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Tony Parker says the Spurs are Kawhi Leonard’s team now

By Stanford Crissey

Jan 25, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) watches a free throw during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) watches a free throw during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tony Parker thinks the Spurs are making a smooth transition to being Kawhi Leonard’s team

Let’s just face it: the San Antonio Spurs are going to be good forever.

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Some teams have trouble making the transition from one group of stars to the next. (Remember the ’99 Bulls?).

It doesn’t seem like the Spurs will have any such problem. Although it seems like Tim Duncan could average 15 and 10 until he’s about 62 years old, in reality he’s probably getting very close to retirement, as is Manu Ginobili. Tony Parker is younger than those guys, but he’s been around forever, and he’s probably not going to keep playing at a high level for too much longer.

Plus, why would he want to continue after the other two members of his “Big Three” move on.

But these are the Spurs, there’s a reason they’re on their way to an NBA-record 16th straight season with 50 wins or more. Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches in history and RC Buford is one of the league’s best general managers. As long as their system is in place, things will be fine in San Antonio. Even the Atlanta Hawks proved that this year, becoming the number one seed in the East by running pretty much the same system.

Tony Parker knows who is going to be leading the charge for the Spurs going forward, and it’s not him. Parker believes that the Spurs are Kawhi Leonard’s team from now on.

“It’s just like with me and Manu back in the day,” Parker told Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express News. “You have to share and wait your turn. Sometimes I don’t see the ball for a long time but Kawhi is playing unbelievable. And it’s going to be Kawhi’s team anyway. Like Timmy transitioned to Manu, Manu transitioned to me, now it’s going to be transitioned to Kawhi. I’ll try my best to be aggressive and stay involved, but Kawhi’s going to be the man.”

It’s not tough to imagine the 23-year-old Leonard becoming the man in San Antonio, he did win the NBA Finals MVP Award. The forward is averaging 16.6 points per game, leading the league in steals, and generally being all-around great. He started slowly this season, struggling with injuries, but had turned it on since the All-Star break, averaging 19 points, six rebounds, and three steals since March 1. It’s no coincidence that the Spurs have gone on a tear since then, winning nine games in a row and typing the Clippers for the fifth spot in the playoffs after hanging around the seventh spot most of the year.

At this rate, the Spurs will inevitably show up in the Finals again, for the millionth year in a row. If they keep winning championships after Duncan retires, the NBA might as well disband. It’ll just be too inevitable.

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