It looks as if 30-year old Boris Diaw is going to enter the season as the Spurs’ starting center, but he won’t likely be playing big minutes. Diaw played in 57 games (35 starts) for the Spurs and Bobcats last year in which he averaged 25.0 minutes, 6.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Diaw has now played in 680 games (468 starts) in his first 9 years in the NBA and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. 27-year old Tiago Splitter will be Diaw’s top backup in 2012-13. Splitter played in 59 games (2 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 19.0 minutes, 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Splitter has now played in 119 games (8 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 23-year old DeJuan Blair is in the Dog House for the Spurs. Blair played in 64 games (62 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 21.3 minutes, 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Blair has now played in 227 games (150 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he averaged 20.2 minutes, 8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. 29-year old Eddy Curry is a longshot to make the Spurs’ final roster. He played in 14 games (1 start) for the Heat last year and he averaged 5.9 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Curry has now played in 525 games (411 starts) in his first 10 years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.9 minutes, 13.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2012-13: C

36-year old Tim Duncan keeps rolling along. The Spurs are watching his minutes during the regular season in order to keep him healthy and fresh for the playoffs. Duncan played in 58 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 28.2 minutes, 15.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 1,111 games (1,109 starts) in his first 15 years in the NBA and he is averaging 35.4 minutes, 20.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game. 32-year old Matt Bonner is Duncan’s caddy, and he has a much different skill set as he hit 42% of his shots from three point range last year. Bonner played in 65 games (2 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 20.4 minutes, 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He has now played in 561 games (87 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 18.9 minutes, 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 25-year old Derrick Brown is likely to be #3 in line at power forward for the Spurs in 2012-13. Brown played in 65 games (17 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he is averaging 22.2 minutes, 8.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Brown has now played in 171 games (18 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 14.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. 29-year old Josh Powell is a longshot to make the Spurs’ roster. He didn’t play in the NBA last year. Powell played in 315 games (28 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 12.5 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2012-13: A

21-year old Kawhi Leonard is a player on the rise for the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard played in 64 games (39 starts) for the Spurs as a rookie last year and he averaged 24.0 minutes, 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Leonard is likely to get more P.T. in 2012-13 for the Spurs as head coach Gregg Popovich loves his potential. 34-year old Stephen Jackson is going to be the top backup for the Spurs at small forward this year. He played in 47 games (14 starts) for the Bucks and Spurs last year in which he averaged 25.8 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Jackson has now played in 794 games (670 starts) in his first 12 years in the NBA and he is averaging 33.0 minutes, 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2012-13: B

The Spurs hope that 35-year old Manu Ginobili can stay healthy in 2012-13. He only played in 34 games (7 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 23.3 minutes, 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Ginobili has now played in 667 games (346 starts) in his first 10 years with the Spurs and he is averaging 27.9 minutes, 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals. The Spurs are a much better team when Ginobili is on the court, so they need him to stay healthy. 25-year old Daniel Green was a pleasant surprise for the Spurs last year. He played in 66 games (38 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 23.1 minutes, 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Green has now played in 94 games (38 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 18.4 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He is shooting an impressive 41.8% from three point range so far in his NBA career. 25-year old rookie Nando De Colo will be the #3 shooting guard for the Spurs in 2012-13. He played in 50 games in Europe last year and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2012-13: B+

It’s amazing to think that Tony Parker is only 30 years old. He seems like he has played forever for the Spurs. The scary thing for the rest of the NBA is that he keeps getting better. Parker played in 60 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 18.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He has now played in 806 games (793 starts) in his first 11 years in the NBA and he is averaging 32.9 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.0 steal per game. 27-year old Gary Neal will likely be Parker’s caddy in 2012-13. Neal played in 56 games (7 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 21.5 minutes, 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 asists per game. He has now played in 136 games (8 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.3 minutes, 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. 24-year old Patty Mills was impressive late last season when the Spurs finally let him play some. Mills played in 16 games (3 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 10.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He has now played in 90 games (3 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 12.0 minutes, 6.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. 21-year old Cory Joseph had a rough rookie season with the Spurs in 2011-12. He played in 29 games (1 start) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 9.2 minutes, 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARDS IN 2012-13: A

Center will be a timeshare for the Spurs once again in 2011-12. 22-year old DeJuan Blair is the player on the rise at center for the Spurs. He played in 81 games (65 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 21.4 minutes, 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.2 steals per game. Blair has now played in 163 games (88 starts) in his first two years with the Spurs and he is averaging 19.8 minutes, 8.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. 26-year old Tiago Splitter will likely see a bump in P.T. in 2011-12 for the Spurs. Splitter played in 60 games (6 starts) as a rookie for the Spurs as a rookie last year and he averaged 12.3 minutes, 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. 37-year old Antonio McDyess still has a little gas left in his tank. He played in 73 games (16 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 19.0 minutes, 5.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. McDyess has now played in 1,015 games (645 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.6 minutes, 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.

The Spurs are monitoring 35-year old power forward Tim Duncan’s minutes in an effort to keep him productive and healthy. It worked last year and the Spurs hope it does again in 2011-12. Duncan played in 76 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 1,053 games (1,051 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 35.8 minutes, 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. He is still the best player on the Spurs. 31-year old Matt Bonner will give Duncan a breather when he needs one this year. Bonner played in 66 games (1 start) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Bonner also shot an amazing 45.7% from three point range last year as brings instant offense off the bench. Bonner has now played in 496 games (85 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 18.7 minutes, 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

31-year old small forward Richard Jefferson is going to have to step up this year if he wants to continue playing 30+ minutes per night in 2011-12 for the Spurs.  He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Jefferson has now played in 733 games (650 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.  The Spurs traded George Hill to the Pacers on Draft Night to the Pacers for 19-year old small forward Kawhi Leonard.  Leonard was a 1st round pick out of San Diego State by the Pacers and he averaged a double-double last year in college.  He has a huge upside and he will try to steal some minutes from Richard Jefferson.   22-year old James Anderson had his rookie season cut short due to injury last year.  He played in 26 games (2 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 11.0 minutes, 3.6 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He also has a nice upside.   23-year old Da’Sean Butler is #4 in line at small forward for the Spurs, and he will have a hard time making the team.

UPDATE: (12/13/2011) - The Spurs have waived Da’Sean Butler.

The San Antonio Spurs are going to get a lot of points out of their shooting guards in 2011-12. 34-year old Manu Ginobili is still a force for the Spurs. He played in 80 games (79 starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 30.3 minutes, 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Ginobili has now played in 633 games (340 starts) in his career with the Spurs and he is averaging 28.1 minutes, 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Spurs will likely keep Ginobili about 30 minutes a night in an effort to keep him healthy all year because of his all-out style of play. 27-year old Gary Neal will back up Ginobili. Neal came out of nowhere last season to turn in a very solid season for the Spurs as a rookie. Neal played in 80 games (1 start) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 21.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Neal is also a great long range shooter as he hit 41.9% from three point range last year.

29-year old starting point guard Tony Parker might take a few more shots in 2011-12 and why not? After all, he did his 51.9% from the floor last season for the Spurs. Parker played in 78 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 32.4 minutes, 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Parker has now played in 746 games (733 starts) in his career with the Spurs and he is averaging 33.0 minutes, 16.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. 20-year old rookie Cory Joseph out of Texas will be Parker’s backup in 2011-12. The Spurs will likely bring him along slowly.