Can TP adjust his game to remain effective into his early and mid 30s?

[Calispursfan11]

TP relies on a combination of speed and craftiness to get into the lane, which allows him the high shooting percentage and also contributes to more assists on kickouts. It is inevitable that he will slow down in the next few years which will decrease the speed component of his game. Will it be possible for him to remain just as effective for 3-4 more years by adjusting his game somehow or will his MVP caliber window close in the next year or two? I feel like TP is better than ever now, a more complete player, so I hope he can remain at his peak for at least awhile somehow.

Thoughts?

[freetiago]

he was suppose to decline around this time but that looks like its not happening
he still isnt a good enough shooter or defensive player to play til his late 30s like Kidd and Nash
i see him having 2 good years max before he falls off
i think he retires with Duncan tbh
dont think a contender will want an older parker and I dont see him coming off the bench or leading the Spurs to 8 seeds

[capek]

i think he retires with Duncan tbh


Ugh, sometimes I hate the internet.

[spurraider21]

His shooting and passing seem to improve every season. Even without elite speed his touch around the rim and his floater can compensate

[TDMVPDPOY]

he benefits playin in a league where defense is a lost art.....

dont even bring up the competition he plays against his position....the only time he beats them h2h is when those guys are either on the bench casual clothes, or playing with some injury...

i give tony the benefit of the doubt what he has achieve fuss far due to the above variances....

he will continue to get his and play the same style without changing, as long his in hero ball mode....remember individual glory >>> spurs glory

the only time he gets exposed is when a wing player is on him....

[chapnis]

Lol, Parker is probably an average/above average defender at his position/

[freetiago]

Ugh, sometimes I hate the internet.

great rational for why he wont..
please take your shitty takes back to realgm tbh

[xtremesteven33]

Good player who at times is Great, but for the most part he will always just be a good player. IMO

[capek]

great rational for why he wont..
please take your shitty takes back to realgm tbh

Dumb shit is not worth a considered reply.

[EricB]

Good player who at times is Great, but for the most part he will always just be a good player. IMO


How far this site has fallen....

[capek]

How far this site has fallen....

What you mean? Players bad good or great! You not 'Merkan??

[Bruno]

Parker said few days ago that he wanted to play another 7-8 years.

[Man In Black]

TP's game isn't dependent on speed alone. It's his change of pace, like Tim, TP's ability to change pace is a form of fundamental brilliance. The change is sudden, quick, and deadly with balanced footwork born from soccer and intellectual corporate knowledge replete with trust of the personnel. TP could be like Nash at high levels in his Mid 30's. Lucky for the Spurs, TP is only 30.
I've been watching hoops since the early 70's and there aren't many PG's who were speed players that lasted too long after their 30's but reality is, with Pop, TP has the added benefit of playing TEAM 1st ball. All those other PGs were forced to carry so much more than just playmaking. Randy Smith, John Lucas, Mo Cheeks, Tiny Archibald, and Allen Iverson. Lots of responsibility, all played for teams where they were primary components for what success there team got, but whose teams did not have any real balance except for Mo Cheeks, who got a ring with Dr. J

TP will continue to be awesome as long as the Front Office can give him a balanced team to work with. When Tim is gone, the balance has to shift but still be balanced with hopefully continued growth of in-house talent and/or infusion of new talent. If that's the case, Spurs fans don't have to worry about the PG position except for any unforeseen injury.

[freetiago]

Do you really see an older Parker wanting to carry a core of Parker/Leonard/Splitter to first round exits in a stacked western conference
also dont know if any other contender would want or need him
every up and coming and title contending team has their point guard of the future
the only team that doesnt is miami but i think theyre fine with letting lebron handle the ball
I dont see Tony playing past 15 seasons in the nba much less 19-20
also dont see him wanting to back up young guys off the bench
Kevin Johnson and Isiah both played about 14 seasons and i think theyre more accurate comparisons to Tony

Is it possible he plays in France once his contract is up with San Antonio
i know Manu has been speculated to finish his basketball career playing in Argentina

[chazley]

Some Spurs fans are fucking idiots.

Tony Parker has had an MVP-caliber year, and for most Spurs fans he is just 'good'. You guys have no idea what you are even witnessing. While we inevitably will start seeing a decline in his speed in 2-3 years, he arguably has the best midrange shot of any guard in the league, is top 5 at getting to basket/finishing, has greatly improved his 3 point shot and vision/playmaking. Above-average defensively. Leader of this team. He isn't just a guy who is faster than everyone anymore - his game has evolved to the point where he is now just the best all around PG in the league.

[chazley]

Do you really see an older Parker wanting to carry a core of Parker/Leonard/Splitter to first round exits in a stacked western conference
also dont know if any other contender would want or need him
every up and coming and title contending team has their point guard of the future
the only team that doesnt is miami but i think theyre fine with letting lebron handle the ball
I dont see Tony playing past 15 seasons in the nba much less 19-20
also dont see him wanting to back up young guys off the bench

Is it possible he plays in France once his contract is up with San Antonio
i know Manu has been speculated to finish his basketball career playing in Argentina

A ton of fail in this post. Do you really think this team is going to carry forward with just those three players? SA will have a ton of cap space in 2014 and 2015, and there are some really big-name free agents that will be available. If Tiago does get a huge contract this offseason/leaves and Manu re-signs for 6-7 mil/yr, we will have space to sign a max free agent. Oh yea, we also have a miracle worker in RC Buford.

