First off, I'm late by a month, but I'd just like to say that we'll be back. The Spurs. Will. Be. Back. Sure, the postseason was probably the worst a Spurs fan could ever hope for. Not only did we lose in the first round, but Dallas also won a championship. I thought I'd live my whole life before I saw that. Seriously, I was looking forward to it. Eh, so Z-Bo shat on us that round. That doesn't mean the reign is over. Dallas themselves lost in '07, but they didn't quit. They made moves. Adjustments. And look where that got them. So Parker, I hope you're pulling some "expect the worst, then you'll be pleasantly surprised" trick when you say your own team is done. Man, I've just lost so much respect for him this season. I know what you're saying. The Spurs are an old team with old players and an old coach that plays an old game. But one move could change everything, because people forget(or, the dumb ones forget) what the front office is capable of. I'm not too sure about Cory Joseph, but I wasn't sure about Hill when they drafted him either. Leonard is a great add. The offseason is already starting off well, and hopefully the FO has put everything else in the past. It's interesting to see what else they're going to do. Parker has been in trade talks for a while. I don't know who they are targeting in terms of what type of point guard to replace him, but I'm sure they'll find someone decent. There's no one else like Parker in the league that's up for trade, that's for sure. Jefferson needs to leave. Even the Spurs are realizing that now. He can't hit the big shots when we need them; I've seen it over and over again this season. Open three, Jefferson miss. He seems to hit threes whenever the Spurs aren't on a run or getting run on. Those runs are the differences in games. Speaking of runs, Parker's the runner. There was plenty of good fast break action this year. Once again, how they will replace him, we will see, and it will be interesting. Oh yeah, back to the old team part. Duncan's past his prime, Manu's declining, blah blah blah. I've only been hearing that for the past 5 years. When are you people going to understand that age isn't what is really hurting the Spurs? You think that just because someone's minutes are being taken and their points are dropping that their quality as a player is dropping? The veteran teams in the league know they need to conserve their stars to win. Even Dirk and Kobe finally started losing some minutes. So while the Heat and teams alike try to put on a show during the regular season and win some fancy NBA first team awards and be in the spotlight, the smart teams will stay under the radar until the postseason(although the Spurs somehow had a top record). I mean, what you see in the stats depicts Duncan as losing not one step but 3 or 4. But in reality, he's hitting the same shots he's been hitting his whole career(albeit, less dunks than his early years) and the offense still runs through him. He's just taking less and less shots, but that's not a problem if someone else is hitting them. Duncan's points dropped (significantly) this year, and yet the Spurs were ranked 6th in points per game this year? There's got to be more value to him than just the points he scores, it's his versatility. As a passer, he can find the right players, whether they're wide open behind the arc or on the move to the basket, and then one thing will lead to another. Manu's the second key to the offense. He does it all on offense - shooting, driving, passing, moving w/o the ball - and does it very well. Unlike Duncan, he also has a big role in the fast break game. Manu (and Parker) keeps the defense on their heels. Honestly, there's so much behind the stats that make Duncan and Manu key to the offense that I doubt the Spurs would want to trade them anytime soon. No one wants a bunch of washed up old guys anyways right? Anyways, I'm done ranting for now. If you're wondering who the hell I am and why I wrote such a long post then, well I used to post around forums but go in and out. When I become interested in talking about basketball again, I come back. And I haven't felt more intrigued for months. I told you, it would be interesting, didn't I? Alright, I might disappear again soon. And Spurs, please don't make me regret posting this come next April.