After an unexpected seven-game first round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs rattled off a 12-4 record the rest of the NBA postseason, including a 4-1 destruction of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The championship roster was comprised of a mix of aging stars, relatively unknown international talent, and one rising star who managed to snag the Finals MVP trophy — almost all of whom were around the previous year when they had their collective heart ripped out by the aforementioned Heat. The good news (for the Spurs) is that they got their long-awaited revenge. The bad news (for the rest of the league) is that the Spurs are running it back with the same championship-winning roster for the 2014-15 season.
The final piece of the puzzle is third-string center Aron Baynes, who at one point appeared to be headed overseas. But according to San Antonio Express-News’ Buck Harvey, the Aussie was in San Antonio on Wednesday for a physical and is expected to re-sign with the Spurs.
For those keeping score, Aron Baynes in SA for physical, expected to sign. Meaning #spurs will return full roster to defend title.
— Buck Harvey (@Buck_SA) September 25, 2014
Now, to be fair, it won’t be exactly the same roster, as the Spurs’ 2013-14 roster included (at various times) Nando De Colo, Shannon Brown, Damion Jones, Othyus Jeffers and the immortal Malcolm Thomas, who played a grand total of 15 minutes in his lone appearance. The key here, though, is that none of those players were on the playoff roster, and even the lowest guy on that totem pole — Austin Daye, he of six total playoff minutes — is back for another run.
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