The 2009 French NT thread

[Tully365]

Playing pick up basketball and working yourself back into shape is different than playing high level world compe ion with your country's pride on the line. I love international basketball and there are always some inherent risks when playing sports.

But players should be smart about things and try and limit the injuries as much as possible. Just take care of yourself, work yourself back into shape, don't try and do too much and monitor any minor bumps and bruises so they do not become worse.

Playing pick up basketball is probably more risky because it is unsupervised and unofficiated. All it would take is one macho hothead looking to show how tough he is to do far worse damage than a sprained ankle.

[angelbelow]

De Colo!

[Lady M]

Parker says de Colo will be a SG with the Spurs, he plays SG for the NT but for his new Spanish team he'll be playin PG, y is that Bruno? Do the Spurs want him to improve his playmaking ability more than his scoring ability?

if he play PG he have a lot of work
he was better during the 3 days playing SG and be the 4th or 5th offensive option

[ploto]

he got hurt 2 times before (2006 and 2007)...

Given that he did not play for his NT in 2008, he has gotten hurt the last three times straight.

[timaios]

Given that he did not play for his NT in 2008, he has gotten hurt the last three times straight.

He did play with his NT in 2008.

[GSH]

I wonder how some people expect Spurs fans to react? One of the best players on the team goes down to an injury, while playing for another team, and you expect them to be happy about it? After the Manu fiasco last season, of course there's going to be a ing meltdown. Why wouldn't there be?

I'd love to get an honest response from some of the international fans about this:

What if Tony Parker became a naturalized American citizen, and FIBA granted him an exception to play for Team USA, because his father was an American citizen? (Spare me the rule quotes - this is about "what if".) Do you think the French fans would be happy about it? Do you think they would decide that since he lives here now, and became a citizen, it just makes sense for him to represent this country in the Olympics?

You don't really have to answer - the meltdown would be epic. I know it's not an identical situation, but the point is the same. Even if you are in favor of players competing with their NT's every summer, expecting most Spurs fans to be understanding about the injuries is naive, at best. And mocking them for being upset is, frankly, both ignorant and arrogant.

At least Tony wasn't already injured when the season ended, like Manu was last summer. So I'm sure he will get more la ude from the general community of Spurs fans. But now that has changed, because he is injured. If he continues to play, and something worse happens - even if it isn't necessarily directly related to this injury - the fans aren't going to be sympathetic or understanding. He may not have done anything stupid to get this injury, but getting a second (worse) one definitely would be stupid.

And, for the record, professional athletes catch all the time for getting injured in the off-season in pickup games. Or snowboarding, or rock climbing, or motorcycle riding, or anything else. They're professionals, making millions of dollars to play a sport. And they are expected to keep themselves healthy, and come into camp ready to play. You hear all the time that "basketball is a business" - and businesses naturally look at the bottom line. If you paid someone to back up your company's data, and they didn't get it done, would you really give a damn why they didn't get it done? Nope. Bottom line - you have the data or you don't. And in sports, the bottom line is, "Is the player injured, and was it avoidable?"

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I wonder how some people expect Spurs fans to react? One of the best players on the team goes down to an injury, while playing for another team, and you expect them to be happy about it? After the Manu fiasco last season, of course there's going to be a ing meltdown. Why wouldn't there be?

I'd love to get an honest response from some of the international fans about this:

What if Tony Parker became a naturalized American citizen, and FIBA granted him an exception to play for Team USA, because his father was an American citizen? (Spare me the rule quotes - this is about "what if".) Do you think the French fans would be happy about it? Do you think they would decide that since he lives here now, and became a citizen, it just makes sense for him to represent this country in the Olympics?

You don't really have to answer - the meltdown would be epic. I know it's not an identical situation, but the point is the same. Even if you are in favor of players competing with their NT's every summer, expecting most Spurs fans to be understanding about the injuries is naive, at best. And mocking them for being upset is, frankly, both ignorant and arrogant.

At least Tony wasn't already injured when the season ended, like Manu was last summer. So I'm sure he will get more la ude from the general community of Spurs fans. But now that has changed, because he is injured. If he continues to play, and something worse happens - even if it isn't necessarily directly related to this injury - the fans aren't going to be sympathetic or understanding. He may not have done anything stupid to get this injury, but getting a second (worse) one definitely would be stupid.

And, for the record, professional athletes catch all the time for getting injured in the off-season in pickup games. Or snowboarding, or rock climbing, or motorcycle riding, or anything else. They're professionals, making millions of dollars to play a sport. And they are expected to keep themselves healthy, and come into camp ready to play. You hear all the time that "basketball is a business" - and businesses naturally look at the bottom line. If you paid someone to back up your company's data, and they didn't get it done, would you really give a damn why they didn't get it done? Nope. Bottom line - you have the data or you don't. And in sports, the bottom line is, "Is the player injured, and was it avoidable?"

I see what you're saying, but what do you think of Team USA then? Should they all pull out and rest and send college players to the Olympics? Are you saying that Dream Team should never have been assembled?

I respect players who want to represent their countries.

[GSH]

I see what you're saying, but what do you think of Team USA then? Should they all pull out and rest and send college players to the Olympics? Are you saying that Dream Team should never have been assembled?

I respect players who want to represent their countries.

