For years, many have claimed that the San Antonio Spurs would be bound for the NBA draft lottery once Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retired from the game of basketball.

It seemed like a claim of desperation, as few teams have had the same success the Spurs have achieved over the last two decades, and we all know that humanity sometimes relishes in the mighty finally falling to their knees, defeated and helpless.

The running joke about the Spurs is that they are “too old” to compete for a title every year. This has been said about them since the days of David Robinson, even when Duncan first came on board in 1997. Five championships later, many fans have still not learned a thing about respecting elders, and you can bet they aren’t going to start anytime soon.

There were some who believed they were done in 2009 after a first-round exit to the Dallas Mavericks, or in 2010 when the Phoenix Suns abruptly swept them in the second round of the playoffs. And in 2011, when they were a No. 1 seed, they lost to the No. 8 seeded Memphis Grizzlies. It really appeared as though it was time to face the inevitable – that they were too old, too beat up, and not athletic enough to put up a good fight anymore for another championship.

But in typical Spurs fashion, they did not panic. They took a chance in the 2011 NBA Draft and traded away head coach Gregg Popovich’s “favorite player” at the time, George Hill, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the No. 15 pick Kawhi Leonard in a draft-day deal that was considered to be an even swap at the time. While Hill has been solid for the Pacers since arriving there, Leonard has almost single-handedly shifted the Spurs outlook on the perimeter. Since arriving in San Antonio, he has provided them with athleticism at the small forward position they never got from Richard Jefferson, while also becoming a lock-down defender who won the 2014-15 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

Even after the addition of Leonard, the Spurs suffered crushing defeats in 2012 and 2013, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Western Conference Finals after starting out leading the series 2-0. In the following year they experienced one of the worst collapses in NBA history, blowing Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals and allowing the Miami Heat to somehow snatch the title away from them. No one would have blamed Duncan or Ginobili if both decided to walk away after that series, but they both returned to the team for the 2013-14 campaign. The result was a redemption story for the ages, as they mercilessly slaughtered the Heat in the NBA Finals, grabbing their fifth title in franchise history.

Despite all this success, many out there were still willing to write them off, especially after another first-round loss this past season to the Los Angeles Clippers after a miraculous last-second shot by Chris Paul somehow found the net in Game 7. Once again, some were anticipating the end of the road for the Spurs. However, while Ginobili’s future status is uncertain at this time, Duncan will be back for his 19^th season. Not only that, it is expected that he will also take a pay cut (again) to clear the way for the team to sign free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. If the Spurs do in fact land Aldridge (they are the front runners right now), they will arguably be considered the favorites to come out of the West yet again this year. As long as they remain healthy and add a little more to their bench depth, I see no reason why Duncan can’t win his sixth ring and possibly sail off into the sunset like Robinson did once he retired after winning the ’03 title.

So let me make this perfectly clear – the Spurs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Even if they do not sign Aldridge, and even when Duncan and Ginobili hang ‘em up, this franchise is built for the long-run. And with a healthy Tony Parker taking over this team one day with the help of the recently resigned Leonard and Danny Green, the Spurs will still be contenders to win it all for a very long time.

Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.