Final Final Roster Predictions

Or: How I learned that I am not very good at guessing what the Spurs will do next

With Gist gone and Palmer (wtf?) coming in it is time to take a look at who makes the team to start the season.

Pop has recently gone on record as saying that the Spurs will most likely be keeping just 13 players on the payroll, so that means that in addition to the 11 guaranteed contract players just two more will don the silver-n-black on October 27th.

Considering that Garrett Temple is Pop’s current favorite player I think he’s a lock. That leaves Simmons, Gee, Cousin, and apparently Kevin Palmer [ED. – Bit premature there diddy] to jockey for that last spot. Here’s where I think the Spurs take advantage of the new NBADL rule allowing them to assign their cut players to the Toros. Sending Gee, Palmer, and Cousin to Austin is a bit of a gamble because the Spurs won’t actually hold their rights, but at least they will be able to keep an eye on them, and with two open roster spots they can sign them back if the catch wind that someone else is after them. Of course that makes Bobby Simmons this year’s Bogans/Udoka/Vaughn/Van Exel or more accurately “Random veteran signed for not much money”.

The depth chart as I think it will be:

PG: Parker, Hill, TempleSG: Ginobili, NealSF: Jefferson, Anderson, SimmonsPF: Duncan, McDyess, BonnerCT: Blair, Splitter

As always there will be some fluidity due to injuries, match-ups, defensive performance, hot hands, game situation, fouls, positional flexibility, and most maddeningly Pop’s tinkering.

Taking a look at the top 8 players on that chart I am pretty happy going into this season, and I see no reason as of now that this group can’t top 50 wins again for the 12th (14th if you count the project win total of the Lockout year) season in a row.