Thursday, February 18th, 2010...9:36 am
Tony Parker’s Long Year(s)
After last night’s game Gregg Popovich self-critiqued, saying he could have done a better job managing Tony Parker’s minutes. Parker, as you all know, is hurting. Plantar fasciitis, a tender ankle, and a strained left hip flexor for those keeping score. His 28 points went down smooth, but they earned him a big bucket of ice as a postgame chaser.
I approached Parker after the game and asked if his recent vacation had helped his body.
“Not really,” Parker said.
“Well, at least you’ll have this summer to get right,” I offered.
“No, this summer I have the national team,” Parker said, somewhat surprisingly.
Oh.
I took a moment to clarify, but the answer stuck. Unless Parker’s body simply quits, he plans to play this summer.
Eva Longoria-Parker should be happy; her husband is not one to bail on a commitment.
53 Comments
February 18th, 2010 at 9:40 am
No wonder they looked at trading him
February 18th, 2010 at 9:45 am
not real happy to hear that. he needs to relax for a while, but hey he is more concerned about the french team then the team that is paying him 26mill this yr and next combined.
also not real happy to hear the bobcats are getting thomas for flip murry, acie law, and a pick. apparently the spurs offer was not very realistic because we had a lot more to offer them then that mess.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:05 am
So this is how the Raiders felt waiting for Bo Jackson to finish playing baseball every year. Then he ended up getting hurt and cutting a career short. Take the hint, Parker.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Unbelievable! TP is hurting due to his playing way too much BB and not getting the proper rest. He hurt himself last summer playing for the NT and now already hurt he is going to play for the NT this summer? This could be the beginning of the end for him. If he gets hurt more and loses a step on the court his becomes just another above average PG. His game will disappear faster than a serving of Creme Bleu.
If TP plays this summer then I would be open to trading him. The wear and tear of too much BB is showing and when he breaks down he will be only a shell of his former self as the Spurs starting PG. That is not acceptable.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:12 am
This is crap, I understand you want to play for the National team and all that, but at what expense. The Spurs pay his salary and in turn the fans who pay to see the Spurs, and what do we get in return, a hurt Parker and the most disappointing season yet.
He should sit his butt down and rest, if he wants to do something over the summer… work on your 3 pointers.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:13 am
great, we’ll trade him while his body is breaking down. should get a lot of value for him then.
the spurs just need to take him to the side, and tell him he cannot play for the national team. they did that for ginobili.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:17 am
As much as I want TP to take the summer off, I admire his competitiveness. At the end of the day, for most athletes outside the US, playing for their national team is the highest honor one could receive, much different than the attitude most Americans in the NBA have for playing for team USA.
For TP and others like him (Manu specifically), this competitiveness is their greatest strength, but also their greatest weakness. In my mind, you take the good with the bad. You have to know, that if given the chance, these guys are going to jump at the opportunity. Maybe this means teams will take a second look when drafting foreign players, who knows?
My fingers are crossed for a healthy summer.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:24 am
you know after reading tylers post, made me think.
when the olympics come around, and team usa has no lebron, no wade, no kobe because their teams come first would we all be complaining when spain wins gold and we are stuck with a bronze (shades of years past)?
February 18th, 2010 at 10:30 am
“Eva Longoria-Parker should be happy; her husband is not one to bail on a commitment.” What about his commitment to the Spurs???
February 18th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Maybe it’s that famous French sense of humor.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:48 am
I do understand the ‘Honor” in getting to play for your country, but when it impedes with your prior commitments, something should be done. I believe that at the end of this year, Tony should be on the block. We should be searching for young talent that can be groomed.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:52 am
ok if the rockets can trade tracy mcbaby then the spurs should be able to do SOMETHING!
February 18th, 2010 at 10:55 am
As a French guy I think it’s irresponsible for him to say that if his PF has not fully healed yet, which I understand will take several months. He won’t be doing much for the NT anyway if he’s playing on one leg. It just doesn’t make any sense.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Unbelievable!!!
If a player is coming off a year where he was perfectly healthy then I’m all for that player deciding to play for his country, U.S., France, Argentina, whoever.
But when a player has pre-existing injuries that have not yet healed their is no way that player should be doing anything other than rehabbing.
Anything else is not commitment, or courage, or anything else except stupid.
If Parker really does play this summer with an injury that takes months of rest to heal he is a complete idiot and I as much as I have liked him in the past I would be very happy if he was traded.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:04 am
@idaho: nice analogy, but I bet most of the readers here are too young to “know Bo”.
