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As the Tim Duncan era is nearing the end, staff-writers Robby Lim and Jason Rogers will be having a debate on which current San Antonio Spurs player will most likely be the one to carry the torch for the team post Duncan era. Up first is Robby Lim.

I know it's a little too early. Tim Duncan is not retiring tomorrow. But hey it's the offseason, the NBA Draft is over, Tiago Splitter finally signed with the Spurs, the major free-agents are signed and the 2010 NBA Summer League is winding down so why not have some fun and try to look into the future of the franchise.

Let's be realistic, the Duncan era is slowly coming to a close but he still has two to three good years in him. Maybe four? However, with the current roster makeup, who do you think will be the best player three years down the road? My best bet -- DeJuan Blair.

Surprised? Let me explain.

Blair had one of the most successful rookie seasons as a Spur. He ranks third in points per game among rookies (behind Duncan and Tony Parker) since the 1997-1998 season and he managed to do this despite averaging just 18.2 minutes per ball game.

Not only that, last year he was one the most efficient player in Spurs uniform. His PER was 17.8 third behind Duncan (24.8) and Manu Ginobili (22.5). As he averaged 7.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and .61 steals while shooting 55.6% from the field in 82 games. Now think long term and as he gets better, his numbers could possibly be even better.

It's also worth noting that despite falling into the 2nd round as the 37th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft amidst concerns of his ACL-less knees, Blair was able to play all 82 regular season games without suffering any serious injury.

More importantly, he was a solid rotation player who did a great job as Duncan's backup. Who can forget his 28 points and 21 rebound performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Spurs chose to give Duncan the night off.

The most important part is Blair still has a lot to improve and all his deficiencies are correctable. Another year in the Spurs' training camp can do wonders for him. Most new players are better during the second season. After his impressive rookie campaign there is a great chance he can do the same.

I know skeptics will say that he is too undersized to be a dominant force someday but he already proved that he can compensate his lack of height. He scores on put backs and grabbed rebounds using his wide body and 7'2" freakish wingspan. He even covers the passing lanes pretty well getting some steals on defense.

Charles Barkley, another undersized power forward became an All-Star during his days and if Blair keeps on improving, he might project to be similar to Barkley down the road of his career. Of course by no means am I stating he will be on the level of a Hall of Famer like Barkley. More like "Barkley lite."

On and off the court, #45 also has set a great example being a good role model and setting up basketball training camps for kids. He was well liked by coaches and players and was an instant fan favorite because of his nice demeanor. He also has a wide grin that can certainly light up the day of Spurs fans. So what's not to like?

And with Parker being open to leaving San Antonio next season and Ginobili not getting any younger, Blair is a promising young player that could be the face of the Spurs' franchise in the future.I mean the guy is a hard worker and is very coachable.

He also has some lofty expectations about himself, having mentioned recently that he wants to win an NBA title and league MVP someday.

Young, talented, confident and has desire to win. How can you pass on a player like that to possibly carry the torch for the San Antonio Spurs?

Come back tomorrow for part 2 as Project Spurs' staff-writer, Jason Rogers, will present which current Spur he feels will most likely to carry the torch once Duncan retires.

This summer, the San Antonio Spurs will be playing in Mexico City against the Los Angeles Clippers:

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that preseason basketball will return to Mexico when the San Antonio Spurs face the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 12 in Mexico City.

The last time the Spurs played in Mexico City was in 1992 where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks.

(source NBA.com)

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San Antonio Spurs' 2001 NBA Draft pick, Robertas Javtokas, has signed with Power Electronics Valencia according to superdeportes.es:

The Power Electronics Valencia has reached an agreement with the Lithuanian Robertas Javtokas pivot for the next two seasons

El Power Electronics Valencia ha alcanzado un acuerdo con el pívot lituano Robertas Javtokas para las dos próximas temporadas

In 2002 Javtokas was involved in a major motorcycle accident but has since fully recovered. He averaged 10.1 points and 6.4 rebounds last year with BC Khimky in the Euroleague.

With Javtokas joining Valencia, he also joins another Spurs draft pick, Nando De Colo, who also plays for Valencia.

If former Austin Toro, Alonzo Gee, is on a mission to secure a roster spot with the Spurs, he may not be very far from achieving just that.

Gee started turning heads as a Toros rookie and he did well enough not only to earn two callups, but he also won the D League Rookie of the Year award.

He was turning heads again on Thursday, scoring 24 points and picking off four steals to lead the Spurs over the Hawks 89-84 in the Spurs' second summer league game.

After an early feeling out period, the Spurs went on a big run and never looked back, until the second half.

Gee's countless drives to the rim and James Gist's emergence kept the Spurs ahead throughout the second quarter.

The Hawks started narrowing the lead in the second half with Jordan Crawford, Trey Gilder and Randolph Morris leading the run.

The Hawks also stepped up defensively and forced the Spurs to shoot desperation threes, but Spurs guard Curtis Jerrells stayed aggressive and put the Spurs team on his back in the final minutes to stay ahead and get the win.

Jerrells finished with 20 points, four assists and four steals. Gary Neal had 16 points and Gist had 10 points.

The Spurs play the Lakers, led by forward Derrick Caracter, today at 3 p.m. CST.

 

Check out San Antonio Spurs Alonzo Gee to James Gist for a nice dunk on the Atlanta Hawks at the 2010 NBA Las Vegas Summer League!

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San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, sat down with NBA TV at the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League to talk about the Spurs, the young players on the summer league team and much more. no comments

Demps a frontrunner for Suns GM job

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while Dennis Lindsey may have pulled himself out of the Suns GM search, the Spurs are still in danger of losing another highly-touted front office executive.

