After recovering from his ankle injury last season, San Antonio Spurs' all-star guard, Tony Parker, spent the final few games of the 2010 Spurs' regular season and the entire post-season coming off the bench in relief of George Hill.

This offseason has been fraught with Parker trade rumors, insinuations of his unhappiness at the prospect of a new role with the team, and manufactured drama between the two talented guards regarding who will be in the starting lineup and who will be riding the pine.  In the final months before camp, the roles have yet to be established in any definitive way.

It is hard to imagine Parker, a former all-star in the prime of his career, relegated to bench duty.  Parker is still ranked by some as a top 5 point guard in the NBA and at 28, he certainly has more than a few playing years left.  Additionally, the Spurs have a lot invested in Parker, paying him $12.6 million in 2009 and in the upcoming season, the final year of his contract, Parker stands to make as much as $13.5 million. This likely makes him one of the top five highest-paid point guards in the NBA.  It is hard to imagine someone like this being a regular bench player.

While it is true that Parker averaged six fewer points per game this season than the previous, it is also true that he averaged fewer minutes and fewer shot attempts while maintaining nearly the same field goal percentage.  Ignoring this injury-shortened season, Parker is one of the best point guards in the NBA and in the prime of his career.

Then there's his potential replacement, Hill.  Few would argue that Hill is a complete player in his current state, ready to carry a team to an NBA Championship.  Hill has impressively exceeded all expectations.  But his playoff performance as a point guard left much to be desired.  Hill had only 7 assists in 10 games compared to Parker's 54 assists in fewer minutes played, making a tough case for being the team's starting point guard.  I think Hill, who shot nearly 40% from the 3-point line in the playoffs has a much better case for the starting shooting guard slot - a position that arguably has less pressure for a young player and one that his skill set is much better suited for.

Hill, for his part, has the right attitude on the situation.  Here's what he had to say when asked about his role with the team and the situation with Parker:

"Whatever Coach Pop needs me to do," that's what I'll do," he said. "Whether it's playing the point guard position and starting, or playing the two-guard position and starting there, or coming off the bench. Whatever he wants me to do to help this team win ballgames, that's what I'm down with."

"All the accolades, starting or whatever, doesn't mean anything to me. I just want to win and be the best teammate possible, the best player possible. Everything they say for me to do, I'm going to take it and run with it and do the best I can."

Parker would not have lost the starting job if not for his injury last season.  Outside of that, there was no movement to substitute Hill for Parker.  Injury and fatigue have been issues for the Spurs' international players in recent years due, some say, to the fact that they play so much more basketball outside of NBA competition than the average NBA player does.  Not this year.

Both Manu Ginobili and Parker are sitting out international competition during this offseason.  Again, it is hard to fathom how a player who has done as much as Parker, returning healthy and well rested, will not also return to the starting lineup.

Hill is an incredible player with ridiculous potential.  He may in fact be ready to lead a team right now.  But when you have a player on your roster with the talent and experience of Parker, you have the luxury of not tossing a young, talented player into the deep end to see if he sinks or swims.  Hill is almost certainly the Spurs' point guard of the future. When Parker's playing days are over, he will be ready to take the reigns.  Until that day comes however, Parker and Hill are more valuable together than they are apart.

Project Spurs' own Jeff Garcia was in New York City for the Team USA practice and had a chance to talk to Minnesota Timberwolves' center, Kevin Love.

Love, who the San Antonio Spurs will see four times next season, talked about the changes to his team, playing with Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom, and the pride he has wearing the USA name and colors.

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NEW YORK CITY -- New York Knicks' head coach, Mike D'Antoni, knows a thing or two about the international game. He played in Italy for Milan for 13 seasons and became the club's all-time leading-scorer and won five Italian League regular season titles (1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986).

Once done as a player in Italy he moved on to coach Milan and Treviso Benetton compiling a record of 288-101 (.740) and a playoff record of 37-23 (.617).

To say D'Antoni is a wealth of international experience is an understatement.

