2014-15 Finish: 43-39

Season Highlight

Despite a bumpy road, the Spurs were able to make their second playoff appearance since 2008, as leeroy attempts to manage the team to Western Conference prominence. After narrowly losing Game 1, the Spurs shocked a loaded Utah Jazz team on the road 111-98 and looked to upset onto the second round. Even though it was not enough in the end, the fact that the Spurs fought hard despite a depleted roster deserves to be applauded.

Season Lowlight

After a 60-22 campaign in 2014, the Spurs looked like legitimate contenders in the NLL. Their young forward Anthony Davis seemed poised to blossom into one of the best players in the league and leeroy did a great job of surrounding him with talent, but the Spurs could never reach their full potential. Injuries to Wesley Matthews and Anderson Varejao hindered the team’s depth, Davis struggled to fully emerge, and middling units kept the team at and around .500 all season. It was without a doubt a disappointing year for leeroy and the Spurs, but there is still a lot to look forward to for next season and beyond.

Best Trade

The San Antonio Spurs send Deron Williams and Arron Afflalo to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors send Anderson Varejao, Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs.

Deron Williams has been one of the best players in the league throughout his career, but he is aging and becoming somewhat of an injury risk. With this, the Spurs made a move to acquire some younger talent, trading Williams and sharpshooter Arron Affalo across the border to Toronto for younger players Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum along with vet big Anderson Varejao. Despite Batum’s play falling off with the Spurs and Varejao sitting with injury, the acquisition of Jackson was necessary for the team’s future. He gives the team a leader for the future and a great partner for Anthony Davis. If the two can continue meshing into a dynamic duo this season, the rest of the league may have a problem on its hands.

 

Worst Trade

The Brooklyn Nets send CJ Watson to the LA Clippers. The Brooklyn Nets send P.J. Tucker to the San Antonio Spurs. The LA Clippers send Luc Mbah a Moute to the Brooklyn Nets. The LA Clippers send Jameer Nelson to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Mike Scott to the Brooklyn Nets. The San Antonio Spurs send Andre Roberson to the LA Clippers.
The San Antonio Spurs send a 1st-Rounder (Sac) to the LA Clippers.

Leeroy made smart decisions throughout the season, so it was tough to find a “worst” trade, but this one is definitely questionable.  To acquire to veteran players, the Spurs gave up two young talents AND two first round draft picks, assets usually held onto with an iron fist in the NLL. Looking to bolster the team’s depth a veteran presence, the move made sense for the Spurs, but in a league that falls in love with what was given up, it’s easy to see why some were questioning this move and why it may come back to bite the Spurs in the long run.

Other Notable Trades

The Spurs made too many solid trades to count, but these two stand out the most:

The Charlotte Hornets send Louis Williams to the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs use their trade exception over $ 5,450,000.

For their first rounder, the Spurs acquire their highest scorer, as Lou Will exploded and averaged twenty-nine points per game during his tenure. Sadly, it looks like San Antonio may not be able to get Williams super scoring back for the 2016 campaign.

The New Orleans Pelicans send Goran Dragic to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Nikola Pekovic to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans receive 10 GM points. The San Antonio Spurs trade -10 GM points.

The Indiana Pacers send Dorell Wright and Arron Afflalo to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Tony Allen and Goran Dragic to the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers trade -5 GM points. The San Antonio Spurs receive 5 GM points.

Dragic in, Dragic out. At the time, some questioned trading Dragic away, but without Affalo, the Spurs wouldn’t have been able to acquire Reggie Jackson, keeping an NLL belief alive that sometimes you have to make a trade just to make another one.

Best FA Signing

Brian Roberts- Though Roberts was traded mid-season, his second year with the Spurs ended up being the best of his career. He averaged a career high 7.8 points per game while tying his career high average in assists with four a game.

Worst FA Signing

Jeff Ayers- 10 days on the team + no games played= default Worst FA Signing when nobody else is around to truly take the title.

Star

Anthony Davis- It may not have been the ideal season, but The Brow still showed so much potential. A double-double machine last year, this looks to be the year where Davis truly takes his play to superstar levels.

Surprise

Louis Williams- Louis Williams can shoot and Louis Williams can score, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone knew he could do it like he did in San Antonio. Without his scoring, the Spurs may have missed the playoffs altogether and leeroy will likely go all out on getting the now free agent to return for another season.

Goat

Nicolas Batum- Not a true goat, more of a disappointment, Batum was unable to replicate the statistics he put up in Toronto or Boston, where he emerged as a potential star, after joining the Spurs. Maybe an off-season was all the French Phenom needed to get back to top level play?

Draft Report Card

The Spurs ended up trading their draft picks away to other teams, leaving the team without any rookies going into free agency.

Upcoming Free Agents

Reggie Jackson- A new star for the team, the Spurs will without a doubt bring Jackson back for the long term.

Bismack Biyombo- Restricted, the Spurs will definitely bring back the young big who started twenty-eight games last season.

Wesley Matthews- After suffering a torn Achilles to end his season, it seems as if the Spurs are willing to let Matthews walk and rehab somewhere else, but with news that he is rapidly recovering, it’s possible the Spurs could make a push to keep the sharpshooter around.

Jameer Nelson and Anderson Varejao- These two solid veterans seem willing to return, will the Spurs fulfill their wishes or look to go younger?

Looking to the Future

The Spurs first job is to bring back their free agents, with almost all showing a want to return. After that, things seem somewhat simple: Let Anthony Davis emerge as a superstar and watch the show. If Davis can play up to his full potential, the Spurs may not need much else than what they already have, but if he sticks as primarily a rebounder, look for the team to attempt to trade for another high scorer using other pieces. Either way, San Antonio seems poised for another playoff appearance in a new winning era.