The Spurs' big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are off to a fast start in the 2010-11 season. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Who says who can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The San Antonio Spurs own the best record in the NBA at this time, and they are doing it with . . . drum roll, please . . . offense.

The Showtime Spurs? Yes, those same old Spurs – known as a defensive-minded team for the past decade, a philosophy that drove them to four NBA titles – has decided to throw a curveball to the entire league. Instead of the slow, prodding, methodical walk-it-up-the-court and wait-for-Duncan-to-post-up approach, the Spurs have made more of a concerted effort to push the ball up the court and get easy scores off fastbreaks.

But the Spurs’ new uptempo style doesn’t resemble the Suns’ frenetic, seven-seconds-or-less offense. It’s more of a controlled chaos and players are more judicious with their shot selection. Though head coach Gregg Popovich has given the green light to his players to hoist early shots, it doesn’t mean they’re allowed to take stupid shots.

“[The Spurs] are insulting team,” said TNT analyst Kenny Smith. “They’re basically are saying most teams are dumb because they say that ‘We’re going to take good shots on every possession and we don’t think that you’re disciplined enough to do that to beat us. We don’t think that you are smart enough to make good plays for 48 minutes.’ ”

Smith added, “[The Spurs] bank on the fact that, they don’t have as much talent as everyone, but you will take dumb shots or quick shots and play out of character. To me, that’s insulting if I were an NBA player.”

Though Tim Duncan remains a key cog in the Spurs’ machinery, the offense now highlights the open-court skills of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. When you watch the Spurs these days, as soon as Duncan or one of the big men grab a rebound, they are looking for the outlet pass and most of the time the ball winds up in the hands of Parker or Ginobili.

Ginobili has benefited the most from the early offense because it highlights his incredible one-on-one skills. Ginobili leads the Spurs in scoring at nearly 20 points a game and he has stayed relatively healthy through the first quarter of the season.

Parker, now in his ninth year, has always been one of the best open-court players in the league, a one-man fastbreak who can go end-to-end like Usain Bolt. The Spurs used to rely on Parker’s fastbreak skills about 50% of the time. Now, they look to use Parker almost 90% of the time.

What has made the Spurs more dynamic offensively this season is the emergence of Jefferson as a trusted scorer in the starting unit. Jefferson struggled mightily a year ago, and felt lost in the offense.

During the offseason, Jefferson spent more time with head coach Gregg Popovich and learned how to play off of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili instead of getting in their way. Jefferson realized that to be effective in the Spurs’ system he needed to improve on his jump shot, especially on the corner where previous Spurs Bruce Bowen and Sean Elliott made their living.

Occupying the role of Malik Rose is second-year man DeJuan Blair. Blair is a second-round draft pick who has become the team’s starting center. Most teams passed on the former Pitt Panther because of his size (6 feet 6 inches tall) and bad knees, but the Spurs saw something in Blair much like they saw something in Rose, who was also 6-6.

Though undersized, Blair is an active body in the paint and he uses his girth to his advantage. Against the Lakers on Dec. 28, Blair had 17 points and 15 rebounds and thoroughly outworked the taller Lakers’ big men.

“The San Antonio Spurs do a better job of drafting players than anybody. They find those hidden gems,” says former NBA player Charles Barkley.

Another hidden gem the Spurs found was George Hill. Because he came out of IUPUI, Hill got lost in the shuffle during the draft process in 2008. The Spurs took him with the 26th pick in the first round, and Hill has turned out to be a steal. Popovich loves him, and thinks he can turn into a lock-down defender. Think of Bruce Bowen without all the slapping and flopping, and much more gifted athletically.

The Spurs and their new-look offense have taken the league by surprise early, and by the time the league catches on the Spurs may have home-court advantage throughout postseason.

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The San Antonio Spurs appeared old and overmatched against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2009 playoffs. It was the first time a Tim Duncan-led team was ousted in the first round since 2000.  That was the year Duncan was sidelined with an injury.

The 4-1 series loss to the Mavs could point to the fact that the Spurs were without guard Manu Ginobili, who has been hampered with ankle injuries the past two seasons. But the way the Mavs ran past the Spurs, it was obvious San Antonio needed a facelift.

So head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford went into the offseason with one thing in mind: Rebuild the roster.

It’s the same general philosophy Popovich had in mind when the Spurs were destroyed by the bigger, younger and faster Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 conference finals. The Spurs brass rebuilt the roster the next two offseasons, picking up defensive ace Bruce  Bowen and drafting 19-year-old Tony Parker in the first round and hitting the jackpot with Ginobili in the second round. That trio basically replaced aging veterans Terry Porter, Steve Smith and Danny Ferry.

Bowen, Parker and Ginobili would become the core group that served as Duncan’s supporting cast that helped the Spurs win championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The first order of business this offseason was to get younger and more athletic in the frontcourt so the Spurs targeted versatile forward Richard Jefferson. The 6-foot-7 forward was acquired from the Bucks in exchange for Bowen and Kurt Thomas as part of a three-team deal that involved the Spurs, Bucks and Pistons.

Popovich knows Jefferson well from his stint with the 2004 Olympic team as an assistant for Larry Brown. Jefferson fits the player the Spurs want in their system, and he also brings plenty of experience having played on two New Jersey Nets teams that reached the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Richard Jefferson, who played one season in Milwaukee, gives the Spurs another scorer. (GETTY IMAGES)

“It’s huge. Puts some new blood in the team,” Parker said of Jefferson. “Obviously everyone is excited, the city and the organization. It was a big move. I think we needed it and Pop and R.C. made it happen. Guys like me, Manu and Timmy came to training excited because we’ve been playing with the same team for a long time so that’s nice.”

Jefferson can create his own shot (a career PPG of 17.7), something the Spurs desperately needs. His one-on-one game will help alleviate the pressure off Parker and his presence is an insurance policy in case Ginobili gets hurt again.

“I was the first step in getting quality players they really believe in,” Jefferson told NBA TV. “I think this is a situation where I kind of have to be the glue guy. They have their leading scorer, they have their post presence, they have their outside shooter. So for me, I come in and kind of give them whatever they need. But I’ve always played my best when I have other quality players around me, and I’m looking to continue that.”

Since 2003 when David Robinson retired, the Spurs have been searching for a dependable center to pair up with Duncan. Slow-footed slugs with zero offensive skills such as Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed, Francisco Elson, Thomas and Fabricio Oberto have all tried and failed to fill The Admiral’s big shoes. This season, they might have found THAT GUY in Antonio McDyess.

McDyess is not only a stalwart on defense but he’s also a capable scorer. After a devastating knee injury forced McDyess to alter his game, he has developed a nice face-up game and is very comfortable floating to the elbows near the free throw line. This will allow more room for Duncan in the low block and if the double team comes, he can kick it out to McDyess.

Two young guys will be counted on to bolster an aging bench: second-year guard George Hill and rookie forward DeJuan Blair.

Hill will back up Parker at the point and can also slide over to shooting guard, giving the Spurs a two-PG look in the backcourt. Popovich thinks Hill can be a Bowen-type stopper on defense.

Blair was considered the steal of the 2009 draft as the Spurs got him the second round. At 6-7, 260-pounds, Blair is Malik Rose with better skills on offense. Expect to see Blair in the rotation as Popovich will continue to monitor Duncan’s minutes.

According to an NBA.com poll that surveyed NBA general managers, 71.2% said the Spurs made the best overall moves during the offseason. The Orlando Magic came in a distant second with 17.3% of the votes.

With the Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers grabbing all the headines during the offseason, the Spurs have quietly – but efficiently – retooled and reloaded their roster to make another run at a championship.

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