Is David West a poor fit with the Spurs' second unit?
The San Antonio Spurs had a tremendous offseason. LaMarcus Aldridge and David West are two great additions to their frontcourt. But while Aldridge is a four-time All-Star in the prime of his career, West's signing may be more lauded for financial reasons than his actual on-court impact.
Here's a look by SB Nation's Spurs blog Pounding the Rock at why West may not be a great fit coming off San Antonio's bench next season:
"West is a gritty defender. If he's asked to guard centers, he will. If he goes against back up bigs, he will succeed more often than not at the individual level. The problem with him next to Diaw or Aldridge in lineups is not how they will handle their own assignments but how they will provide help. Positions don't mean much but teams often have centers stand close to the ring and funnel opponents to them. Doing that is key to the Spurs' scheme based on chasing players off the three-point line, even if it means getting beat off the dribble. If the perimeter players do that and Duncan is not on the court, the result will be a bucket more often than not, especially if West is the one tasked with being the last line of defense."
West is currently behind Tim Duncan, Aldridge and Boris Diaw on San Antonio's depth chart, and fourth or fifth bigs with defensive weaknesses don't typically find themselves in a modern day NBA rotation.
But the Spurs aren't like most teams. They rest starters on a regular basis, which could open up an opportunity for West where he wouldn't find it playing in, say, Washington D.C.
Still, even though the fit isn't great, that doesn't mean signing him for the veteran's minimum wasn't a brilliant move. West's contributions are found money.
(h/t: Pounding the Rock)