[freetiago]

so how did that capspace work out in 2003 when we had the best player on the planet and we came off a championship btw
those 3 players will be san antonios core who will be signed to 8-10 million type salaries
ask Mark Cuban what you can do with cap space, their offseason situation is a best case scenario for spurfan with what we could do with capsapce
Buford will possibly be gone to Seattle and we wont have lottery picks
as much as spurfan doesnt want to believe it superstars win in the nba
SA wont build a contender of the 20-30 range picks well get
All Buford has done is surround our big 3 with guys who can play defense and hit 3s
if they werent in San Antonio getting wide open shots they would look like garbage everywhere else which is why they were drafted in the 30-60th range in the first place

and i know parker owns a team in france but thats business
has nothing to do with him wanting to go play there
hes an icon in france so it is possible he goes and finishes his basketball career there when the spurs are done aka when Duncan retires

[Man In Black]

Is it possible he plays in France once his contract is up with San Antonio

Seriously-Why is it that you do not know that Tony is an owner of ASVEL and at 1 time, he already had a contract with his own team during the lockout period?

How you can have these opinions of TP yet not know that his play outside of San Antonio almost makes it seems as if you don't really know anything about Spurs basketball. I'd ignore you but truth is, I enjoy the laughter.

[chazley]

so how did that capspace work out in 2003 when we had the best player on the planet and we came off a championship btw
those 3 players will be san antonios core who will be signed to 8-10 million type salaries
ask Mark Cuban what you can do with cap space, their offseason situation is a best case scenario for spurfan with what we could do with capsapce
Buford will possibly be gone to Seattle and we wont have lottery picks
as much as spurfan doesnt want to believe it superstars win in the nba
SA wont build a contender of the 20-30 range picks well get
All Buford has done is surround our big 3 with guys who can play defense and hit 3s
if they werent in San Antonio getting wide open shots they would look like garbage everywhere else which is why they were drafted in the 30-60th range in the first place

and i know parker owns a team in france but thats business
has nothing to do with him wanting to go play there
hes an icon in france so it is possible he goes and finishes his basketball career there when the spurs are done aka when Duncan retires

Tony Parker. Manu Ginobili. Tiago Splitter. Kawhi Leonard. Yeah, RC has just put some shitty talent around Duncan because any GM in the league could do it. Actually, Isiah Thomas is available, let's just get him instead.

[freetiago]

So you believe that RC can still find gems in the late second round who will become future hall of famers...

and you seem to lack reading comprehension as well
my post said surround the big 3
think more of
roger mason
keith bogans
matt bonner
blair
jefferson
neal
green
finley
udoka
hill

and the other guys hes put around them since 07
Kawhi was also acquired by trading a valuable young assest
he wasnt drafted with our fringe playoff 15th pick

[Man In Black]

SA wont build a contender of the 20-30 range picks well get
What the hell you think the Spurs have been doing since Tim Duncan came and turned the league on it's ear? They've been using those picks and lower to fill defined roles.

All Buford has done is surround our big 3 with guys who can play defense and hit 3s
A model that numerous franchises have copied, complete with poached former Spurs front office people. Why do you think Boston merged KG and Ray with Pierce, Miami LBJ and Bosh with Wade? The Spurs started that, the league is just a copycat league. It may look different because teams have different skill sets but the template remains SPURS, get a solid Big 3 and build around that. It's worked so well that just about all of those team have at least made the playoffs with some making it to the finals and WINNING.

if they werent in San Antonio getting wide open shots they would look like garbage everywhere else which is why they were drafted in the 30-60th range in the first place
This is the part that cracks me up the most. You make it seem as if being Top 15 guarantees success. WTF are you smoking man?
Here are the Top 15 players drafted for the last 5 years:
2012
Anthony Davis Starter
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Starter
Bradley Beal Starter
Dion Waiters Starter
Thomas Robinson Bench
Damian Lillard Starter
Harrison Barnes Bench
Terrence Ross Bench
Andre Drummond Bench
Austin Rivers Bench
Meyers Leonard Bench
Jeremy Lamb Bench
Kendall Marshall Bench
John Henson Bench
Moe Harkless Bench
Spurs Drafted lower and got Marcus Denmon NOT IN THE NBA


2011
Kyrie Irving Starter
Derrick Williams Starter
Enes Kantner Bench
Tristan Thompson Bench
Jonas Valuncinas Bench
Jan Vesely Bench
Bismack Biyombo Starter
Brandon Knight Starter
Kemba Walker Starter
Jimmer Fredette Bench
Klay Thompson Starter
Alec Burks Bench
Markieff Morris Starter
Marcus Morris Starter
Spurs got KAWHI LEONARD STARTER
Spurs Drafted lower and got Corey Joseph Bench and Adam Hanga Stashed in Europe

2010
John Wall Starter
Evan Turner Starter
Derrick Favors Bench
Wesley Johnson Bench
DeMarcus Cousins Starter
Epke Udoh Bench
Greg Monroe Starter
Al-Farouq Aminu Starter
Gordon Hayward Starter
Paul George Starter
Cole Aldrich Bench
Xavier Henry Bench
Ed Davis Bench
Patrick Patterson Starter
Larry Sanders Starter
Spurs Drafted lower and got James Anderson Bench with different team and Ryan Richard Stashed in Europe
Got Gary Neal as a Free Agent

2009
Blake Griffin Starter
Hasheem Thabeet Bench
James Harden Bench
Tyreke Evans Starter
Ricky Rubio Bench
Jonny Flynn NOT IN THE NBA
Stephen Curry Starter
Jordan Hill Bench
DeMar DeRozan Starter
Brandon Jennings Starter
Terrence Williams NOT IN THE NBA
Gerald Henderson Starter
Tyler Hansbrough Bench
Earl Clark Starter
Austin Daye Bench
Spurs Drafted lower and got DeJuan Blair Bench, Nando DeColo Bench, and Jack McClinton waived by Spurs and now in the D League.

