The free-agency period officially begins today and it's time to look at the San Antonio Spurs' free-agents.

Here are their free-agents: Richard Jefferson, Keith Bogans, Roger Mason, Matt Bonner, and Ian Mahinmi.

Jefferson. With a guaranteed $15.2 million dollars on the table, chances are low he will pass that kind of money up. Right? Think again! Jefferson did opt out of his final contract year with the Spurs. With his lackluster performance in his first season with the Spurs, never living up to expectations, and drawing the ire of Spurs fans, perhaps he might want to find a new team to wipe the slate clean. This does not mean his days are completely over with the Spurs. The team may bring him back. You know Spurs nation is hoping they don't.

Bogans. Brought on to be the Spurs' primary perimeter defender, Bogans was serviceable but still wasn't the player the team was hoping he would be. Expect him to not be with the team next season.

Mason. After coming off a solid 2008-2009 season with the Spurs, Mason had an unforgettable second season with the team. Never cracking the rotation, appeared to have lost his shooting touch, requested to be traded, and was not reliable during the regular season and post season. Also, with the Spurs drafting shooter, James Anderson, Mason's time with the Spurs is over and expect him to sign with another team.

Bonner. With his ability to knock down the three-point shot and a newly developed dribble-drive move to the paint, he could provide a valuable sign-and-trade piece should the Spurs decide to move him. However, Bonner proved to be a valuable asset during the regular season but again fizzled in the playoffs. With the Spurs financially strapped, will the Spurs use their "Bird Rights" to resign him?  Possibly.

Mahinmi. Can you say draft-day-bust? He never could crack the rotation, is foul prone, and early in his "career" with the Spurs, he has been injury prone. Though he did have a few good games this past season (i.e. against the New Jersey Nets) he never panned out as the athletic big man the Spurs have been lacking. Earlier in the season the Spurs did not pick up his last year on his contract and if that doesn't speak volumes about his future with the team, then I do not know what will.  There was a report that Mahinmi was signing a contract soon but did not state which team it was. Oh and he also stated he will base his decision on where he would play next on increased playing time.

Well there you go Spurs fans. Time to put on your G.M. hat and decide the fate of these Spurs' free-agent.

With the news coming out that San Antonio Spurs' forward, Richard Jefferson, opted out of his final year of his contract, passing up on a guaranteed $15 million dollars, Spurs fans were rejoicing. Maybe they should halt any parties.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Jefferson might be re-signing with the Spurs:

Sources said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been personally working out Jefferson in San Antonio. The free-agent forward could re-sign with the team at a number that lowers the franchise’s luxury-tax hit while guaranteeing him more money on the back end of a multiyear contract.

What are your thoughts Spurs fans? Should the team re-sign Jefferson?

According to KSAT 12 News in San Antonio, San Antonio Spurs' forward, Richard Jefferson, has decided to opt out of his final contract year which would pay him $15.2 million dollars next season:

The report goes on to state:

According to a Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, forward Richard Jefferson has opted out of the last year of his contract.

This would free up much needed luxury tax relief for the Spurs.

Jefferson had his lowest scoring season since his rookie season with the New Jersey Nets. He also did not mesh well with the team and did not live up to expectations.

Let's see what the Spurs do with Jefferson now.

Former Spur Doc Rivers has been in San Antonio all week to watch his son, Austin Rivers, compete in the FIBA Americas U18 World Championships.

While walking out of Bill Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University last night, Rivers allowed me to ask a few quick questions, two of which pertained to the Spurs.

Rivers said he thought the Spurs moves this summer will benefit next year's squad.

"The draft pick is nice but Splitter, he's going to be playing with the Spurs this year," Rivers said. "That pickup is even better."

But would it be enough to make the Spurs serious finals and championship contenders?

"The Spurs will be a championship contender as long as Pop is there and Tim is there," Rivers said.

Coming from a coach who has taken his Celtics to the NBA Finals twice in the last three years, I think I can trust his judgement.

I also asked Rivers if he made his decision about returning to the Celtics for the final year of his contract, and while he said he had not, a day later we now know that he will be back with Boston to make another Finals run next season.

With former San Antonio Spur and assistant coach, Monty Williams, now the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets, today, Williams announced the rest of his coaching staff which includes James Borrego.

New Orleans Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams announced three new members of his coaching staff today. Williams will be joined by Mike Malone, Bryan Gates and James Borrego.

Borrego was with the Spurs for seven years. During his time with San Antonio, he served as the Spurs' video coordinator and assistant coach for the Spurs' summer league teams.

Just another example of the ever growing Spurs coaching tree.

Now that the smoke has cleared and the draft is over, San Antonio Spurs' point-guard, Tony Parker, is talking about possibly not being a Spur after next year.

According to L'Equipe's translation, Parker said "I talked with Pop, he told me that I'm not going anywhere. New York and Portland were the two most serious options, but San Antonio has said no. And I love the club. I want to stay for the last year of contract to play with Tim and Manu and then be a free agent."

Parker went on to say that after next year, he will have been in San Antonio for ten years and thinks he can dedicate another eight or nine to another team.

Don't be surprised if extension talks never begin with Parker. If he does end up leaving, will the front office regret not trading him on draft day?

Today you can get a good seat to watch some future NBA and international talent playing right here in San Antonio.

The FIBA Americas U18 Championships have been played at Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University. Teams from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Canada and the Virgin Islands are all here competing.