I love Tony, but if this is his attitude: play year round while hurt; Spurs FO needs to convert him in to anything else (even picks). If he’s playing at 50%, he doesn’t help us or the French NT.
I understand “national pride” and all, but this is ridiculous. If he keeps this up, he’ll be the Manu of the prev 2 years…with no hope of getting back to 75% of what he was (like Manu has done this year).
Too bad…for us and him.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:05 am
there goes Tyrus Thomas… well I’m starting to believe the Spurs really aren’t doing anything. Oh well, we’ll just give them all steroids and they’ll start playing like contenders…
February 18th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Bo knows message boards.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Bo knows this is crap!
February 18th, 2010 at 11:26 am
People take a stab at the spurs fans for not recognizing “national pride”.. it only gets you so far.. it’s not like France is going to war and they need him.. It’s just basketball.
It’s like this, parker is an integral part of the spurs franchise right now and they spend so much money on him.. SPURS are the reason parker is parker.. the coaching staff and organization were patient with him while he grew and matured..
Now, playing for the NT is like tossing all that aside. If you don’t play for your country, it doesn’t mean you’re not proud, afterall, you HAVE played for your country before.
It’s just like my job for example. If i was great at it and all, why would i leave it to go do the same kind of job for my country just because I’m a native of my country. It’d be understandable for national pride and stuff but it’s not really all that necessary when 1. I’ve already done it numerous times and 2. I’m running a risk of not being able to perform my job functions when i get back from my national duties.
This is Sports.. not war..
btw.. check out my blog on your free time at rofljock.com
February 18th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Man, I wasn’t a Raiders fan (or a Royals fan for that matter), but I loved Bo! If not for injury he could’ve been… Well, could’ve’s aren’t worth much, but I loved watching him play.
As to TP: Please tell me the Spurs are going to strongly suggest he change his mind.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
*sigh*
There goes my day.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I don’t hear anybody complaing about any US guys playing for the USA team.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I’m all for him playing if he’s healthy and coming off a healthy year, but that is crap if he plays this summer. And I’ve never wanted him traded in the past (even through a few inconsistent playoff performances)… and was happy we signed him to his current contract at the time it happened, when not everyone agreed he deserved it. Eff this.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Anyone have confimation that nothing happened at the deadline?
February 18th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Now this is (sorry) pissing me off!! He is hurt all season and in between and still wants to play for the national team! I don’t understand why he can’t just have a few weeks/months off.
I am happy we didn’t trade for TT, I am quite sure it wouldn’t have worked out and Thomas would have played for Austin after 2 weeks.
btw what an ugly nice win yesterday!
February 18th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Never thought my references would be too old when I was coming up on 26.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
If Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, etc had declined to play for the US team last Olympics, every American would have been calling for their heads. They would have been lambasted as “selfish” or “un-American”. But when it’s one of your players, things change huh?
Also, having seen Manu and TP play for the national teams for several years, how is this in any way a shock to people? Really? You thought they wouldn’t play thru pain to play for their country? C’mon people.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
@junierizzle
Then apparently you didnt read my post b/c I was pretty clear that NO player with an existing injury should be playing regardless of what country he would be playing for.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
looks like spurs traded ratliff but no word for what, the washing machine maybe?
February 18th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
You’re shitting me.
@rangerjohn and junierizzle: This is completely different than LeBron/Kobe/Melo/Wade etc playing for Team USA. You KNOW they wouldn’t play if they were coming off of a year where they had to deal with a chronic injury like plantar fasciitis; hell, a bunch of them are saying they probably won’t play this summer until they get their new contract situation settled. They know that before they look at the international stage, they’ve gotta have everything settled at home first.
Furthermore, the national team commitment seems to last a lot longer. Team USA gets together at the end of July, does “training camp” for a few weeks, plays in the World Championships or Olympics or whatever it is that year for a couple, and goes home; France seems to take over practically all through July and into September. And team USA is so good, none of those guys do the heavy lifting Tony has to do with France. Those guys on Team USA barely play 20-25 minutes a night, while Tony is clearly one of the most important guys on the team, if not THE guy, and so he has to play most of the minutes and is called upon to carry the team.
