MRI reveals Parker's ankle worse; PG out a month

[jiggy_55]

Spurs' Parker on crutches, out a month with grade 2 ankle sprain

SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker will be out about four weeks with a sprained left ankle, a critical blow to the San Antonio Spurs, who are off to their worst start in 12 years.

An MRI taken Saturday confirmed the injury to the Spurs' star guard, who was hurt during a 99-83 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday -- two nights after scoring a career-high 55 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Parker was driving for a layup when he rolled his ankle.

The 26-year-old Parker was using crutches and wearing a protective boot while watching Sunday's practice. He was second in the league in scoring behind LeBron James at 27.4 points per game.

The Spurs are 1-4 and play at home against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. In 1996, they opened the season 1-5.

Parker will be replaced by either rookie George Hill or 12th-year veteran Jacque Vaughn. Hill took Parker's place against the Heat.

"You'll probably get to see George play a lot," Spurs president R.C. Buford said. "We'll continue to evaluate not only our team, but the NBA market as we go along. Our guys have been encouraged with what George has done to date."

One of the last cuts the Spurs made in the preseason was fourth-year point guard Salim Stoudamire, who has not been signed by another team.

The Spurs are also missing Manu Ginobili, who is expected to be out until December while recovering from ankle surgery. He participated in cutting and shooting drills during Sunday's practice.

"I don't think we can comment on Manu other than to say that he continues to progress as prescribed," Buford said.

Hill has played 35 minutes since being drafted 26th overall out of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. He played 10 minutes after Parker left Friday, missing three shots from the floor. He finished with one point, an assist and a turnover.

The 33-year-old Vaughn was inactive, though no injury was listed. He dressed but did not play Wednesday at Minnesota. He averaged 10 minutes in the Spurs' first four games this season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3692126

[SpursFanFirst]

I was just about to post this.
Bummer!

[baseline bum]

Fuck, I thought this was a troll post.

:pctoss

[xtremesteven33]

I can almost guarantee Parker will be out longer than a month. I dont see a player on crutches coming back and being his fomer self in only 4 weeks. I would say 2 months would be a more believable time period. That or have him come back but be a shell of his former self.

This team needs to do something quick before they dig themselves a hole too big enough to climb out.

[timvp]

Damn :pctoss

Yeah, Parker is out a damn long time. I'd be surprised if he were back in four weeks. I initially thought five weeks but that may even be a bit optimistic.

[Manufan909]

Yay... fuck. Hope Hill can do half of what Parker provided, but he'd have to do 13.5 and 4, at least I know he'll be superior in defense and rebounding, and that he'll get the occasional block.

[lotr1trekkie]

4 weeks to be able to work out. 2 more to get into condition. HAPPY NEW YEAR for a Manu and Tony return! Thank goodness for no surgery! FO needs to decide to make some moves to keep us in the hunt for a playoff spot or just kiss the season away.

[spursfan09]

:depressed

I think this is worse than I originally thought. This team hopefully comes together enough to at least keep us in playoff contention, then when Manu and Tony come back it will guarantee our spot. So is it safe to say Manu will be back before Tony?

[ploto]

Barry instead of Finley would sure be nice about now.

[Dex]

:pctoss :pctoss :pctoss

[Spur-Addict]

Do not rush Ginobili back. I don't care how this season ends at this point, I just want everyone to be healthy. If anyone wants to rush either of them back, that is selfish.

[Dex]

It's like we're cursed or something.

Now I know what being a Suns fan is like.

Well, minus the bitterness. And the utter lack of quantifiable success.

[Spur-Addict]

It's like we're cursed or something.

Now I know what being a Suns fan is like.

Well, minus the bitterness. And the utter lack of quantifiable success.

:lol

[FromWayDowntown]

You know, it's actually kind of good to be a Spurs' fan right now, if you choose to be.

If this season proves to be a cursed one in which the Spurs don't make the playoffs, they get a chance to find an infusion of youth in the draft and maybe add a couple of extra years to the dynasty while, at the same time, finding opportunities for a bunch of kids to get thrown to the fire and develop -- who would have thought, even a couple of weeks ago, that Pop would start the 2nd half of a game with Tim Duncan, Roger Mason, Jr., and three rookies?

If I were a fan of another West team, I'd be rooting hard for the Spurs to get well and get themselves into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, if Parker and Ginobili both get back in relatively short order and the Spurs can stay within striking distance, they become one of the toughest low seeds in NBA history (I would think) and they're likely to enter the playoffs with both Parker and Ginobili having saved months of wear-and-tear during the regular season grind.

