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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Bruce Bowen recently announced his retirement from the NBA. It is almost a certainly that 99% of the players in the Association just breathed a sigh of relief now that Bowen has hung up his sneakers for good.

Throughout his 12-year career, eight of them spent with the San Antonio Spurs, Bowen was known as one of the best perimeter defenders. He was named to the NBA’s All-Defense team eight times and runner-up three times for defensive player of the year voting. Even though he only had 712 steals in the 873 games he played, Bowen was considered a superb individual defender, similar to a great shutdown corner in the NFL.

Bruce Bowen was a member of the NBA's All-Defense team eight times, but was also known for some dirty tactics. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Defense was Bowen’s calling card. After four uneventful first four years in the league, the 6-foot-5 guard/forward out of Cal State Fullerton began to earn a reputation for being a tough and hard-nosed perimeter defender during the 2000-01 season with the Miami Heat.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich took notice and signed Bowen in 2001, mainly to guard Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, who had been a torn on the side of the Spurs in the playoffs. Bowen’s pesky defense helped the Spurs win NBA championships in 2003, ‘05 and ‘07.

He was always assigned to the opposing team’s best scorer. And more often than not, Bowen would win a lot of those one-one-one battles, frustrating the opposition with an array of “tactics” that some might even described as borderline illegal or dirty. Many opposing players have called him out publicly for his sneaky shoves, cheap shots and penchant for stepping between a player’s legs while shooting a jump shot.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson tabbed Bowen “Edward Scissorhands” for the way he slaps at the ball and how his fingers end up scratching players on the hands and forearms.

Bowen’s streak of 500 consecutive games ended when he drew a one-game suspension for kicking New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in March of 2008. Amare Stoudemire once accused Bowen of purposely kicking him in the playoffs. Mild-mannered Dirk Nowitzki has complained numerous times about the “dirty play” from one of the Spurs, though he has never mentioned Bowen by name.

Bowen recently acknowledged to the Associated Press that only one play in which he purposely kicked another player: Ray Allen in a March 2006 game against the Seattle SuperSonics, a scuffle that earned him a $10,000 fine.

“That play, I remember and I regret because of me intentionally doing that,” said the 38-year-old, who claims that his reputation as a sometimes dirty player does not hold a lot of weight.

“People are entitled to their own opinions. I’ve been fighting that for quite some time,” said Bowen. “It just so happened that I was there after everyone stuck their hands in the cookie jar and then the lights came on and I had a cookie.”

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Boston's Rajon Rondo is averaging close to a triple-double in three games against Chicago. (GETTY IMAGES)

Here are some observations and analysis from the first week of the NBA playoffs.

Boston’s Rajon Rondo is enjoying a big time coming out party. The Celtics’ point guard has been an absolute superstar in the first round. Chicago Bulls rookie Derrick Rose got all the ink after a tremendous Game 1 at Boston’s TD Banknorth Arena but, if you take a closer look at the head-to-head matchup, Rondo has thoroughly outplayed his counterpart. The Celtics’ point guard is averaging close to a triple-double in the series and his Game 2 performance was sick – 19 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists and five steals. Then, in Game 3 at the United Center on Derrick Rose Night, Rondo posted 20-11-6-5. He has been so hot in these playoffs that his feet started burning and had to be carried off the court by his teammates. It has often been said that reputations are made in the playoffs, and so far Rondo is earning the respect of the entire basketball community. With all due respect to LeBron James, Rondo has been the most valuable player in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

If Rondo is the MVP of the East, then so far Denver point guard Chauncey Billups has been the most impressive player in the West. Mr. Big Shot is completely undressing Chris Paul in their first-round matchup. In two games against the New Orleans Hornets, Billups has 67 points and has swished 12 of 15 shots from behind the 3-point line. More importantly, Billups has 0 turnovers. Let me say that again … Billups has 0 turnovers. For a point guard to not turn the ball over in two games is a mind-blowing stat. Especially in the playoffs. Billups is like a veteran NFL quarterback who has stabilized the offense, infused some much-needed leadership on and off the court, and managed to keep everyone happy – including Carmelo Anthony. He has turned the Nuggets from a borderline playoff team to a legit conference title contender. If Billups keeps this up, he could challenge John Elway as the mayor of Denver.

The San Antonio Spurs are looking really, really old. It’s no secret that the Spurs have logged a ton of playoff mileage during the Tim Duncan Era but – with the exception of Tony Parker – the Spurs are looking like they are carrying bricks on their shoes and their once-dominant defense now has some serious issues. They have turned J.J. Barea into an all-star. Who? J.J. Barea! This is the same guy Jason Terry once mistakenly called J.J. Barrera. On offense, the Spurs really miss Manu Ginobili. Ginobili always excelled in the postseason, and his absence may be too much to overcome. Dallas has a 2-1 series edge on San Antonio, and if the Spurs are not careful they could be watching the rest of the playoffs from home.

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