Since then he has been a coach in the NBA and is back as an assistant coach with Team USA. This will mark his sixth stint as an assistant coach.

I caught up with coach D'Antoni while Team USA is in New York City gearing for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey to get his thoughts on the state of the team, imparting his international experience on a young squad and his thoughts on the newest addition to the Knicks, Roger Mason Jr.

"They are real good players obviously but they are coming together as a team everyday," said D'Antoni when I asked him about his thoughts on the team, "You see the chemistry get a little bit better and there's a lot of talent out here. They are just a little young but they are learning very quickly."

A young team indeed. Players such as Stephen Curry, Russel Westbrook and Jeff Green have never tasted this level of competition as they will in Turkey. But as mentioned before, D'Antoni knows a lot about the international style of game. Now he is stressing to Team USA how important every possession is in international competition, "They just say have to play a little bit of a different game. The urgency of playing every possession because it's a 40 minute game, you cant afford to be 9-1," said D'Antoni to Project Spurs, "You can't lose one. We just try to impress on them how every play, every rebound, every possession is huge and in large part they are doing a better job and they will keep doing that."

Every possession is key. Especially playing against seasoned professional players in Turkey. The coaching staff and players know the teams they will face in Turkey will be teams which have played together for years and to make things a bit tough, the US has not won at a World Championship since 1994. D'Antoni is fully aware of this fact, "USA has not won a World Championship since 1994. So Lebron James and Dwyane Wade didn't win in Japan. It's tough competition. They are professional players, playing together for 10 or 15 years. It's very hard for a young team to beat them but I like our chances and I like who we got."

For as much as D'Antoni has winning gold in Turkey on his mind, he did have some good things to say about former San Antonio Spur, Roger Mason, Jr., joining the Knicks and what he envisions as Mason's role, "He is a good addition because he shoots the basketball and he's a good guy," D'Antoni said to Project Spurs. "He will back up the point and he is a multi-position player. He will definitely be a positive. I'm looking forward to working with him."

This is a young team heading to Turkey. But one thing is for sure, D'Antoni and the rest of the coaching staff has the team heading in the right direction and is fully aware the team needs every ounce of his international experience if Team USA wants to win gold at the World Championship.

It's August, the NBA is in full offseason mode and all the "difference making" free-agents this summer are already locked-up with contending teams. Although some of them might tinker the roster a bit more as the new season approaches.

The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are certainly looking good on paper, but what about the San Antonio Spurs?

Here's what they've done this offseason.

Re-signed Matt Bonner

The Good: He provides another dimension to the Spurs' offensive game. He stretches the floor by knocking down open jumpers. Last season he averaged 7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 44.6% shooting from the field and 39% from the 3-point area in 65 games despite suffering a hand injury during the regular season. An "energy guy" that tries his best to get his share of rebounds.

The Bad: He has yet to prove that he can consistently hit the open jumpers when the stakes are higher. In the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks last year, he only averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 34.6% from the field and 31.3% from behind the arc. Not to mention he is a liability on the defensive side of the floor.

Contract: Re-signed for 4 years.

The verdict: While Bonner's skill set helps the Spurs on offense, he needs to improve on other areas of his game especially on defense and he must hit those jumpers in the post season. Also the 4 year contract that starts at 3 million seems a bit too much to pay Bonner, the Spurs should have asked for a little discount. Though some Spurs fans did not like this resigning. Grade C

Drafted and signed James Anderson

The Good: He was the Big 12 player in 2009 and many think the Spurs got another draft day steal at number 20. In 33 games for Oklahoma State last season, he led the Big 12 in scoring to the tune of 22.3 ppg, while also contributing 5.8 rpg and 1.4 spg for the Cowboys. If he can score and shoot like he did in college, the Spurs' front office will look like geniuses once again.

The Bad: He suffered a hamstring injury prior to the draft that caused him to miss all the games in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Contract: Signed for 2 years, (1st year) $1.36 M, (2nd year) $1.46 M.