It's going to be miserable in the middle of all of that, and I'll admit to being a bit unreasonably optimistic, but I can certainly see that the end for the Spurs here has a good chance to be a very positive one.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

You know, it's actually kind of good to be a Spurs' fan right now, if you choose to be.

If this season proves to be a cursed one in which the Spurs don't make the playoffs, they get a chance to find an infusion of youth in the draft and maybe add a couple of extra years to the dynasty while, at the same time, finding opportunities for a bunch of kids to get thrown to the fire and develop -- who would have thought, even a couple of weeks ago, that Pop would start the 2nd half of a game with Tim Duncan, Roger Mason, Jr., and three rookies?

If I were a fan of another West team, I'd be rooting hard for the Spurs to get well and get themselves into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, if Parker and Ginobili both get back in relatively short order and the Spurs can stay within striking distance, they become one of the toughest low seeds in NBA history (I would think) and they're likely to enter the playoffs with both Parker and Ginobili having saved months of wear-and-tear during the regular season grind.

It's going to be miserable in the middle of all of that, and I'll admit to being a bit unreasonably optimistic, but I can certainly see that the end for the Spurs here has a good chance to be a very positive one.

:lol way to stay optimist there FWDT :tu

[Texas_Ranger]

Our team's got no LUCK!!!

[tlongII]

That sucks. It's never good to see star players out with injuries. I think this is something you might have to question the Spurs' FO over though. They have acquired very little support for the Big 3 over the years and subsequently have forced them to play extended minutes, especially when one of them is injured.

[timvp]

You know, it's actually kind of good to be a Spurs' fan right now, if you choose to be.

If this season proves to be a cursed one in which the Spurs don't make the playoffs, they get a chance to find an infusion of youth in the draft and maybe add a couple of extra years to the dynasty while, at the same time, finding opportunities for a bunch of kids to get thrown to the fire and develop -- who would have thought, even a couple of weeks ago, that Pop would start the 2nd half of a game with Tim Duncan, Roger Mason, Jr., and three rookies?

If I were a fan of another West team, I'd be rooting hard for the Spurs to get well and get themselves into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, if Parker and Ginobili both get back in relatively short order and the Spurs can stay within striking distance, they become one of the toughest low seeds in NBA history (I would think) and they're likely to enter the playoffs with both Parker and Ginobili having saved months of wear-and-tear during the regular season grind.

It's going to be miserable in the middle of all of that, and I'll admit to being a bit unreasonably optimistic, but I can certainly see that the end for the Spurs here has a good chance to be a very positive one.

Yeah, it's not actually all bad. Healthy, I think this team can be pretty damn good. It's getting to that point that will be difficult. But if the Spurs can get to the point where they are healthy and not have an atrocious record, I think the playoffs are very likely.

In the next month, the Spurs have 17 games. If the Spurs can go at least 5-12, that'd put them at 6-16. With 60 games left, if they win at their normal .700 clip, they'll still end up winning 48 games. Not a great number but should be good enough for playoffs this year.

With Ludden saying Manu may be back in less than three weeks, they may be able to do even better than 5-12. It's going to be a trying regular season but this campaign is far from over.

[mrspurs]

Nah, Id rather they work on finding out what kind of kids they have and find some talent via the lottery.

[tlongII]

The good thing is that it should easier for you to get free tickets. When the Blazers sucked big time a couple of years ago I would go to 20-25 games a season for free. Now I only get comped for a few.

[duncan228]

McDonald chimes in, late and with less info.

Jeff McDonald: Parker out 'approximately four weeks' (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/11/jeff_mcdonald_p_22.html)

An MRI of Tony Parker's left ankle revealed a grade 2 ankle sprain that will keep the All-Star point guard sidelined "approximately four weeks," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said Sunday.

Parker, the NBA's second-leading scorer so far this season, injured his ankle on a first-quarter drive in Friday night's loss to Miami. At the time, the Spurs put a timetable of two to four weeks on his return.

The latest prognosis would seem to put Parker's return at the far end of that spectrum.

Parker watched practice Sunday wearing a protective boot, a pair of crutches resting by his side. For the time being, the Spurs will turn point-guard duties over to rookie George Hill and veteran Jacque Vaughn.

Buford said the club had not ruled out looking outside the organization for help, as the situation warrants.

"I think right now, we'll probably see George play a lot," Buford said. "We'll continue to evaluate our team and the NBA market as we go along."

