orhe
05-22-2005, 12:05 AM
It’s Parker’s time
to be a household name
PG one of league’s explosive performers,
but he’s plagued by lack of press
San Antonio's Tony Parker will get a chance to shine in the Western Conference finals against NBA MVP Steve Nash.
COMMENTARY
By Michael Ventre
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 9:10 p.m. ET May 21, 2005
Tony Parker signed a contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs in November worth an estimated $66 million over six years.
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He’s dating Eva Longoria, the sultry tarantula from “Desperate Housewives.”
He has a championship ring from the Spurs’ 2002-03 season, and he may very well add a second this June at the ripe old age of 23.
So why do I feel as if Tony is getting a raw deal? Why do I bemoan the hand Tony has been dealt by the basketball gods? Why do I sense that my shouts of “Viva la Tony!” are scaring my dog but otherwise are having no effect whatsoever?
Granted, Parker is better off than 99.9999 (or more) percent of the world’s population. But it’s that miniscule fraction comprised of current NBA players of which an injustice is being perpetuated, one that keeps Parker hogtied as the world’s most publicized well-kept secret.
And it only figures to get worse now that the Spurs are set to face off against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals. I’m a huge Steve Nash fan. He’s smart, unselfish, talented and competitive. He’s the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and he deserves it. Without him everyone in the Suns’ organization would be playing golf right now. Or should I say, they’d be playing MORE golf.
Parker’s impact on the Spurs may not be of the same magnitude as Nash’s on the Suns, but it’s close. And Parker is improving each year and narrowing the gap.
During the regular season he averaged 17 points, six assists and 34 minutes as the Spurs’ point guard, while averaging only 2.7 turnovers per game. Nash averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 34 minutes and 3.3 turnovers per contest.
Clearly, Nash had a colossal impact on the Suns. Last year they won only 29 games. After inking Nash to a free agent deal last summer, the Suns this year finished with the NBA’s best record at 62-20.
Since Parker re-upped in San Antonio, the basketball world never got a chance to see how he would do on another team in a sexier market.
Tony Parker as a Laker? He would have succeeded in igniting an up-tempo offense and would have finished as the second-leading scorer behind Kobe Bryant. He also would have dated Longoria, Marcia Cross, Nicollette Sheridan, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman on alternating nights.
Tony Parker as a Boston Celtic? The second coming of Nate Archibald.
Tony Parker as a New York Knick? The next Walt Frazier, only without the fur coats and wide-brimmed hats.
Alas, Tony opted to remain in San Antonio, which is not exactly the Paris of the Southwest. The Riverwalk is quaint, with some fine eateries. The Alamo is an important historical landmark. After that, the tour guide runs out of stuff to talk about and drives past the Riverwalk again.
You would think this type of thing couldn’t happen in our modern society. Parker should be a household name — at least in the homes that still tune in to the NBA. Admittedly, that number is dwindling, but Parker’s overall game is as well-rounded and as effective as those of any comparable player in this year’s playoffs, including Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Mike Bibby, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.
Parker suffers from the same problem Kobe had when Shaq was a Laker. Shaq got the bulk of the credit, the attention and the touches. Parker is in a similar situation with Tim Duncan, although Parker doesn’t appear to be scheming behind the scenes to get Duncan shipped out of the conference so he can take over the franchise and eventually the world.
Because coach Gregg Popovich runs the Spurs with a militaristic discipline that has little room for bulging egos, Parker has been trained to do his job and keep quiet. And that’s what he does. He doesn’t talk trash. He doesn’t gush over his own accomplishments. He never lashes out at teammates. Instead, he’s a good soldier, and good soldiers rarely get singled out.
In this match against Nash, Parker will have an ideal opportunity before the entire nation to show what he can do. Nash is no Luke Ridnour, a splendid young player but one who is relatively obscure to average fans. Nash is no Andre Miller either.
Nash is the MVP, one who is not resting on his regular-season laurels. He’s been spectacular in helping the Suns eliminate Memphis and Dallas. He’s playing with authority. He’s peaking.
Parker isn’t putting up Nash-like numbers, but he’s capable of it on a given night. Consider what he did last year in the conference semis against the Lakers. He incinerated Gary Payton with his quickness, dashing to the hoop or stopping abruptly to can a jumper. Over the first two games, he averaged 25 points, seven assists, three steals and only one turnover. The Lakers would go on to win the series in six games, but only after mobilizing their entire roster to stop Parker.
This year, he’s a year older, a year wiser and a year hungrier. The Spurs feel like they blew an opportunity to win a second consecutive title last year, making them more determined than ever now. The ball is in the Spurs’ court, and in Parker’s hands.
The duel between Parker and Nash will do little to alter Nash’s perception around the league, since he’s already firmly entrenched as the best point guard in the game. But Parker is in a position to offer a valid argument for his candidacy, or at the very least establish himself as the heir apparent.