Demps recently was named Vice President of Basketball Operations, but previously served as Director of Pro Player Personnel and General Manager of the Austin Toros.

Former Blazers assistant GM, Tom Penn, is also a finalist for the job.

Losing Demps would be yet another tough loss of a rising star in the Spurs front office. It would also hurt the Toros quite a bit, especially since they recently lost head coach Quin Snyder to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Spurs could be signing Bell, Jefferson soon

According to the Express News, the Spurs could be bringing back Richard Jefferson very soon and Raja Bell remains a possibility.

Jefferson has been rumored to be returning to the team since opting out a few weeks ago, while it's widely believe that Bell will sign with the Lakers. However, the Spurs have more money than the Lakers and Gregg Popovich has long coveted Bell, which could be enough to bring him to San Antonio.

In Holt We Trust

Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk writes about all of the spin around the firing of former Hornets GM Jeff Bowers. In a time where GMs are seemingly being forced out, I think I can speak for Spurs fans in saying that we're glad our GM, coach and most of the front office are here to stay.

Helin talks about an article from Ken Berger of CBS Sports who quotes an NBA executive giving credit where it's due.

"Peter Holt wins for a reason," a front office executive said of the Spurs' owner, who has kept GM R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich in lock step through San Antonio's run of success. "Jerry Buss wins for a reason. They're letting basketball people make basketball decisions. Oklahoma City is the best team in Western Conference for the next 10 years, in theory, and it's because the owner is allowing Sam Presti to do his job."

Splitter starting over

In an interview with abril.com, newest Spur Tiago Splitter talks about starting over in the NBA.

He said that while he was a star with Caja Laboral, he'll be a team player in San Antonio.

Splitter, who comes to the NBA as a highly decorated player overseas, also said his last season was the best of his career, which helped him make the jump to the NBA.

Gee a "momma's boy"

You may know that Alonzo Gee plays for the Spurs summer league team and that he was signed by the Spurs in March after starring for the Toros. You may even know that he played for Alabama and had a sick 360 dunk that went viral on youtube.

But I bet you didn't know he was a momma's boy, or so he says.

Gee and his mother Darlene are the subject of the latest Ken Rodriguez column on spurs.com.

On the night of the 2009 NBA draft, the Gees settled in, wondering which team would call Alonzo’s name. No one did, and the rejection pierced. “I felt his pain,” Darlene says. “It was devastating But I kept telling him, ‘You are all right. You are going somewhere. You are NBA material. If God be for us, who can be against us.’ I went on and on.”

If you have a few minutes, be sure to give it a read to get a great inside look at a player who may stick around with the Spurs for a while.

The 2009-2010 NBA season was a long one for San Antonio Spurs’ guard, Garrett Temple.

After signing with the Houston Rockets as an undrafted free agent last September, the guard skipped donning a Rockets uniform and headed for the NBA’s D-League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The 6’6" guard averaged 14.9 ppg with 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists during his time in the Valley, bringing him back to Houston for two ten-day contracts before signing a third ten-day deal with the Sacramento Kings in March.

It wasn’t long before the Louisiana native found himself back in Texas. This time, he was playing for the same team his father had played for nearly 35 years earlier – the San Antonio Spurs.

Drafted by the Phoenix Suns as the 94th pick of the 1974 NBA Draft, Collis Temple Jr. ended up playing his professional career in San Antonio, while the team was still part of the American Basketball Association.

As a rookie forward, Collis averaged 1.8 ppg with 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists over his 24-game career. Before he stepped onto the professional court, the elder Temple broke racial barriers as the first African-American to play basketball at LSU, in turn paving the way for his sons Collis III and Garrett.

Collis Jr. proved to be a valuable asset for the Tigers, earning All-Southeastern Conference honors during his senior year, averaging 15.0 ppg and 10.5 rebounds. Not to be outdone by his father, Garrett broke the school’s 27-year-old record for minutes played, finishing his senior year with 4,432 minutes on the collegiate hardtop.

It was late March before Garrett landed his contract with the Spurs, keeping him in San Antonio for the remainder of the season. Shortly before the Spurs’ 2010 playoff run, a right ankle injury sent Spurs’ guard George Hill to the bench, giving Garrett a chance to step up and show the Spurs’ management that he could play more than just a single season.

On April 6, 2010, Garrett started his first game and played a career high of 27 minutes (rather extensive for a rookie in San Antonio) but he gave coach Gregg Popovich every reason to keep him on the court. Playing against his old team, the Kings, Garrett had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Currently, Garrett injured his ankle while playing in the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League but it is clear he may have surpassed his father in his basketball career.

However, he certainly has his father to thank for the career opportunity he has been given. With his potential and the path that was laid before him, Garrett can remain in the NBA for many seasons to come.

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On this episode of the Spurscast, Project Spurs welcomes back to the show News 4 WOAI's sports reporter Humberto "Humbie" Cervera to discuss the latest news on the San Antonio Spurs.

On the show, we talk about Tiago Splitter finally signing with the Spurs after being drafted in 2007. We also discuss Matt Bonner being resigned, Ian Mahinmi signing with the Dallas Mavericks, another Tony Parker to the New York Knicks trade rumor and much more!

And by much more I mean I ask Humbie about getting my hands on some Baconaise he recently was touting on the News 4 WOAI Sports Talk Death Match with Project Spurs' very own Mike De Leon.

Thanks to Humbie for taking time out to join us. Make sure to check out Humbie's Blog for more Spurs news.

The Spurscast, the first and original Spurs podcast!

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Music: "All my life" by Foo Fighters