McDonald: Spurs limit Parker's work

[Bruno]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...N.391c79b.html


Web Posted: 10/13/2007 12:18 AM CDT
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News

In an attempt to confer in private during a timeout in Dallas five days ago, Spurs coaches assembled 10 feet out on the court, away from the prying ears of their players.

Configured in a semicircle was the bulk of the brain trust — head coach Gregg Popovich, assistants Mike Budenholzer, Brett Brown and Don Newman and ... Tony Parker?

Parker was inactive for the game, part of Popovich's plan to keep his point guard well rested for the start of the season. That didn't stop him from poking his nose into the coaches' clandestine huddle.

In the process, Parker picked up a valuable lesson about coaching basketball.

"It's way much better," Parker said, "to play basketball."

Parker hasn't been doing much of that lately, per Popovich's orders. He isn't injured, but after a grueling summer that included work with the French national team, Parker has been instructed to take it easy during camp's early stages.

He has been held out of all contact drills and scrimmages and won't play in preseason games in the near future. Parker will again be in street clothes tonight when the Spurs face the Greek professional team Panathinaikos in an exhibition at the AT&T Center.

In the span of five months, last year's NBA Finals MVP has gone from idol to idle.

The Spurs have no specific timetable for getting Parker into game action. Popovich said the guard might skip two or three more exhibition games. Parker is hoping to miss only one or two.

The heaviest lifting Parker has done during camp has been exactly that — heavy lifting. He spends most practice days locked in the weight room with strength coach Mike Brungardt, where he is more likely to be seen with a barbell in his hands than a basketball.

So far, the arrangement has worked wonders for Parker's body, which he admits wore down a bit after his busy summer. Not so much for his mind — he confesses to going a little stir crazy away from the court.

"I'm just trying to survive," Parker said. "I know it's important for me and important for my body. We're just trying to do some stuff to prevent injury and make sure my body's strong enough for the whole season."

Parker's teammates, though eager to have their playmaking point guard back on the floor, understand his need for rest.

After all, there is a long season ahead.

"Of course we'd like to start playing with him now," said Manu Ginobili, who started in Parker's place at Dallas. "But it's wiser for him to sit for a while."

Ginobili discovered firsthand the toll a summer of basketball can take on a body after playing with the Argentine national team in the 2004 Olympics. Parker, too, said he understands the wisdom of taking it easy.

Still, he can hardly recount his typical day at this training camp without stifling a yawn.

He begins by going through warm-up drills with his teammates. Some days, it might be the last he sees of them.

Then, it's off to the weight room for a lifting regimen designed to build up his conditioning and core strength. The worst part of the workout is the 15 minutes he spends running "The Hill," a steep-grade workout area at the Spurs' practice site.

"It's a long 15 minutes," Parker said.

After that, Parker will retire to the gym for some light shooting. If he's particularly unlucky, he might get to watch his teammates scrimmage without him.

Parker usually concludes each day by beseeching Popovich to let him back on the floor, sooner rather than later.

"He's basically begging to get out of the weight room," Popovich said. "But we're going to keep him in there for a while."

It's not exactly the news Parker was hoping to hear.

He will endure the rest of his ordered time off with a smile. Inside, however, Parker longs for the day when he can return to playing basketball, instead of watching it.

[Newton]

A testament to TP's increasing maturity as a player and person. As a compe or, of course he wants to get out on the court, but he seems very capable of trusting Pop and the rest of the staff that they have his (and the team's) best interests in mind.

[Solid D]

True, Newton. It won't be long until TP is fearlessly slashing down the lane, putting up a spinning shot at full speed and getting knocked to the floor by behemoths who have also been spending the summer lifting weights.