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They forgot the blurb mentioning there will be no trades this year and the team is making progress.
Parker delivering for Popovich: Spurs coach helps push guard to All-Star berth
Web Posted: 02/06/2007 11:13 PM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.1d88464.html
WASHINGTON — After Gilbert Arenas missed 14 of his 20 shots in the Spurs' victory over Washington last month, Tony Parker quickly downplayed any suggestion he had played a large role in limiting the Wizards point guard to the pedestrian 17-point performance.
Parker had reason not to gloat. For one, he still had a pending date with Arenas on his own court, and Arenas, as the Spurs have seen for themselves, is big on payback.
But Parker also understood the night-to-night roller-coaster ride that goes along with being a young point guard. Win one battle, and the next night brings only another.
Parker will have ample opportunity during the Spurs' five-game trip through the Eastern Conference to measure himself against the best at his position. In addition to tonight's rematch with Arenas, he also has meetings with New Jersey's Jason Kidd and Detroit's Chauncey Billups.
With Thursday's loss to Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns already on the books, the only member of this season's quintet of All-Star point guards Parker won't face in the six-game stretch is himself.
Western Conference coaches passed over a talented group of forwards that included Dallas' Josh Howard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand to name Parker to his second consecutive All-Star team. Parker, however, credits his selection to the one coach he knows didn't vote for him: Gregg Popovich.
"Sometimes he drives me crazy," Parker said. "But at the end of the day, when I see my name as an All-Star, it's because he keeps pushing me, trying to get me to reach the limits."
Popovich has pushed a lot in recent weeks. He publicly chided Parker for a listless performance in Chicago, then later told him he needed to do a better job of creating for his teammates.
Parker initially bristled at what he considered were orders to "shoot less."
"I thought we were past that," Parker said after a three-game stretch in which he averaged 11.0 points and 6.3 assists. "I thought he was just going to let me be myself."
After speaking with Popovich, Parker now says he understands his coach only wants him to realize he can impact a game in ways other than scoring.
"The best guards are good decision makers," Popovich said. "I think Tony's gotten better at it each year, but we want him to continue to become that consummate point guard who can make great decisions as far as distributing the basketball and scoring.
"It's a difficult thing to do. It means that on some nights, he might get 23 shots, and I don't care. And on another night, he might get seven shots and 14 assists, and I don't care.
"It's about learning what's available and what the defense offers."
The key for Parker, as it's always been, is striking a balance between his roles as scorer and distributor — and learning that he can do both in the same game. What Popovich said he doesn't want is for Parker to view his job in only shoot-less or shoot-more terms.
"It's like if you tell your kid you want him to have good hygiene and saying, 'All right, I want you to brush your teeth, but don't take showers,'" Brent Barry said. "It doesn't make much sense. Something is going to be dirty.
"I think sometimes, Tony just hears the one message and forgets about the other thing."
Parker's dilemma is that his quickness and improved jump shot make him one of the team's most effective scorers. He and Nash are the only players in the league this season averaging better than 15.0 points and 5.0 assists and shooting above 50 percent.
Parker's averages of 19.0 points (on 52.7 percent shooting) and 5.5 assists are nearly identical to that of last season when he was a first-time All-Star.
"He's got the most uncanny finishing ability that I have ever seen," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I know he's quick, but when he's in there, he (can finish) with either hand and can contort his body and use his soft touch."
At times, Parker has relied too heavily on his ability to finish and overlooked his penetrate-and-kick skills. His teammates, however, could do a better job of giving him incentive to pass. During the initial three-game leg of their rodeo trip, the Spurs shot a combined 38.2 percent.
Parker teamed with Manu Ginobili and Michael Finley to rally the Spurs in their overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 13 of his 19 points after the third quarter. Three nights later, 14 of his 27 points against Utah came in the fourth quarter.
Parker even made consecutive 3-pointers — a shot he rarely takes — to tie that game, but the Jazz still won, in part because of a costly foul he committed on center Mehmet Okur. The following night in Phoenix, Parker scored 20 points on 18 shots, among them an ill-advised 3-point attempt early in the second half.
"If Kobe Bryant's trusting his teammates, I think Tony Parker can trust his," Popovich said. "And I think he is. But sometimes, you're going to want a guy to distribute when he's shot, and sometimes you're going to want him to shoot when he distributes.
