Injuries making Spurs' season a tough one to bear

[Old School 44]

Injuries making Spurs' season a tough one to bear

Posted Mar 8 2010 10:19AM
Seven questions for the next seven days:
What's next, a plague of locusts?

You figure that a smart bunch of guys like the San Antonio Spurs will eventually figure out that it's simply not their season.
Just when things start to look hopeful and the Spurs get to within one of their longest win streak of the season (five), down goes point guard Tony Parker (http://www.nba.com/2010/news/03/06/spurs.parker.ap/index.html) with his latest injury.

Since opening night, Parker has already missed games with sprained ankles, plantar fasciitis, a strained hip flexor and food poisoning and now he's likely sidelined for the rest of the regular season with a broken bone in his right hand.

"Don't ask me if we turned the corner or whatever," Spurs sixth man Manu Ginobili said the other night. "We've tried too many times and it's never worked."

It's already been a long and difficult season for the Spurs as Ginobili has struggled to get healthy and regain his fitness following an offseason of surgery and inactivity last summer. Then there has the difficult assimilation of Richard Jefferson into the San Antonio system that has often left everyone frustrated and angry.

Parker was already paying the price for pushing his body to its physical limits by playing for the French national team in the Eurobasket competition last September, just prior to the start of NBA training camp. The broken metacarpal bone in Parker's right hand is the same injury suffered by teammate Matt Bonner early this season. It kept Bonner out for four weeks and he returned to play one week with a soft cast on his hand. That timetable would be just in time for the playoffs.
"We're not winning the championship without Tony, I'll tell you that," reserve guard Roger Mason Jr. said.

A more pertinent question now is whether the Spurs can hold onto a playoff spot. They are currently seventh in the West (http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html).

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/03/08/seven.for.seven/index.html

[tmtcsc]

Injuries making Spurs' season a tough one to bear

"Don't ask me if we turned the corner or whatever," Spurs sixth man Manu Ginobili said the other night. "We've tried too many times and it's never worked."

"We're not winning the championship without Tony, I'll tell you that," reserve guard Roger Mason Jr. said.




Wow. I've never seen Manu this frustrated. Ok Roger, we know how you feel. Adios dude.

[Mel_13]

Injuries making Spurs' season a tough one to bear

A more pertinent question now is whether the Spurs can hold onto a playoff spot.

Look at the standings. Even a determined tank job may not be enough to miss the playoffs.

The Spurs have 22 games remaining and are 7 games clear in the loss column of Houston and Memphis and 8 games clear of New Orleans. Even if the Spurs stumble badly they'll still make the playoffs unless one of those three catches fire. The play of all three over the last 20 games says that is an extremely unlikely proposition.

Parker's injury makes it likely that they will remain in 7th or fall behind Portland for 8th. That means a matchup with the Lakers or Mavs instead of a more favorable first round opponent like the Suns, Jazz, or Nuggets, but they will make the playoffs.

Edit: comments directed at the content of the article, not the OP.

[boutons_deux]

"We've tried too many times and it's never worked."

ouch! Talk about The Truth Hurts.

[ohmwrecker]

The Spurs are making the playoffs. There aren't any teams below us that are good enough to pass us by and the Blazers are going to be lucky to play .500 ball. We are pretty much guaranteed 7 or 8 and I wouldn't be surprised if we jump OKC and PHX. Manu and Mason are saying what I expect them to say. No surprises here.
Get on board or GTFO. All you fake ass Spurs fans make me sick.

[Old School 44]

Look at the standings. Even a determined tank job may not be enough to miss the playoffs.

The Spurs have 22 games remaining and are 7 games clear in the loss column of Houston and Memphis and 8 games clear of New Orleans. Even if the Spurs stumble badly they'll still make the playoffs unless one of those three catches fire. The play of all three over the last 20 games says that is an extremely unlikely proposition.

Parker's injury makes it likely that they will remain in 7th or fall behind Portland for 8th. That means a matchup with the Lakers or Mavs instead of a more favorable first round opponent like the Suns, Jazz, or Nuggets, but they will make the playoffs.

Edit: comments directed at the content of the article, not the OP.

Thanks for that disclaimer. :lol

I agree. With everyone in those top 11 teams playing each other in the last 20+ games, there's really no way for the Spurs to miss the playoffs. Even with Parker out, I think we can get the 5th or 6th seed.

[JR3]

So I have excepted the fact that we are an underdog and not a contender this year. I'm still a fan and want to see us go out fighting and maybe even upset someone.