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Great he is gonna wear his little azz our early too, period.. I can see him getting hurt and it's this year all over again for us. Learn from Manu little frenchie, if not you are gonna be fukked too.
Parker plans to play for France this summer
Jeff McDonald
Spurs guard Tony Parker says he won't let Manu Ginobili's ill-fated run in last year's Olympics deter him from playing with the French national team this summer.
Ginobili aggravated an ankle injury while playing for Argentina last August in Beijing, and eventually required surgery. He missed 43 games this season, including all of the playoffs, while recovering from that injury and others.
After the Spurs' Game 5 ouster against Dallas, Parker said he plans to go through with his decision to join the French team.
“For me, it will be a little bit different,” said Parker, who turns 27 in May. “Manu is over 30. I'm younger.”
Unlike Ginobili last year, Parker also enters the offseason relatively healthy after the most productive season of his NBA career. He plans to take May and June off, then join the French team July 12 for an Olympic qualifier in Poland.
As part of the league's agreement with FIBA, the international basketball organization, NBA teams cannot forbid players from playing in summertime events. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich strongly discouraged Ginobili from participating in last season's Olympics, but would not go on record with a similar plea for Parker.
“I've learned that I'm limited as to the comments that can be made, due to a variety of agreements and such,” Popovich said Wednesday. “One could probably just look at my face, or at the comments I've made in the past — that I'm not making now — and you can glean from that how happy I am about some of the guys playing in the summertime.”
Parker realizes his international career is in its twilight. He says he would like to play for the French team for two or three more years.
“When I pass that bar, the 30 years, then I'll think about it and learn from what happened with Manu,” Parker said.
Gooden could test waters: Reiterating his desire to remain in San Antonio, free-agent-to-be Drew Gooden said he would probably test the market before committing to any team next season.
“I'd love to be a part of this organization, but that's something we'll have to see this summer,” Gooden said.
Gooden signed with the Spurs on March 4, after being bought out of his contract in Sacramento. He averaged 9.8 points in 19 games with the Spurs, but did not play in their Game 5 loss against the Mavericks.
“I had a great time here; it was a great experience,” Gooden said. “Whatever happens, it will be a couple of pages in my book that will be memorable.”
Finley undecided: Michael Finley said he has not decided whether to exercise his final-year option with the Spurs.
Finley is due another $2.5 million should he decide to play another season.
“I haven't really thought about next year, to be quite honest,” Finley said. “I'm going to sit back with my family now, enjoy this extended period of time off, and when the time comes that I have to make a decision about my future, that's when I'll make it.”
Bouncing baby Bonner: One way or another, Matt Bonner is guaranteed to have a busy offseason. His wife, Nadia, is due to give birth to the couple's first child in July.
The Bonners are expecting a girl.
“We're going to all the classes and reading all the books,” Bonner said. “We're both pretty excited.”
Great he is gonna wear his little azz our early too, period.. I can see him getting hurt and it's this year all over again for us. Learn from Manu little frenchie, if not you are gonna be fukked too.
Young people always think they are invincible.
It's been a few days.. no one has asked Bonner to comment about GMC's decision to discontinue Pontiacs?
You mean I'm not really invincible!!! There goes my plans of jumping off a cliff!!
ducks better be all over this ! Bashed the out of Manu for it, now let's see some ing indignation ducky boy!
what exactly is your excuse now ducks? Pop is against Tony going just like with Manu... right? what say you now?“I've learned that I'm limited as to the comments that can be made, due to a variety of agreements and such,” Popovich said Wednesday. “One could probably just look at my face, or at the comments I've made in the past — that I'm not making now — and you can glean from that how happy I am about some of the guys playing in the summertime.”
P.S. Good luck to Tony, hope he stays healthy
EDIT: Not to be misconstrued as a Tony vs Manu thread, this is a "calling ducks out" thread.
Last edited by MaNuMaNiAc; 04-30-2009 at 02:56 AM.
Horrible agreement by the NBA to prevent teams from making individual decisions.
Good save.
On a related note:
Eva to quit US for France
Actress Eva Longoria Parker has decided to move to her husband’s native country France once she wraps up her superhit TV series ‘Desperate Housewives’.
The Latin actress who currently lives in Los Angeles with husband Tony Parker, a star player for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team, wants to move to France with her husband for some peaceful living.
“Tony and I will be moving to France after Desperate Housewives. Actually after his basketball career. Not for just a while, but we’ll be living there for a bit,” said the 34-year-old actress who married Parker in a lavish ceremony in France in 2007.
Nice...can't wait to see Parker miss 40 games next year because he wore himself out over the summer.
Stupid people still don't understand what an honor it is to represent your country in a sporting event . . .
I don't think anyone questions the prestige of it...but when it starts to cost the team that pays your salary, it is a problem. I'm sure Pop realizes what an honor it is but that still didn't keep him from showing his displeasure for it.
Awesome, their respective countries can pay the 12 million a year then.
Just like Pop says, the Spurs pay his bills so he shouldn't do anything to compromise that.
Stuff all your money up your ass
Dumb move
Do you remember that Parker played for France last summer? That he gave everything he had because everyone else on the team sucked?
What were the awful consequences? 22pts, 7ass during the regular season, 1st offensive power in Tim Duncan's team, he's had the best season of his career so far. So I wouldn't be so sure the few games he'll play this summer are going to cost him next season.
Plus, you need to realize that the Spurs PAY him to play games during the NBA regular season and the Playoffs. They don't OWN him! Slavery is over guys, and Parker can do whatever he wants during the summer.
Exactly, not to forget that its an honor to play for your country, and no one can take that away from you. I hope he plays well and manages to qualify. Go TOny!
yeah it's an honor to work for his mother country, that's why Manu got badly injuried and missed the postseason as a result, otherwise the Spurs would have played much better or even won the series against Mavs.
It's not an obligation but a business to play basketball, in other words it's just a game that brings us entertainment but not hurt, physically or mentally. Players have the God-given rights to protect themselves, NBA teams and team US respect those rights but other national teams don't.
Surely we can't decide for the Spurs whether to play those bs games or not, I just suggest the players know who they are. As a professional basketball player, the first job is just to keep himself healthy and 100% perpared for his job, which is just playing NBA games. International games are kind of temporary amusements, the UN takes the resposibility to defend the honors of the nations.
I'd be a lot more comfortable with it if Parker had Iverson's stamina.. the guy could play the 4th quarter as hard as the 1st.. a real physical freak.
je savais bien que ton anglais était meilleur que le mien
Won't TEAM USA be playing this summer also?
Yea it sucks having your star players risk injury by playing basketball but hey he deserves it after carrying this team the past season.
Spurs aren't going anywhere until the managers get some real talent in anyway.
Once again unless they can beat Italy they will play no more probably than 2-3 games.
Thats the risk of drafting foreign players. If you dont want them to do it, put it in their contract. I dont like it with Tony but hes got the right to do it, I hope he can stay healthy, we need him badly.
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