duncan228
03-08-2010, 12:06 AM
Parker out of sight, not out of mind (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parker_out_of_sight_not_out_of_mind.html)
Jeff McDonald
CLEVELAND — The Spurs’ charter plane took off as scheduled from Memphis International Airport on Sunday, bound for Cleveland. That was the good news.
The bad news for the Spurs was that their starting point guard wasn’t on it. Tony Parker had already left town hours earlier, on a commercial flight going the opposite direction.
Wearing a dark blue cast on his newly fractured right hand, Parker returned to San Antonio to be examined by the team’s medical staff. The Spurs’ trip to Cleveland, and perhaps the rest of their reason, will go on without him.
“We’ll find a different way to play and hope we can bide our time until he’s back,” Tim Duncan said. “Nobody’s going to play like him, but we have to find a way to get it done.”
Parker suffered a fracture to the fourth metacarpal on his shooting hand near the end of the first half of Saturday’s win at Memphis and could miss up to six weeks — a timetable that would keep him out at least until the playoffs.
And so tonight, the Spurs return to Quicken Loans Arena, site of the clinching game of the 2007 NBA Finals, without the Most Valuable Player of that series.
“Nobody in the league is going to feel sorry for us,” Manu Ginobili said. “We’ve got to go compete and try and win anyway.”
Parker’s numbers have been down from their career peak last season — dropping to 16.5 points and 5.7 assists — but he is still integral to the Spurs’ operation.
Certainly, they would prefer to have every possible weapon in their holster against the Cavaliers, who boast the NBA’s best overall record (49-15).
If there is a sign that the fates that have favored the Spurs since Jason Richardson’s missed dunk on the last day of February are still smiling on them, it is this:
Cleveland could be down one fairly important player as well.
LeBron James, the NBA’s leading scorer and reigning MVP, missed Cleveland’s loss at Milwaukee on Saturday.
Coach Mike Brown called it a “coaching decision,” meant to afford his star a bit of freshening-up time gearing toward the playoffs. James, however, has been bothered by a sore ankle and quad and — though the Cavs are playing his status close to the vest — he could earn another date in street clothes tonight.
If James doesn’t play, it would dramatically increase the Spurs’ chances of extending their winning streak to a season-high five games.
“The kid’s a monster in just about every aspect,” Duncan said. “He’s doing basically everything for his team.”
The timing of Parker’s injury could not be much worse for the Spurs.
After much experimentation, Gregg Popovich had finally settled on a lineup he liked and was beginning to iron out the final pieces of the rotation. Parker’s latest and gravest ailment throws another wrinkle into that process.
“We’re just beginning to look like we expected to look about a month and a half ago,” Popovich said. “So the Parker thing is really deflating.”
If there is a silver lining at all, it’s that the Spurs have grown accustomed to playing without him whole.
Parker has already missed 10 games this season with maladies as varied as plantar fasciitis and food poisoning. The Spurs have split them, 5-5.
With Parker back in San Antonio tonight, Popovich will make a familiar lineup alteration, moving George Hill to point guard and tabbing another player — perhaps Roger Mason Jr. — to fill the shooting-guard slot.
Whoever gets the call, it’s clear that replacing Parker’s production — tonight and for the foreseeable future — will be up to the 11 players still left on the Spurs’ Cleveland-bound charter flight.
“We’ve got a lot of guys playing well,” Duncan said. “That’s the one positive about the whole thing. We’re going to have to get those guys to step up and continue to play well.”
Sans Français
Tony Parker will miss up to six weeks with a broken hand suffered Saturday. This season, the Spurs are 5-5 without Parker.
Left ankle sprain
Nov. 9 vs. Raptors: Spurs win 131-124
Nov. 11 vs. Mavericks: Spurs win 92-83
Nov. 18 @Mavericks: Spurs lose 99-94 (OT)
Nov. 19 vs. Jazz: Spurs lose 90-83
Jan. 29 vs. Grizzlies: Spurs win 104-97
Jan. 31 vs. Nuggets: Spurs lose 103-89
Feb. 3 @Kings: Spurs win 115-113
Feb. 11 @Nuggets: Spurs win 111-92
Left hip flexor
Feb. 21 @Pistons: Spurs lose 109-101 (OT)
Food poisoning
Feb. 26 @Rockets: Spurs lose 109-104
SOURCE: Express-News Research
Jeff McDonald
CLEVELAND — The Spurs’ charter plane took off as scheduled from Memphis International Airport on Sunday, bound for Cleveland. That was the good news.
