I'm about to go on a little rant.
The Spurs are a team I respect more than any team in probably any sport. They are a team that showed it is not impossible to build a consistent winner without having lottery picks. Yes they lucked into the First overall pick and got Tim Duncan. But Tony Parker wasn't some top prospect, nor was Manu Ginobili. While those are the Spurs big 3, they have consistenly drafted or picked up the right players for their system. Maybe not all of them are stars, but I honestly believe that without Duncan/Parker/Ginobili you are still looking at a playoff team if for no other reason than Pop being a boss.
Why am I calling it a rant? Because the Spurs aren't stupid when it comes to prospects. I remember when Thiago Splitter entered the draft, he was considered a lotto pick, but due to his contract in Spain nobody would take him. Nobody but the Spurs would consider George Hill in the first. They also did what they had to do to get a guy who could develop into a Shawn Marion esque player in Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs have also developed Danny Green into a solid starter in the NBA. Sure, having future Hall of Famers helps, but how is it that the Spurs are constantly finding useful players while teams like Sacramento, Charlotte, Toronto, ect mess around in the lottory every year drafting mediocrity at best. How is it that NBA teams constantly feel the need to draft players based solely on potential rather than production? Because of ceiling?
I'm still amazed that people considered Marvin Williams a top 2 LOCK a few years ago because of potential when you had Deron Williams and Chris Paul there too. I feel there are good players out there, and it's not as hard as some believe it to be to rebuild an NBA franchise. I just feel that too many teams place an emphasis on the wrong attributes.
