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Can the San Antonio Spurs be sunk?

That's the question facing several teams in the Western Conference this offseason. With the Spurs having won three titles in seven years and having been serious contenders the other four seasons, there's little doubt the road to the title will go through the Alamo City at some point. The Spurs suffered no important losses in the offseason and largely stood pat, with Argentine center Fabricio Oberto their lone acquisition. Meanwhile, the other Western contenders have been furiously reshaping their rosters in an effort to match San Antonio's talent and cohesiveness.

How have they fared so far? Let's take a look at the changes the top contenders in the West have made and how those moves fit with their goals at the start of the offseason:

Goals: Improve the D; don't panic
The Mavericks fell short against Phoenix in the postseason, but they have to like how they closed the season. Once Avery Johnson took over, the Mavs went 16-2 and nearly snuck up on San Antonio to take the Southwest Division.

Dallas resisted the urge to make wholesale changes, which had seemed to be an annual event in Big D. The loss of Michael Finley as a luxury-tax amnesty casualty obviously hurts, but the Mavs can weather that blow. Marquis Daniels should bounce back after an injury-riddled 2004-05 campaign, and the Mavs added defensive specialist Doug Christie, who should team with Josh Howard to give Dallas one Ginobili-stopper on the court at all times.

Of course, Dallas would have received a higher grade if it had done more in the frontcourt. Shawn Bradley retired, and Dallas replaced him by outbidding New York for überstiff DeSagana Diop. (You read that correctly. There was a bidding war for DeSagana Diop.) Thus, the Mavs again are short of candidates to stop Tim Duncan in the post, which could be telling if the two clubs meet in the conference finals. Grade: C+

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