[Anti.Hero]

Might as well rest the big 3 the entire season and make a team of rookies for one season.

[braeden0613]

the NBA live curse strikes again...i guess it was only a matter of time

[RC's Boss]

Yeah, it's not actually all bad. Healthy, I think this team can be pretty damn good. It's getting to that point that will be difficult. But if the Spurs can get to the point where they are healthy and not have an atrocious record, I think the playoffs are very likely.

In the next month, the Spurs have 17 games. If the Spurs can go at least 5-12, that'd put them at 6-16. With 60 games left, if they win at their normal .700 clip, they'll still end up winning 48 games. Not a great number but should be good enough for playoffs this year.

With Ludden saying Manu may be back in less than three weeks, they may be able to do even better than 5-12. It's going to be a trying regular season but this campaign is far from over.


I think they will still make the playoffs, maybe not a top seed, but a playoff spot, is a playoff spot. I don't like the injuries, but I do like the younger players getting this oppurtunitiy. If you notice, the Lakers bench last year became a very important part of their winning the west. I think some of the younger group will greatly benefit from this. Just wish Ian were there to get some burn also. December really isn't that far away. They will have to kick serious ass come rodeo road trip time, but w/ these newbies getting valuable pt, we could have a very underrated bench.

[timvp]

Yay... fuck. Hope Hill can do half of what Parker provided, but he'd have to do 13.5 and 4, at least I know he'll be superior in defense and rebounding, and that he'll get the occasional block.Parker is still the much better defender. Hill has the instincts and the size to eventually be better but he's not there yet. Against the Heat, Hill gave up about a dozen wide open looks by either sagging in too far or not rotating fast enough. Chris Quinn, particularly, should send Hill a Christmas card for how open he got when Hill was guarding him.

P.S.

If Hill can averaged something like nine points, four assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes, I'd be happy with that. Although I wouldn't be surprised at all if Pop eventually goes with Mason at PG to get more offense into the starting lineup.

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, it's not actually all bad. Healthy, I think this team can be pretty damn good. It's getting to that point that will be difficult. But if the Spurs can get to the point where they are healthy and not have an atrocious record, I think the playoffs are very likely.

In the next month, the Spurs have 17 games. If the Spurs can go at least 5-12, that'd put them at 6-16. With 60 games left, if they win at their normal .700 clip, they'll still end up winning 48 games. Not a great number but should be good enough for playoffs this year.

With Ludden saying Manu may be back in less than three weeks, they may be able to do even better than 5-12. It's going to be a trying regular season but this campaign is far from over.

I think the other silver lining in the dark cloud is that Pop, by virtue of having to deal with what he's got, is going to have to figure out pretty quickly if the young guys can play and he's going to have to give them a lot of minutes, I would think, if only to keep everybody relatively fresh. If it turns out that Hill or Tolliver or Farmer or Mahinmi can really play, they should have had plenty of time to learn the NBA game the hard way and should be ready to take on important roles when the Spurs are whole.

I certainly didn't think there was much that was great about the game against Miami, but I thought the kids played their tails off and showed "Spurs" like mental toughness in their unwillingness to relent, even when things weren't going well. For whatever reason, that struck me as a really good sign.

[benefactor]

Parker is still the much better defender. Hill has the instincts and the size to eventually be better but he's not there yet. Against the Heat, Hill gave up about a dozen wide open looks by either sagging in too far or not rotating fast enough. Chris Quinn, particularly, should send Hill a Christmas card for how open he got when Hill was guarding him.

P.S.

If Hill can averaged something like nine points, four assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes, I'd be happy with that. Although I wouldn't be surprised at all if Pop eventually goes with Mason at PG to get more offense into the starting lineup.
I don't know...I never thought Parker was a great man defender. He is ok, but his defensive weaknesses have always been cloaked by the fact that he has one of the best help defending big men in NBA history.

I think Hill will be alright. I think he is a better defender from a technical standpoint than Parker now, he just needs playing time to adjust to the NBA speed and to make himself comfortable with our team defensive rotations. Offensively, he needs to relax and take what is given to him. His time with Duncan is going to be very important...establishing timing on the pick and roll and working on getting some rhythm on that midrange shot.

[benefactor]

I think the other silver lining in the dark cloud is that Pop, by virtue of having to deal with what he's got, is going to have to figure out pretty quickly if the young guys can play and he's going to have to give them a lot of minutes, I would think, if only to keep everybody relatively fresh. If it turns out that Hill or Tolliver or Farmer or Mahinmi can really play, they should have had plenty of time to learn the NBA game the hard way and should be ready to take on important roles when the Spurs are whole.

