Pro basketball: Parker held out of physical drills
Web Posted: 05/01/2008 11:15 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
With one exception, the Spurs sweated through a spirited practice Thursday morning, by unofficial count the longest of the entire season as they prepared for Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series against the Southwest Division champion New Orleans Hornets.
Tony Parker, who averaged 29.6 points and 36.6 minutes per game in a rugged first-round elimination of the Phoenix Suns, was at the team’s practice facility, but was held out of all physical drills.
After five games against the Suns, which included a memorable flooring by Suns center Shaquille O’Neal and a few dozen additional drives to the basket that required picking himself off the court, Parker had earned the rest.
None of his teammates begrudged Parker his day of ease. Tim Duncan said Parker’s play against the Suns had been on par with the performance that earned him distinction as MVP of last season’s NBA Finals.
Though he tweaked the sprained ankle that put him on the injured list for nearly three weeks in early February, Parker said the ankle wasn’t the reason he sat Thursday.
“I’ve got a sore everything,” he said. “It was just to try to make sure I take care of everything and be ready by Saturday night.”
The hardest part of the past two days for Parker?
Just getting out of bed in the morning.
“Once I get up, I try to get warm and get in the hot tub,” he said. “The hot tub’s my best friend right now.”
Feeling for AJ: Duncan called it “super unfortunate” that the Dallas Mavericks fired head coach Avery Johnson on Wednesday.
Johnson was Duncan’s teammate on the Spurs’ first championship team. He was NBA Coach of the Year in his first full season as Mavericks’ head coach, taking that team to the 2006 NBA Finals.
He was dismissed after the Mavericks suffered their second-straight first-round ouster, eliminated Tuesday by the Hornets.
“You just hate to see him blamed for that,” Duncan said. “Hopefully, he’s going to get another opportunity. He’s a very good coach. He’s proved it. He’s got a good system, and not long from now he’s going to have a happy landing somewhere else, and someone else is going to be thrilled to have him.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Johnson eventually will be better off for having been dismissed by the Mavericks.
“Avery’s one of the finest coaches in the league,” Popovich said. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s committed. He’s a working fool. He loves it. Any team would be lucky to have him, and somebody will have him. So in a lot of ways, he’s going to be better for it.”
Popovich reminded Johnson in January, when his No. 6 Spurs jersey was retired, that he would always be part of the Spurs family.
CIA Pop at work?Popovich reminded Johnson in January, when his No. 6 Spurs jersey was retired, that he would always be part of the Spurs family.
Only time will tell.
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