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The San Antonio Spurs have been the New England Patriots of basketball for some time now, but Gregg Popovich and company would take things to another level if they are able to add LaMarcus Aldridge this offseason.
The Spurs and Mavs remain the leaders in the looming free-agent sweepstakes for LaMarcus Aldridge, league sources say.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) June 25, 2015
The Spurs are apparently the favorite to land him, and adding the big man would expand San Antonio’s championship hopes to beyond Tim Duncan‘s retirement. Once “The Big Fundamental” hangs up his sneakers, the Spurs will struggle to find their identity as a team, but having a forward like Aldridge would definitely ease their search and extend the title window for at least five years. Would the addition of LaMarcus even possibly tempt Popovich into staying with the team after Duncan calls it quits? I wouldn’t rule it out for a guy who obviously loves coaching.
It is pretty remarkable that the Spurs have basically been in the running for a championship ever since drafting Timmy in 1997. They will obviously have some growing pains without him for a while, but Aldridge could significantly decrease the amount of time that they wander in the wilderness.
The Spurs have never really been the team to improve themselves through free agency, although they did come close to getting Jason Kidd before he ultimately signed with the New Jersey Nets. Aldridge is originally from Texas, therefore it comes as no surprise that he wants to come home. It seemed at first like he would rather join the Dallas Mavericks, but he has since wised up on the matter. The Spurs are now the front-runner as a result, and that should keep them in contention for all of this decade.
Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.
