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Just be grateful it's not RJ with those quotes
There's been a common theme in any recent interview Tony Parker has given, and I'm not sure what to think. Basically, whenever asked about the team, he always brings up how this team isn't going anywhere without Manu Ginobili. Recent Parker paraphrases:
-No matter how well the Spurs are playing now, they're going nowhere without Ginobili.
-Parker will take Ginobili at 50% over any young player on the team.
-Ginobili is the key between winning and losing playoff games.
-When asked what happened last season, he says Ginobili's injury at the end of the regular season gave the Spurs no hope.
On one hand, it's great that a star guard has so much love for another star guard. Normally, if you go by the rest of NBA history, two equally successful star guards would have trouble coexisting over the course of a decade. But Parker's love for Ginobili is more palpable than maybe any other teammate tandem ever. He makes ElNono seem like ducks, tbh.
But on the other hand, is it healthy for Parker to love Ginobili so much? With Ginobili's health such a question mark, isn't it even more dangerous that Parker puts so much stock in Ginobili presence? Looking back at the Memphis series, I'm starting to think that not only did the Spurs lose Ginobili to that broken elbow, Parker probably got depressed -- and thus his poor showing early in the series.
While Parker's statements about Ginobili are all probably true, wouldn't it be better if he believed the team revolved more around himself in case Ginobili doesn't stay 100% for the duration of a playoff run?
P.S.
Not to mention the odd dynamic created due to most of CoM hating Parker even though Parker is the Pope of CoM.
Just be grateful it's not RJ with those quotes
I've noticed this as well. It's hard to tell if Parker's being sincere or not.
Everyone remembers Tony's faux pas when he claimed that the Spurs' le chances were over , but he backed off on those comments and has since regurgitated the usual "We're headed in the right direction!"
I think Tony's mostly praising Manu out of respect. There's no question that they've always had a great rapport on and off the court.
It'd be difficult for Tony to say something like "Well, I think we're still a very solid regular season team even without Manu as our record indicates, and we'd have an extremely tough time contending for a championship against the likes of Miami, Chicago, and OKC with or without Manu" even though that's probably what he actually thinks.
I suppose it just sounds nicer to say "We're going nowhere without Manu." I never read into these comments too much.
For example, during the practice videos today (well, technically yesterday) reporters asked Bonner how Manu looked during 5 on 5 practice, and Bonner said "Yeah I think he looks great," but when they asked him if he'd be surprised if he didn't see Manu play on Sunday, Bonner backed off of his initial enthusiasm slightly and said "Oh well I don't know about that," as if to say "Well he might play but he might not play, it's a coaching decision and it depends on if he's read to come back."
You'd think if he was truly sincere with his initial take on Manu he'd follow up with "Yeah I'd be surprised if he didn't play, after all he looked great in practice today."
Instead, it seemed like his first response was sort of a "canned" response and his second response was probably more sincere/realistic ("I don't really know if Manu's actually ready to play yet, I won't comment on if I'd be surprised to see him Sunday or not")
Parker is just being a realist imo, knowing that without a healthy Ginobili, the Spur's chances in the playoffs are slim and none.
The fact that the Spurs got rolled in 5 in 2009 despite Parker posting maybe 2 of the top 10-15 Spurs playoff performances of all time in that series had to be weighing heavily on him. After that I don't see how he could reasonably think the Spurs could do much without Manu.
P.S.
Not to mention the odd dynamic created due to most of CoM hating Parker even though Parker is the Pope of CoM.
WTF is CoM?
Church of Manu
Parker is just being honest. Pop would say the same thing if he could do so without getting lambasted.
I think Parker knows the team so well that despite knowing that Spurs are in best form as the ever been, not having Manu in playoffs = no le. And probably he knows this since last year, maybe he really did notice that team is lost without the spirit of the team. Im just guessing but my point is that a player and a PG mostly, knows really well how a team works and reacts to certain cir stances. And Probably Parker is speaking out of his heart.
