Are the Spurs at the end of the road?

With a young and hungry Memphis team taking a 3-1 series lead, a San Antonio loss tonight may very well be the end of an era.

On June 23rd, 2005, the Spurs won their third championship in franchise history, but more notably, their first without "The Admiral", David Robinson.  While they had seasoned veterans such as Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen, and "Big Shot Bob" Robert Horry, youth was also an x-factor in the seven game series victory over the defending NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.  In the 2007 Finals, the Spurs did it again, this time with Tony Parker becoming one of their franchise players, as well as Manu Ginobli, the youngster from Argentina, assuming the role as third leading scorer on the team.  While the veterans still chipped in mightily (led by the Spurs' leading scorer Tim Duncan averaging 20 points per game), it was clear that the play of the young players in the years to come would determine just how far this franchise would go. 

Fast forward to 2011.  Although Tim Duncan still played well enough to appear in his 13th NBA All-Star Game, the Spurs defenitely had a different look midway through the 2010-11 season.  Although the Spurs have a plethora of skilled players in their prime, they are also faced with the uncertainty of how their younger players, such as DeJuan Blair, and even 26 year old rookie Gary Neal will perform while having to be two of the franchise's top players in two or three years. 

Okay, say it all ends today for Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson, and Antonio McDeyess.  That will leave you with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli as the only two proven players on the Spurs roster.  And the key thing is, they share the backcourt.  What's going to happen on the interior?  While Tony Parker is able to get to the basket and create shots for his teammates, Manu Ginobli, not to take anything away from him, is a pure scorer.  So who does that leave in the frontcourt?  You may have Daniel Green at the three, Matt Bonner at the four, and DeJuan Blair playing the Center position.  And, at 6'7", while Blair is a solid inside player and collects rebounds pretty consistently off the bench, may have a bit of a rough time getting rebounds and baskets inside with no one truly no one else to focus on in a box out situation.  And, what about the Spurs' bench?  If you can tell me the Spurs will bring in someone to replace the presence of Duncan, McDeyyes, or Jefferson, I really want to know who.  The fact of the matter is that the Spurs will most likely not be able to have a solid bench for a long while.  And, once all three leave, get hurt, or whatever, the Spurs will be a middle of the road team for a long time.  The future building blocks of the team will be Tony Prker, DeJuan Blair, and Manu Ginobli.  And their cach Gregg Popvich will need to deveelop their young talent.  The Spurs, during their championship years, eximplified team basketball, never having one true superstar and playing unselfishly.  It was a nice run while it lasted, but now the Spurs are going to have to start as just another NBA team and work themselves up again to the ranks of Pro Basketball's elite.