2008
Derrick Rose Starter
Michael Beasley Bench
OJ Mayo Starter
Russell Westbrook Starter
Kevin Love Starter
Danilo Gallinari Starter
Eric Gordon Starter
Joe Alexander NOT IN THE NBA
DJ Augustin Bench
Brook Lopez Starter
Jerryd Bayless Bench
Jason Thompson Bench
Brandon Rush Bench
Anthony Randolph Bench
Robin Lopez Starter
Spurs Drafted lower and got George Hill and Goran Dragic. Both are now Starters with different teams.

Top 15 doesn't mean shit. Only some of those players are now at All-Star level and the rest are starters with low level teams or bench contributors on stronger teams. The Spurs have made both shrewd draft picks and signed fiscally responsible contracts. That will not change once Tim decides to hang it up. Bank on that!

[freetiago]

You missed the part where Tim Duncan and probably Ginobili wont be on the team in 3 years
they cant build around them
and no the spurs didnt start the "big 3"
youve been watching basketball since the 70s and you somehow dont realize that every team thats every won has been stacked with multiple hall of fame talents
bird parish mchale
johnson kareem worthy
jordan pippen rodman
hakeem drexler
shaq kobe phil
lebron dwade bosh

a parker/leonard/splitter/role players is good enough to make the playoffs but not win anything
theyll be a slightly improved version of houston

and when did i say top 15=sucess in my post
all you idiots seem to be doing is putting words/ideas in my posts that i never even posted

how many point guards have led their teams to titles
Magic, Isiah...
and a past his prime parker is suppose to join that list

truth is the spurs arent a place where true max level caliber players will want to join in free agency, they can get a solid player to join but only by overpaying relative to his value (see rudy gay)
and the draft game has evolved to where you wont find championship caliber impact players in the late first/second round
the occasional george hill/chandler parsons type player can pop up but they wont be part of a featured core to win a title
when ginobili was drafted they didnt even have a picture of him to show
now they have videos on every obscure player
nobody even knew who adam hanga was and they found highlight videos to show of him playing

[Paranoid Pop]

You missed the part where Tim Duncan and probably Ginobili wont be on the team in 3 years
they cant build around them
and no the spurs didnt start the "big 3"
youve been watching basketball since the 70s and you somehow dont realize that every team thats every won has been stacked with multiple hall of fame talents
bird parish mchale
johnson kareem worthy
jordan pippen rodman
hakeem drexler
shaq kobe phil
lebron dwade bosh

a parker/leonard/splitter/role players is good enough to make the playoffs but not win anything
theyll be a slightly improved version of houston

and when did i say top 15=sucess in my post
all you idiots seem to be doing is putting words/ideas in my posts that i never even posted

how many point guards have led their teams to titles
Magic, Isiah...
and a past his prime parker is suppose to join that list

truth is the spurs arent a place where true max level caliber players will want to join in free agency, they can get a solid player to join but only by overpaying relative to his value (see rudy gay)
and the draft game has evolved to where you wont find championship caliber impact players in the late first/second round
the occasional george hill/chandler parsons type player can pop up but they wont be part of a featured core to win a title
when ginobili was drafted they didnt even have a picture of him to show
now they have videos on every obscure player
nobody even knew who adam hanga was and they found highlight videos to show of him playing

If they go full rebuilding, you better believe that a 30 years old Tiago will be traded, he will be our Verajao. And before Tony and Manu both go away because without elite playmakers he will look ordinary as fuck.

TP said himself he wants to play a few more years, the only question is will it be with the spurs and will he stay healthy to play as long as he wants.

[jyra]

I wonder if TP will look to go more into the post at the end of his career. He has great footwork and is stronger than he looks.
A guy like Andre Miller at age 36 is still getting to the rim wih consistency and converting at a high clip (64% vs. 68% for TP) even though he is everything but fast. You would think that Tony would figure out a way to do so as well.

[Man In Black]

youve been watching basketball since the 70s and you somehow dont realize that every team thats every won has been stacked with multiple hall of fame talents
bird parish mchale
johnson kareem worthy
jordan pippen rodman
hakeem drexler
shaq kobe phil
lebron dwade bosh

Did you say EVERY TEAM that's ever won had multiple players of hall of fame caliber? You said EVERY.

1975 Warriors only had Rick Barry and a bunch of role players.
1977 Blazers only had Walton and a bunch of role players of which the most well known is Maurice Lucas.
1979 Supersonics Dennis Johnson and a bunch of role players.
2004 Chauncey Billiups - a superstar less TEAM.

Well, you did say every team that's ever won. So, I've just shown you...you're wrong.

All things will flux. Miami will have to deal with LBJ's contract eventually. Bean ain't getting any younger and neither is Steve Nash. Boston just lost Rondo and Sullinger for the rest of the season, so that team will have to change. Continuity and cohesion and chemistry is a big part of why Spurs basketball is the sum of the whole is ALWAYS better than that it's parts alone. You can go half-empty. I'll go half-full as long as this front office stays in place, TP will play well and the team is a viable playoff threat throughout.
We will see what the FO can do when it's time for Tim to go to Blackjack full time and Manu decides to have steak in Bahia Blanca. There is this season still to be played and currently, no one is playing point guard better than Tony Parker.