The verdict: The Spurs might have another draft day gem, a lot of people believes that this guy can contribute immediately. However, he must still prove that he can score and shoot consistently at an NBA level. Grade B

Signed Tiago Splitter

The Good: The Spurs finally have a legit big man to play alongside Tim Duncan. Splitter might be the best available big man outside the NBA. He won the ACB League MVP before coming over to San Antonio and his high basketball IQ will help his smooth transition into the NBA. He will provide an immediate impact to the team this coming season.

The Bad: Will he be able to live up to the hype or will he take more time to learn the Spurs' complex system? Also guarding athletic bigs like Dwight Howard, Amar'e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh could be a problem. Then again, who really can slow those big men?

Contract: Signed for 3 years $11.016 M, with the first year paying him $3.4 M.

The verdict: Anytime you can add an MVP-caliber player on the cheap that is a phenomenal job. Once again, great job Mr. R.C. Buford. Grade A

Re-signed Richard Jefferson

The verdict: With the limited availability of free-agent swingmen, re-signing Jefferson becomes a must. A three-year contract could have been perfect but the Spurs probably gave RJ a four-year term because of opting out from a 15 million contract that saved the team a lot of money on short term. The 3rd and 4th year of Jefferson's contract seems to be too much. Grade B-

Signed Gary Neal

The Good: The Spurs signed a player with a lot of experience overseas. At Towson, he set the school's all-time single season scoring record, impressed in Europe as the Italian League's scoring leader and turned plenty of heads in the NBA Summer League with his shooting performance averaging 16 points on 50% shooting from the three-point line in five games.

The Bad: Not much to say, if you can sign a player on the cheap and can potentially fill the void of reliable outside shooting on your team that isn't too bad.

Contract: 3 year guaranteed contract with the first year paying him $525,000.

The verdict: The Spurs were able to add a player who has a lot of basketball experience and can be a reliable shooter for a very reasonable price. Grade B+

Left via free agency: Keith Bogans (Chicago Bulls), Malik Hairston (Italy), Roger Mason Jr. (New York Knicks) and Ian Mahinmi (Dallas Mavericks).

Possible roster moves: The roster count is at 14. Curtis Jerrells' contract is not fully guaranteed and the Spurs are now very deep at the guard position; Jerrells could be the odd man out. The Spurs still have around $1.7-1.8 M leftover from the MLE after signing Neal and the Bi-Annual exception around $2 M that they can use to sign another wingman or another big.

Overall Grade - B. The Spurs have done a great job this offseason and there is no doubt that their roster has improved compared to last year. Nonetheless, I still expect the Spurs to sign another free-agent or two that might help them this upcoming season.

What are your thoughts? Agree with the grade(s) I sent out? Give us your own take and tell us what you think.

According to ESPN, the San Antonio Spurs are trying to bring back Danny Ferry to the front-office:

The Spurs, according to sources with knowledge of the team’s plans, are lobbying Danny Ferry to come back to the organization where he began his front-office career and hope to convince him to commit to rejoining the organization in the coming days or weeks.

Should Ferry return, he would be working side-by-side with R.C. Buford.

The San Antonio Spurs 2010-2011 season schedule has been released and they will kick things off at home as they will host the Indiana Pacers on October 27.

Here are some key dates for each month of the new season.

October:

• Spurs will have two home games.
• The Indiana Pacers will be in town to kick off the new Spurs' season.

November:

• Spurs will have seven home games and eight away games.
• Will face the Phoenix Suns, the team which ended their playoff run, on November 3, in Phoenix.
• Their first meeting with their rival, the Dallas Mavericks, will be on November 26, in San Antonio. Also will be the first time former Spur, Ian Mahinmi, will be back in San Antonio.
  

December:

• This month will be kind to the Spurs as they will have eleven home games and four away games.
• They will have a six game home-stand in December.
• The defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, will make their first appearance in San Antonio on December 28.