So I’m sorry, saying “I don’t hear you guys crying about the guys playing for Team USA” is bullshit. It is in no way the same thing. Frankly, Tony not only owes his salary to the Spurs, he owes his development into the player he is today; he’d NEVER have become the player he is without Pop’s coaching and working with Chip and being surrounded by winners like Timmy and Manu. And so yes, while I understand he takes pride in his country and culture, I wish he’d try and repay the Spurs a little bit and put them first just for ONE summer, here at the end of the Duncan era; after Timmy retires, go kill yourself for the national team for all I care.
He can ALWAYS play for the national team later; but we’re running out of time for him to compete for an NBA championship next to Tim Duncan.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
are you sure about that john? last i checked kobe played with a torn ligament in his finger which to this day still needs surgery.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
All I’m saying is whether or not you agree with TP’s decision, this shouldn’t come as a shock. I wouldn’t be suprised if Manu plays for Argentina either.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
You’re right, I forgot that Kobe’s ligament injury went back so far. But I recall thinking Kobe was an idiot for doing it at the time, and I still do; all you have to do is look at him play with the Lakers and you can tell it’s affecting him, so from an NBA perspective that hasn’t worked out for him so well either.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
all of this is ground european football (soccer) teams already have covered, and their experiences could be instructive. first, any professional football player in his prime considers it an honor-and obligation-to play for his country: this is true in south america, europe, and across the globe to asia. i tend to think many professional american athletes playing team sports see their obligations and priorities in a different light.
certainly, there are inevitable tugs-of-war between european club football teams, who pay players’ salaries, and national teams. as a result, some european teams simply will not purchase players from some countries because of players’ potential national team duties. this is particularly true for african players due to a continental african tournament that keeps players away for almost an entire month during the season, and possibly more depending on the national team’s success in the tournament. U.S. basketball teams tend to trumpet hidden gems found in other countries, but we shouldn’t forget national team duties-and the possible injuries, fatigue, and missed games that can result-are a cost of doing business with foreign players.
although european football teams do not receive compensation when players are away on national team duty, national teams can be forced to compensate club teams if a player is injured while playing for the national team. for example, English club newcastle united were able to successfully litigate a case for millions of pounds against the English Football Association when star striker michael owen was injured while on duty with the English national team.
i don’t see any good reason why U.S. basketball fans should expect anything different from foreign players in the NBA than foreign fans of team sports in other countries.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
And the bottom line, to me, is this: the Spurs’ championship window, if it’s still open now, definitely, DEFINITELY closes after next season. If ever there was a time for Tony to take a rain check, it’s this summer. If Kobe felt he only had one more chance to win a title, I bet he’d do everything he could to gear himself up for that season as well.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
People have some perspective.
What does he gain by saying “No, I wont play for my national team this summer”.
It’ll play badly in French Media. It’ll make him look like he is a whipping boy for the spurs franchise.
If he maintains the party line and says he is playing, then can’t because of injury, he never bailed on national team commitments, and he made his own mind up.
You also have to remember just how savagely people want to play for their countries. The people in the French basketball world who gave of their time and effort for the love of the game made him the player he is to today. Or more accurately, gave him the opportunity to become the player he is today.
Without the advanced basketball training Tony received as part of a talent identification programme in France theres every chance he doesn’t become the star he is today, and the spurs don’t win multiple championships.
Think on that.
Tony doing well on a world stage, just like Manu, or Dirk, or any foreign born player increases the awareness of the game in their sphere of influence. It brings more kids to the game, it gives the game more exposure on national media.
In Europe/Asia/South America basketball does not have the captive audience, and assured market that exists in the United States. I say this as a guy who grew up in Australia and saw the huge impact Luc Longley playing for the bulls and getting drafted by Minnesota had on the game domestically.
When you look at France, Football, Skiing, Cycling, even Rugby, these are the sports that own the country. Just how positive for the game do you think it is to be relevant when the Olympics comes around?
In the long run, the stronger the game internationally, the better the crop of talent available for the NBA.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Bushka-
Will you change your mind if Tony is still suffering from PF and he still plays for France and then comes back next year still hobbled? I believe that he really does plan on playing even if he is still hurt. He’ll probably justify it by telling himself that he pushed thru it for the Spurs all year, so he can do the same for his national team.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Bushka, I completely understand what you’re saying; I’ve never been opposed to Spurs players representing their national teams before. But in this case, we’re not worried about him getting injured, Tony is ALREADY injured, and to make things worse, they essentially have no hope of winning another championship beyond next season. I understand it’s an honor for Tony to play and that he has a fierce loyalty for his country, but at some point shouldn’t he have some loyalty to the team that has made him an elite player?