[freetiago]

and the one guy they had leading them is a top 50 player all time hof talent in his prime back in the 70s before the nba was relevant
from the 80s on it was multiple stars on the same team
and the 04 pistons had 4 all stars on that team with one of the best defensive players of all time anchoring it and one of the best defenses of all time
if you think a 33 year old parker can have a Dirk 2011 run carrying the spurs to a title..:rolleyes

in 3 years
Portland will be a contender if they stay healthy all they need is a bench
Clippers will still be a contender if chris paul signs (99.9% he will)
OKCs guys will actually just start entering their prime
Nuggets will be a fringe contender still barring a trade
Pelicans look like it will be a contender building around Davis/Gordon/top 5 pick this year
Memphis can still possibly be a contender
Golden States players will start hitting their primes and will be lethal if they stay healthy

and thats just the west

and once again you and this other clown just pick one part of my post and try hard to disprove it even though its probably the least relevant part
you still havent addressed the other 70% of that post
im still waiting on that guy to list what max caliber free agents were signing in 2014 with our valuable cap space

[Paranoid Pop]

and the one guy they had leading them is a top 50 player all time hof talent in his prime back in the 70s before the nba was relevant
from the 80s on it was multiple stars on the same team
and the 04 pistons had 4 all stars on that team with one of the best defensive players of all time anchoring it and one of the best defenses of all time
if you think a 33 year old parker can have a Dirk 2011 run carrying the spurs to a title..:rolleyes

in 3 years
Portland will be a contender if they stay healthy all they need is a bench
Clippers will still be a contender if chris paul signs (99.9% he will)
OKCs guys will actually just start entering their prime
Nuggets will be a fringe contender still barring a trade
Pelicans look like it will be a contender building around Davis/Gordon/top 5 pick this year
Memphis can still possibly be a contender
Golden States players will start hitting their primes and will be lethal if they stay healthy

and thats just the west

and once again you and this other clown just pick one part of my post and try hard to disprove it even though its probably the least relevant part
you still havent addressed the other 70% of that post
im still waiting on that guy to list what max caliber free agents were signing in 2014 with our valuable cap space

Your first point was that he will retire with Duncan when he said himself he's gonna play longer than that... Doesn't have to be with the Spurs and no one expects to be favorites or even contenders once Duncan retires.

[freetiago]

All the reasons listed is why i believe he would retire with Duncan
3 years is a long time and a lot can change
injuries/mileage and a bad/average team
itll be like pierce with the celtics
you can trade him for cents on the dollar or he can suffer through bad times and end his career on a lownote when he deserves to go out on top with the franchise he helped make
the difference will be where will parker be in 3 years
hes already defying what is normally expected from guys who had games similar to his who were hall of fame talents
i dont think he can be a top tier starter in that time with all the new crop of good guards coming in
i think his career with the spurs/nba would end with duncans but he could still play a bit overseas
George Gervin did the same really but he wasnt an icon in a foreign country

and it looks like chazley, man in black, and capek actually believe a duncanless spur team can still be a contender

[xtremesteven33]

How far this site has fallen....

Great not in your eyes of Great but in the comparison to the all time greats in NBA history. I know his role on the Spurs team isnt designed to win a regular season MVP award but even if Pop were to let him I dont think he could win it if he tried.

Thats what I mean by Good, sometimes great.

[Richie]

Retiring with Duncan? That's legitimately the stupidest thing I've ever read on this forum. The guy will be 32 when Duncan retires.

Parker will likely be coming to the end of his elite days then, but he will still be a great player. No reason he couldn't play of until his mid-late 30s on a contender. Hopefully we can trade him to an up and coming team who will be a challenger and could use some veteran leadership.

I'd be happy to see him win rings with another franchise if we decide to blow it up after Duncan and Manu retires.

[freetiago]

32 or 33 with 14/15 seasons played with deep playoff runs and nothing left to prove
and what contender will want parker
pretty mcuh every team in the nba is set with their PG of the future and theres a huge influx of talented point guards always coming in the league
no team would really need Tony and if he did go to a contender it would be backing up a younger PG which i dont see him doing

so tell me how is that stupid reasoning

[spursfan09]

Yeah no team would want a veteran point guard with 3 championships and leadership capabilities. Who also is also very coach able and will do what is asked of him.

[Richie]

32 or 33 with 14/15 seasons played with deep playoff runs and nothing left to prove
and what contender will want parker
pretty mcuh every team in the nba is set with their PG of the future and theres a huge influx of talented point guards always coming in the league
no team would really need Tony and if he did go to a contender it would be backing up a younger PG which i dont see him doing

so tell me how is that stupid reasoning

Of course a contender would want Parker, that's nonsense. Could you imagine Parker on this same Knicks team in 2 years? Melo, Chandler and Stoudamire are all signed for the 14/15 season, they would bend over backwards to get Parker on to that team for the final season.

Parker backing up a younger point guard? The guy is a legit Top 3 player in his position right now. In a couple years he might still be there, he might have fallen down to being merely a Top 10 point guard, but even then he will be valuable. You aren't putting enough importance on playoff experience or veteran leadership, and he is still young.

You say all the franchises have a point guard set, but that won't be the case in a few years. Trades happen, players get injured, lose form, or simply get shown up as playoff chokers. In a couple years, maybe Curry has retired from ankle problems.

Hell, maybe the Bobcats draft a Tim Duncan-esque player in the next couple years and they need a point guard to lead them along with MKG and others. Maybe Favors, Hayward and Kanter become stars and need a point guard to put it all together. The Pacers are dying for a point guard right now. Maybe Toronto gets a couple good picks, there are any number of teams that could be up and coming and looking for a point guard in a few years.

