I warned you this would happen.

Over the years, I have tried to make people aware of the great legacy the San Antonio Spurs had in the National Basketball Association, especially during the period between the 1997-1998 season which added future hall of fame power forward Tim Duncan as well as top NBA coach Greg Popovich taking the reigns of the team as far as X’s and O’s.
That era would culminate in five NBA championships and six NBA Finals appearances, making them one of the best teams in the modern era of basketball. Add to that the great players that played on those teams such as Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliot, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Avery Johnson.

While the Spurs still can lay claim to Popovich and his winning culture and ‘blue collar’ hard work attitude, as I have warned over the years the era was coming to an end over the last few years and sadly even now, in the Summer, way before the season starts, I can tell you the Spurs will certainly never be the same again.

If I had to mark a date or event that lead the Spurs to this spot, it would of course be the semi-recent retirement of Tim Duncan, one of the best to ever play the game at his position and a San Antonio Spur for the entire span of his eighteen year career.

However, last year a controversy between the Spurs and a great basketball talent in his own right, Kawhi Leonard, over his shoulder injury early last season. Leonard got a second opinion after the Spurs’ medical team had cleared him to play and Leonard stayed off the court until after the Playoffs had started. There was a rift growing between Leonard and the team, highlighted by Leonard still refusing to play after a ‘team only’ meeting in March as well as a small issue between Leonard and Tony Parker, who left the Spurs last month for the Charlotte Hornets.

Leonard was the MVP for the Spurs last championship in the 2013-2014 season and was a two time defensive player of the year as well. Leonard was only twenty-seven years old and in his prime, something I pointed out as a bright spot in the Spurs future as their older championship era team retired or became less effective one by one, a light that has now dimmed as it seems more and more likely that even if Leonard takes the qualifying offer and plays (or sits out) one more year for San Antonio, his is most certainly not in a Spurs uniform come opening night of the 2019-2020 season.

The scenario above also dismisses a trade either before the season or before the All Star break in February. Currently the Spurs are asking for the entire farm and the cows for Leonard, but that mentality could change as time goes on, rather than risk losing him with no return next Summer.

I guess this month’s column is one of shock and sadness more than ‘I told you so,’ because the Spurs are my second favorite NBA team and I love their culture and how they are consistently ready to play for a title. Now they are more likely to be playing for lotto balls in the NBA draft lottery, which means the era is no longer coming to a close, it has already ended.