Parker: ‘I want to play’ in Worlds

How about Manu plays for his national team as well, both TP and Manu gets all messed up out of shape, and Timmy, while trying to lead his team all by himself, blows his season out, and we suddenly find the Spurs tanking a whole season!

That’s just crazy. Someone should lock these guys in a dungeon or something after the POs.

I understand the desire to represent his country, but as a professional athlete with a chronic ailment that takes away his athleticism (plantar fasciitis), it would seem in Parker’s best professional interest to take some time off and recover.
He’s not very useful to the Spurs or to Les Bleus if he’s as hampered as he has been this year.

I hope they don’t play. But I understand if they do.

Parker is an idiot. He has a bad heel, and he wants to play for France? No respect for his bosses who need him healthy for his career with the Spurs. I’d trade him in a heartbeat, get an athletic big man or go after one of the big free agents available in Summer 2010. You guys have seen that George Hill can carry the team with his play, and the new guy Temple is showing he can be a solid back up point guard. Don’t get too attached to any player, especially an idiot like Parker who thinks of himself before his team. Remember the Herschel Walker trade by the Cowboys? They got great draft picks (Aikman, Smith) that got them Super Bowls. Lets trade Parker for a great big man, a couple of high draft picks, or a combination of the two.

Replace “play” with “win a title this year”.
Same logic. OF COURSE he wants to win a title; of course he wants to play for the team (France) he played for almost every summer of his life.
That said, he didn’t say “I will play”, and I’m still convinced he won’t.

NBA franchises can’t force a player to renounce an international selection. Officialy. The Bulls did “convince” Noah not to play last summer. He still develop a plantar fasciitis, by the way.

I’ll repeat again: if Manu and TP are good and successfull players, that’s in part because they play for their national team. When you sign them, you know it’s a part of the deal. That applies to Gasol(s), Nowitzki, and so on.
What USA fans would think if the Lakers make a statement saying: “we don’t allow Bryant to defend the US flag”.
That’s another never ending discussion (along with the Bonner +/-, and the pinkness of the invisible pink unicorn), and I guess the pros will never convince the cons, and vice versa.

Tony’s recent month of paid vacation should mean he’s fresh for the national team this summer.

time to trade parker before his contract expires and he moves on to a more “fashionable market” with his “Hollywood” wife. he wants to be in the spot light to much, and he can be very valuable in a trade for say a derick rose type maybe? we are not getting a d-will or cp for him but rose would be a fairly decent trade.

this is the kind of stuff that pisses me off with the guy.

I think watching the slew of games sans Parker, and now the games with Parker, he is the guy to trade. This isn’t a knock on Tony either, more of a case of the needs of the team. Timmy is fast declining, and I agree with the logic to use Tony to grab an accomplished big. We’re not going to lose enough to earn the lottery for the desired big like what happened with Robinson and Duncan, and within the next few seasons, we’ll be left with an older Manu and older Parker and no Duncan. Okay, so there are some knocks on Parker. He can’t hit threes, and his free throw shooting is suspect for a guard. He is also a defense liability. The one thing he has (had for the time being) is speed, interior scoring and assists. But wouldn’t you agree that George Hill is a fast apprentice under Pop’s system? Temple also seems to show great potential in extremely limited play. Then there’s that Manu guy. So if the fabled Splitter doesn’t come on board over the summer and the FO doesn’t score another Blair type victory, I say trade TP. Invest now for the future.

@Renato: no need to add such things in the CBA. Owners should know better what to expect from international stars (and any star actually). If you sign Nowitzki, you should take into account the fact that he will play for his country. The CBA has to stop being something that saves the owners from themselves. The Lakers threw big dollars to Bryant, knowing he wants to play for USA basketball (and I’m pretty sure they’ll whine against his summer fiba games at some point).

I read in a fan forum that RJ may opt out of next season’s contract. Yeah sounds crazy thing to do, opting out of 15 mil contract when his market value is probably half of that, but if he wishes a long-term contract and considering some teams could use his service for 3-4 years (he still got a lot left in his tank at only 30), what are the chances of doing some sort of a sign-and-trade? Likely or unlikely? That is, likelihood of RJ opting out and Spurs FO trying to get something out of his value. And if this this does happen, would it affect Tony in any way?