Obviously the Cavs, Bulls etc... are set long term for point guards, but the idea that he will have no value to a contending team as a starter is frankly outrageous and moronic. Add to the fact that he is a bargain at $12.5m for the 14/15 season there will be a LOT of interest.

[Cry Havoc]

32 or 33 with 14/15 seasons played with deep playoff runs and nothing left to prove
and what contender will want parker
pretty mcuh every team in the nba is set with their PG of the future and theres a huge influx of talented point guards always coming in the league
no team would really need Tony and if he did go to a contender it would be backing up a younger PG which i dont see him doing

so tell me how is that stupid reasoning

You need to stop posting. Forever. Parker's the 2nd or 3rd best point in the league. Anyone outside of Chicago, OKC, LAC, and Cleveland would love him on their team. Seriously, stop posting here if all you're going to bring is these ridiculous takes with no factual backing.


pretty mcuh every team in the nba is set with their PG of the future

One of the most hilariously stupid statements I've ever read on Spurstalk. And that's saying a lot.

[freetiago]

the only contending team on that list is indiana
new york wont go that far in the luxury tax
bobcats have kemba who is quitely playing very well
all the teams that can turn into contenders
portland
new orleans
nuggets
milwaukee?
have point guards set

utah will not be a contender
detroit
toronto
orlando
washington
dallas
sacremento
phoenix
those teams wont be contenders either
detroit is the only one on that list who has a chance because of their frontcourt and theyve made it known they want to resign calderon

all the other team have young top tier guards and they wont surrender valuable assests for a year or two rental of tony parker
everyone in here is making huge what ifs that are big best case scenarios of what will actually happen
1) thinking spurs will still contend when duncan is done
2) think the spurs will sign max caliber free agents in the offseason
3) thinking parker doesnt have a resume as a playoff choker (pack the paint, put bigger defender on him, get outplayed by speedy claxton)
4) thinking parker will still be a top tier pg in his mid 30s worth 12.5 mil (max is what 13 million) when teams have good young PGs

and once again putting words into my post that i didnt say
i didnt say he wont be a valuable starter
i said teams wont need a 12 million starting point guard on the decline when they have point guards set
you seem to think a team like the nuggets would trade their young assests for tony and start him and bench ty lawson
why would they do that, its not worth it
guys like garnett and pierce still have market value because they play positions that arent deep with talent
the point guard depth in the nba grows every year and no names like jrue holidays are becoming elite guards

[timvp]

My brain hurts reading this thread. Parker is going to go from the best point guard in the league* to having no shot of finding a starting job in two years and there's no way to argue otherwise? Yeah, okay. RC Buford sucks because he has only found two Hall of Famers late in the draft? Wow........

As for the original point of this thread, I don't know the answer. If you asked me a half decade ago, I'd say Parker would be seeing the end of his career at around 30 to 31 since he's a speed dominant player and small, speed dominant players who can't jump have historically washed out at around that age. But times are achangin'. With advances in science/medicine, players are able to play longer. Hell, look at TD and Ginobili. TD is having one of the greatest age-36 seasons of all-time. And Ginobili is probably an even better example. Sarunas Marciulionis, the player probably most comparable to Ginobili in playing style, was done at 28. Someone like Ginobili who goes so hard and puts his body on the line in every minute of every game shouldn't be thriving at age 35. But with science/medicine improvements (and Pop not overworking him), he's probably got another two or three years left in him if no major injury strikes.

So if Parker takes care of his body, avoids big injury, Pop keeps his minutes reasonable, his shooting keeps improving and his passing continues to get more and more elite, I'm not going to put anything past him. Could he still be a top five point guard at 35 years old? I would have laughed at that question a few years ago but today I think it might be possible.

[timvp]

^ I like how the Bobcats made his contenders list :lol









*According to Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan

[Cry Havoc]

Not to mention that Parker is the FASTEST guard in the league. Even when he slows down, he'll still be one of the fastest guards in the league.

[freetiago]

i didnt say bobcats were contenders
i said they have a good young point guard in kemba
RC buford also drafted parker/ginobili before the draft advanced and people started looking overseas
theyre wont be anymore manu ginobilis in the 2nd round
if a young ginobili was playing today he would be a lottery pick because of all the scouts overseas and the youtube era
and what are the chances of him drafting a true championship caliber player and not a good role player with a 20-30 pick
look at his history since 06
2011: Cory Joseph (29), Adam Hanga (59)
2010: James Anderson (20), Ryan Richards (49)
2009: DeJuan Blair (37), Jack McClinton (51), Nando De Colo (53)
2008: George Hill (26), Goran Dragic (45), James Gist (57)
2007: Tiago Splitter (28), Marcus Williams (33), Giorgos Printezis (58)
2006: Damir Markota (59)

Tiago is the best pick in that time and the only reason he fell was because he wanted to stay overseas
George hill is a good roleplayer but he isnt an elite player part of a featured core
indianas offense is ranked 29th with him running it despite having very talented players

Parker can find a starting job but all the contenders have very good starting point guards and he wont want to be part of a rebuild
the only possible team i can see without a point guard is the Lakers
and again a scenario that people believe will happen
why would a team like the nuggets trade their young assests and start a 33ish year old parker, most likely benching ty lawson

and even if he does start on a contender somehow the nba in 3 years will still most likely be OKC vs wherever Lebron is

[timvp]

:lol including players the Spurs traded away before the pick was made and putting it on Buford.

I don't think you understand how the draft works. Outside of the lottery, players picked in that range have NBA career ~20% of the time. Players picked at the end of the first round have NBA career <10% of the time. In the second round, you're talking 1-3% of the time.

