2011-2012 Finish: 22-44

Season Highlight

The best part of the 2011/12 season for the San Antonio Spurs happened after it ended. The ping-pong balls bounced in just the right way and out popped a golden nugget of hope. Leeroy tanked his way to the #1 overall pick and the closest thing to a “can’t miss” player in Anthony Davis. Washington, Chicago, and Golden State were left shaking their heads in disbelief.

Season Lowlight

This would have to be losing 14 out of their final 17 games. The season was lost before this treacherous run, but it’s still tough to swallow for long-time Spurs fans. Management can justify it by pointing to the “Unibrow.”

Best Trade
The Dallas Mavericks send Nicolas Batum to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send O.J. Mayo to the Dallas Mavericks.

I love this trade for SA. Batum is a player on the rise both in the NBA and NLL while Mayo seems to have peaked as a 6th man and streaky shooter. Batum offers a more well rounded option that can play 2 positions. He’s set to sign a big contract this year but should be worth it.


Worst Trade

The San Antonio Spurs send Byron Mullens and Jon Brockman to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Andray Blatche to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send a 2nd-Rounder (NO) and 2nd-Rounder (Orl) to the Washington Wizards.

The Spurs traded away two marginal players combined with 2 late picks for Andray Blatche, one of the league’s biggest dissapointments. He hasn’t lived up to his potential due to many reasons: immaturity, malaise, and zero motivation. Leeroy is hoping the reward outweighs the risk here but it’s tough to imagine Blatche having any impact. In fact, having a player like that on your roster can often times have a negative impact. Keep him away from your rookies!


Other Notable Trades

The Atlanta Hawks send Kyle Lowry and Bismack Biyombo to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Mickael Pietrus, Andrew Bogut and Trevor Booker to the Atlanta Hawks. The Atlanta Hawks send a 1st-Rounder (Atl) to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send a 2nd-Rounder (Phi) to the Atlanta Hawks.

Leeroy made a slew of other moves this year that I liked. Getting Lowry and a first rounder for the unreliable Bogut was a good move.


The Milwaukee Bucks send Al Harrington, Al Horford, Rodrigue Beaubois and Elliot Williams to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Dirk Nowitzki to the Milwaukee Bucks.

This was another fantastic move for Leeroy. Flipping the expensive Nowitzki contract for Horford and other pieces was brilliant. Horford and Davis form the most promising young frontcourt combination in the entire league.


Best FA Signing

Andre Miller – G – Even though he didn’t finish the season in SA, this was a good pickup at the time. Miller is one of the best backup PGs in the league at this point of his career.

Worst FA Signing

Nothing stands out here. Leeroy didn’t waste any GM points on busts.


Star

Nicolas Batum – G – Batum elevated his game to the next level this past season with 18 ppg on 45% shooting. This output more than doubled his previous career high. He’ll now command a big salary but hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.

Surprise

Patrick Patterson – F – Patterson became a reliable starter in his sophomore campaign for the Spurs. He saw his numbers rise to 10 ppg and 7 rebs. He’ll be relegated to bench duty next season but could be starting for several teams around the league.

Goat

Wes Johnson – G – Johnson was supposed to take a step forward in his second NLL year. He averaged 18ppg for MIN during his first and came over to Leeroy for year two, but never got things going. He topped out at 14 ppg and we’re all still waiting for him to breakout. Leeroy had seen enough though and traded him away for a first rounder.

Draft Report Card

A+ Anthony Davis / John Jenkins / Kris Joseph They would have gotten an A+ even if the two names after Anthony Davis were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. Davis is a franchise changing, once in a generation player according to 99% of scouts. Congrats on your luck, Leeroy.

Looking to the Future

This team is COMPLETELY set for the foreseeable future - Davis and Horford up front, Lowry at the point, Batum on one wing, and if he develops well, John Jenkins on the other wing. Leeroy did his rebuild the right way, and like all successful franchises, had a little luck along the way (Davis). Patterson, Nikola Pekovic, and Bismack Biyombo make quality bench players and the other spots can be filled through free agency. They’ll need a year for their 2K ratings to develop, so keep an eye out - 2013/14 could be the year if the Spurs.

Upcoming Free Agents

Nicolas Batum – He’s restricted and will without a doubt be brought back.

Andray Blatche – He’ll be cheap but is he worth it? The guy is a team cancer.

Kwame Brown – Brown could be starting in the NBA which would definitely help his 2K ratings. If the price is right, why not?

Gary Neal – Neal is also restricted and a quality bench player. They should invest in him.

CJ Watson – Watson would be a solid backup for Lowry, who has battled some injuries over his career.

Sam Young – Things still haven’t clicked for Young even though he’s 27 now. Eventually teams will give up on him. Is SA at that point yet?