duncan228
01-28-2010, 10:27 PM
Parker to miss time, but injury not serious (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Parker_to_miss_time_but_injury_not_serious.html)
Mike Monroe
Tony Parker's self-diagnosis in the immediate aftermath of spraining his left ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks was worthy of a board certified physician.
Parker told teammates he didn't think his injury was serious and did not believe he would miss much playing time.
The official injury report on Thursday: mild sprain with minimal swelling; structurally everything looks good; no time line yet, but will return sooner than later.
Parker definitely will miss tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center and likely will sit out the Sunday afternoon game against the Denver Nuggets, the last game before the Spurs depart on the first leg of the eight-game rodeo road trip.
The news was welcomed by George Hill, Manu Ginobili and Roger Mason Jr., the players who will man the point in Parker's absence.
“Hopefully, he won't be out too long,” Mason said. “He's in good spirits, and it's not too swollen, so it won't be too many games.”
Said Ginobili: “George is going to have to step up at the point, be the general on the team, the leader. He's going to have to make the calls and get everybody involved. Then, when he's not on the court, Roger and I will share the point guard role.
“We've done it in the past. Tony's not going to be out for three months, so I think we're going to be fine. We take the challenge, and I think we're going to be good.”
Gloves off: Forward-center Matt Bonner was all smiles Thursday as he drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer in his first practice session without the bulky, protective glove he had been required to wear since returning to action after suffering a fractured bone in his right (shooting) hand.
“I can't even think about how uncomfortable it would be to play with that,” Ginobili said. “I remember a couple years ago when I played with a little splint (on a finger) and it was very uncomfortable. The ball felt very slippery, and his glove is way bigger.”
Bonner had made 45 percent of his 3-point attempts before suffering the injury on Dec. 19. Since returning on Jan. 18, he has missed all eight long-range attempts.
“He is a great shooter and he will be fine, but I'm telling you, having that glove on your shooting hand can't be easy,” Ginobili said. “We all understand.”
Reach higher, Tim: Rookie DeJuan Blair, who authored a 20-20 game of his own when he scored 28 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in a victory over the Thunder, had been hoping for more from Tim Duncan on Wednesday night.
Duncan had a career-best 27 rebounds against the Hawks, but Blair wanted more.
“I wanted him to get 30,” he said. “I don't know how he didn't. Twenty-seven is amazing, but 30 would have been a record.
“I felt good for him, showing everybody he still has it in the rebounding aspect.”
Mike Monroe
Tony Parker's self-diagnosis in the immediate aftermath of spraining his left ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks was worthy of a board certified physician.
Parker told teammates he didn't think his injury was serious and did not believe he would miss much playing time.
The official injury report on Thursday: mild sprain with minimal swelling; structurally everything looks good; no time line yet, but will return sooner than later.
Parker definitely will miss tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center and likely will sit out the Sunday afternoon game against the Denver Nuggets, the last game before the Spurs depart on the first leg of the eight-game rodeo road trip.
The news was welcomed by George Hill, Manu Ginobili and Roger Mason Jr., the players who will man the point in Parker's absence.
“Hopefully, he won't be out too long,” Mason said. “He's in good spirits, and it's not too swollen, so it won't be too many games.”
Said Ginobili: “George is going to have to step up at the point, be the general on the team, the leader. He's going to have to make the calls and get everybody involved. Then, when he's not on the court, Roger and I will share the point guard role.
“We've done it in the past. Tony's not going to be out for three months, so I think we're going to be fine. We take the challenge, and I think we're going to be good.”
Gloves off: Forward-center Matt Bonner was all smiles Thursday as he drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer in his first practice session without the bulky, protective glove he had been required to wear since returning to action after suffering a fractured bone in his right (shooting) hand.
“I can't even think about how uncomfortable it would be to play with that,” Ginobili said. “I remember a couple years ago when I played with a little splint (on a finger) and it was very uncomfortable. The ball felt very slippery, and his glove is way bigger.”
Bonner had made 45 percent of his 3-point attempts before suffering the injury on Dec. 19. Since returning on Jan. 18, he has missed all eight long-range attempts.
“He is a great shooter and he will be fine, but I'm telling you, having that glove on your shooting hand can't be easy,” Ginobili said. “We all understand.”
Reach higher, Tim: Rookie DeJuan Blair, who authored a 20-20 game of his own when he scored 28 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in a victory over the Thunder, had been hoping for more from Tim Duncan on Wednesday night.
Duncan had a career-best 27 rebounds against the Hawks, but Blair wanted more.
“I wanted him to get 30,” he said. “I don't know how he didn't. Twenty-seven is amazing, but 30 would have been a record.
“I felt good for him, showing everybody he still has it in the rebounding aspect.”