Did any of you catch the Laker/Blazer game? What a joke that game was! For one thing, Roy went out of the game with I believe an ankle injury midway through the second quarter, and did not return. Nevertheless, the Blazers managed to stay in the game the rest of the way. In fact, they had a 5 point lead with under a minute remaining. Kobe then put in 6 straight points, with a long three, and an old fashioned three, giving the Lakers the one point lead with thirty-some seconds remaining. Camby then got an offensive rebound put back to send the Blazers back up one with 13 seconds left. Then Portland tries to give the Lakers the game by unintentionally fouling Bryant with 6.9 seconds left. Bryant inexplicably misses both free throws, but the second one was so short (quite sure Kobe was NOT “trying” to miss it) it bounced out toward the foul line where Gasol grabbed it, dished to Fisher near the three point line, where he was inexplicably fouled by Miller with 4.7 seconds remaining. Fisher (by the way, a career 88% foul shooter) misses one of two free throws, so the game is now tied, Portland timeout. The Blazers then inbound the ball at half court to Webster about ten feet outside the three point line on the left wing. Webster starts to drive in between Kobe & Fisher, and they BOTH foul him (although I think the call went against Fisher), despite the fact that time was winding down (probably 3 seconds left), he had no real lane open to the rim (with help from Gasol & Bynum anyway), and would of had an off-balance look on a long jumper. Why foul Webster there?! It’s not like he’s D. Wade or something! The refs said Webster was raising up to shoot on the play just outside the three point line. So Webster knocks down three free throws, Blazers up three with 3 seconds left, Laker time out. They inbound at half court and have to settle for a Gasol three!, which misses badly, game over. What a joke!!

By the way, the Lakers had some incentive to win that game. Orlando won earlier today, and with the Laker loss, they will now have home court advantage against LA should they meet in the finals. Even with this obvious incentive, the Lakers played like they didn’t really care that much, and that they should win the game ultimately because “they’re so great”, and can just turn it on at the end and get the “W”. So why work hard for 48 minutes?! And they’ve been doing this all year long, and we’re now just a couple of games removed from the start of the playoffs. Ridiculous!

With this kind of attitude, mark my words, IT IS “VERY” UNLIKELY LA WILL NOT REPEAT THIS YEAR AS NBA CHAMPIONS. Not gonna happen. While I would still prefer to avoid LA in round one (they still have a decent chance to “make” it out of the West), and this loss to Portland increases our chances of drawing them in the first round (Portland MUST lose against OKC tomorrow for us to still have a chance at avoiding LA in round one), I feel our chances for a major upset against LA has now officially increased with this Laker defeat today. This was utterly embarrassing for them to lose a game like this, in this fashion, on their home court against a team that is without one of the greatest players in the league (Roy) for most of the game. I would put them as a 4/1 shot now, at best to repeat THIS year. They need a humbling this year, and an attitude adjustment in the off-season to make another title challenge in the coming years.

I always been a big big fan of Tp9

but I’m at the point where im like.. let’s trade him and get someone real nasty like Bosh or something…

Maybe Chris Bosh and co should take pay cuts and get hammered by rabid fans for playing for Team USA as well? I mean how freaking unfair that Michael Jordan and Larry Bird played for the dream team.

Are you guys advocating the paycut route for people like Steve Nash as well?

Or is it only Euro & South American players we’d like to discriminate against?

The NBA is a global league. It requires a global presence. It brings in massive cash to the owners coffers because the league grows outside the United States of America.

If you want the owners to rip up their wallets and fiscal ambitions sure, they’ll stop hiring people from outside the United States.

You think the owners want Yao Ming to stop playing for China? As if…

I don’t see him playing this summer either, and I’ve laid out the premise before that he is never going to physically say “I’m not playing for France”. He just wont play due to injury.