The Spurs traded away their pick in 2006. In 2007, Splitter has turned out to be a great pick. In 2008, George Hill was a great pick. In 2009, DeJuan Blair was a great pick even if it was always a given his knees would premature degenerate. De Colo is potentially a great pick. In 2010, James Anderson probably goes down as a great pick if he doesn't break his foot and go the way of Travis Outlaw, Roddy Buckets, etc. In 2011, Kawhi Leonard was a great pick (remember, players in that area only have a 20% shot of having an NBA career) and Cory Joseph looks like he could develop into a nice player (same with Bertans and Hanga).

You point to that stretch of draft picks as to indicate its weakness when it was actually a great stretch of drafting.






P.S.
Parker would start for every team in the NBA today. In a couple years, he'd still start for a large majority of them ... if not all of them still. I know you think you're Ms. Cleo and can tell who is and is not going to be a contender but the reality is that Parker is damn good and has yet to show signs of slowing down.




P.P.S.
Calling him a ":cryplayoff choker:cry" makes no sense because that would make everyone outside of LeBron James in today's NBA world a playoff choker. Sure, TP hasn't been able to lift a team to a championship as the #1 option ... but that holds true for everyone in the NBA outside of LeBron. Dirk has fallen off. Kobe is Kobe anymore. Paul Pierce has slowed. Duncan isn't in his prime. So right now, we have LeBron as the only active #1 option with a championship ring. We can call everyone else playoff chokers or we can realize how that makes no sense...

[capek]

We can call everyone else playoff chokers or we can realize how that makes no sense...

Freetiago: "What is this "sense" you talk about? Is it like the feeling I get when I need to go poop?"

[freetiago]

The point of showing who was drafted was to show they while they are solid players they arent part of a championship big 3 that could compete with a prime Durant/Westbrook/Abaka
A Parker/Leonard/Splitter core can probably be a 6-8 seed in a stacked western conference and get somewhere near a 20th pick
adding a rookie James Anderson to that core will not be the missing piece to compete with OKC

and this thread is abut his early to mid 30s
he can start but again who would really need him
he would be nice to have but probably not at a 13 million price tag when a team can stick with a great player like ty lawson

and 2010 getting swept by the suns and having goran dragic drop huge turds on parker
2011 mike conley shutting him down to the point where he had trouble dribbling the ball up the court at times
2012- Thabo sefalosha
then other chokes like 04
a lot of this goes on Parker who played great in the reg season and who was known as the leader of the team and he pulls disappearing acts
also is a 33 year old Parker going to join the list of Magic and Isiah to lead their teams to a title

and no guys like Durant didnt choke
Harden did and his team just got outplayed and Miamis roleplayers got hot
parker does have an actual resume of being upset while he was suppose to be the best player on the team
Durant losing to James in the finals isnt an upset

[Richie]

The point of showing who was drafted was to show they while they are solid players they arent part of a championship big 3 that could compete with a prime Durant/Westbrook/Abaka
A Parker/Leonard/Splitter core can probably be a 6-8 seed in a stacked western conference and get somewhere near a 20th pick
adding a rookie James Anderson to that core will not be the missing piece to compete with OKC


Listen. We aren't saying the Spurs will be a contender after Duncan and Manu retire. We likely won't get a star free agent or a superstar draft pick.

However, what you are saying is ridiculous. Parker will not retire at 32. He will likely not retire a Spur, as it will be in both his and our best interests to trade him. A team like Denver would snap our hand off for a Lawson/Parker trade. $13m is an absolute bargain for a player of Parkers quality, considering a max contract for him is $20m+.

The idea that he would retire along with Duncan is purely moronic. A talented team looking for a #2 or #3 guy in a couple years should look no further than Parker. Hell, maybe even Durant/Westbrook end up with a Kobe/Shaq feud and OKC needs a point guard. The point is, there will be playoff teams looking for an elite point guard in a couple years, and they will want Parker.

[timvp]

The point of showing who was drafted was to show they while they are solid players they arent part of a championship big 3 that could compete with a prime Durant/Westbrook/Abaka
A Parker/Leonard/Splitter core can probably be a 6-8 seed in a stacked western conference and get somewhere near a 20th pick
adding a rookie James Anderson to that core will not be the missing piece to compete with OKCSo you want a superstar in every draft? Got it.


and this thread is abut his early to mid 30s
he can start but again who would really need him
he would be nice to have but probably not at a 13 million price tag when a team can stick with a great player like ty lawsonMost teams need their starters, tbh. And Ty Lawson isn't a great player.


and 2010 getting swept by the suns and having goran dragic drop huge turds on parker
Yeah, let's blame Parker for that series even though he was slowed by injury that season and, for that reason, began the series on the bench. Good idea.


2011 mike conley shutting him down to the point where he had trouble dribbling the ball up the court at timesExaggeration.

2012- Thabo sefalosha Parker still outplayed Westbrook. The Spurs still outscored the Thunder for the series when Parker was on the court. Parker was the best player on the court in Game 6 for a majority of the game. But, yeah, Spurs lost so that makes him a choker. Good idea.


then other chokes like 04A 21-year-old point guard was only great in the first two games and then struggled after the Lakers decided to focus their defense to stopping him while leaving shooters open. Let's call Parker a playoff choker for being a 21-year-old who couldn't beat perhaps the most talented team ever when they designed their D to stop him specifically. Another great idea.



also is a 33 year old Parker going to join the list of Magic and Isiah to lead their teams to a titleYou're the one with apparent psychic abilities. You tell us. Thanks.


and no guys like Durant didnt choke
Harden did and his team just got outplayed and Miamis roleplayers got hotOkay, so we have LeBron James as a proven #1 championship option. And Kevin Durant as an unproven #1 championship option who might not be a choker pending a larger sample size. Everyone else is a playoff choker. Interesting stuff, tbh.


parker does have an actual resume of being upset while he was suppose to be the best player on the teamLast year was the first time Parker was the best player on the team. They made it to the WCF for the first time in five seasons. Let's not fill the San Antonio River with tears just yet.


