Mike Monroe of MySanAntonio.com discusses the limbo the Spurs are in regarding their veteran free agents:

Three members of the Spurs’ core, each a veteran of at least 11 seasons, will become unrestricted free agents July 1.

Average age of Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Kurt Thomas: 36.

Could a team hoping to get younger and more athletic seriously consider returning all three for next season?

First up is 14-year NBA swingman Michael Finley, who played all 82 games for the Spurs this past season and held respectable averages of 10.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Finley has spent the past three years in San Antonio, in which he has appeared in 241 regular season games and was a key contributor to the Spurs’ 2007 NBA title. One ring may not be of satisfaction for him, however, as he discusses the possibilities of fighting for another in black and white:

Finley, who started 61 games and increased his scoring average by more than a point over 2006-07, would love to return to the Spurs.

“I’m not ready to hang it up yet,” he said Saturday, after the final meeting with coaches at the team’s practice facility. “I still feel I can give a team some added help.

“In a perfect world, I’d love to stay here and help reclaim a championship. But I understand it’s a business, so from that standpoint, I have to remain open-minded.”

Next, we have Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry, who has been a part of two NBA championships as a member of the San Antonio Spurs (2005, 2007).

Horry, 38, finished a disappointing season by never leaving the bench during the Spurs’ Game 5 loss to the Lakers.

Nevertheless, he said he’s “up in the air” about retiring.

“Eighty percent of me wants to play,” he said. “I’m sure when I get in the gym and see people bouncing the ball, it will turn into 100 percent. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

If he returns for a 17th season, he wants it to be as a Spur.

“It’s basically here, or nowhere else,” he said, “but I’m not going to close the door. If somebody has a chance of going to the playoffs and has a team I respect and players I like and think I can enjoy battling with, I’d look into that situation. Other than that, no.”

Horry said he understands his physical skills have diminished with age, but believes he remains capable of contributing to a good team.

“If I stuck around,” he said, “I’d still be better than a lot of the players. I might not be as fast as a lot of them, or as quick, but I’m smarter than 98 percent of the league.”

Finally, we have Kurt Thomas, who appeared in 28 regular season games with the Spurs in 2007-2008 after being acquired in a mid-season trade with Seattle.

Thomas, meanwhile, played his best game of the playoffs in the Spurs’ final game. With 2007 draft pick Tiago Splitter’s apparent decision to stay in Spain, it’s more likely the Spurs will re-sign Thomas.

We are unsure of what will transpire with these three savvy vets, but regardless of what happens, “Pop” guarantees changes:

Spurs coach and executive vice president of basketball operations Gregg Popovich said the Spurs are certain to adjust their roster.

“We usually adjust,” he said, “first, based on guys who don’t have a contract, whether they want to come back or we want them to come back.”

It’ll be very interesting to see what R.C. Buford and the crew have in store in the coming months. San Antonio’s mini-dynasty has looked to have come to an underwhelming end, and it’s time to build a new unit around the foundation of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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