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Last week's San Antonio Spurs signing of Michael Finley should prove once and for all that the NBA’s true Most Valuable "Player" is Spurs general manager R.C. Buford. While teams like the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns desperately tried to narrow the gap between themselves and the champion Spurs during the off-season, Buford blew them all away.

Finley was the crown jewel of the crop of “anmesty clause”free agents. The signing of Finley, in addition to the inking of point guard Nick Van Exel and Argentinian center Fabricio Oberto, gives the NBA champs an off-season trifecta.

All three seem like a good fit for the Spurs, and if healthy should find a place in coach Greg Popovich’s rotation.

Finley’s choice of a place on the Spurs’ bench, instead of significantly more playing time with the Suns or Heat, shows just how confident he is of the Spurs’ chances of repeating. Clearly, Finley’s once immense, individual skills have faded a bit with age and injuries in the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy and do a better job of adjusting to coming of the bench, then he did in Dallas, Finley could provide the Spurs with another three point shooter and tremendous firepower.

Ironically, both Van Exel and Oberto seem even better suited for their new team then Finley. Van Exel, like Finley, is an aging former star who’s been battling health problems in recent seasons. Unlike Finley, Van Exel was a super-sub who thrived as Steve Nash’s backup during his stay with the contending Dallas Mavericks.

After leaving Dallas, Van Exel was an injury-plagued, unmovitated member of the lowly Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers.

Van Exel’s decision this summer to join San Antonio as a free agent seems an like an excellent one, for both himself and the Spurs. He should be a valuable, dependable backup for Tony Parker while Beno Udrih continues to mature. The move back to Texas should improve both Van Exel’s emotional and physical well being.

Oberto, though less known to the American public, should be a perfect fit for the Spurs system. He is a savvy, sophisticated big man who has played high level European basketball throughout his career and is another in the increasing number of impressive talents that Argentina has produced in the last decade. Oberto’s offensive range is extremely limited, but he is a good passer with an excellent sense of team basketball, which should fit Popovich’s offense like a glove. Don’t be surprised to see Oberto leapfrog past Nazr Mohammad and Rasho Nesterovic come playoff time, and don’t be surprised if the Spurs leapfrog past the opposition even more now than ever.

Comments are more then welcome and can be sent to jerrymittleman@yahoo.com