Pau Gasol signs with the San Antonio Spurs
Welcome to the San Antonio Spurs!
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
I am disappointed that Kevin Durant is going to the Warriors. The Thunder were up 3-1 during the series and they were so close to reaching the NBA Finals. I am also shocked and sad to see another super team being creating to mess up the leagues competitiveness. I remember when LeBron James teamed up Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010. However, the good news they did lose in the finals in 2011 to the Mavericks and they also lost in 2014 to the Spurs. It does give me hope that Warriors can lose in wake of the ominous news. The Spurs targeted the biggest weakness of the new Warriors and that is size. The biggest reason the Warriors were up 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers was the presence of Andrew Bogut. I realized he is the most underrated Center in the NBA. He was amazing at setting screens for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the rest of the core of the Warriors. Andrew Bogut was amazing at protecting the rim and frustrating that Cavilers inside game.
The San Antonio Spurs may have found their answer with Pau Gasol. Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports that the Spurs have agreed to a two years and 30 million dollar contract. The Spurs have landed a great center that will be great to play along side with LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs will be a very interesting team to watch and they have a great young core for the future. I am sad if Tim Duncan does retire and I hope he does come back for one more if he can. However, the future really looks bright for the Spurs. I think the only concern that I have for the Spurs is Tony Parker's health. If he can move the ball like he did in 2014 even without Tim Duncan this core will be very exciting to watch. The Spurs will be able to keep their bench depth. The only bummer is having to trade Boris Diaw but he really struggled last year and maybe the Spurs can bring in some value for the future.
I have always loved the way the Spurs play and they are a great organization. I look forward to seeing Pau Gasol in a Spurs jersey and I can't wait to see how he plays along side the Spurs. I think the Spurs still have a couple more moves they will be considering in the next couple weeks. Last year the Spurs brought in David West on the minimum and I am interested to see if the Spurs can land someone with that level of talent for cheap to have a chance at a ring. The Spurs are going to have the best front court in the NBA this year. I think the best thing about the news is LaMarcus Aldridge can remain a power forward and he will have help in Pau Gasol. He also will have one more year in the Spurs System and he will be even better. I also believe Kawhi Leonard is going to keep improving and he is the best defensive player in the NBA. Danny Green hopefully will work on his shooting touch and not struggle this year from three. Lastly, I hope that Tony Parker will be rested and able to be more consistent like his 2014 self.
I am really optimistic that the Spurs will be just as good as the 67 win team and I believe with Pau Gasol and the continuing development of the young core they will be even better. Dejounte Murray is a very exciting prospect and he will give the Spurs even more athleticism. I am also really excited about Bryn Forbes and the prospects playing in Summer League. I am also looking at the positive while it is a bummer that Golden State Warriors landed Kevin Durant and watered down the league and decimated the Thunder's hope of the playoffs. The good news is the Spurs can just focus on beating the Warriors this year. The size of the Thunder won't even matter especially if they trade Russell Westbrook and I hope he ends up with the Spurs even though that is a pipe dream of mine. There is some great positives in this situation and the bench for the Warriors will be even weaker than last years team. I am actually getting excited for the NBA season to start and I hope the Spurs do the unthinkable and use this underdog status to fuel them like it did in 2014 after losing to the Heat in 2013. If that Spurs team comes out it won't matter that Kevin Durant went to the Warriors. I would love to know your thoughts on this hot topic and who are you rooting for next year?
By,
Kristopher M. Newcome
