San Antonio Spurs: It's time to talk about Patty Mills

What should the San Antonio Spurs do with Patty Mills?

At this point, let's be honest with ourselves: Gregg Popovich isn't exactly going to lose sleep if this team misses the playoffs or even the play-in tournament altogether. Every time I see the nightmare schedule his team has had to endure through, I can't say I fault him.

In a season in which the Spurs are far from contenders but have ample opportunity to re-tool this summer, there's no point in risking further injuries to the young core. With five games left in seven days, Coach Pop will undoubtedly rest guys like Dejounte Murray or DeMar DeRozan in a couple of these games. It also wouldn't shock me if he sat Mills or Gay for a game or two.

Short-term, I wouldn't expect any big shakeups to the lineup that we've been seeing all season besides these one-off games. Tre Jones might be ready for the backup point guard role, but that will have to wait for next season at the earliest.

The offseason is when the big decisions will have to be made. With Mills and DeRozan hitting free agency, the Spurs will need to be careful not to take another step sideways by making deals based on sentiment and character quicker than they do for pure talent.

Patty Mills still has plenty left in the tank when well-rested and energized. Whether the Spurs still have an important role for him going forward? I'm not so sure.