SAN ANTONIO — When pundits start handicapping teams they believe can win the NBA championship next season, it’s highly doubtful the Spurs will be on the list of contenders.
After bowing out of the playoffs in the first round each of the last two seasons, the Silver and Black have slipped out of the ranks of the league’s elite squads. But don’t tell Spurs guard Bryn Forbes that.
One of only two San Antonio players to start all but one game this season, Forbes is bullish on the Silver and Black’s chances of making a run for their sixth championship next year.
“The sky’s the limit,” Forbes said Friday while helping promote Methodist Healthcare System’s Breakfast of Champions, which is part of the Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive. “I think we can win it all next year. I think we can be in the Finals next year. I honestly believe that, so I’m excited.
“It’s going to be great. We’ve got a great young core and some good vets, like Patty (Mills), and Belli (Marco Belinelli), and DeMar (DeRozan) and LA (LaMarcus Aldridge). We’ve got a young core to complement that.”
Forbes is coming off his best season since making the Spurs’ roster as an undrafted free agent in 2016, averaging 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 28 minutes in 82 regular-season games. Aldridge was the only other San Antonio player who missed only one start, but Forbes was the only Spur who played in all 82 games.
Forbes also led the team in three-point field goals made (176). He also started all seven playoff games, averaging 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and one assist.
“Just imagine . . . not drafted and what did he spend in the D (G) League, two years, working, coming up and back (to Austin)?” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “At Michigan State, played for a great coach, Tom Izzo. I’m sure Coach (Izzo) was shocked because there were other players who did things on that team that Bryn didn’t have to do.
"He was like the other player all the time and now he’s turned into a primary player. Him having carved out an NBA career for himself and his family is a real thrill.”
Despite the biggest turnover of the Popovich era, the Silver and Black finished 48-34 and advanced to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. They fell to No. 2 seed Denver in the first round, losing to the Nuggets in a seven-game series.
Besides trading Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto, the Spurs lost starting point guard Dejounte Murray for the season after he sustained a knee injury in the preseason, Manu Ginobili to retirement and Tony Parker to free agency.
Aldridge was the only starter from the 2017-18 team that took the floor when San Antonio opened its 2018-19 campaign.
“It’s bittersweet,” Forbes said, reflecting on the season. “I think we had some really great moments, but also to be watching the Finals and not be in it, reminds you that you didn’t complete the job. That’s the way it kind of feels. I mean, I think it’s motivation.
“I’m going to use last season as motivation because I didn’t want to be at home after the first round. I wanted to be in the Finals and think all of us did, so just use it as fuel. I think all of us are thinking that way. It should be a great season.”
Turning to this year’s Finals, Forbes said he’s “not really rooting for anybody, honestly.” Toronto leads two-time defending champion Golden State 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Friday night in Oakland, Calif.
“Both teams are very talented,” Forbes said. “I’m just entertained right now.”
Asked how he’s felt as he has watched the Finals, Forbes smiled and said: “A little angry, disappointed. Excited, just watching that and knowing we could be a part of that in a year. I love it.”
Methodist Healthcare System’s Breakfast of Champions at Methodist Hospital was held in conjunction with the Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive, and recognized 12 San Antonio youths who have carried on Windham’s legacy of giving.
KENS 5 news anchor Barry Davis was master of ceremonies for the program. KENS 5 is a proud supporter of the Breakfast of Champions through the KENS Cares community program.
The Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive annually benefits the San Antonio Food Bank through community donations. Rowan Windham, who had a rare genetic order, was a tireless volunteer for the campaign to eliminate childhood hunger in Bexar County. He died at age 10 in 2016.
In recognition of Rowan’s devotion to the cereal drive, Methodist Healthcare System has named the annual event in his honor.
“These kids are amazing, honestly,” Forbes said of the 12 kids who were honored Friday. “What they’re doing is amazing. The whole cause, to help others, and to care about your community, put others before yourself, I think is a great cause. For a kid to be dying and all he’s thinking about is giving back to other people is amazing, so inspiring, so motivating.
“I think it was a great cause to be a part of. I was excited just to be here and just to hear the stories. I hope this inspires everybody to do a little more for others.”
Former Spurs star Sean Elliott, now the team's TV broadcast analyst; his wife, Claudia Zapata-Elliott, a dietician and philanthropist; and Costanza Roeder, Hearts Need Art Founder, also were on the panel with Forbes.
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