Durant losing to James in the finals isnt an upsetActually, yeah it was. The Thunder were favored to win the series. I apologize for Vegas disagreeing with your hindsight vision.

[Brazil]

Timvp going ham on freetiago.

Please try to not be that harsh on timvpdpoty dude, he is mentally fragile tbh. Thanks in advance for your comprehension.

[Cry Havoc]

:lol freetiago just embarrassing himself. Revisionist history is an oogly thing. :lol

[freetiago]

lol at gnsf god putting words i didnt say and exaggerating my post
youre the one who said everyone but lebron was a choker by my logic which i never said
whats the spurs record in the playoffs since 07 btw
and you want to act like a choking didnt happen
how about game 1 in 2011 when manu was out and the spurs needed parker to step up, 4-16
even his game 2 of 12 pts on 14 shots then proceeds to go 5/14 the next game

and did i say we need a superstar in every draft
the point of that is that if we keep the core well still win and will get solid players
nothing to take us over the top
will parker want to stay in that situation?

and who cares if he outplayed westbrick
he didnt do what was needed for the spurs to win
in games 3/4/5 he turned into an inefficient scorer/turnover machine
and game 6 he started out hot then collapsed in the 3rd and 4th
backdoor sweep but yes he outplayed westbrook congratulations

and choking is choking no matter what teams he played
what about 03 when tony had his ass glued to the bench for speedy claxton

spurfan is so sensitive
this whole thread got derailed because i suggested Tony Parker who would play a fulfilling 15 year career with the same team would possibly retire out on top with the same franchise and let the team rebuild
spurfan is trying to make it sound like i said Tony is garbage
ive already acknowledged that hes a top point guard and probably the best in the nba in other threads
Tony is more loyal then everyone thinks and he could easily end his career on a high note with the same team once the Tim Duncan era has ended as he could continue playing for other teams or waste his last days on a treadmill spur team

[timvp]

lol at gnsf god putting words i didnt say and exaggerating my post
youre the one who said everyone but lebron was a choker by my logic which i never saidObviously you didn't say that or I would have quoted it. I furthered your logic to account for more than simply LeBron, Durant and Parker. If you want to counter it, then list some players who right now could take over for Parker as the No. 1 option and lead the Spurs to a championship. LeBron is one. Durant? He's an untested two. Who else you got?



whats the spurs record in the playoffs since 07 btwThe Spurs haven't been as good since Tim Duncan's prime ended. Great investigative posting. Let's alert the news agencies.


and you want to act like a choking didnt happenLosing doesn't necessarily equal choking. Which team since 2007 do you think should have won a championship but choked? All of them?


how about game 1 in 2011 when manu was out and the spurs needed parker to step up, 4-16 Bad game. Good call. Go to the front desk for your cookie.


and who cares if he outplayed westbrick
he didnt do what was needed for the spurs to winObviously he didn't do what the Spurs needed to win because the Spurs didn't win. Durant didn't do what the Thunder needed him to do to win in the Finals. That's how that formula works.

Did Parker play at the top of his game? No. Is it his fault alone the Spurs lost? No. Is Parker a choker because he didn't do it? I don't see how unless you're definition of non-chokers is unrealistically high.


what about 03 when tony had his ass glued to the bench for speedy claxtonHow dare a player younger than Cory Joseph only dominate a top five point guard ever who was in his prime for part of the series rather than the whole series. Good call.



this whole thread got derailed because i suggested Tony Parker who would play a fulfilling 15 year career with the same team would possibly retire out on top with the same franchise and let the team rebuildMaybe Kawhi should also retire so the Spurs can really suck and rebuild even better. Good call.

No, TP isn't going to retire in two years. Barring injury, he's always said he wants to play as long as he can. And, no, the Spurs aren't going to be nudging him out into the pasture any time soon. They'll gladly have the "playoff choker" around leading the next crop.

[therealtruth]

A fair definition for playoff choker is someone who can't play at the same level he plays at in the regular season. That automatically excludes Lebron since he always plays better in the playoffs regardless of team success.

[Calispursfan11]

Agree that TP is not a playoff choker. He's also been on an absolute tear of late. He used to have an off game every 3-4 games in the past, but he's been playing great for months now.

[MVPCues]

Is this thread a hoax? TP to retire in two years because he won't want to play in the NBA anymore and nobody will want him? GAWD, I think this is worse than PlayBair and the loving Bonner Doc guy.

[Man In Black]

I tried earlier but it was pointless. FT doesn't know this game as he thinks he does. FT translated means Folly Trap.

[MVPCues]

No disrespect meant toward the OP, he posed a reasonable question. I would have worded it as "mid to late 30's though". I don't think there is any question about his level of play during his early 30's.

[hater]

Manu coudn't, Kobe couldn't.

Kidd could.

I give it 50-50 cause Parker seems to be an adaptable guy

[exstatic]

Since he will be 31 in May, I'd say he already has.

[wtgspurs]

TP relies on a combination of speed and craftiness to get into the lane, which allows him the high shooting percentage and also contributes to more assists on kickouts. It is inevitable that he will slow down in the next few years which will decrease the speed component of his game. Will it be possible for him to remain just as effective for 3-4 more years by adjusting his game somehow or will his MVP caliber window close in the next year or two? I feel like TP is better than ever now, a more complete player, so I hope he can remain at his peak for at least awhile somehow.