I answered that before you asked it, but in another thread. http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthre...=132115&page=3

It really doesn't matter whether I admire them or not. Playing a professional sport, at that level, for 12 monts a year every single year is too much. I don't feel any different about American players doing it. And, no, the Dream Team never should have been assembled, because the Olympics were supposed to be for amateur athletes. Now Olympic basketball is just another league.

[mathbzh]

I see your point GSH.
But "what if" a player make it clear he wants to play for his NT.
What if, despite being aware of the situation, a team proposes him a big contract.

As you say, it is a business. If the Spurs didn't want to risk their money on Manu or Parker (or Duncan since he played for the US) it was rather easy.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I answered that before you asked it, but in another thread. http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthre...=132115&page=3

It really doesn't matter whether I admire them or not. Playing a professional sport, at that level, for 12 monts a year every single year is too much. I don't feel any different about American players doing it. And, no, the Dream Team never should have been assembled, because the Olympics were supposed to be for amateur athletes. Now Olympic basketball is just another league.

Dream Team was the NBA's greatest ambassador, it was the start of the globalization, it made people watch in awe, made players work hard to get there, lured sponsors and money from all over the earth. In essence it made NBA's future brighter, so IMO it was great that it was assembled.

And while I agree it must be exhausting for an NBA player to participate in summer games as well, I don't agree that some 10 games during the summer can influence a player's condition and health that much for the NBA season, especially if you compare these games with the gruesome NBA schedule and travelling, but that's another topic. IMO the NBA regular season should not be that long, there shouldn't be weeks in which a team plays 4 times, there shouldn't be back to backs, unless they are consecutive home games, etc. I believe this exhausting schedule is a much bigger concern when it comes to players health than a few summer games.

[JPB]

Is anyone going to the game Thursday at Courbetin ?

[sonic21]

it's just for precautionary measure that he won't play the next game. Tony injury is not serious.

[JP le Requin]

Is anyone going to the game Thursday at Courbetin ?

yes, myself, my borther and my girlfriend
and some buddies too are going

[Riverwalkman]

Yes, for the moment no reason to panic. The injury seems small and they will be careful with him. France NT next and last preparation game is Thursday, TP likely won't play it by precautionary measure.

Happy to hear TP is nicely protected.

[ploto]

He did play with his NT in 2008.

That's right- he was not supposed to but then he did. So, he got hurt 3 of the last 4 summers. Still not a good track record.

[timaios]

That's right- he was not supposed to but then he did. So, he got hurt 3 of the last 4 summers. Still not a good track record.

In 8 years with the Spurs, Tony played 612 games in regular season...

It is 76.5 games / RS. (That with Pop resting his stars in some games before the playoffs.)

And he played 122/122 games in playoffs.

I think that is a good track record.

[JPB]

yes, myself, my borther and my girlfriend
and some buddies too are going

Ok, maybe we could meet there (and other people going to the game) ?

[JP le Requin]

i think i will go there @ 6 pm, then my girlfriend and my brother will come @ 8pm..i will try to get some pictures/signatures of TP if even he comes (it didnt come to the last games)
so a meeting, why not but it will be hard to meet us...why not to try to do a picture with some spurs fans from spurstalk..lets try, we will post the pictures, i will wear my white duncan jersey signed by ginobili, bonner and i hope TP...

[Freeze]

Tony Parker capitaine

Tony Parker sera le capitaine de l'équipe de France lors des repêchages de l'Euro (5-30 août), a révélé Vincent Collet mercredi à la veille du dernier match de préparation, contre la Hongrie à Paris. Sur le flanc actuellement après avoir été touché à la cheville droite vendredi, TP laissera le brassard à Boris Diaw lors de cette rencontre, voire le 5 août contre l'Italie. Le programme de reprise de Parker prévoit qu'il puisse jouer à Cagliari mais le sélectioneur a précisé que «le staff ne prendra aucun risque». «On est dans une situation où il faut penser au delà d'Italie-France, même si ce match comptera sûrement à 50% dans la qualification», a-t-il ajouté.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2...capitaine.html

[Bruno]

Spurs have send back Mike Brungardt to manage Parker's rehab. Chip will also follow him. Parker has started to run on a treadmill yesterday. They will be careful will him and it isn't a lock that he will play the first qualification game next Wednesday.

[sonic21]

They will be careful will him and it isn't a lock that he will play the first qualification game next Wednesday.

wow that would sucks, it's the most difficult game they'll have to play.

[DPG21920]

Good, I am glad they are being careful.

[timvp]

Another "minor" NT injury that will supposedly only take a few days to heal that doesn't turn out to be too minor. Like clockwork.

This better not be like the time TP suffered a "minor" broken finger. Or the "minor" ankle injury that slowed him for months.

Let's hope this one is actually nothing serious

[Bruno]

BTW, the France-Austria game is available (links found in realgm forum):

1st quarter: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa0...utriche1_sport
2nd quarter: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa0...utriche2_sport
3rd quarter: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa0...utriche3_sport
4th quarter: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa0...utriche4_sport

Boxscore (to know who is behind a jersey number if you don't recognize a player):
http://www.basketfrance.com/_fbs/0910/edf_2.pdf

[Da Spurs]

I really haven't understood the off-season controvery. These guys are basketball players and that means they will play basketball in the off season. They will play in pick-up games, one-on-ones, and anywhere else they can go to simulate a basketball game to keep in shape and keep their skills sharp.

I personally think playing in an organized situation like Tony is playing is good for him and anyone else who plays for their national team. If anything, it might be preferrable because it's in a controlled environment.