Notebook: Parker elbowed in the eye, but heel biggest worry

[Kori Ellis]

I believe you. I just hope that Pop will let him sit out right now and heal up if that is his problem. He needs to be healthy for the playoffs and playing in pain right now just doesn't seem appropriate. Is is possible that playing with that type of heel problem would still allow the problem to heal or will it hurt it even more?

I'm not sure. I'm guessing it depends how bad it is. Some guys have surgery for bone spurs. Other guys play through it and it eventually heals up. Hopefully Tony can get medication, shock treatment or whatever they can do. I don't know that much about the treatment.

[timvp]

There's some posters who are going a bit overboard regarding Parker. Sure, he's had a rough stretch but on a whole his stats are better than ever. Career-highs in points, career-high assists and career-high in assist-to-turnover ratio. The only thing that's down is his field goal percentage ... but a lot of point guards would kill to be able to shoot 49%+ from the field.

He was playing great for a stretch this season and as long as this injury doesn't hinder him, there's no reason why he can't get back to that level. Even with the injury, there are times where I see his regular explosion, so hopefully that is a good sign.

It's fine to worry about this injury but to insinuate that Parker has played like trash all season is just inaccurate.

[Joe Schmoogins]

I'll say it again: IF PARKER EVER CHOSES TO PLAY FOR HIS NATIONAL TEAM IN THE OFFSEASON AGAIN DURING THE MIDDLE OF OUR ING DYNASTY WE NEED TO CUT/TRADE HIS ASS IMMEDIATELY. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

lol that's hilarious

[Bruno]

What I didn't like about Parker's injury is that, more than one month and a half after, he still isn't healthy and he isn't optimistic about a fast recovery.
I have no idea of what exactly happens but it doesn't sound good.

[timmy21_4rings]

this is what i do not understand...manu played thru injury, parker is playing thru injury and tim is playing 40 minutes against cavs & chasing refs after the buzzer, still many fans and sports writers are saying that Spurs are taking it easy, Spurs do not mind losing regular season games and they do not care about regular season records..These are not really signs of taking it easy..

[temujin]

What I didn't like about Parker's injury is that, more than one month and a half after, he still isn't healthy and he isn't optimistic about a fast recovery.
I have no idea of what exactly happens but it doesn't sound good.

It doesn't. Deki Stankovic (Soccer) has had that since September, and he just showed up the other week.

[SuperManu!!!]

Lebroom tried to make the zinedine zidane on oberto :p

[baseline bum]

That made me chuckle.

Was it like Paul Pressey holding back Pop back in the day?

[BonnerDynasty]

this is what i do not understand...manu played thru injury, parker is playing thru injury and tim is playing 40 minutes against cavs & chasing refs after the buzzer, still many fans and sports writers are saying that Spurs are taking it easy, Spurs do not mind losing regular season games and they do not care about regular season records..These are not really signs of taking it easy..

Good point.

. we're better off a healthy 8th seed, than a banged up 3rd seed.

QFT

[bigfundamental21]

If we do end up resting Parker for some games, who do you think the Spurs will call up from the D-League? Darius Washington is no longer available as he is playing in Europe now. Anyone got any ideas?

[telecomguy]

it is hard to get excited playing basketball when you are hurt
if tp is not excited the hole team does not seem excited. Is tp the leader of this team?

I am sure if it was playoff tiem tp would be geared up more

I have a bit of a problem with this supposed injury issue. First of all, i think if it was really a serious injury, Pop would have sat TP out longer, and even now.

Secondly, I don't see TP losing any speed when he cuts to the rim and attacking. He still has the same acceleration, leaping ability and finishing.

Thirdly, i don't understand why a slight heel issue (I say slight for above reasons) should affect his (1) inability to hit wide-open uncontested jumpers, (2) foul shots

Lastly, i don't know how his injury causes him to make poor decisions, get stripped time and time again, make poor passes, and generally lack the court vision/management that most good PG should be capable.

