Plan B always first option for Spurs

July 6, 4:23 PMSan Antonio Spurs ExaminerMichael Chartier

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Update: Gary Tanguay of Comcast SportsNet is reporting that the San Antonio Spurs will offer Boston Celtics’ forward Glen Davis their full mid level to sign the restricted free agent. Tanguay, who got word from Rasheed Wallace’s agent Bill Strickland that he would be coming to Boston, believes the Celtics will not match the offer.

Two shockers announced yesterday.

Jason Kidd will remain with the team who can pay him the most and Rasheed Wallace is headed to Boston. Both stories were reported on NBA.com and nobody is surprised. But with Wallace unofficially officially off the market, it’s officially time for Plan B.

Don't panic. Plan B was always better. Plan B has more options. Plan B comes as no surprise.

For the money, no contender would turn down Wallace. He's capable of impacting the game at both ends of the floor. That’s why the Spurs waited. Marcin Gortat, for example, decided he couldn’t.

But here’s the rub. San Antonio doesn’t have to get it exactly right. Wallace would be nice. McDyess would be okay. But any big man that can help defend the rim and rebound the basketball will be considered a success.

The Spurs don’t need a homerun. They need a single.

With Manu Ginobili’s return from injury and the trade for Richard Jefferson, San Antonio has two athletic scoring wings that can also defend and distribute. They have a blur of a point guard in Tony Parker, who increasingly becomes more unguardable each season. And it’s not like the Spurs don’t have someone in the post. They have the generation’s best.

Head coach Gregg Popovich talked about needing enough firepower to compete. Now they do. Even with Los Angeles (Ron Artest), Cleveland (Shaquille O'Neal), Boston (Wallace) and Orlando (Vince Carter) doing their own reloading, San Antonio centers in the conversation.

Last year the Spurs hoped they had enough to compete for the title. This year they do.

Unlike football and baseball, you must start in the conversation to end in it.

Time may even prove that the answers are already on their roster in Ian Mahinmi and DeJuan Blair. But nobody knows that yet. Using the mid level to acquire a proven commodity is the insurance and it’s there to spend.

Getting a talent like Wallace is getting the most proven commodity on the market. Now the Spurs are free to explore all their options.

Wallace wasn’t in a rush and neither is San Antonio. After the Celtics’ parade, what could anyone else do but be second?

Isn’t Tony in France? Manu in Argentina? Pop overseas? Duncan? Who knows where. They weren’t going to reconvene in the Alamo City for a sit down pow-wow to indoctrinate Wallace. They shouldn’t have to.

With limited cap space across the NBA landscape, everyone has about the same amount to spend. For many of these free agents, it's going to be a matter of '"where do you want to play?" and "who do you want to play with?"

There's no shortage of guys who will play for $5.6 million a season, even if they're forced into it. Allen Iverson, for example, will have interest at that price by more than the Charlotte Bobcats. 

Here’s the question for San Antonio.

McDyess would fit just fine but would you rather have a 25-year-old center like Zaza Pachulia? Or a 24-year-old power forward like Brandon Bass? Or any of the other mid-20's big men on the market?

The Spurs can get a veteran for less years or a young player and commit more seasons. Because of the economy, there is some value in locking up a young player for 3 to 5 years at less than $6 million a season.

In what seems like a return of philosophy, the Express News reported agreement between forward Marcus Haislip and San Antonio adds another big body to the mix. Haislip returns to the NBA as a low risk, high reward athlete in a 6-10 power forward body. And you can never have enough athletic 6-10 bodies. Never.

With at least one more move still to be made, consider Plan B in full force. It's not a bad thing.