Then Tony Parker will have it all. And he can thank those of us who stood up for him when he was down and out.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7935212/page/2/
to be a household name
PG one of league’s explosive performers,
but he’s plagued by lack of press
San Antonio's Tony Parker will get a chance to shine in the Western Conference finals against NBA MVP Steve Nash.
COMMENTARY
By Michael Ventre
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 9:10 p.m. ET May 21, 2005
Tony Parker signed a contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs in November worth an estimated $66 million over six years.
advertisement
He’s dating Eva Longoria, the sultry tarantula from “Desperate Housewives.”
He has a championship ring from the Spurs’ 2002-03 season, and he may very well add a second this June at the ripe old age of 23.
So why do I feel as if Tony is getting a raw deal? Why do I bemoan the hand Tony has been dealt by the basketball gods? Why do I sense that my shouts of “Viva la Tony!” are scaring my dog but otherwise are having no effect whatsoever?
Granted, Parker is better off than 99.9999 (or more) percent of the world’s population. But it’s that miniscule fraction comprised of current NBA players of which an injustice is being perpetuated, one that keeps Parker hogtied as the world’s most publicized well-kept secret.
And it only figures to get worse now that the Spurs are set to face off against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals. I’m a huge Steve Nash fan. He’s smart, unselfish, talented and competitive. He’s the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and he deserves it. Without him everyone in the Suns’ organization would be playing golf right now. Or should I say, they’d be playing MORE golf.
Parker’s impact on the Spurs may not be of the same magnitude as Nash’s on the Suns, but it’s close. And Parker is improving each year and narrowing the gap.
During the regular season he averaged 17 points, six assists and 34 minutes as the Spurs’ point guard, while averaging only 2.7 turnovers per game. Nash averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 34 minutes and 3.3 turnovers per contest.
Clearly, Nash had a colossal impact on the Suns. Last year they won only 29 games. After inking Nash to a free agent deal last summer, the Suns this year finished with the NBA’s best record at 62-20.
Since Parker re-upped in San Antonio, the basketball world never got a chance to see how he would do on another team in a sexier market.
Tony Parker as a Laker? He would have succeeded in igniting an up-tempo offense and would have finished as the second-leading scorer behind Kobe Bryant. He also would have dated Longoria, Marcia Cross, Nicollette Sheridan, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman on alternating nights.
Tony Parker as a Boston Celtic? The second coming of Nate Archibald.
Tony Parker as a New York Knick? The next Walt Frazier, only without the fur coats and wide-brimmed hats.
Alas, Tony opted to remain in San Antonio, which is not exactly the Paris of the Southwest. The Riverwalk is quaint, with some fine eateries. The Alamo is an important historical landmark. After that, the tour guide runs out of stuff to talk about and drives past the Riverwalk again.
You would think this type of thing couldn’t happen in our modern society. Parker should be a household name — at least in the homes that still tune in to the NBA. Admittedly, that number is dwindling, but Parker’s overall game is as well-rounded and as effective as those of any comparable player in this year’s playoffs, including Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Mike Bibby, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.
Parker suffers from the same problem Kobe had when Shaq was a Laker. Shaq got the bulk of the credit, the attention and the touches. Parker is in a similar situation with Tim Duncan, although Parker doesn’t appear to be scheming behind the scenes to get Duncan shipped out of the conference so he can take over the franchise and eventually the world.
Because coach Gregg Popovich runs the Spurs with a militaristic discipline that has little room for bulging egos, Parker has been trained to do his job and keep quiet. And that’s what he does. He doesn’t talk trash. He doesn’t gush over his own accomplishments. He never lashes out at teammates. Instead, he’s a good soldier, and good soldiers rarely get singled out.
In this match against Nash, Parker will have an ideal opportunity before the entire nation to show what he can do. Nash is no Luke Ridnour, a splendid young player but one who is relatively obscure to average fans. Nash is no Andre Miller either.
Nash is the MVP, one who is not resting on his regular-season laurels. He’s been spectacular in helping the Suns eliminate Memphis and Dallas. He’s playing with authority. He’s peaking.
Parker isn’t putting up Nash-like numbers, but he’s capable of it on a given night. Consider what he did last year in the conference semis against the Lakers. He incinerated Gary Payton with his quickness, dashing to the hoop or stopping abruptly to can a jumper. Over the first two games, he averaged 25 points, seven assists, three steals and only one turnover. The Lakers would go on to win the series in six games, but only after mobilizing their entire roster to stop Parker.
This year, he’s a year older, a year wiser and a year hungrier. The Spurs feel like they blew an opportunity to win a second consecutive title last year, making them more determined than ever now. The ball is in the Spurs’ court, and in Parker’s hands.
The duel between Parker and Nash will do little to alter Nash’s perception around the league, since he’s already firmly entrenched as the best point guard in the game. But Parker is in a position to offer a valid argument for his candidacy, or at the very least establish himself as the heir apparent.
Then Tony Parker will have it all. And he can thank those of us who stood up for him when he was down and out.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7935212/page/2/