The Spurs defied the norm, bucked the trend and did the unthinkable for more than a decade. What the front office and ownership accomplished in that span, some said, was impossible.
R.C. Buford, the general manager, and Gregg Popovich, the head coach and president of basketball operations, built championship rosters while ducking the NBA’s luxury tax threshold. The two men built a pair of title rosters with a payroll amongst the league’s ten least expensive. The other two titles did not cost much more.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and his acquisition of Pau Gasol in February 2008 changed the game, and that forced the Spurs to make necessary adjustments. Gasol's arrival in Hollywood promised to vault owner Jerry Buss's roster into the $90 million range.
Kupchak would have to re-sign Lamar Odom and Tre ...
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Article written by Robert Kleeman