Holiday wish list for every NBA team

San Antonio Spurs

During the offseason the San Antonio Spurs were willing and dealing as if the franchise never had before. Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford had a common goal in mind – sign power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Judging from what the initial expectations were for San Antonio one would think that the Aldridge signing was a bust. His average of 15.7 points a game is nearly four points lower than his career numbers. Fans and league aficionados had to expect more than what he has given the Spurs so far. Thankfully, there have not been questions raised about Aldridge tapering off after such fine years in a Portland Trailblazers’ uni. He is simply trying to find his way into the Spurs offense. Defensively, he is playing at the same level, if not better than he did in the Pacific Northwest.

Now, one could argue how hard could it be to play for the Spurs and Popovich when they run a player-friendly offensive schemes. Keep in mind that the Spurs have always been a team about transitions. The key roles on offense often transitions from player to player on an annual and semi-annual basis. This is the year for small forward Kawhi Leonard to be established as one of the faces of the franchise, as Aldridge eases into a position he has never had to be in before – the second option on a team. That takes time.

It has become a delicate balancing act to integrate LaMarcus Aldridge in with the rest of the Spurs. He wants to win a championship, therefore he has bought in. On the San Antonio Spurs wish list is that he keeps slowly getting his feet wet until he is needed to breakout.

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