It's a new era for the San Antonio Spurs. The first media day in nearly 20 years without Tim Duncan, the player, took place Monday.
Only one of the most successful franchises in all of sports could look this good after losing a Hall of Famer.
The Spurs still project to be one of the best teams in the NBA despite the loss of Duncan. Their core moving forward centered around Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge is as good as almost any and the addition of Pau Gasol this summer will help them team adjust without Duncan.
Gasol wishes he could have played with Duncan, but still is looking forward to being a Spur.
“It would have been great to play with him but things (Duncan’s retirement) happen for a reason. I hope that he’s around, because I can learn from him. I am not here to fill his shoes and the spot he left but I’m here to do the best with the guys that are here. What is that? Win a title.”
Gasol reflected on how he's played against for so many years some of the guys that will now be his teammates. Namely, Tony Parker, who he's seen quite a bit in international competition as well.
“It has been a lot of time facing each other, not only in the NBA but also in international battles. I think that the first time we played against each other, I was 18 and he was 15. Internationally….we’ve won most of them, but here in the NBA we were able to beat them only in our championship runs with the Lakers.”
Gasol should fit in seamlessly with the Spurs and his presence will go a long way in easing the pain of losing Duncan.
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