"Player and coach may have a difference of opinion on a play in that regard, but overall, he must understand that's how one gains respect of teammates, that's how a team becomes better."
Parker said he's listening. Popovich said he continues to see improvement. While coaches can't vote for their own players in All-Star balloting, Popovich made sure to tell Parker he was proud of him.
And that he deserved the honor.
Notebook: James White has been selected to play in the Developmental League All-Star Game on All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Barry was not chosen to participate in the 3-point shootout.
They forgot the blurb mentioning there will be no trades this year and the team is making progress.
For emphasis, in case you don't read the last line...
Barry was not chosen to participate in the 3-point shootout.
lol @ them having to go all the way down to over 5 assist just so parker can be in that category with nash
pretty good read though, i know i bash parker for only wanting to score, i hope he can prove me wrong and be an actual point guard someday. and be able to rack up assist and points in the same game
Tony Parker is the best player on the team.
I think he'd consistently get more assists (7 though - not 9+ or anything) if the Spurs had another reliable scorer. The fact that many nights he has to carry them scoring wise is going to always skew things.
Tony has made tremendous progress over the years though. It must be incredibly difficult to balance scoring and dishing when you know you can score 55% of the time and your teammates are shooting bricks from outside.
This topic was exactly what Manu was talking about a few weeks ago when he said Tony and him had trouble trusting their teammates and sometimes looked to score at times when they really shouldn't.
Hopefully the trust of (and production from) some of the role players improves.
I understand what a point guard should do, but most of the Spurs can't shoot for , so I wouldn't be disappointed in Tony taking 20+ shots a night and leading the league in scoring....
At least he would be constantly aggressive at something....
Sometimes, Tony, Manu and Duncan are guilty of lowering their skill level to the other dip s on the team and everything looks and is complacent.
Tonight Finley said in a KSAT interview, that they don't take some of their opponents serious? O' really? Dude is a dip .
Is that accurate? Don't they have to select a certain number at each position?
Western Conference coaches passed over a talented group of forwards that included Dallas' Josh Howard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand to name Parker to his second consecutive All-Star team.
Its funny how Pop can come out publicly and criticize Tony Parker but for some reason wont talk about re Beno Udrih, I understand Tony is the STARTING pg but still, Beno freakin sucks.
Tony's a pretty strong guy, and has always taken Pop's criticisms without letting it hurt his confidence.
How the does the league justify passing over Spurs each and every year for the 3 point contest? It is such a crock of .
only player who deserves 20shots is tim duncan, i dont give a if his forcing them up, dont care if his hittin or missin them, is better than havin parker shootin it
Parker as a 24-year-old point guard is still way ahead of the curve as far as development goes. He's never going to be Magic Johnson in terms of passing, but as this team is put together, I'd rather have a scoring point guard than a passing point guard. Jason Kidd could be on this team and Barry, Finley and Horry would still be old and slow.
Comparing them to Steve Nash and Gary Payton at the same age shows how ahead of the game Parker is. Nash was averaging 7.9 points and 5.5 assists, while shooting 36% from the field and being booed at home in Dallas.
Payton was averaging 13.5 points and 4.9 assists. And Payton was more of a shooting guard, as Nate McMillan was the point guard most of the time. Also note that Payton hit a total of 11 three-pointers in his first three seasons.
Parker, as long as he keeps developing, has a chance to be a Hall of Fame caliber player. That's still a long ways away but two championships and two All-Star appearances before turning 25 puts him way ahead of everyone not named Magic.
I said Parker has a chance to be the kind of PG that leads a team to a championship and I got laughed at.
It's pretty much impossible for a point guard to lead a team to a championship the way a bigman can. Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson both had multiple Hall of Famers and All-Star caliber players around them when they won it. Nash has two MVPs, two All-Star teammates and still hasn't been to the Finals.
For Parker to win a championship on the Spurs after Duncan retires, he'd have to reach Hall of Fame status and then have multiple Hall of Famers or at least All-Stars around him.
He'll need at least one more superstar next to him, but I don't see a reason why the Spurs won't be building around Parker and with some luck successfully in the post Duncan ear.
He'll probably need more than one...he'll also need interior defenders and rebounding.