I certainly didn't think there was much that was great about the game against Miami, but I thought the kids played their tails off and showed "Spurs" like mental toughness in their unwillingness to relent, even when things weren't going well. For whatever reason, that struck me as a really good sign.
Agreed...I mentioned something similar in another thread. The strengthening our role players are going to receive from this unfavorable situation can only yield positive results. The fact that Pop actually enjoyed their effort during the Miami game can only make one hope that Pop will be open to giving them extended minutes to further help them develop within our system.

[dbreiden83080]

5 games in and this season is a living friggin nightmare, GEEZ!!!!

[tomtom]

The strengthening our role players are going to receive from this unfavorable situation can only yield positive results. The fact that Pop actually enjoyed their effort during the Miami game can only make one hope that Pop will be open to giving them extended minutes to further help them develop within our system.

+1 with the Big 3 back in healthy form. The Spurs look mighty fine with Mason, Hill as the hopefully new back up point, and Tolliver to take more of Bonners minutes. Hopefully Bowen, Finley, or Thomas can finally get into a rhythm

[boutons_]

So from there to mid-December, it's extended training camp for the youngsters. I don't want to see any JV, and damn little MF or MB.

[Spurtacus]

2008 sucks.

[lurker]

:( Get well soon, Tony.

[jjktkk]

4 weeks to be able to work out. 2 more to get into condition. HAPPY NEW YEAR for a Manu and Tony return! Thank goodness for no surgery! FO needs to decide to make some moves to keep us in the hunt for a playoff spot or just kiss the season away.

You are the 2nd poster to suggest the FO do something, or the season will be lost. What would you suggest they do? Wave their magic wand and presto, all is better. The Spurs have no assets to trade, so theirs nothing on the trade route. Who is out their that can come in make a difference? I might look into Salim Stoudamire, but who knows if hes fully recovered from his groin injury. Besides signing some scrub off the street, the Spurs are stuck with the hand their dealt with.

[mrspurs]

You know, it's actually kind of good to be a Spurs' fan right now, if you choose to be.

If this season proves to be a cursed one in which the Spurs don't make the playoffs, they get a chance to find an infusion of youth in the draft and maybe add a couple of extra years to the dynasty while, at the same time, finding opportunities for a bunch of kids to get thrown to the fire and develop -- who would have thought, even a couple of weeks ago, that Pop would start the 2nd half of a game with Tim Duncan, Roger Mason, Jr., and three rookies?

If I were a fan of another West team, I'd be rooting hard for the Spurs to get well and get themselves into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, if Parker and Ginobili both get back in relatively short order and the Spurs can stay within striking distance, they become one of the toughest low seeds in NBA history (I would think) and they're likely to enter the playoffs with both Parker and Ginobili having saved months of wear-and-tear during the regular season grind.

It's going to be miserable in the middle of all of that, and I'll admit to being a bit unreasonably optimistic, but I can certainly see that the end for the Spurs here has a good chance to be a very positive one.

Its not easy sucking it up and making sacrifices. But as long as everyone is on the same page and moving in a positive direction. Then by all means this should easily be alot easier of a season to deal with then one like the last. If you save your money for a year you will have more money then if you save for a month. But no matter how long you save, make sure when you spend you spend wisely. Or you sacrifice for nothing.

[mrspurs]

I think the other silver lining in the dark cloud is that Pop, by virtue of having to deal with what he's got, is going to have to figure out pretty quickly if the young guys can play and he's going to have to give them a lot of minutes, I would think, if only to keep everybody relatively fresh. If it turns out that Hill or Tolliver or Farmer or Mahinmi can really play, they should have had plenty of time to learn the NBA game the hard way and should be ready to take on important roles when the Spurs are whole.

I certainly didn't think there was much that was great about the game against Miami, but I thought the kids played their tails off and showed "Spurs" like mental toughness in their unwillingness to relent, even when things weren't going well. For whatever reason, that struck me as a really good sign.

Its called your getting paid to play.

[td4mvp21]

This sucks :pctoss

This entire offseason/beginning of the season has sucked so bad. At least the young guys will get plenty of playing time.

[FromWayDowntown]

Its called your getting paid to play.

In the NBA, there hasn't always been a connection.

[byrdman31]

:bang:(:cry:cry:cry