I know I am blamed for being a harsh critic of TP and I may overdo it time to time but i am tired of all these excuses for his poor play. The reality is that TP is still a very one-dimensional player and even though he has tried to work on other aspects of his PG game, I haven't seen much progress beyond few games here and there. What I see is TP dribbling the ball up the court mostly trying to find the seam to penetrate and score and if it's not there, he generally either dribbles around wasting time or just dumps it to Manu or Finley without attempting to create and basically becomes a non-relevant player from then on. If you watch a good PG, you can see how they create mismatches, and find open/cutting guys with precise passes and good court vision.

The reality is that TP had a couple of good playoff series last year for the first time and I believe that had everyone immediately thinking that TP had become some sort of a dominant, top tier, top 5 PG. He has not. He has a great heart and determination and he may eventually learn all these other skills he lacks right now but the fact of the matter is right now, TP is still developing. Time and time again, when good defensive teams like Pistons, Cavs, Mavs,etc. focus on shutting down the paint and denying TP easy attacks to the rim, TP becomes a bit player in our offense because he really isn't able to control the game any other way other than attacking the rim due to aforementioned deficiencies.

TP is a good PG (well, not really...he is a good Scoring Guard) but he isn't a true star and certainly not one who can take the game over or control the match on a regular basis, especially against a good team. The sooner the Spurs understand this, the better it is because then the rest of the team wouldn't be standing around waiting for TP to dribble around aimlessly while waiting for a seam to open up.

One of the problems I saw develop over the past few years is that because TP was force-fed the ball and ordered to attack by Pop, the other players on the court generally didn't make big effort to actively cut or look for openings, knowing that TP is not probably going to find them or even if he sees them open, doesn't have the confidence to zip the passes to them in that split second when they are open.....so they tend to stand around more versus when Gino or even Barry has the ball. Especially troubling is that DUncan has also become more complacent as TP takes more and more shots every year to the point where TD only tries to assert himself when he sees that TP cant penetrate or find open man. The problem with this is that Spurs are already behind when TD tries to take over or become more aggressive. I have seen stats where it shows TD scoring substantially more points when SPurs LOSE...and analysts are always puzzled over that stat. The reason why that happens is that TD only tries to take over when TP and the rest of the Spurs are playing badly and fall behind.

I think that TP was asked by Pop to be more aggressive and attack and take lot of shots the past few years becuase Pop was trying to develop TP and build his confidence....in effect, create another star beside TD and Gino to give Pop a 3 headed "monster". Now that TP has learned to score and attack, I think it's about time Pop rein in TP and ask him to play more of a traditional PG role if he can develop the true PG skills that is required in almost every team that does not have Lebron, Kobe, or McGrady.

We have one of the best inside post player the game has ever seen (Duncan) and many nights, i see him just hanging around the perimeter watching TP do his thing (or not do his thing these days). Why are we not calling TD's play more often? Once the offensive team sees that TD is again being aggressive and forcing the issue by either scoring repeatedly inside the post or more importantly, getting all their Bigs into foul trouble, both individually or team wise, they are much more likely to double or triple team TD which should really open up the floor for the rest of the spurs....even TP. And we should be doing this at the BEGINNING of the game to establish and control the game, not later in the game when the game is out of control and the Spurs are trying to make a comeback, throwing TD with 4 small players in hopes of coming back. It's much easier to play suffocating defense when we have the lead, not when we are trying to outscore the opponent because we've fallen 10 pts behind before the half is over. I used to see Spurs get to the line and get lot of foul shots and have the other team in foul trouble when TD was aggressive and the initiator of the half-court offense. Now that he has become passive, mostly due to TP, we are going to the line less often. Duncan is a better inside scorer (especially against a good defensive team) and draws way more double teams than TP will ever do, so it makes sense to use him to try to break down the defense and give our 3 pt. shooters the open looks, rather than relying on TP to go one against 3 in the paint and force circus shots.

