LA In SA - The Spurs' 4th Of July Free Agent
8/1/15
July 4, 2015 will be a day that Spurs fans will never forget. That was the day LaMarcus Aldridge, the star power forward who spent the first 9 years of his career with the Trailblazers, made his commitment to sign with the Spurs as a free agent. This is without a doubt the biggest free agent signing in the history of the Spurs. The Spurs have signed free agents with big names in the past (Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins, Tracy McGrady), but they were at the end of their careers. LA is the first ever big-name free agent that the Spurs have signed that still had some prime years left.
This free agent pickup also adds to the good fortune for the Spurs on patriotic holidays, at least in the Tim Duncan era. First there was the Memorial Day Miracle in 1999, Sean Elliott's game winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Blazers, after trailing the entire game. Now 16 years later, we have The 4th Of July Free Agent. To me, this is an exciting change for the Spurs, who are known for being frugal. They have that label because they usually go into free agency looking to sustain their roster with minor tweaks - under-the-radar, cost-efficient signings instead of going after the big names. This particular method for the Spurs wasn't necessarily by choice, because in the past they have tried to sign upper-echelon talent, but the lower level cost-efficient players were all that was available to them. The 2015 free agency period is the latest instance that proves that the Spurs are just as flexible in the front office as they are on the court.
Out of all the teams that were in pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs made the most sense for him because they are the best fit and they give him the best chance to win a championship. Once it got out that the Spurs were going after LA, I didn't think it would be a given that he would choose them, but I knew it would be tough for him to turn them down. From a basketball standpoint, here's what LA gets for picking the Spurs:
*A chance to play next to and be mentored by his idol, who plays the same position and happens to be the best to ever play that position, and is a top 5 all-time great
*A chance to play with the best perimeter defensive tandem in the NBA, which happens to have the reigning Defensive Player Of The Year
*A Hall Of Fame point guard
*A 3-time Coach Of The Year that's known for maximizing the potential of his players and extending their careers
*Being reunited with former Blazers teammates (Patty Mills, and assistant coaches Ime Udoka and Sean Marks)
*Being the focal point on offense
I just don't see how you could turn down a golden opportunity to be a vital part of a franchise with a history that rich. So many players have in the past, and now I'm glad to see one finally break that trend. And then if you factor in the fact that LA has a son that lives in San Antonio and that Texas is his home state, I would say that this is the perfect situation for him.
Now that the Spurs have LaMarcus Aldridge, their starting lineup has:
*25 All-Star selections
*22 All-NBA selections
*17 All-Defensive selections
*11 rings
*2 MVP trophies
*1 Defensive Player Of The Year
*3 different Finals MVPs
That's just INSANE!! Then it gets even better once you throw David West, their other big free agent pickup, in the mix. With his addition that makes:
*5 10,000-point scorers
*5 current/former All-Stars
*4 current/former All-NBA selections
*3 Finals MVPs
*21 total rings
*5 All-Rookie selections
*3 major award winners
*7000+ games worth of experience (including playoffs)
All of the current players on the roster have scored 105,532 points combined.
The Spurs absolutely dominated free agency this summer. To make a long story short, after Tim Duncan announced that he was coming back, that's when everything started to fall in place. They hit their biggest free agency target, and they did it while they kept all of the key pieces they wanted to keep. Then they go and add David West, who was supposed to be the Spurs' fallback option if LA signed with another team. He left $12.6 million on the table with the Pacers to go to the Spurs for the veteran minimum. Then Manu Ginobili announced that he was coming back as well. The 2015 offseason played out to near perfection for the Spurs. With all of that being said, I believe R.C. Buford is clearly the favorite to win his 2nd Executive Of The Year award next year. It took a lot of sacrifice from the Spurs' players to make all of this come together, but in the end I believe the results will justify what they gave up.