Parker is no Westbrook or Kobe tbh. He knows who the best player on the team is, and he knows that without that best player on the team the Spurs are going nowhere. I dont really like Parker but one thing I kinda like is that hes straightforward and honest. Hes just calling it like it is no surprise there really, jusr letting everybody know who the best player on the team is. Parker can be a very good Robin and Im glad hes embracing that and letting everyone know that the best player on the team has his role as Batman secured once he returns. Props to Tony.
+1Parker is no Westbrook or Kobe tbh. He knows who the best player on the team is, and he knows that without that best player on the team the Spurs are going nowhere. I dont really like Parker but one thing I kinda like is that hes straightforward and honest. Hes just calling it like it is no surprise there really, jusr letting everybody know who the best player on the team is. Parker can be a very good Robin and Im glad hes embracing that and letting everyone know that the best player on the team has his role as Batman secured once he returns. Props to Tony.
I think you're correct in saying TP is trying to be sincere, and he really wants to be sincere, but I also think deep down he wants to be also thought of in an equal light, and probably resents the fact that Manu has gotten perhaps more accolades than him and has been more steady in the clutch for most of his career.
But I also think Tony's taken another step this year and is currently undervaluing his own contributions. With Manu being out so long he's basically taken the defacto position of team leadership on. And If he continues to put up 20/10 type games without hardly breaking a sweat he will not only be taking over the reigns of team leadership but the team will also be expecting him to help close out games as well, which has always been Manu's "thing". And with Manu's health declining and age setting in this is the perfect time to start stepping into that role.
Really?Sense earned this Spur by being an original member of SpursTalk.com
Its a system of checks and balances and the big three know it. When one of them goes down, it drastically reduces their chances of a deep playoff run. Parker and Ginobili have played together for seven years so it wouldn't surprise me if the two formed a bond.
C'mon... we get your point about Parker appreciating Manu but this can"t be an excuse for his poor outings early in the Memphis series
Parker was just saying what he thinks he is supposed to say, nothing more...
He knows that Manu is like a god for Spurs fans, so even if he thought they could win without Manu, he wouldn't make that mistake.
He probably thinks the truth, whitch is that without ANY of the big3, the Spurs are going nowhere, not only without Manu...
Good thing Manu's wife isn't much of a looker so the pope of CoM won't run into any drama there.
Tony just acknowledging we can't do crap without our star shooting guard. Just like manu n the spurs can't do crap without our star pg
What if tony was out all the time ? Manu would probably say same thing. Even if he didn't believe it he wouldn't throw tony under the bus like that
I think Parker is just being respectful of an older player that he realizes has lost a step or two. Tony knows he's by far the best player on this team, so there's no reason to rub it in Manu's face.
They're both good friends. Just like ducks and me, tbh
Frankly, Manu probably would say the same thing about Tony. He actually has lauded Tony's play and leadership this season.
Manu the pope of CoP?
I love how the CoM is jumping all over this by equating "we're going nowhere in the playoffs without Manu" and "Manu is the best player on the team".
The thing is, Parker is the best player on the team right now, and by a clear margin too. However he also knows that there's a lot of deadweight on the team come playoff time (RJ, Blair, Bonner...) and that Manu being injured = an empty spot on the roster.
Any member of the Big 3 would be saying the same as Parker if anyone of them was injured, because they know all 3 of them have to do the heavy lifting, other players are just roleplayers.
And finally if there's one thing one can say about Parker is that he's not afraid to speak his mind, and he actually tends to be brutally honest. I don't see why he'd go PC or sugar-coating it this time. This is really just another way of saying that the Spurs aren't going to be contenders any more, because Manu isn't going to be healthy ever again.
Manu doesn't believe in churches
But, but, but he must believe in something!Manu doesn't believe in churches
Mr. Timvp you got alotta respect around here but your comments on Tony don't be on point. Didn't he make you eat some serious crow already. Lmmfao along with alotta us.
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