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Post-Big 3 Spurs have tough act to follow as franchise begins transition

Silver and Black haven't started training camp without a member of the famed trio since 1996.

SAN ANTONIO – The day Spurs fans dreaded is only hours from dawning.

When the Silver and Black open training camp Tuesday, the team will look markedly different than the one that finished last season 47-35 and fell to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

“I’m here for the challenge, just like we all are, as times have changed,” backup guard Patty Mills said. “I’m looking forward to the new season.”

The Spurs host the Miami Heat in their preseason opener Sunday, and tip off their regular season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 17 at the AT&T Center.

Mills, who has played with the Silver and Black since the 2011-12 season, and guard/forward Marco Belinelli are the only holdovers on the roster from the 2013-14 team that won the franchise’s fifth NBA crown. Belinelli rejoined the team as a free agent this summer.

Four players in the Spurs’ rotation last season – Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, and Kyle Anderson – are gone. A fifth, All-NBA forward Kawi Leonard, was limited to nine games by a mysterious quadriceps injury and was traded to Toronto, ending a bizarre saga that took more twists and turns than a soap opera.

Green, a starter who played a key role in San Antonio’s last title run, was part of the deal that sent both he and Leonard to the Raptors for All-NBA guard DeMar DeRozan.and 7-foot center Jakob Poeltl.

For the first time since 2000-01, the Silver and Black will start a season without point guard Tony Parker, a four-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star. Parker signed with Charlotte in July as an unrestricted free agent after 17 seasons with San Antonio.

Anderson, a restricted free agent, signed with Memphis after starting at Leonard’s position for most of last season. Anderson, who played with the Spurs for four seasons, came to terms with the Grizzlies on the same day Parker announced he had agreed to sign with the Hornets.

The last domino fell on Aug. 27, when 41-year-old Ginobili, who won four championships during his 16 seasons with the Spurs, announced his retirement.

Credit: (Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to Kens5.com)
Spurs guard Patty Mills, shooting a three-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks last season, will be counted on to provide the bench with leadership. Photo by Antonio Morano (Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to Kens5.com)

When he met with reporters almost three weeks later, Ginobili was asked how he thought Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will feel with so many familiar faces missing on the first day of camp.

“I think it’s going to be maybe awkward for him sometimes,” Ginobili said. “Going (in) at halftime when he does his thing, not seeing us around. But at the same time, it’s going to be a challenge to learn more about the new guys and see what buttons to push. With us, it was already too easy. I mean, he knew us so well.

“I think it’s going to be a great challenge for him, having a different kind of team. Maybe less corporate knowledge we always talk about, but still young with energy and wanting to prove a lot of things. It’s going to be a fun challenge. I think he’s going to do good.”

All-NBA forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, headlines the list of eight players returning from the 2017-18 squad. Dejounte Murray, who replaced Parker at point guard, and forward/center Pau Gasol are the other starters back.

A reserve last year, veteran forward Rudy Gay is expected to step into Leonard’s spot in the starting lineup. Mills will lead a bench that includes guards Bryn Forbes and Derrick White, and forward Davis Bertans. All of the latter three were on the team last season.

Really, the Spurs have been in transition since iconic power forward Tim Duncan, the constant on all five of the franchise’s championship teams, retired after the 2015-16 season.

But although Duncan’s departure left the Silver and Black with a gaping hole to fill, they still had Parker and Ginobili, who teamed with “Timmy” to win more games than any other trio in NBA history. The Big Three sparked the Spurs to an unparalleled run of success that made them one of pro sports’ elite franchises.

Credit: Antonio Morano / Special to Kens5.com
Spurs forward/center Pau Gasol had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 96-93 victory against the Detroit Pistons last December at the AT&T Center. Photo by Antonio Morano (Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to Kens5.com)

Although Parker had clued him in, Ginobili couldn’t quite believe it when Parker signed with Charlotte.

“It was hard,” Ginobili said. “He told me before it may happen, but when you see written, it’s a shock. Still, nothing deletes or cancels what we went through together and having the opportunity of three guys playing on the same team 15 years, or 14, with TD, it’s amazing.”

The Silver and Black were such a model of continuity that they even had their next franchise anchor, Leonard, ready to take the torch from the Big Three and keep the team among the league’s title contenders. Or so they thought.

Mills said that he’s ready to assume more of a leadership role this season.

“I’ve learned so much from the big dogs and the leaders that have taken this organization to another level,” Mills said. “Having learned that stuff, it puts me in a position of accountability to build a bridge between the young generation, the young guys that are coming through now to make sure they understand what the San Antonio Spurs are about.”

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