But he’d be nuts to say he wont play. It’s a loaded question to ask him, knowing full well that he has a long term committment to the national squad endorsement deals and a sincerely strong national fan base.

Hobson13
April 11th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

“The 2009-2010 version of the Lakers reminds me more and more of the 2003-2004 version.”

Yeah, that probably is a good comparison. It can be problematic to have too many big egos on the same team. Someone’s got to be the leader on these types of teams, and in my view, Kobe has come up short in that department this year. Can you imagine MJ putting up with the nonchalant, lazy, “believe in our press clippings” attitude of these players? No way, he’d rip them all a new a_ _ _ _ _ _! MJ played 48 minutes every game, and he never settled for less from his teammates. That’s your only chance of three-peating in this league, and MJ’s teams did it TWICE! No, there’s no way he would have allowed his players to let this Portland game go, with home court potentially on the line in the finals rematch with Orlando.

I basically agree with your take on the TP playing international ball issue. I just know the Spurs can’t do anything about it, so I tend avoid weighing in on the discussion. I’d rather talk about possible trades that could make the team more competitive for the title.

@KOC and Jim Henderson

Two words. Rodney Stucky.

His was ready to take over for Billups, right?

TP is proven. Hill is not there yet.

@Hobson13: I took the example of Noah to show injuries doesn’t “always” come from national teams (and there was no SA player to mention to illustrate).

My question about NT vs Franchise was tricky. I agree that there is interferences between the two (interferences that nobody has solved yet). Still I don’t think we can question TP’s loyalty to the Spurs to which he always gave 100%, plus being a perfect professional.

Of course SA fans will bend toward the “employeer first”, and the french fans toward the “country first”.

About lost money, let’s not forget that national federations pay insurance. And sometimes HUGE insurance (Diaw did not play some years ago because the amount was too high for french ffbb).
And (please someone correct me, I may be wrong here) if a player is out for the year, I think his salary is counted out of the payroll (like Yao).

Anyways, these insurances don’t solve the problem of building a competitive team (even if it is supposed to smooth the financial impact of an injury).

Now to make everything clear, I think like many of us 48moh readers: TP should rest this summer. French NT will need him much more in 2011 (Euro which qualifies for the Olympics) and 2012 (if Olympics). Plus he plays every summer since 97, and at pro-level since 99 (97 at INSEP). That’s big numbers on his odometer.
Ginobili hit a peak of performance at a perfect time for his contract renewal. If TP wants to do the same, he’d better heal for good.

I will support Tony’s and Manu’s decision, whatever turns to be the case. Happy player is a good player.
As far as I know Robinson and Duncan use to play for USA and everybody was happy then. Pop also have had his shot at coaching USA team in Athens. Is Wade, Coby, Bosh, Howard and rest of American born NBA stars going to play for USA? Or we gonna go and send college kids again to get embarrassed overseas? Also, are you gonna tell George Hill not to play pick up basketball over the summer because he is injury prone?
Bottom line is that we can’t do nothing about that, it is the summer time and they can do whatever they want. Only way to go around is to tell Pop and RC to stop drafting foreign players.
Good luck with that one.

I am on the opposing side of this debate.

You cannot win without some guard depth and people to fill up the rotation.

If you give it up then an injury to either a Manu or a George and your season is done.

You need to hold onto your talent, and add a big.

If you don’t do that your not going to win a title anyway. TP is something other teams fear because he has a style of game that is very well suited to playoff basketball. He can cause chaos in opposing Defenses with savage penetration.

For a team like the spurs that only really takes the post season with any solemnity thats important.

Just to reiterate the same argument I’ve had numerous times. If you trade TP you have to get back a good guard first and foremost. You need to get like for like in this league because you have to play 110 games to win a title.

So why would you trade TP for another PG? If you trade him for a big you’d need to get a solid PG back as a bare minimum.

If your looking for options then, what team can offer a solid shotblocking big + a solid backup PG? I don’t think it’s the right course of action. I think you look to spend your MLE on a big and hold onto what you have.