I know that in the playoffs, TD will reassert himself but i see a danger where each year TD is becoming less assertive as TP becomes more assertive. The point where TP takes way more shots on a consistent basis and has the ball 70% of the time is when this experiement of trying to develop TP and use TP's slashing abilities has gone TOO FAR. We need to go back to 4 down and let TD do his thing earlier and more often so that (1) TD doesn't disengage himself and (2) create easier openings for TP to find. If TP has the ball and is dribbling slowly around the perimeter looking for open lane, EVERYONE in the world knows he is only trying to do one thing....penetrate and score, and yes against half-crippled Hughes or rookie Gibson, TP can get away with that but against a healthy Cavs and Pistons? Not going to happen.

TP is ineffective because after his playoff MVP performance, the opposing teams are really really focusing on shutting him down and because he lacks the killer jumper like Nash or Billups or Cassell, they can just lay off him and have bigs waiting for him in the paint and dare him to try to score. This is not going to work consistently.

Ball movement, smart shot selection, and waiting for defense to collapse/double team TD is what makes Spurs offense super efficient and if you have to try to score one on one, TP can do it once in awhile but Gino is actually the better player to try penetrating because (1) he knows how to get fouled and (2) is far more clutch than TP.

So the way I see it, SPurs should rejig their offense so that TD takes the most shots, Gino next and TP the least out of the Big 3. And when I say TP should take the least, I don't mean he should take 50% less than TD but certainly he should not be taking more shots than TD consistently night after night because I believe this leads to a stagnant, one-dimensional, non-movement offense more often than not.

It's a long post but it's something i have been saying for awhile and something I had to get off my chest because the way TP and the Spurs are playing this year, we might not get a good seed going into the playoffs....and more importantly we may not have the proper balance of ball movement and shot distribution we are going to need to beat premier teams like Pistons, Celtics, Mavs (yes the Mavs) or even the Suns, Lakers, Jazz.

[telecomguy]

Good point.



QFT

That's just pure stupidity to say that Spurs don't try until the playoffs. SPurs has been consistently one of the top teams in the REGULAR season for the past TEN years that Duncan has been on the team. No coach wants their team to COAST, and Pop is not goofing around, experimenting with rosters (otherwise he wouldn't pull players after 30 seconds when they make a bad mental mistake), nor losing purposely just to teach the players a lesson and make them listen to him. The reality is that Spurs do always try to win and compete, even on a regular season because seeding & home court advantage IS IMPORTANT, and more importantly, playing the right way and deveoping a winning at ude/tradition is even more important.

If SPurs players really buy that bull , then they will become like the Miami Heat or Lakers (when Shaq used to play for them) that believes they can coast and then turn it on in the playoffs. Not easy to do.

Spurs are not dominating right now because they don't necessarily have a dominant team and they are not playing smart right now. Yes they will ratchet up their intensity as the season draws near but let's not fall into the trap that they can all of a sudden turn into a super team every year in the playoffs even if the coast in the regular season. The reality is that the Mavs got upset, and Spurs escaped a very dangerous tough series against the Suns and so the Spurs COULD HAVE lost last year. Nothing is guaranteed and in pro sports, you build up through the season and develop good habits, good winning strategy and mental toughness/confidence to take you into the playoffs with a strong momentum.

Spurs are losing right now becuase they deserve to lose, not becuase players are coasting or because Pop has some silly ideas or is playing some sort of a head game.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

So we are finally getting the ultimate bloading due to cherry picking all this great foreign talent. The catch 22---national league play. What a crock.

WTF is up with people intimating Tony playing bad this season?

