raspsa
01-28-2008, 05:34 PM
Aside from his heel problems, what else is there to distract him? The honeymoon has been over for some time now..
It may be that no Spurs player needs the trip more than Tony Parker. The team's top scorer (19.6 points per game) has struggled for more than a month with a bone spur in his left heel that has affected his explosion and diminished his effectiveness on drives to the basket.
Popovich also believes Parker will benefit from the enforced focus of the trip.
"Having absolutely no distractions or responsibilities for a certain period of time will be great for him," Popovich said. "Plus, we'll be able to attack that foot with down time and keep him, so to speak, caged — make him do whatever we want him to do every second. So it should be great for him."
The Spurs coach is moderately amazed that Parker has been able to play at a level approaching the one that earned him MVP honors in the 2007 NBA Finals considering his injury and myriad distractions.
"(Tony) definitely doesn't have the same explosion," Popovich said after a recent practice. "He's still trying to find his total focus back and get his heel healthy.
It may be that no Spurs player needs the trip more than Tony Parker. The team's top scorer (19.6 points per game) has struggled for more than a month with a bone spur in his left heel that has affected his explosion and diminished his effectiveness on drives to the basket.
Popovich also believes Parker will benefit from the enforced focus of the trip.
"Having absolutely no distractions or responsibilities for a certain period of time will be great for him," Popovich said. "Plus, we'll be able to attack that foot with down time and keep him, so to speak, caged — make him do whatever we want him to do every second. So it should be great for him."
The Spurs coach is moderately amazed that Parker has been able to play at a level approaching the one that earned him MVP honors in the 2007 NBA Finals considering his injury and myriad distractions.
"(Tony) definitely doesn't have the same explosion," Popovich said after a recent practice. "He's still trying to find his total focus back and get his heel healthy.