Thoughts?
It's sad to see that people believe your career is over as soon as you hit your 30's. It's like im 29 today and tomorrow im 30 i should be looking forward to start buying viagra or something. Come on peoples, age is only a figure it is your mind that causes you to go through a mental breakdown which then affects you physically. A man once said he was at his strongest at Age 52 than he was at age 30!!! Tony Parker can keep up his play for a good 5-10 more years as long as he stays fit, injury free and have a strong mind...

[LongtimeSpursFan]

he benefits playin in a league where defense is a lost art.....

dont even bring up the competition he plays against his position....the only time he beats them h2h is when those guys are either on the bench casual clothes, or playing with some injury...

i give tony the benefit of the doubt what he has achieve fuss far due to the above variances....

he will continue to get his and play the same style without changing, as long his in hero ball mode....remember individual glory >>> spurs glory

the only time he gets exposed is when a wing player is on him....

Are you a Spurs fan?

[exstatic]

It's sad to see that people believe your career is over as soon as you hit your 30's. It's like im 29 today and tomorrow im 30 i should be looking forward to start buying viagra or something. Come on peoples, age is only a figure it is your mind that causes you to go through a mental breakdown which then affects you physically. A man once said he was at his strongest at Age 52 than he was at age 30!!! Tony Parker can keep up his play for a good 5-10 more years as long as he stays fit, injury free and have a strong mind...

Age is NOT just a number to an athlete. They really DO begin to break down. He might play another 5 years, but never another 10 years.

[Man In Black]

Age is NOT just a number to an athlete. They really DO begin to break down. He might play another 5 years, but never another 10 years.
Jason Kidd says hi! It doesn't mean that he'll play at the same level, or that his game doesn't require an adjustment, it just means it's possible that, as long as he has useful skills...he can play another 10 years.
All of these guys on this list are solid basketball players. Are they as good as they once were? Probably not, but they are still better than half the guys that play their same position.
http://sportige.com/oldest-nba-players-10-2012-2013/
It's not beyond the realm of possibility that TP can play until 40. I doubt he will, but if those guys could, then why can't TP?

[chapnis]

He is in a similar situation to Kobe (not quite as old) in the fact that he isn't quite as old but has been playing since he was quite young so has more wear and tear than someone else his age might.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Some Spurs fans are fucking idiots.

Tony Parker has had an MVP-caliber year, and for most Spurs fans he is just 'good'. You guys have no idea what you are even witnessing. While we inevitably will start seeing a decline in his speed in 2-3 years, he arguably has the best midrange shot of any guard in the league, is top 5 at getting to basket/finishing, has greatly improved his 3 point shot and vision/playmaking. Above-average defensively. Leader of this team. He isn't just a guy who is faster than everyone anymore - his game has evolved to the point where he is now just the best all around PG in the league.

I agree with a slightly less gushing verson of this: CP3 is still the best PG in the NBA, but TP ain't far off, just as he hasn't been for the past 5 years.


Yeah no team would want a veteran point guard with 3 championships and leadership capabilities. Who also is also very coach able and will do what is asked of him.

Indeed.


Parker's the 2nd or 3rd best point in the league. Anyone outside of Chicago, OKC, LAC, and Cleveland would love him on their team.

Yup.


My brain hurts reading this thread. Parker is going to go from the best point guard in the league* to having no shot of finding a starting job in two years and there's no way to argue otherwise? Yeah, okay. RC Buford sucks because he has only found two Hall of Famers late in the draft? Wow........

As for the original point of this thread, I don't know the answer. If you asked me a half decade ago, I'd say Parker would be seeing the end of his career at around 30 to 31 since he's a speed dominant player and small, speed dominant players who can't jump have historically washed out at around that age. But times are achangin'. With advances in science/medicine, players are able to play longer. Hell, look at TD and Ginobili. TD is having one of the greatest age-36 seasons of all-time. And Ginobili is probably an even better example. Sarunas Marciulionis, the player probably most comparable to Ginobili in playing style, was done at 28. Someone like Ginobili who goes so hard and puts his body on the line in every minute of every game shouldn't be thriving at age 35. But with science/medicine improvements (and Pop not overworking him), he's probably got another two or three years left in him if no major injury strikes.

So if Parker takes care of his body, avoids big injury, Pop keeps his minutes reasonable, his shooting keeps improving and his passing continues to get more and more elite, I'm not going to put anything past him. Could he still be a top five point guard at 35 years old? I would have laughed at that question a few years ago but today I think it might be possible.

Exactly.

I thought TP would be in slight decline by now due to his reliance on speed in his early career, however he's not. He has improved his shooting and QB skills to offset any minor loss of pace he's suffered at this point, and I fully expect him to be elite for another 2 seasons at least, and then to suffer a much slower decline than you would think due to the excellent medical technology available today. The real question is what happens when he loses a step and people can stay at home on his jumper, but his variety of fakes and step-through is impressive, so maybe this won't hurt him as much as we might think.

[Dr. Robert Lee]

Yeah no team would want a veteran point guard with 3 championships and leadership capabilities. Who also is also very coach able and will do what is asked of him.
:lmao

[spursfan09]

You don't believe a pg who has ran the same team for more than 10 years isn't looked to as a leader? I'm pretty sure when he calls plays the players listen.

[Pauleta14]

Don't answer him!!

TIMVPDPOY is just using an alias... ;)

[spursfan09]

Yeah I see that now. I had TIMVPD on my ignore list. now goes his alias. talk about pathetic.