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The San Antonio Spurs had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA. They added two first-round picks in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed, plus they signed Tobias Harris to shore up their starting five.
Add in re-signing Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes to reasonable deals, and it's hard to find any major losses. Victor Wembanyama taking a $50 million pay cut on his contract was just the icing on the cake.
After their first Finals run as a group last season, the Spurs are expected to lead the pack. They certainly have the roster to do it, but one overlooked offseason loss might come back to haunt them.
READ MORE: Victor Wembanyama Could Force OKC Thunder to Make Massive Trade
READ MORE: San Antonio Spurs Get Leg Up in 2027 NBA Finals Bid
READ MORE: Ceilings for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper Revealed
Sean Sweeney spent only one season in San Antonio, coming over to be Mitch Johnson's lead assistant after a stint with the Dallas Mavericks. This summer, as expected, he was offered a head coaching job. He packed his bags and headed to Orlando.
No one can blame him. It's a massive promotion.
Sweeney was the defensive mastermind in San Antonio. Granted, when Wembanyama and Stephon Castle are on the floor, the defense sort of runs itself, but the Spurs did jump from 25th to third in defensive rating.
Sweeney played a big role in that.
"The Spurs did have one pretty significant loss this offseason: They lost Sean Sweeney, their associate head coach, the architect of their defense," said ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Now, a pretty good foundation for a defense, if you're going to be an architect, is to have Victor Wembanyama. But, you know, they brought in Billy Donovan. I'm not sure if Donovan is going to run their defense."
Donovan is a longtime NBA coach, both with the Thunder and Bulls. He's known as an offensive-minded coach, although his Florida Gators found success with defensive wizards Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
Some actually see Donovan as an upgrade.
"That's an amazing addition to their bench," countered Brian Windhorst.
It's expected that Wembanyama will take on a middle linebacker role in the Spurs' defense, calling out sets on the court. Donovan, meanwhile, is expected to take the team's all-around performance to the next level. Even with that, Sweeney will be missed.
Continue reading...
Add in re-signing Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes to reasonable deals, and it's hard to find any major losses. Victor Wembanyama taking a $50 million pay cut on his contract was just the icing on the cake.
After their first Finals run as a group last season, the Spurs are expected to lead the pack. They certainly have the roster to do it, but one overlooked offseason loss might come back to haunt them.
READ MORE: Victor Wembanyama Could Force OKC Thunder to Make Massive Trade
READ MORE: San Antonio Spurs Get Leg Up in 2027 NBA Finals Bid
READ MORE: Ceilings for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper Revealed
Spurs Will Miss Sean Sweeney
Sean Sweeney spent only one season in San Antonio, coming over to be Mitch Johnson's lead assistant after a stint with the Dallas Mavericks. This summer, as expected, he was offered a head coaching job. He packed his bags and headed to Orlando.
No one can blame him. It's a massive promotion.
Sweeney was the defensive mastermind in San Antonio. Granted, when Wembanyama and Stephon Castle are on the floor, the defense sort of runs itself, but the Spurs did jump from 25th to third in defensive rating.
Sweeney played a big role in that.
"The Spurs did have one pretty significant loss this offseason: They lost Sean Sweeney, their associate head coach, the architect of their defense," said ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Now, a pretty good foundation for a defense, if you're going to be an architect, is to have Victor Wembanyama. But, you know, they brought in Billy Donovan. I'm not sure if Donovan is going to run their defense."
Donovan is a longtime NBA coach, both with the Thunder and Bulls. He's known as an offensive-minded coach, although his Florida Gators found success with defensive wizards Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
Some actually see Donovan as an upgrade.
"That's an amazing addition to their bench," countered Brian Windhorst.
It's expected that Wembanyama will take on a middle linebacker role in the Spurs' defense, calling out sets on the court. Donovan, meanwhile, is expected to take the team's all-around performance to the next level. Even with that, Sweeney will be missed.
Continue reading...