January:

• Spurs will have seven home games and eight away games.
• Spurs will open the month against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in San Antonio. will be the Thunder's first visit to the AT&T Center.
• On January 21, the Spurs will host the New York Knicks with their two new players but familiar faces to Spurs fans, Amar'e Stoudamire and former Spur, Roger Mason, Jr.

February:

• It's February which mean the annual Rodeo Road Trip. Nine games on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets, and Chicago Bulls.
• All-Star Weekend will being on Feburary 18, in Los Angeles.
• On February 25, the Spurs will host rookie Derrick Favors and the New Jersey Nets and welcome back former Spur, Avery Johnson, now the Nets head coach.

March:

• Spurs will have eight home games and eight away games.
• March 4, the new look Miami Heat with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James will make their only visit to San Antonio.
• March 31, the Boston Celtics with newly acquired, Shaquille O'Neal, will vist San Antonio.

April:

• Spurs will have three home games and four away games.
• April 9, the Spurs will end their home regular season games against the Utah Jazz.
• The Spurs regular season game will be in Phoenix versus the Suns on April 13.

The Spurs have their share of back-to-back games including three back-to-back games during the Rodeo Road Trip.

To see the complete schedule, click HERE.

Sam Neter from HoopsFix.com interviewed Spurs second round draft pick Ryan Richards.

He asked Richards about getting drafted by the Spurs, his injury and his plans for next season.

After letting the women of Project Spurs, Arianne Villanueva and Emily Allen, take over episode 218, the men are back to discuss the latest Spurs news.

Jeff and I took a look at the offseason movement around the western conference and determined the winners and losers.

We also went through a few headlines, including Splitter's injury update and Malik Hairston being waived.

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Intro music: Fuel by Metallica.

The San Antonio Spurs' NBDL affiliate, Austin Toros, will get moving to a new arena for the upcoming D-League season:

The Austin Toros and Cedar Park Center today announced the NBA D-League team will bring professional basketball to the state-of-the-art arena for the 2010-11 season. The Toros, the San Antonio Spurs NBA Development League affiliate, will tip-off its 24-game home schedule at the Cedar Park Center in November. (source kvue.com)

If you want to catch a Toros game, Cedar Park Center is located at the intersection of New Hope Drive and Toll Road 183A in Austin.

As a way to get through August, one of the slowest NBA months, The Real Shaq blog has enlisted several bloguin bloggers to compile a list of some of the worst NBA contracts, called the Jon Koncak Commemorative Awards.

Today is my day, and while many Spurs fans may hate me after this, I've chosen to highlight Malik Rose's 7-year, $42 million contract signed in the summer of 2002.

Rose came to the Spurs in the summer of 1997 and many didn't expect that he would make the team out of training camp. He surprised many and became a quick fan favorite for his blue-collar work ethic.

Hustle was what his game was all about. He wasn't the most athletic, tallest (listed at 6-7, but closer to 6-4) or talented player, but he worked hard, was all-heart, and somehow found a way to steal rebounds away from defenders that towered over him.

He earned a ring in 1999, and again in 2003, capped by his slam over Dikembe "who wants to sex" Mutombo.

But Rose became a victim of his own success and contract. My guess is that he figured that such a raise meant he needed to add more to his game and improve offensively.

He began working on his shot and in games, started calling for the ball and did more shooting than the dirty work he had become known for. His game had changed, and the Spurs wanted him to be the player who once ruled the offensive boards.

Never mind the fact that he was earning more than Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson at the time.

Just before the trade deadline in 2005, Rose and two draft picks were shipped to the Knicks for Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer, who was immediately waived.

With the cap relief they gained in the Rose trade, they were able to sign several players to long-term contracts, including the big three.

The Spurs went on to win their third title that season, with Mohammed playing a major role.

Rose got little-to-no time under Isaiah Thomas with the Knicks. He was recently traded to the Thunder before they renounced his rights and he now servers as the pre-game analyst for Knicks games on the MSG network and also served as the color analyst for the Austin Toros.

While his playing career may be over, he still has plenty of fans in San Antonio. I, even, still somehow have a Spurs #31 jersey hanging in my closet.