look a lot more like a lot of the teams in the West now," Popovich said. "And some of the teams in the East."
New Spin on an Old Term
The NBA's best example of "addition by subtraction" might turn out to be what the Lakers did in adding forward Ron Artest. Not only did they add an accomplished All-Star, they took away Kobe Bryant's toughest defender in the Western Conference.
That qualifies as a valid definition of "addition by subtraction."
Of course, we could see the usual definition of the term - getting better by shedding someone - if Golden State deals disgruntled swingman Stephen Jackson.
Thriving Middle Class
Yes, the rich have gotten richer in the NBA with teams such as the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, and Cavaliers improving their already talent-rich teams.
Considering the logjam of quality teams in playoff spots 4 through 8 in each conference, the NBA could be at its strongest overall in recent memory. In the East you have Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Miami HEAT, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons as teams that all could, and maybe should, finish with a winning record. That's a thriving middle class compared to recent years when you could earn homecourt advantage with a .500 record.
In the West, talent still flows in the middle class. For argument's sake, consider the top three teams: the Lakers, Spurs and Dallas. That leaves a middle class of Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets, and maybe the Houston Rockets.
Hopefully there won't be a sub-.500 team in the playoffs in the East this season. And, hopefully, you won't miss the playoffs in the West with 48 wins (such as Golden State in 2008).
The List
Periodically requests come in for various lists. Here's my list of top five point guards in the NBA. (NOTE: This isn't a list of who I'd select at point guard if I was starting a new franchise. Rather, it's a list of who I'd want if I had to win a title this season.)
1. Chauncey Billups, Denver. A winner and a leader. Makes clutch plays.
2. Tony Parker, San Antonio. Been there and done it.
3. Chris Paul, New Orleans. The up-and-comer. No titles, but that's not
his fault.
4. Steve Nash, Phoenix. No titles, but he remains dangerous.
5. Rajon Rondo, Boston. Young, but a true gamer with title experience.
Honorable mention: Derrick Rose, Chicago; Derek Fisher, L.A. Lakers; Deron Williams, Utah.
Tough cuts: Jameer Nelson, Orlando; Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets.