What LA Brings To The Spurs
First of all, LaMarcus Aldridge is an elite offensive player. His back-to-the-basket game is the best in the NBA, and he's an excellent shooter from mid-range, which is a lost art in basketball. At 6'11", LA's high (really high) release point makes his shot almost uncontestable. I don't think I would be going out on a limb by saying that the mid-range game is his specialty. He led the NBA last season in mid-range points per game, as well as mid-range field goals made and attempted, while shooting 42%. His 327 made mid-range shots were more than the entire Houston Rockets team combined (243). LA has also led the NBA in total points from mid-range for the last 3 seasons with 2,058, followed by Dirk Nowitzki (1,698) and Carmelo Anthony (1,504).
I imagine LA will continue to extend his range out to the 3-point line. If he masters that shot, the Spurs offensive possibilities would be endless. LA would be near unguardable, and the paint would be wide open for Tim Duncan to operate. I also believe it would be in his best interest to bring back that rolling hook across the lane from the blocks he had when he first came into the NBA. LA has the ability to operate from a wide variety of scoring spots and get shots off without turning the ball over. He can also create for himself in the half court and move the ball when he gets extra attention from the defense. Those are skills that you can build an offense around. Also, his presence as the #1 option takes the pressure off the older star players, as well as the younger players who might at risk of assuming too much, too fast.
A lot of LA's advanced stats tell a different story than him being dominant on offense. Those numbers make him look like he's a volume scorer. In his last 2 years with the Blazers, LA's usage rate on offense was 30% when he was on the floor. His true shooting percentages have been below league average for the last 3 years, but in spite of that he has improved as a shooter every year of his career. LA also shot a career-best 84.5% from the free throw line for the 2014-15 season.
The deceptive advanced metrics for LA are based on him being the focal point of the Blazers' offense for about the last 5 years and having to sacrifice efficiency for the good of the team. A lot of that stems from LA playing most of his career in isolation-heavy offenses, which can cause a lot of issues with efficiency. Lucky for him, he also has the ability to score in low-efficiency situations and can get a good look at the basket late in the shot clock or game. Defenses won't be able to key on LA like they did when he was in Portland because the Spurs have so much balance and diversity. His numbers might slip a little bit, but his efficiency will almost certainly improve.
This fact below speaks volumes:
LaMarcus Aldridge was the only player in the NBA to average 23 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last 2 seasons. the last player to do that was his new teammate.......Tim Duncan (2001-02, 2002-03).
I believe LA is a better defender than most people realize. For starters, he has a 7'4" wingspan to go along with his 6'11" frame. After watching clips of LA, I was pleasantly surprised with his ability to cover ground. He has excellent lateral movement for his size and can operate well in space for a big man. His greatest strength on defense is pick-and-roll defense. He can stay in front of wings on the perimeter if he gets switched and slide across for help defense when needed. Playing in the Spurs' system, and in particularly next to Tim Duncan, I'm expecting to see him play the best defense of his career once he figures it all out because the Spurs are the best team in the NBA at developing and maximizing talents. Since he won't have to carry as heavy a load on offense as he did with the Blazers, he'll have more energy to put out on that end of the floor.
Tiago Splitter's biggest strengths on defense are pick-and-roll defense, speed, and he has the size of a true center. Those elements are critical to the Spurs' defense. He can run Dirk Nowitzki off the 3-point line (like he did in the 2014 1st round of the playoffs) and he can bang with Zach Randolph (2013 Western Conference Finals). Guess who else can do those things?? LaMarcus Aldridge!! As a matter of fact, I saw LA go to-to-toe with Z-Bo in that 1st round Blazers/Grizzlies series. LA's ability to switch onto smaller players will serve the Spurs well and make them more dynamic in a small-ball matchup with the Warriors. The one knock on LA's defense is that he's not much of a rim protector, and I noticed that the majority of his blocked shots are on the ball. A lot of the perception of LA and his defense has to do with the supporting cast that he had around him in Portland. The one thing that stood out to me over the years is that he'll guard the other team's best player but they won't guard him. One example of that is when the T-Wolves played the Blazers, LA would guard Kevin Love, but Kevin Love would never guard him. As long as the Spurs' current system is in place, I don't think we'll have to worry about LA on defense. Also, the Spurs' overall team defense will be elite as well.