It’s not all or nothing; I think there are some times where a player is perfectly fine in playing for his country, and then other times he should shuffle his priorities to meet the reality of his current situation.
February 18th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Here’s what Tony says to his French National Team: “Sorry guys, I can’t play this summer. I fucked up my foot last summer for the French team and had to play hurt for the ENTIRE NBA season. The doctors told me I need 3-4 months rest to deal with this injury. Love you guys, but I’ll have to see you next year.” It’s that simple. It’s like John said, as a rule, NBA players would never play in the summer if they were injured for the entire NBA season. Now I know maybe we can pull one or two examples out our ass of players who have played injured, but of ALL the NBA players to have competed in the Olympics and summer games, one or two examples is a fraction of a %. I’ve pretty much had it with these foreign players. First Manu screws his health and it now appears Tony is determined to do the same. You can bet the FO is sick and tired of dealing with this.
February 18th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
If I was gambling on this i’d place my wager on him not playing for France in the off season.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I think Pop and the FO saw this coming. Probably why Pop has been trying to build George Hill up so much.
February 18th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Trade him while he’s still reasonably healthy, banking on teams seeing his stats from last season as his “norm.”
February 18th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I would suggest that everyone on this board follow the money and see where that goes. Let’s not focus just on Parker’s NBA salary, let’s look at what he makes in France in endorsements and we might get a little closer to the truth.
February 18th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I’m glad to finally have something to agree with Bushka about.
It hurts as a Spurs fan, no doubt about it, but Tony is saying all the right things for his stardom in France, and for BB in France… regardless of if he ends up playing much or at all for them, this summer.
February 18th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
I can’t imagine the French even wanting him to play with plantar fascitis. Surely he would have to be cleared by the Spurs’ doctors before legally being allowed to do something this self-destructive. He seems to be hurting bad enough as it is. If he doesn’t rest this summer, his career will most likely be in as bad shape as his foot. It’s hard to think who could replace him.
February 18th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
If Parker is so interested in playing basketball for France, perhaps he is in the wrong league.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
And this is why Parker won’t reach his level from last season. This is what hurt Duncan, playing 2 straight summers.
From a Spurs fan perspective, I hope they lose quickly and get eliminated.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Jamie - No NBA team can tell their foreign players they can’t play for their respective NTs. This come sform Stern and if you anyone remembers when Cuban complained about it he got in deep waters with the league FO.
As for the Manu and the Spurs they didn’t tell him that. They believed it was in the Spurs best interest that he not play but they never told him he couldn’t. If you go back and read some of the comments you will probably see something to the effect that “though we (insert team GM or coach) think it best for (insert player) to rest over the summer it’s the player’s decision to represent their country and we will respect it.”
Stern’s vision to expand the NBA overseas would have taken a heavy hit if he were to allow any NBA team to prevent any foreign player from participating for their NTs in preparation for upcoming world and Olympic competitions. There is too much money at stake for Stern to allow that to happen.
February 19th, 2010 at 9:22 am
[...] Ginobili and McDyess will all be another year older, Parker will have another summer of international basketball on his legs and our depth in the backcourt would be severely [...]
February 19th, 2010 at 10:04 am
This is an eternal problem and every wrong opinion is repeated ever and ever.
I’m baffled the way some comments treat TP.
I won’t talk about kobe doing the same for team USA without drawing the same fury.
I won’t repeat how international BB are part of these players. When you have TP, when you have Manu, when you have Gasol, you KNOW these question come with them. Accept it or sign someone else.
I won’t do it all because I firmly believe TP won’t play for team France this summer. His aims the Olympics of 2012. He already let it know to the french federation.
http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2010/20100113_104828_parker-je-suis-fatigue.html
I’ll let you translate cause I’m in a hurry right now. If someone want it I’ll do it when back tomorrow.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Actually, Bo Jackson got hurt playing football…for da Raidahs! Playing two sports had nothing to do with his injury.
It’s a little worrisome to hear this from Parker, but I think he’ll be fine. He’s a baller. Ballers ball.
And like Buns said, it comes with the territory with int’l players…don’t cry about it now.
February 19th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
This place is bringing me down man. Can we have a few more positive articles please?
February 19th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I have no problem in Parker choosing France over the Spurs. That’s his right to do so.
What I have a huge problem is choosing France over the Spurs and still expecting the Spurs to honor his contract when he gets injured.
All foriegn (and team USA) players should realize you can’t have it both ways. If you want to play for your country, fine. Good for you. But don’t ask your NBA team to take on the risks of your decision.
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