I also don’t believe in the doom and gloom forecasts. Dejaun, George, Malik all get better next year and will be even better defensively. Thats a big plus.

Like any half way decent team in this league health will be the issue.

Not much out there. You’d have to include some sign and trades if you wanted to get anything halfway decent.

The main issue is finding a good big then an affordable decent contracted PG who isn’t just fodder. Plus the fact that a lot of teams have locked in PG’s who are proven guys to big contracts so they don’t want TP alone and if the point is to get a big then you don’t want a big contract PG back….

Not to mention the always joyous issue of salary numbers. You could maybe squeeze Mike Conley & Marc Gasol out of the grizzlies but the numbers don’t match up. They are both on rookie deals. You have to add Dejaun Blair & Hasheem Thabeet in an effort to make it palatable for both sides.

Dejaun + TP for Gasol, Conley, Thabeet.

I don’t see how Memphis a young team with heaps of cap space does the trade but the numbers work.

The main issue here is the rest of the league doesn’t have the same level of interest in TP that they did a year ago when he actually had to carry the team and was putting up otherworldly numbers.

One of the reasons he is broken now is that he ripped himself up without Manu & Tim trying to carry the load alone.

I think about that player and really think that trading him is a disaster in waiting. It just seems so counter intuitive.

The only thing standing between that all NBA guy and the player we see now is an njury. If he has a healthy season we would look like the biggest chumps in the world after getting 50 cents on the dollar in trade value.

Guys, you’ve only mentioned one trade, and then just throw in the towel?

If you don’t want to consider trading TP for anybody, just say so. But one trade, one so obvious to not make sense to the other team is not a legitimate effort.

Nobody’s suggesting that proposing trades that could be potentially good for both teams is easy. It can be fairly complicated, with a lot of factors to consider. Some of Buska’s thinking in his previous comments alludes to some of these difficulties. I agree also, that you’ve got to be careful to not lose too much of your guard strength/depth if we consider trading Parker. The idea is to significantly strengthen the front court, and perhaps weaken the back court more slightly.

Just for example, IF Mahinmi is not going to make our rotation anytime soon, why not package him, McDyess, & Parker to the Raptors for Jose Calderon, Reggie Evans, & Amir Johnson. The numbers look like they would work. We’d get a young, excellent weak side shot-blocker in Johnson, some size in the 30 year old, veteran, journeymen Evans for some extra depth in the front court, and the steady, if not flashy Calderon to take over at point in place of Parker. The Raptors would get the all-star, three-time champion Parker to run their offense, and also take up a good deal of the scoring slack from probably losing Bosh to free agency (which at least will take them back barely under the cap, I believe), and Mahinmi gives them a young, cheap, talent/project that can get them some scoring and rebounding in the paint, and he might be a better fit with the up-tempo Raptors. Maybe he could eventually make their rotation & develop more quickly.

I don’t know if the Raptors would like this deal or not (they may want to keep Johnson with Bosh leaving?), but it seems like it’s an example of something worth discussing. Johnson is not a “conventional” type of “big”, but he’s 6’9″, long, and a pretty athletic shot-blocker at his position. We would still want to see what we can get in terms of a TALL, defensive-minded center with the MLE (hopefully Splitter). Calderon would probably be a very solid point guard for us, and the Raptors would still have Jarrett Jack that would be part of a nice rotation with Parker. McDyess would give them “D” & rebounding in the paint, and the steady, spot up shooter from mid-range that they’re missing.

Let me know what your thoughts are. Keep in mind, this is just one example that I haven’t spent much time on. There are others, if any of you just want to spend a little time looking into it.

I don’t feel the same sense of urgency about trading Parker, not at all. Spurs have a pretty darn good roster as it is, and I do agree the major need is to add a good defensive big man. In my mind Plan A is to sign Splitter fot the mid-level and keep Mahinmi if he wants minimum salary. If Splitter definitely won’t come, then I would start considering trades. Unless of course someone really stupid offers something that cannot be refused. I cannot see how any of the trades proposed so far in this blog would make the team any better that it currently is.
Granted it is just one man’s opinion.