MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- For so many years, the San Antonio Spurs have been defined by their consistency, an unprecedented level of stability that has brought five championships and established the organization as a model franchise in professional sports.
The colors don't change. The coach doesn't change. The core never changed.
After 20 years and those five titles, change has finally come to San Antonio.
Tim Duncan, the tone setter from the moment he was drafted in 1997, retired last summer. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have taken reduced roles this season, and the Spurs brought in seven new faces as part of a rare roster shuffle as they try to retool around Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
"It's been at the same time a challenge and a refreshing sort of situation," coach Gregg Popovich said. "The team is changing personnel-wise and where the ball goes and a few different players so we have to do things a little bit differently. There's a give and take, strategy wise, to fit the group. It's been a lot of fun. Watching some of the young guys get minutes and develop has been fun."
Fun because while the faces have changed, the results have not. The Spurs (18-4) have navigated the bumps in the road that come with unfamiliarity and have the second-best record in the league, tied the star-studded Golden State Warriors (18-3) in the win column. They have started the season 13-0 on the road and can match last year's Warriors for the best road start in league history with a win in Chicago on Thursday night.
It hasn't always been pretty for these Spurs. They're not the same ruthless, precise machine that steamrolled the league during championship runs. They have had to muddle through things, overcome mistakes and struggle while they get acclimated to one another.
Newcomers like six-time All-Star Pau Gasol, steady veteran David Lee, Argentinian point guard Nico Laprovittola and shot-blocking center Dewayne Dedmon have had to work hard to integrate into a culture that is as enduring as any.
"You could see it in our games. Sometimes our offense is stagnant, our defense isn't moving well or in our help positions," Leonard said. "We have a big playbook on the offensive end. It's just hard to learn it. It was hard for me to learn it. I didn't get it down until probably my second or third year. We've just got to keep giving a consistent effort and being into the game and into our playbook and just keep moving from there."
The result has been a team that tends to start slow, fall behind and then gradually digs its heels in. They are 5-4 at home, where they only lost once all of last season. They've lost to the Magic at home, were thumped by the Clippers and have not recaptured the breathtaking form they showed in a 29-point win at Golden State on opening night. But the wins keep coming.
"I think the first eight to 10 games was the coaching staff trying to figure out what lineups we're going to play and there were a lot of changes, a lot of trying what works best," said Gasol, who signed as a free agent this summer. "But now I think there's more consistency, there's more defined lineups. Guys know when to come in, when they're going to play and what's expected of them."
The Spurs have won 13 of their last 14 games, and Popovich has leaned on his core more than he has in years to get them off to a good start. Leonard and Aldridge both average more than 33 minutes per game, the first time San Antonio has had two players averaging that much playing time since 2008-09.
"It's been interesting to see how the team develops and comes together and who the leaders will be without Timmy being that overriding factor for so long," Popovich said.
Leonard, for years the ultra-quiet storm trooper of the Spurs army, has been much more vocal this season. Gasol's personality and approach have been a perfect fit as most expected and Ginobili and Parker are still there to help filled the void left by Duncan's retirement.
And little by little, the new guys are getting up to speed.
"They've done a great job of making it easy for us and for Pop to throw them into the fire and trust them to know the system," Green said. "We'll continue to help them and they will continue to be sponges and absorb it."