How LA Fits With The Spurs
Putting LaMarcus Aldridge with Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard gives the Spurs the best frontcourt in the NBA. LA (2nd team) and TD (3rd team) were both All-NBA selections last season, and Kawhi got the most votes out of any player that didn't get selected. When you add Tony Parker and Danny Green, I would say that this has to be the best starting 5 in the NBA. There will be an adjustment for LA, as well as the rest of the new additions, but Coach Pop will figure out how to make everything work. He's not a 3-time Coach Of The Year for nothing. I believe these adjustments will take time, but I don't see them taking the whole season.
To me, the biggest adjustment for LA (other than his role) with the Spurs is the style of play. In the Spurs' system, he won't be able to hold the ball and survey the court as much as he did with the Blazers. The Spurs' offense is a system of quick strikes, precise execution on pick-and-rolls, and fluid ball movement- the ball moving from side to side and player to player before finding the player with the best shot. LA is already a capable passer, which means once he gets acclimated he'll be able to move the ball the way the Spurs do. There has been a lot of worrying about how LA's ball-stopping post-ups fit into the Spurs style and the depth they sacrificed to make room for him. This is how I see it: The Spurs already had a championship-quality starting lineup last year with Tiago Splitter. He was replaced by an All-Star who can defend almost as well, stretch the floor with his jumper, make 3-pointers, and even bail the offense out with a post-up late in the clock. The Spurs used to bench Splitter against fast defenses in the playoffs who killed their spacing. They just replaced that cat with LaMarcus Aldridge!! This team will be NASTY.
The thing I'm most anxious to see, which will also be an adjustment, is how LA can coexist with Tim Duncan. Neither one of them are true centers, but they give the Spurs a lot of flexibility. As far as player rotations go, I see LA getting his normal amount of minutes he got in Portland, and maybe TD being subbed out earlier so LA can be the primary scorer with the bench to help make up the bench scoring that the Spurs lost with Marco Belinelli leaving. With both of these big men in the lineup, I see the Spurs running their offense inside-out for a good chunk of the regular season, and there is an unlimited amount of ways to get the ball inside to them. I can even see Pop bringing back those high-low plays he used to run with David Robinson and Tim Duncan and using them again. With the high-low, either big man can duck into the paint after a pinch-post entry pass because that short distance between the 2 post players makes it hard for the defense to swarm inside fast enough to stop the rim shot. Running the offense through LA in the post also means depending less on Tony Parker, who was the team's least efficient scorer last year. His own efficiency should be bolstered by seeing fewer double teams.
The Spurs will get LA the ball in the post in a variety of ways, just like they have always done for TD. Here are some examples:
-Run Danny Green off a baseline screen set by LA as he moves away from the ball (the ball is on the wing).
-Have LA set a ball screen before rolling into the post to square up, get the ball and make a play.
With this new addition to the starting lineup......who do you double? With LA and TD running the pick-and-roll, TD roaming the baseline with Danny and Kawhi on the wing and in the corner, I can't imagine we'll see a whole lot of double teams. Better yet, how can a team go small against this lineup? If a team like Golden State goes small, do you react or just make them pay for doing it? All I know is that I can't wait to find out.
The Spurs will still be a good defensive team, even with LA replacing Tiago Splitter. He's already a capable defender, but he will get better in time. I believe LA and TD can most certainly anchor a championship-level defense, not to mention the Spurs still have the best defensive wing tandem (known as Wing Stop), and even Tony Parker can get after the opposing point guard. The biggest reason why I don't worry about how the Spurs' new post tandem will fit is because TD is still an elite defender, especially as a rim protector and overall defensive anchor. Also, LA can do a little bit of everything, even switching on pick-and-rolls to defend a point guard for the last few seconds of the shot clock. His defense is a major factor in the Blazers basically being matchup-proof, which is a very valuable trait to have in the playoffs, especially in the Western Conference because seedings get trumped by matchups.