The bad news for the Spurs was that their starting point guard wasn’t on it. Tony Parker had already left town hours earlier, on a commercial flight going the opposite direction.
Wearing a dark blue cast on his newly fractured right hand, Parker returned to San Antonio to be examined by the team’s medical staff. The Spurs’ trip to Cleveland, and perhaps the rest of their reason, will go on without him.
“We’ll find a different way to play and hope we can bide our time until he’s back,” Tim Duncan said. “Nobody’s going to play like him, but we have to find a way to get it done.”
Parker suffered a fracture to the fourth metacarpal on his shooting hand near the end of the first half of Saturday’s win at Memphis and could miss up to six weeks — a timetable that would keep him out at least until the playoffs.
And so tonight, the Spurs return to Quicken Loans Arena, site of the clinching game of the 2007 NBA Finals, without the Most Valuable Player of that series.
“Nobody in the league is going to feel sorry for us,” Manu Ginobili said. “We’ve got to go compete and try and win anyway.”
Parker’s numbers have been down from their career peak last season — dropping to 16.5 points and 5.7 assists — but he is still integral to the Spurs’ operation.
Certainly, they would prefer to have every possible weapon in their holster against the Cavaliers, who boast the NBA’s best overall record (49-15).
If there is a sign that the fates that have favored the Spurs since Jason Richardson’s missed dunk on the last day of February are still smiling on them, it is this:
Cleveland could be down one fairly important player as well.
LeBron James, the NBA’s leading scorer and reigning MVP, missed Cleveland’s loss at Milwaukee on Saturday.
Coach Mike Brown called it a “coaching decision,” meant to afford his star a bit of freshening-up time gearing toward the playoffs. James, however, has been bothered by a sore ankle and quad and — though the Cavs are playing his status close to the vest — he could earn another date in street clothes tonight.
If James doesn’t play, it would dramatically increase the Spurs’ chances of extending their winning streak to a season-high five games.
“The kid’s a monster in just about every aspect,” Duncan said. “He’s doing basically everything for his team.”
The timing of Parker’s injury could not be much worse for the Spurs.
After much experimentation, Gregg Popovich had finally settled on a lineup he liked and was beginning to iron out the final pieces of the rotation. Parker’s latest and gravest ailment throws another wrinkle into that process.
“We’re just beginning to look like we expected to look about a month and a half ago,” Popovich said. “So the Parker thing is really deflating.”
If there is a silver lining at all, it’s that the Spurs have grown accustomed to playing without him whole.
Parker has already missed 10 games this season with maladies as varied as plantar fasciitis and food poisoning. The Spurs have split them, 5-5.
With Parker back in San Antonio tonight, Popovich will make a familiar lineup alteration, moving George Hill to point guard and tabbing another player — perhaps Roger Mason Jr. — to fill the shooting-guard slot.
Whoever gets the call, it’s clear that replacing Parker’s production — tonight and for the foreseeable future — will be up to the 11 players still left on the Spurs’ Cleveland-bound charter flight.
“We’ve got a lot of guys playing well,” Duncan said. “That’s the one positive about the whole thing. We’re going to have to get those guys to step up and continue to play well.”
Sans Français
Tony Parker will miss up to six weeks with a broken hand suffered Saturday. This season, the Spurs are 5-5 without Parker.
Left ankle sprain
Nov. 9 vs. Raptors: Spurs win 131-124
Nov. 11 vs. Mavericks: Spurs win 92-83
Nov. 18 @Mavericks: Spurs lose 99-94 (OT)
Nov. 19 vs. Jazz: Spurs lose 90-83
Jan. 29 vs. Grizzlies: Spurs win 104-97
Jan. 31 vs. Nuggets: Spurs lose 103-89
Feb. 3 @Kings: Spurs win 115-113
Feb. 11 @Nuggets: Spurs win 111-92
Left hip flexor
Feb. 21 @Pistons: Spurs lose 109-101 (OT)
Food poisoning
Feb. 26 @Rockets: Spurs lose 109-104
SOURCE: Express-News Research