Getting Inside :

Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan returned to training camp as they always do, but this time there was something definitely different -- many of their teammates.

Eight of the 18 players at Spurs training camp are new. Many of them will stick. Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, DeJuan Blair and most recent acquisition Keith Bogans are the reasons, when added to the Big Three, why the Spurs believe they are again championship contenders.

To make room, the Spurs let go of aging role players, including San Antonio fan favorite and defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen.

"I think it's important at a certain point to realize that it's time to turn," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We felt like that for a couple years and slowly moved toward it, knowing full well at some point we had to change. And last year was our last attempt with that group."

Injuries to Duncan and Ginobili ruined the Spurs' hopes last season. They were run over by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

With the addition of Jefferson, who played against the Spurs in the Finals with the New Jersey Nets, San Antonio has added a prolific outside scorer.

McDyess, Ratliff and Blair, a rookie out of Pittsburgh, provide the interior bulk the team was missing a season ago.

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