I agree we could have some luck in the post Duncan ear...but the nose is important too.
Magic won all his championships with Kareem in the middle. He also had James Worthy for three of them. Thomas had a Hall of Famer (Dumars) and probably the biggest collection of rugged interior players the league has ever seen.
So all the Spurs would have to do to win after Duncan would be for Parker to turn into a Hall of Famer and then add another Hall of Famer in addition to other All-Star quality players.
If Parker did nothing but average 5 assists and 10 points pg per year for the rest of his career until say, age 35...he'd finish his career without 8000 assists and 17,000 points...
Those numbers by themselves would get him into the Hall...add in 2 championships, multiple all star appearances, some memorable post season matchups against Nash, Kidd and Payton(HOF'ers all) and the likelyhood he'll be the greatest and most well known basketball player from France...Parker could coast for the next 11 years or so and be an automatic HOF'er.
He doesn't have to turn into a HOF'er...he pretty much already is.
When you are 24 and your own perfectionist coach refers to you as a stud...the HOF is in your future.
And don't underestimate the impact Duncan has on PG assist totals...it's not like the Spurs are an anemic passing team...they're a decent passing team so what Parker does individually there is unimportant...hus numbers would be better if he handled the ball more...it's as simple as that.
But yeah...we'd need a bunch of tough physical defenders...not that easy to find lmao, as we can see now, but I figure the Spurs will have some down years and some good picks for a year or 2 before and after Duncan retires.
Last edited by whottt; 02-07-2007 at 04:26 AM.
I mean use the Hakeem argument for Parker...
Post season records:
VS Nash - 2-0
VS Kidd - 1-0
VS Payton - 1-0
Come to think of it...
VS Bibby - 1-0
VS Marbury - 1-0
VS Billups - 1-0
VS Miller - 1-0
He's a multiple time All Star.
So on and so forth...
I know he had Duncan...but so did every other PG have someone...
Nash has had mutiple All Star and even MVP level bigs...virtually his entire career, Kidd had an All Star Big...Billups had 2 etc.
He's pretty much a HOF'er already IMO.
Those comparisons with Nash and Payton at the same age are really speaking...
They couldn't shoot beyond the arc in the first part of their career and turned out to be decent for Payton and good fo Nash in the second part.
I see TP becoming a reliable treys shooter with years going. Remember he changed his shooting technic 1 and 1/2 years back and said himself it might take several years to really fell comfortable with it. It worked with the mid-range, the next step should be long-range.
If you had that with maturity, his decisions making can only get better, you can say that Tony is far from having reached his prime.
I remember, a few years back when fa
...ns said they would be thrilled if he could ever become a 15-16 pts - 5-6 ass player.
He will never be a true PG. He might seem great to many people, but he is one of the reasons why this team is having problems."The best guards are good decision makers," Popovich said. "I think Tony's gotten better at it each year, but we want him to continue to become that consummate point guard who can make great decisions as far as distributing the basketball and scoring.
It's not about "Tony is the best, 2nd best player on the team". It's about how good he can make OTHER players! And Parker doesn't make his teammates better. All good PGs make their teammates better. Tony doesn't. Is he a good player? Yes. Is he a good PG? , no! And he will never be one, he just doesn't have the right mentality, just read his comments from the article. For him it's just "shoot more or shoot less". WTF?! Great PGs KNOW when they should shoot more. Ask Nash. Parker is not even top 10 PG in the league.
I just read the article again, I can't believe, how he is not being criticized more.
How about... "when I see Spurs winning tough games/championship?"But at the end of the day, when I see my name as an All-Star, it's because he keeps pushing me, trying to get me to reach the limits."
What kind of at ude is this? Pop mentioning Kobe and Parker in the same sentence was not a coincidence. Parker has always been "me this, me that" type of a character.Parker initially bristled at what he considered were orders to "shoot less."
"I thought we were past that," Parker said after a three-game stretch in which he averaged 11.0 points and 6.3 assists. "I thought he was just going to let me be myself."
I believe Parker has already mentioned a couple of times it being hard to invision being on the Spurs post Duncan and Manu, possibly going to another team. If the Spurs don't have a contender in place in Parker's prime years I can't say as I balme him. He may have that HOF next to him, just maybe not in black and silver.
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