He's still 3lit3 but he needs time off. Give him a month or something, who cares about our record....get back Darius and go Vaughn+Darius, old school 2002 Duncan offense, and let Duncan take his time and be lazy. I bet you all my 25 vbookies we at least stay .500 which is practically where we're at now as of late november..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Seriously, forgo the motion bull that has been producing turnovers and low scoring and lazy defense ever since injuries fawked us, go back to spurs team with no parker strategy, and feed duncan all game with barry and finley spotting up.

[colargol]

There's some posters who are going a bit overboard regarding Parker.

It's fine to worry about this injury but to insinuate that Parker has played like trash all season is just inaccurate.

[timvp]

Not sure if I should go through the trouble of reading these posts by telecommunication guy but here it goes . . .

I have a bit of a problem with this supposed injury issue. First of all, i think if it was really a serious injury, Pop would have sat TP out longer, and even now.

When Parker came back, Pop said that Parker's ankle/heel was as healthy as it was going to get with rest. Much like Duncan's PF, just because he's back playing doesn't mean it's 100%.

Secondly, I don't see TP losing any speed when he cuts to the rim and attacking. He still has the same acceleration, leaping ability and finishing.

Have you watched a game in the last six weeks? He's shown some of his regular athletic ability but about 85% of the time he has been obviously slowed.

Lastly, i don't know how his injury causes him to make poor decisions, get stripped time and time again, make poor passes, and generally lack the court vision/management that most good PG should be capable.

Parker is averaging a career-high in assists and a career-high in assists-to-turnover ratio. He's had some sub par games recently but unless you haven't been watching this season you can't say his passing hasn't improved while he's doing a better job of taking care of the ball.

I know I am blamed for being a harsh critic of TP and I may overdo it time to time but i am tired of all these excuses for his poor play. The reality is that TP is still a very one-dimensional player and even though he has tried to work on other aspects of his PG game, I haven't seen much progress beyond few games here and there. What I see is TP dribbling the ball up the court mostly trying to find the seam to penetrate and score and if it's not there, he generally either dribbles around wasting time or just dumps it to Manu or Finley without attempting to create and basically becomes a non-relevant player from then on. If you watch a good PG, you can see how they create mismatches, and find open/cutting guys with precise passes and good court vision.

Parker plays in a difference type of offense than the other point guards you are talking about. In the Spurs' motion offense, Parker is supposed to get rid of the ball right away if he doesn't have an immediate lane. That's been how the Spurs' halfcourt offense has been initiated for like eight years now.

Time and time again, when good defensive teams like Pistons, Cavs, Mavs,etc. focus on shutting down the paint and denying TP easy attacks to the rim, TP becomes a bit player in our offense because he really isn't able to control the game any other way other than attacking the rim due to aforementioned deficiencies.

Like the Cavs? Did you watch the Finals?

And Parker has played well against the Pistons and Mavs over the years. But those are very good teams and everyone on both teams have struggled at one point or the either

I think that TP was asked by Pop to be more aggressive and attack and take lot of shots the past few years becuase Pop was trying to develop TP and build his confidence....in effect, create another star beside TD and Gino to give Pop a 3 headed "monster". Now that TP has learned to score and attack, I think it's about time Pop rein in TP and ask him to play more of a traditional PG role if he can develop the true PG skills that is required in almost every team that does not have Lebron, Kobe, or McGrady.

Who was the last "true" point guard to win a championship? Billups was a shoot-first point guard who became a better passer but I wouldn't call him a "true" point guard. Before him? If you don't count AJ in '99, you probably have to go all the way back to Magic to find a team led by a pass-first point guard.

