I'm not sure I believe that the Spurs are a lock to win the Southwest division, but the division will definitely be much tougher now. I believe that the acquisition of Richard Jefferson instantly makes them a top 3 team in the league. Gregg Papovich will finally have the athleticism and offensive firepower to complement their defensive superiority. I also think that Roger Mason's maturation will help the Spurs tremendously next season. Any thoughts???
for the spurs to be a lock we would have to assume that no other team in the division will be allowed to improve this offseason. too early to tell.
Not a lock but they do have the best shot of repeating as SW division champs. With their new line up, they also have the best chance of dethroning the Lakers.
If they are healthy and use the MLE wisely I would say yeah why not. And depending on how they use that MLE either Bonner or Mason can be used as more trade assets near the deadline. Its too early to tell but definitely not a crazy comment to make.
If they use MLE to get Gortat or Rasheed, then it's scary. Before that, they are just too thin inside.