Injuries to Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have slowed the Spurs in the second half of the season. (GETTY IMAGES)

Those looking at the NBA spread for San Antonio’s games this week may see the lines affected by injuries, which have hit the Spurs at precisely the wrong time. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is out with an ankle injury, and now Manu Ginobili may be sitting this week because of a leg contusion that he suffered Sunday against Memphis. Combine this with a three-game losing streak heading into games against Portland and Boston this week, some may be jumping off the Spurs’ bandwagon.

The Spurs are only for real if they can get one of these players back. Ginobili is the leading scorer in a very balanced attack, and he also handles the ball so Tony Parker can play the two-guard role to open up his scoring. But Duncan is a bigger loss for the Spurs, literally, because of his size. In the West, the Spurs have to contend with the defending champions from Los Angeles, who are a big team, Oklahoma City picked up Kendrick Perkins, Dallas has Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler roaming the inside, and you also have Portland (LaMarcus Aldridge) and Memphis (Zach Randolph). Without Duncan, the Spurs are left with DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Antonio McDyess, none of whom play over 22 minutes a game. While Duncan isn’t the 20/10 machine he once was, he still has enough savvy in the post to be a factor on both ends of the floor, and they need him in the playoffs.

If the Spurs can hold onto the top spot in the West, that will help a lot because they are 33-3 at home this season. They can manage to get away with losing Ginobili, but the Spurs need Duncan to be 100%, or at least 90%, for the Spurs to have a chance to get out of the wild West.

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.

Spurs' 2007 draft pick Tiago Splitter will make his NBA debut in 2010.

The Spurs’ signing of Euroleague center Tiago Splitter earlier in the week had very little fanfare. There were no ESPN one-hour specials, no Jim Gray playing emcee and the news was absent from all the 24-hour news networks.

It was your typical Spurs offseason transaction. Very low key and very business-like.

The move may not look significant now but when the season begins in October teams will realize that the Spurs just got bigger and better by adding the best big man in Europe.

“We’re very fortunate to be adding one of the best players not playing in the NBA,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said of the heralded 6-foot-11 Brazilian star who was drafted by the Spurs in 2007 with the 28th pick, but played in Europe the past three seasons. Now, he will play alongside his idol, Tim Duncan, in the San Antonio frontcourt.

In the Euroleague, Splitter wore No. 21 because of Duncan. In the NBA, he will wear No. 22.

“I really decided that I wanted to come here,” Splitter told the Associated Press. “I stayed more time in Europe to improve my game a lot. It was the right time at the right moment.”

The 25-year-old was MVP of both the Spanish League regular season and finals while leading Caja Laboral Vitoria to a second championship, averaging 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 38 games. He shot 59% from the field and 76% from the line.

The 235-pound Splitter still has room to grow physically, but he easily becomes the most talented big man to play with Duncan since David Robinson retired in 2003.

The Spurs are a franchise built on dominant big men. There was Artis Gilmore in the 1980s, followed by Robinson in the 1990s and then Duncan in the 2000s. But Duncan prefers to play power forward and he’s had to endure a slew of low-level, journeyman-type centers the past seven years.

Remember Rasho Nesterovic? Or, how about Nazr Mohammed? And who could forget the very bland Fabricio Oberto era?

Splitter is expected to contribute right away and it would be a huge disappointment if he’s not in the starting lineup on opening night. He’s certainly upgrade from Matt Bonner and Antonio McDyess.

Bringing Splitter aboard was an offseason target for the Spurs after being swept by Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals. San Antonio hasn’t drastically changed its roster since, apart from swingman Richard Jefferson opting out of his deal for free agency.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Splitter didn’t appear lured by an immediate NBA payday. The most the Spurs could offer Splitter this season was their midlevel exception, around $5.8 million, whereas his Spanish club could have offered him more.

“If I stayed in Spain I could have made more money,” Splitter said. “But this is my moment.”

Splitter has played for Caja Laboral Vitoria in the ACB League since the 2003-04 season. In his seven seasons with Caja Laboral, he has established himself as one of the dominate big men in Europe. He has led Caja Laboral to four Spanish League regular season titles (2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2008-09) and two Spanish League championships (2007-08 and 2009-10).

In addition the team has advanced to at least the quarterfinals of the Euroleague Championship six straight seasons (including four straight semifinal appearances from 2004-08).

During the 2009-10 Euroleague action, Splitter averaged 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 26.1 minutes in 16 games. He shot 54% from the field and 63% from the line. He earned All-Euroleague honors for the third straight season.