We have one of the best inside post player the game has ever seen (Duncan) and many nights, i see him just hanging around the perimeter watching TP do his thing (or not do his thing these days). Why are we not calling TD's play more often? Once the offensive team sees that TD is again being aggressive and forcing the issue by either scoring repeatedly inside the post or more importantly, getting all their Bigs into foul trouble, both individually or team wise, they are much more likely to double or triple team TD which should really open up the floor for the rest of the spurs....even TP. And we should be doing this at the BEGINNING of the game to establish and control the game, not later in the game when the game is out of control and the Spurs are trying to make a comeback, throwing TD with 4 small players in hopes of coming back. It's much easier to play suffocating defense when we have the lead, not when we are trying to outscore the opponent because we've fallen 10 pts behind before the half is over. I used to see Spurs get to the line and get lot of foul shots and have the other team in foul trouble when TD was aggressive and the initiator of the half-court offense. Now that he has become passive, mostly due to TP, we are going to the line less often. Duncan is a better inside scorer (especially against a good defensive team) and draws way more double teams than TP will ever do, so it makes sense to use him to try to break down the defense and give our 3 pt. shooters the open looks, rather than relying on TP to go one against 3 in the paint and force circus shots.

If you've watched Spurs basketball over the years, you'd notice that the Spurs are led by TP and Manu during the regular season and then become more Duncan oriented in the playoffs. By doing that, you don't wear Duncan down in the regular season and he enters the playoffs fresh and ready to dominant. Going to Duncan early and often during the regular season makes no sense unless you want to win some sort of regular season championship and have Duncan tired by the beginning of April.

The bottomline is Parker was playing very well in November. He got hurt at the end of November and has been streaky ever since. Even when he's streaky, he's still pretty damn good. I see no reason to re-shuffle everything the Spurs do because Parker is having a relatively rough stretch. Even though Parker isn't able to finish as well as normal and his jumper has been inconsistent recently, he's still been effective.

I've been a harsh Parker critic over the last month to six weeks but that doesn't mean I want to junk what has gotten the Spurs to this point. Parker and Ginobili will shoulder most of the winning burden during the early and middle parts of the regular season. Duncan will start upping his involvement on both ends of the court in the latter parts of the season. Once the playoffs begin, the Spurs will have morphed back into be a Duncan centric team. As has been the case the last four or five years and will hopefully be the case this year.

The only worrisome things at the moment are Parker's ankle/heel, Manu's finger and Duncan's thumb. If one of those three players get injured and are slowed for the playoffs, the Spurs probably don't have a shot to repeat. Otherwise, if they're healthy, they'll have as good of a shot as anybody.

[LBJ dunks on Duncan]

Enjoy your Early exit and the long offseason.

[Budkin]

Enjoy your Early exit and the long offseason.

Enjoy utter disappointment and failure in everything you attempt in life. Thank you.

[colargol]

Thanks Timvp......as a Spurs fan i'am always waiting for your post game thoughts...

Your Parker's role analys is as smart as it's possible
There's "ups and downs" during the regular season, when ups are fewer than downs true fans better trust on their team than ask for trades or burn players they used to please 6 months ago

[bobbybob0]

I'll say it again: IF PARKER EVER CHOSES TO PLAY FOR HIS NATIONAL TEAM IN THE OFFSEASON AGAIN DURING THE MIDDLE OF OUR ING DYNASTY WE NEED TO CUT/TRADE HIS ASS IMMEDIATELY. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

He managed to get France disqualified for this summer Olympics so there's no concern for next season.

[wildbill2u]

My wife's uncle who a heal spur and is taking medication to help dissolve it. Maybe those are the treatments he mentioned. I also have a heal spur which bothers me on occasion and a co-worker had surgery and was out two to three weeks, of course she does not play any compe ive sports. Playing on it is not helping and I don't know if the treatments would work without adequate rest.

Heel spurs are one of the most painful things I've ever experienced. It is a calcium deposit on the bone that strikes against flesh and nerve endings when hit. It can actually prevent you from walking.

One treatment is with an anti-inflamatory to take the inflamation out. It works in a couple of days. I suppose a shot for pain would give immediate relief and allow you to play but runs the risk of additional bumps that just exacerbate the problem.

Operations to remove the spurs work, but usually they grow back and have to be repeated.

Whatever the treatment, it's not good for a guy who makes a living with his feet.