I'm also not worried about how LA fits into the Spurs culture because they have the best leadership in basketball, starting with TD and Pop. We all know about Pop's uncanny ability to motivate and bring the best out in his players, as well as being a 2nd father to them, but Tim Duncan is quite possibly the best leader of a team that any professional sport has ever had. His ability to mentor and inspire players, and just be a rock for them while they go through the ups and downs of an NBA season and career, are well-known and unmatched. Former NBA big man, Etan Thomas wrote not too long ago about how TD taught him how to be a more effective scorer while actually playing against him in a game. He also gave DeAndre Jordan some tips in that playoff series against the Clippers last season. He even taught Kobe Bryant his trademark bank shot several years ago.
The Spurs culture is designed to put the team above all else, treat everybody with respect, and the players genuinely like each other. They have a strong locker room, and I believe LA will fit into that culture like he has always been there. I believe him joining the Spurs is just as much about personal growth as a professional growth. Also, with him being 30 years old and only making it out of the 1st round of the playoffs once in his 9-year career, he wants to win. Being a part of the dynastic Spurs culture and playing next to one of the top 5 NBA players of all-time gives him an excellent chance of winning.
The only thing that's clear about the LaMarcus Aldrigde acquisition is that the Spurs will have to adjust to him just as much as he has to adjust to them. Yes, he clearly has a lot of respect for Coach Pop, but he's not the first and he won't be the last. Opposing players see how the Spurs players respond to Pop and how they react as a team. A lot of them even wish they could be a part of something like that, especially when their own team is not as well-run. Here's the thing: It's one thing to want to be coached, but it's another thing altogether to actually give into the coaching. There has even been times where the cornerstones of the Spurs have struggled with this dynamic. But at the end of the day, because of their personalities, they embraced the group dynamic and followed instructions.
With all of that being said, let's look at the main concerns, or as the national media likes to call them, potential downsides of the new-look Spurs:
1. New Kid On The Block
It has been widely publicized, especially in Portland, that LA didn't get along with teammates, even taking a separate flight home after a playoff game last season. There has also been talk in Portland that he felt overshadowed (first by Brandon Roy and the last couple of years by Damien Lillard) and underappreciated. In San Antonio, LA will be up against a dicey situation that would challenge a fragile ego. He's following Tim Duncan as the Spurs' all-time greatest big man, but can never be better than TD. And he's playing next to Kawhi Leonard, who Pop has already dubbed the next face of the Spurs. Can LA handle that?
2. The Spurs As Targets
Most teams struggle when they have a bullseye on them. The offseason that the Spurs had definitely got the attention of their rivals and put a target on their backs. Making the type of splash they did, and winning championships are the 2 ways to make yourself a target. This is one more headache that the Spurs have to deal with in the upcoming season. They will have the headache without actually being the reigning champions.
3. Managing A New Roster
The last time Coach Pop had to deal with this type of situation with his personnel was probably Tim Duncan's rookie year. With LA being on the team now, he's expected to take the bulk of the shots, but Kawhi has also growing into that type of role the last couple of seasons. The concerns here are: Will Kawhi see his shot attempts cut back? Will TD still see the ball enough to stay sharp? Will Tony Parker be able to adjust to his role changing, becoming more of a facilitator than the lead scoring option?
LaMarcus Aldridge said his his introductory press conference that he wasn't trying to be David Robinson or Tim Duncan, and we shouldn't expect him to be. He won't exactly fill their shoes, but he can keep the lineage going for dominant big men in Spurs history. Check this out: from 1989 to (at least) 2019 you have David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and LaMarcus Aldridge......either one or a combination with 2 of those 3 for 30 years in a row with a dominant big man!! There is just no precedent for that. For LA to keep the lineage going, all he has to do is to keep the trophies coming in. Everything else will fall into place.