Originally signed by Caja Laboral in April of 2000, at the age of 15, Splitter played, on loan, with Araba Gorago Alava in 2000-01 and Basket Bilbao Berri in 2001-02 and 2002-03 before joining Caja Laboral for the 2003-04 season.

Born and raised in Brazil, Splitter has played for the Brazilian National Team since 2002 and is a teammate of Leandro Barbosa and Nene. Splitter’s Brazilian teams have captured gold medals at the 2003 South American Championship, the 2003 Pan American Games, the 2005 Americas Championship and the 2009 Americas Championship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ginobili and his broken nose then left the court and headed for the offseason because his San Antonio Spurs were knocked out of the 2010 playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by Nash and his one good eye.

Nash had six stitches above the right eye after getting caught with an inadvertent Tim Duncan elbow in the second half, but the Suns’ leader returned to the court and scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including a running one-hander in the paint to put the Suns ahead, 103-97, with 29.9 seconds left.

“I couldn’t be happier for a class, class, class guy. I hate him, but he’s classy,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Nash, who admitted he could barely see with his bandaged right eye.

Manu Ginobili congratulates Steve Nash after the Suns knocked off the Spurs in four games. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

“I can’t really see out of it,” Nash said. “I don’t want to glorify it, but it’s been a long time since we beat this team and advanced in the playoffs, and I tried to do what I could to close it out.”

The Spurs have tormented the Suns in their past five playoff appearances, eliminating Phoenix four times. But the Suns made sure this year was different, beating San Antonio at its own game with solid defense and an efficient halfcourt offense that is normally a staple of the Spurs.

“They just hit a lot of big shots,” said Ginobili, who had 15 points but was just 2-for-11 from the field thanks to excellent defense from Grant Hill. Ginobili said the nose injury didn’t bother him in the series, but it was obvious his aggressive and his forays to the basket decreased since he got hit by Dirk Nowitzki in the first round.

“I just think where Steve [Nash] has taken us and what he’s been able to get done, it started in training camp. He was just determined that ‘we’re gonna get back to where we were and I’m gonna see that.’ ”

Like a one-eye jack in those classic pirate movies, Nash spearheaded a poised Phoenix team down the stretch. And he didn’t need to see Amare Stoudemire on those pick-and-rolls because the two All-Stars know each other so well they could probably run their pick-and-roll sets with their eyes closed. In Nash’s case, he really had to do it with his eyes closed because his right eye was so swollen he needed a cutman on the bench.

“I can’t really see out of it,” Nash said. “I don’t know how it didn’t keep me on the sidelines. I wanted to give it a try, and luckily it worked out.”

“They just outplayed us,” said a dejected Tim Duncan, who got outscored by Stoudemire, 29-17, in Game 4.

The Suns’ four-game sweep clearly signaled that the Spurs’ three-time championship trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker can no longer carry the load. Duncan is 34 years old and has a ton of mileage on his legs. Ginobili, 33, recently signed an extension that should keep him a Spur for the rest of his NBA career, but he has been injury prone and the same goes for Parker.

The Richard Jefferson experiment didn’t work out for San Antonio, so Popovich must find another scorer (or two) to help his big three.

Video courtesy of NBA.com

Suns backup point guard Goran Dragic scored 23 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Those who watched the Phoenix Suns take apart the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series were all wondering the same thing: Who is Goran Dragic?

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is probably losing sleep right about now thinking about Goran Dragic, who had scored just four points in the first two games of the series.

Spurs point guard Tony Parker is probably watching tape right now trying to figure how he got outplayed by a second-year guard playing in his first postseason.

And it’s a good thing Alvin Gentry is the head coach for the Suns because Mike D’Antoni would never have played Dragic deep into the fourth quarter in an important playoff game.

Through the first three quarters, Dragic had just three points. But something happened in the fourth quarter and Dragic caught lightning in a bottle, scoring 23 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth to lead the Suns to a stunning 110-96 victory in Game 3 and take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Dragic and Leandro Barbosa led a Suns second unit that helped the Suns outscore the Spurs 39-24 in the fourth quarter. The Suns benched outscored the Spurs, 48-28, for the game.

“Steve who?” Gentry asked reporters during his postgame news conference, poking fun at the fact that he didn’t need his All-Star guard because Dragic played so well down the stretch.

The Suns’ backup point guard was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, and when he wasn’t nailing outside shots he was destroying the Spurs interior defense with his dribble penetration and some clever footwork and lefty floaters in the paint.

“Obviously, LB and Goran played great in the fourth quarter. They just stepped it up,” Gentry said of his backup guards, who combined for 39 points and seven 3-pointers. Barbosa had 13 points in 18 minutes and made five of seven shots from the field.

