Spurs' future in doubt

San Antonio took a knockout blow from Phoenix in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series before a horrified homecrowd last Sunday and the Spurs were unceremoniously booted out of NBA title contention, leaving their future in serious doubt.

For a proud franchise with a rich championship tradition, the Spurs’ loss to the Suns wasn’t only painful but also bitter. Phoenix used to be San Antonio’s whipping boy – the Spurs eliminated the Suns in their previous four playoff confrontations in 2002-03 (4-2 in the first round), 2004-05 (4-1 in the Western Conference finals), 2006-07 (4-2 in the second round) and 2007-08 (4-1 in the first round).

Since San Antonio entered the NBA as one of four ABA refugees in 1976, the Spurs have engaged the Suns in 10 playoff series, winning six, including four of the last five.

San Antonio’s ignominious exit magnified the challenge facing coach Gregg Popovich to bolster the roster with more youth and more talent if the Spurs hope to remain contenders. San Antonio hasn’t missed qualifying for the playoffs since Tim Duncan’s arrival in 1997 but barely squeezed in as the No. 7 seed with a 50-32 record this season.

The Spurs’ 50 wins were the least registered in 13 years or since the team posted a forgettable 20-62 record in 1996-97, the season before Duncan came in. Not counted in the run-up was the 37-13 mark during the strike-shortened season in 1998-99 when San Antonio claimed its first of four titles.

The Spurs looked formidable in eliminating No. 2 Dallas, 4-2, in the first round and for a while, experts felt San Antonio could go all the way. Pro Basketball Preview and Fantasy Guide magazine, in fact, predicted San Antonio to beat Boston, 4-3, in the finals. Nobody expected the Spurs to be broomed out of the playoffs by Phoenix. What’s worse is the scores weren’t close – 111-102 in Game 1, 110-102 in Game 2, 110-96 in Game 3 and 107-101 in Game 4 with the last two outings in San Antonio. It was the seventh sweep suffered by San Antonio in NBA playoff history and second courtesy of the Suns since 1991-92. The Spurs hadn’t been blanked since 2000-01 when the Los Angeles Lakers romped in the Western Conference finals.

San Antonio had no antidote for Amare Stoudemire in the Phoenix series. Stoudemire erupted for 29 points in Game 4. Neither Duncan nor Antonio McDyess could hold his pants down. Duncan, 34, and McDyess, 35, couldn’t match his energy. Without a natural center, the Spurs couldn’t bring out the best in Duncan like David Robinson used to do. McDyess was miscast in the middle. Steve Nash compiled 20 points, four rebounds and nine assists but Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and George Hill combined for 54 points to buoy up San Antonio’s backcourt. Richard Jefferson, an offseason acquisition, was a disappointment, averaging 9.4 points in the playoffs, and it’s not certain if he’ll still be in a Spurs uniform next season even if he has a year left in his contract paying $15 million.

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Duncan’s contract runs up to 2012 and Parker to 2011 but Ginobili becomes a free agent this summer. Popovich once said he’s banking on Hill, 24, and rookie DeJuan Blair, 21, for the future but unless a legitimate center checks in, it’ll be rough sailing ahead. Last season, San Antonio was bundled out by Dallas, 4-1, in the first round – that should’ve awakened Popovich into a sense of urgency.

It’s unclear if Hill could ever be another Parker or Blair another Duncan. Blair was one of eight Spurs to see action in all 10 playoff games but all he could contribute was 3.7 points an outing.

In 2007, San Antonio picked Brazilian 6-10 center-forward Tiago Splitter in the first round but he opted to play in Europe. Splitter, 25, could be Duncan’s heir but wouldn’t solve Popovich’s problem of finding a center in the mold of a Robinson or a Fabricio Oberto whose international style suited both Parker and Ginobili in the 2007 title run.

Will Popovich break up the Spurs’ Big Three? Duncan will likely retire in San Antonio like Robinson but if Popovich hopes to trade for talent, he may give up either Parker or Ginobili and keep Hill. There won’t be much of a demand for Jefferson or McDyess in the market so Popovich just has to bite the bullet in dealing with his two underachievers.

Popovich will do something dramatic in the offseason, that’s for sure, to shake up his franchise. No team in the NBA has won more division titles than San Antonio since 1977 and Popovich wouldn’t relish earning the dubious distinction of losing the record by doing nothing about it – his time to act is now.

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