Spurs Brazil
10-19-2008, 07:44 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Parker_drives_Spurs_past_Pacers.html
Parker drives Spurs past Pacers
Jeff McDonald - Express-news Only minutes into his first training camp with the Spurs, Salim Stoudamire suffered a strained groin.
The cause was a common one.
I was guarding Tony Parker in a one-on-one drill, Stoudamire said. He made a move, I went to cut him off ... and that's how I injured my groin.
On the shelf since Sept. 30, Stoudamire finally saw his first action of the preseason Saturday. Luckily for him, unluckily for the Indiana Pacers, Parker was on his team this time.
At times running what seemed to be a one-man layup drill, Parker scored 19 points and had eight assists in 23 minutes, leading the Spurs to a 106-98 victory at the AT&T Center.
Parker had all but three of his points and all but six of his assists in the first half. Given the quickness of coach Gregg Popovich's hook for most of his starters in the preseason, Parker figured he needed to do his damage early.
I knew I was not going to play in the second half, Parker said. Then Pop surprised me and put me in in the third quarter.
Saturday's performance was pretty much par for the preseason course for Parker, who came into the game averaging 10.7 points and three assists.
When the Spurs' final roster is announced before the Oct. 27 deadline, it's safe to say Parker's name will be on it.
Much of Saturday night, still, was about assessing a group of players who might not be.
There are seven players vying for a maximum of two open spots on the Spurs roster. A handful of those bubble players strengthened their case against Indiana.
Desmon Farmer had 14 points, making 4 of 8 3-pointers. Anthony Tolliver scored just six points on 3-of-11 shooting and was 0 for 4 from 3-point range but produced in other ways. He had eight rebounds and three steals.
Malik Hairston turned in an active 18 minutes, with four rebounds and a steal to go with four points. The Spurs won without All-Star forward Tim Duncan, who drew his second day off of the preseason.
All in all, Popovich left the arena Saturday night still dreading the day when he has to break out the hatchet and cut as many as five players. He has no immediate timetable to make cuts.
They'll come when they come, Popovich said. I just hate telling a kid no.
Saturday marked an important night for Stoudamire, just to get on the floor. One of four point guards in camp, Stoudamire is on a make-good deal with the Spurs, meaning he must make the team to guarantee his contract fully.
Since running into Parker, one of the NBA's most common causes of strained groins, Stoudamire had been unable practice, unable to play, unable to show Spurs coaches much of anything.
In his preseason debut Saturday, Stoudamire shook off some rust and showed flashes of why the Spurs believe he can be their version of Eddie House, the instant-offense gunner for the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Stoudamire scored eight points in 21 minutes, draining a 17-footer just 10 seconds into his first-quarter shift. He shot 3 for 11, however, a mark he hopes to improve going forward.
I'm not worried about my shot, Stoudamire said. The only thing I'm worried about (with the groin) is being able to play defense and move laterally.
Stoudamire still has two preseason games, and a week and a half of practice, to prove himself. As long as he can avoid injury which might mean avoiding Parker he figures he will be OK.
Parker drives Spurs past Pacers
Jeff McDonald - Express-news Only minutes into his first training camp with the Spurs, Salim Stoudamire suffered a strained groin.
The cause was a common one.
I was guarding Tony Parker in a one-on-one drill, Stoudamire said. He made a move, I went to cut him off ... and that's how I injured my groin.
On the shelf since Sept. 30, Stoudamire finally saw his first action of the preseason Saturday. Luckily for him, unluckily for the Indiana Pacers, Parker was on his team this time.
At times running what seemed to be a one-man layup drill, Parker scored 19 points and had eight assists in 23 minutes, leading the Spurs to a 106-98 victory at the AT&T Center.
Parker had all but three of his points and all but six of his assists in the first half. Given the quickness of coach Gregg Popovich's hook for most of his starters in the preseason, Parker figured he needed to do his damage early.
I knew I was not going to play in the second half, Parker said. Then Pop surprised me and put me in in the third quarter.
Saturday's performance was pretty much par for the preseason course for Parker, who came into the game averaging 10.7 points and three assists.
When the Spurs' final roster is announced before the Oct. 27 deadline, it's safe to say Parker's name will be on it.
Much of Saturday night, still, was about assessing a group of players who might not be.
There are seven players vying for a maximum of two open spots on the Spurs roster. A handful of those bubble players strengthened their case against Indiana.
Desmon Farmer had 14 points, making 4 of 8 3-pointers. Anthony Tolliver scored just six points on 3-of-11 shooting and was 0 for 4 from 3-point range but produced in other ways. He had eight rebounds and three steals.
Malik Hairston turned in an active 18 minutes, with four rebounds and a steal to go with four points. The Spurs won without All-Star forward Tim Duncan, who drew his second day off of the preseason.
All in all, Popovich left the arena Saturday night still dreading the day when he has to break out the hatchet and cut as many as five players. He has no immediate timetable to make cuts.
They'll come when they come, Popovich said. I just hate telling a kid no.
Saturday marked an important night for Stoudamire, just to get on the floor. One of four point guards in camp, Stoudamire is on a make-good deal with the Spurs, meaning he must make the team to guarantee his contract fully.
Since running into Parker, one of the NBA's most common causes of strained groins, Stoudamire had been unable practice, unable to play, unable to show Spurs coaches much of anything.
In his preseason debut Saturday, Stoudamire shook off some rust and showed flashes of why the Spurs believe he can be their version of Eddie House, the instant-offense gunner for the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Stoudamire scored eight points in 21 minutes, draining a 17-footer just 10 seconds into his first-quarter shift. He shot 3 for 11, however, a mark he hopes to improve going forward.
I'm not worried about my shot, Stoudamire said. The only thing I'm worried about (with the groin) is being able to play defense and move laterally.
Stoudamire still has two preseason games, and a week and a half of practice, to prove himself. As long as he can avoid injury which might mean avoiding Parker he figures he will be OK.