[The Spurs] were switching and we said we had to attack the switches, and I thought [Goran] and LB did a great job attacking the switches,” said Gentry, who should be credited for staying with his second unit for the entire fourth quarter.

“When we put him in the game, we told him ‘You have to be aggressive,’ ” Gentry said of Dragic. “Even at the chance of making a mistake he’s gotta be aggressive because when he is I think people forget what a great athlete he is. He’s as fast with the ball than anyone we got on our team. When he’s playing with confidence, he’s got a lot of tricks and shoots the ball exceptionally well.”

“I love that kid. He’s a teacher’s pet, and he has worked so hard to get to where he is right now,” Gentry said of the 6-foot-3 guard from Slovenia, who was acquired by the Suns through in a draft-day trade in 2008. “He’ll do anything to please the coaching staff and the guys on this team. I’m just happy for him. You won’t meet a better kid.”

With Dragic and Barbosa taking turns in creating offense for the highest scoring team in the league, the Suns were able to chip away at the Spurs’ lead and Barbosa’s layup and 3-pointer with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth gave the Suns an 80-76 lead.

“It’s been tough for Leandro simply because J-Rich is playing so well there hasn’t been a lot of time for LB to play. But when he’s gotten in there, he’s done some good things,” Gentry said of Barbosa.

“In general, their second team kicked our butt,” Popovich said. “Their second team was fantastic. Their whole team showed a lot of character.”

The Spurs now face elimination, and no team in NBA history has won a series after being down 0-3.

“Let me just say, congratulations to the Spurs. They played a great series. George Hill emerged as a star and really was a difference-maker. They deserved to win. They’re a Texas team, so I guess I’ll be rooting for them the rest of the way,” Cuban said about his division rival, who became the first seventh-seeded team to move past the opening round since the NBA adopted the seven-game format for the first round.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks exited the first round for the third time in four years since reaching the NBA Finals in 2006.

“I’m proud of our guys on the way they kept on fighting back,” Cuban said of his team, which got down 22-8 early in the first quarter but rallied. “I’m not so proud of the NBA. I’m not proud of my inability over the last 10 years to have an impact like I wanna have so I kinda feel like I owe fans an apology. That’s just the way this business goes.”

Cuban’s mood lightened up a bit when someone asked him about the performance of rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who showed flashes of brilliance in Game 6 as he scored 16 points in 21 minutes off the bench to provide a spark.

“Obviously he had a big impact on the game,” Cuban said of the player they call Roddy Buckets. “He showed all the things that all the ‘Free Roddy B’ people wanted to see in him, and he did it on a big stage. You look at the series George Hill had last year when he had a little bit of an impact and then this year he just killed us. So hopefully Roddy will look back at this year, where Roddy had a little bit of an impact, and next year he’ll be killing people.”

When a reporter asked Cuban how disappointed he was in losing in the first round to the Spurs again, Cuban fired back with: “It’s been a long time since we lost to the Spurs. So, you wanna ask a better question?”

In Cuban’s defense, the Mavs knocked off the Spurs in the first round last year and took them out as well in 2006, so the notion that the Spurs have the Mavs’ number is slightly off base and you can’t blame Cuban for his defensive response.

Cuban believes the Mavericks can contend for a title with Dirk Nowitzki as their franchise player and Rick Carlisle as the head coach. And a full training camp with midseason acquisitions Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood should improve the team’s on-court chemistry.

“We’ve got a great base,” Cuban said. “I mean, we’ll get a chance to work with each other. You could see some of the uneasiness because we haven’t had a full season to play together and that showed a few times. But we’ll pull all our pieces together and go at them again next year.

“Every year I tell you guys the exact same thing. We’ll be opportunistic and do our very best to put the best team on the court, and that’s never gonna change.”

Cuban also pointed out that only one team will be satisfied come June and everyone else will be searching for answers in the offseason.

“Last time I looked, five teams have won championships out of 30? Like I say every year, there’s one team that wins and 29 teams who tie for last place. You don’t change the way you approach success simply because of the questions.”

There were three flagrant fouls called, all in the second half. The fireworks started with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter when Richard Jefferson was called for a flagrant foul after he smacked Nowitzki in the face as he drove to the basket. The Mavericks retaliated early in the fourth quarter by sending their goon, Eduardo Najera, to rough up Manu Ginobili, who was already nursing a broken nose he sustained from Game 3.

Najera attempted his best MMA move by pulling Ginobili around his neck and shoulders and throwing him down to the ground. The flagrant foul got Popovich and the Spurs riled up and Najera was immediately ejected from the game and could draw a one-game suspension or fine.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle defended Najera’s actions and even vowed to use him more because the seldom-used veteran forward is one of the few Mavericks who can match San Antonio’s physical approach.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle says his Mavericks needs to be more aggressive against the Spurs.