While many are here to see Austin Rivers and the rest of a very talented Team USA, there's also some very good talent on some of the other teams.

Ivan Loriente, Uruguay

Loriente, a 6-4 guard has been putting on a shooting cIlinic. in his game against Puerto Rico. Loriente shot 53 percent from the field and buried five three-pointers. He also corralled four rebounds and had two steals. He's second in scoring among all tournament players with 22.5 points per game/

Kevin Acosta, Mexico

Acosta was very impressive in his outing against the Virgin Islands. When Mexico needed a basket they turned to Acosta and he delivered. He is a pure shooter and he can do it spotting up or off the dribble. He had the crowd at Greehey Arena "oohing" when he crossed his defender, stopped on a dime and lifted up for a three-pointer that swished through the basket. He scored 22 points against the Virgin Islands team shooting 62 percent from the field, but then went on a bit of a slump in last night's game.

Aaron Brown, U.S. Virgin Islands

Through the first quarter of Monday's game, I thought Brown was just a dunk machine and the beneficiary of two-on-one fast breaks. He proved me wrong throughout the rest of the game showing a nice outside shot and the speed to get by his defender for layups and highlight slams. Tim Duncan and Raja Bell may not be the only NBA players from the Virgin Islands for long. Brown ended the night with 39 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and he's leading the tournament in scoring with 26 points per game.

Lucas Nogueira, Brazil

The 7 foot center from Brazil has been one of the most talked about players on press row. Many wonder if he might be good enough to be playing in the NBA now. Through all four games of the tournament, he's averaging 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots per game. Last night against Argentina, he led Brazil with 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. It'll be interesting to see him against Pat Young in the Gold Medal game versus the US team.

In an interview with News 4 WOAI in San Antonio, new Spur, James Anderson, was asked about his expectations as a Spur.

News 4 WOAI asked James Anderson what his expectations are as a Spur. His answer was to be one of the best in franchise history.

Got to love the rook's confidence!

Prior to the 2010 season, the San Antonio Spurs failed to capture the NBA crown for two straight seasons. Known for their dedication to winning, the Spurs made moves last summer and tried hard to put together a team they believed could capture another title.

For the first time in years, the Spurs went on a spending spree and went over the luxury tax to acquire Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess.

Jefferson was expected to provide the Spurs an offensive threat at the small-forward position while adding some youth and athleticism. McDyess was signed to be Tim Duncan's side-kick in the post.

Expectations were high.

But as the season went on, it was apparent the team was lacking in chemistry and couldn't get into the right rhythm. The integration of new players into the Spurs' system proved to be a tough task for coach Gregg Popovich.

Jefferson in particular was a major disappointment. He never fit into the Spurs' scheme and at best, he only showed some flashes of why he was acquired by the Spurs.

Because of their early struggles and their inability to stay healthy (Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili suffered multiple injuries throughout the 2010 season) some people doubted the Spurs' chances to even make it to the playoffs.

Nevertheless, with Ginobili's resurgence, George Hill rising into the occasion when Parker was hurt and the team making a strong run towards the end of the season (beating quality opponents along the way) gave Spurs fans a glimmer of hope for a deep playoff run.

In the first round of the post season, the Spurs upset the second seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games. However, the Spurs were ousted from the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, losing in four games to none in the Western Conference semi-finals.

This begs the question, "Was 2010 season a bust?"

When you talk about consistency and standard for basketball excellence, it's not a stretch to say the Spurs have been the "gold standard" in the NBA for more than a decade. Because of such a high standard, anything less than a championship is considered a failure in San Antonio. So to answer the question if the 2009-2010 Spurs' season was a bust, in my opinion -- yes.

I say "yes" because despite their player moves to make it back to the top, they still came up short. Make no mistake about it, with the player additions, along with Ginobili resting in the summer prior to the start of the season, the team was considered the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference.

Again, expectations were high.

The bottom line is the Spurs' failure to win the title could not be blamed on one factor. It was an assortment of factors. Jefferson never became the player he was expected to be, Parker was not healthy for most part of the season, Duncan's extended minutes in the regular season caught up to him, Ginobili's nose injury came at a very bad time and coach Popovich's ever changing rotation were some of the glaring issues the Spurs were dealt.

Perhaps "bust" may be too strong of a word. Perhaps "inconsistency" would be better but with expectations riding high, anything less than an NBA title with the make-up of the 2009-2010 team, could be viewed as a "bust."

All NBA teams need a little luck to win it all. Unfortunately the Spurs never got their breaks. Their early season struggles had a lot to do with their own undoing. Remember, prior to the 2009-2010 NBA season, many believed they could win it all and coach Popovich even said "If we don't win it, I should probably be fired, without a doubt."

Expectations were high and in the end were never met.

What do you guys think? Do you agree that the Spurs' season was a bust? Send us your thoughts.

Should Tiago Splitter come to San Antonio Spurs next season, one team he will face will be his former team, Baskonia/Caja Laboral.

According to elcorreo.com, Baskonia will play against the Spurs October 16, 2010 in San Antonio:

From the heart of the state of Tennessee, the issue will baskonista course towards the west to try on two days later at San Antonio Spurs. On paper, should be a reunion with Tiago Splitter if you finally get to square its agreement with the Texas team in the coming weeks.

Now how ironic is that should Splitter formally sign with the Spurs?

(translated using Google Translate)