“We may have to look at playing Najera a little more. He was in there for a short period of time and he made an aggressive play at least,” Carlisle told reporters during a postgame news conference.

“We had seven points and seven rebounds, and a lot of it happened when [Najera] was on the floor.”

When Carlisle was asked how the Mavericks lost the game, he replied: “When you get another guy who goes 11-for-16 and hits five threes, it can easily happen. And if you additionally get your ass kicked on five to seven loose-ball plays, that is certainly going to contribute to losing.”

The “guy” Carlisle was referring to was San Antonio’s George Hill, who pumped in a playoff career-high 29 points to help lead the Spurs to a 92-89 win in Game 4.

The Dallas-San Antonio matchup has grown into one of the best rivalries in the NBA, and Carlisle feels that his team has not matched the Spurs’ intensity in this first-round series. 

“There were a set of plays especially in the last couple of games where we have to get down and dirty. We gotta come up with balls that are 50-50 balls. That is sort of the game being won and lost in the trenches,” said Carlisle, whose No. 2-seeded Mavs are down 3-1 to the No. 7-seeded Spurs.

“There’s a number of plays where we’ve got to become the aggressor on. They’ve done a very good job of deflecting balls in the series. The key thing is playing out of flow, and we’re not necessarily calling plays. We’ve got to get into situations quickly,” Carlisle explained. “When the ball starts moving around in the perimeter versus their rotations, we’ve got to make quick decisions and make plays.”

How do the Mavs adjust?

“I’ve got to look at the film and evaluate that. Making lineup changes is something you can always do. But I don’t necessarily know that is where things are at,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to this point with a good seed in the playoffs by playing our style and doing it well. We’re just going to have to work at doing it better.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com

However, making the playoffs this season has proven to be very taxing on Duncan and the Spurs.

The Spurs are currently in a dogfight just to hold on to their low seeding in the Western Conference, a far cry from their glory days when home-court advantage was a given.

In the middle of this uncharacteristic struggle is Tim Duncan, San Antonio’s franchise player and three-time NBA Finals MVP.

After watching Duncan shoot 1-for-10 against the Magic on March 17 and go 2-for-11 against the Lakers last night, it is becoming clear that Duncan is no longer the dominant post player in the league. Heck, he may not be the best player on his own team.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Duncan is still an All-Star player and NBA teams would kill to have him on the roster. He’s the greatest power forward in history. He is still a decent scorer (18.2 points per game), still one of the top rebounders in the game (10.3) and remains the anchor of the Spurs defense (1.6 blocks).

But against Pau Gasol on Wednesday night, Duncan appeared overmatched and had two of his jump shots sent right back in his face by the 7-foot-1 Spaniard, who is not known to be a lock-down defender. Duncan finished with only six points and was never a factor.

Which leads me to two very important question that need to be addressed: 1) Is Duncan still capable of leading the Spurs to a championship? 2) Do the Spurs still run their offense through Duncan?

I think the answers to both questions are “No” and “No.”

Duncan has also logged more than 35,000 minutes throughout his 12-year NBA career and is probably closer to retirement than close to being the best interior player in the league.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been trying to monitor his minutes the past three seasons, but because the Spurs are not a cinch to make the postseason this season Pop has no choice but to play Duncan deep into ballgames.

This puts a heavy strain on Duncan, who seems to be laboring whenever he tries to extend himself against quality teams. He doesn’t have the usual lift on his jump hooks and opponents have learned to defend his signature bank.

Popovich and Spurs GM R.C. Buford need to take a hard look at this team and decide whether or not to stay with the Duncan-Ginobili-Parker as the base of their franchise.

Duncan is 33 years old and his creaky knees are major issues. Manu Ginobili will become a free agent at the end of the season, and his future remains uncertain. Parker still has many good years as the team’s point guard, but he can’t do it alone.

DeJuan Blair has been a nice addition this season, but he’s a 6-6 power forward who struggles against length. George Hill is probably the only young player on the Spurs roster who can develop into a superstar.

The Duncan-led Spurs can still make the playoffs this year, but the Duncan-led Spurs are no longer in the championship conversation. San Antonio has a daunting schedule down the stretch and there is a strong possibility the Spurs could fall to the No. 8 spot, which means a date with the L.A. Lakers in the first round. And judging by how the Lakers stifled the Spurs on their home court, it could be a very short series.

The rebuilding process in San Antonio is already underway and there’s a lot of work to be done.

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.

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.”