Per ESPN…

Parker broke the fourth metacarpal — the bone between the bottom knuckle and the wrist — near the end of the first half and did not return to the game. The injury apparently occurred during a scramble for the ball.

“He’s got a broken hand. He’ll be out six weeks,” the Spurs coach said. “He did it in the first half when he dove on the floor.”

The Spurs currently sit in the #7 playoff spot, one game ahead of the Blazers and 5.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies and Rockets. With just 22 games left to play, San Antonio should be safe. The Spurs have gone 5-5 in games that Parker has missed this season and George Hill has played very well in February and March (16-3-3, 46% shooting).

It used to be that the Spurs just needed to be healthy for the playoffs, but they haven’t gelled like they hoped they would this season. Parker’s return would put him back in mid-April, which coincides with the start of the playoffs. If everyone is healthy, they’ll be a tough out against the Jazz or the Nuggets as a #7 seed, but if they finish in the #8 spot, they’ll be in for a rough series against the Lakers.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

For those that speak Spanish, the original article is on Clarin.com, but the translation below is from the HoopsHype rumor page.

It was hard to face what he suspected, but now assumes: Manu will not be a Spur anymore on July 1, alter three championships in eight seasons. The news comes out of his mouth with unmistakable words: “I am pretty sure I will be a free agent and that in July and August I will have to make a decision where to go” – he acknowledges – “I do not even expect the team to offer me an extension.”

This is rather surprising given Ginobili’s history with the franchise. He is still playing very well (PER of 20.32, down a bit from previous seasons but still good enough to rank 5th amongst SGs), though he spent much of last season sidelined with an injury to his left heel.

Maybe the Spurs haven’t talked extension because they want to see how he comes back from injury and handles a full 82-game season. I find it hard to believe that San Antonio would let a core piece walk in free agency if they were to make it to the Western Conference Finals. The problem with Ginobili is that he’ll turn 33 this summer and already has a reputation for being injury-prone. Still, the Spurs will be over the cap, so it’s not like they can turn around and sign someone younger and better.

If the Spurs make a run, I think Ginobili will be back. If they crash and burn in the postseason, they may let him walk.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Tim Duncan led the Spurs to a 105-85 win over the shorthanded Lakers, posting 25 points (on 12 of 19 shooting), 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals. Kobe Bryant left the game in the second half with what was described as “severe back spasms.”

The NBA rumor mill is in full effect and one of the more interesting tidbits I saw this fine Monday morning was that, via Hoopsworld, “league sources” are saying that the Spurs offered up Tony Parker in a bid to get Chris Paul.

The offer was immediately turned away by the Hornets.

However it is interesting to hear San Antonio would consider parting with Parker, but if it returned Chris Paul the move is easy to justify. Parker has one more season remaining on his deal worth $13.6 million and could be one of the top free agent guards in the summer of 2011.

First of all, any rumors that come from “league sources” need to be taken with a grain of salt. If true, it is interesting that the Spurs would be willing to part ways with Parker, but I think even he would understand the upside of the Spurs landing Chris Paul.

The deal wouldn’t make any sense for the Hornets as the two players’ salaries are about the same. Paul is signed through the 2011-12 season, one year longer than Parker. The downgrade wouldn’t be worth it for New Orleans.

The Hornets need to weather the storm and try to hold onto Paul. If they were ever to trade him, it should be during (or just before) the 2011-12 season. The Hornets are in a tough financial situation, but it’s of their own doing. The moves for Peja Stojakovic, Morris Peterson and James Posey simply haven’t resulted in the kind of winning the franchise was expecting. Then they traded away Tyson Chandler (whose deal expires in 2011) for Emeka Okafor (whose deal runs through 2014). This is a curious move for a team that is supposedly cash-strapped. I don’t mind the trade from a pure basketball standpoint, but fiscally it doesn’t make a lot of long term sense.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Since it’s the holiday season and I’m feeling generous, I’m going with a two-fer for the LOTN. First up is Jerryd Bayless, who has been getting a ton of minutes with all the injuries that the Blazers have been suffering. Last night, Portland (without Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Joel Przybilla) beat a healthy Spurs team in San Antonio, 98-94. Bayless posted 31 points and seven assists.

This is the kind of game that makes one wonder if something is seriously wrong with the Spurs.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, it was youth over experience as the Thunder beat the Suns, 117-113. Durant had 38 points, six rebounds and three assists, and hit 12 of 20 shots from the field, including a crucial jumper that put OKC up four with just seconds to play. Amare Stoudemire had 35-14 for the Suns, and basically had his way inside. If the Thunder can land a good power forward/center this offseason (Chris Bosh?), they’ll be in business. It’s hard to root for OKC given what the ownership did to the city of Seattle, but it’s just as hard not to like the young core of Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden.

The Spurs lost at home to the Celtics, 90-83, but it was a national television coming out party for rookie DeJuan Blair, who posted 18 points and 11 rebounds in one of his best games of the season. He hit 9 of 11 shots from the field, and scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter to keep the Spurs in the game.

Interestingly, Manu Ginobili only played 18 minutes and sat much of the final period even though the Spurs were trying to mount a comeback. With the loss the Spurs fall to 9-7 on the season, while the Celtics advance to 15-4.

Looking at him, Matt Bonner might be the most unimpressive player in the NBA, but the guy can shoot, as evidenced by his 6 of 8 performance from 3PT range in the Spurs’ 112-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. On the season, Bonner has hit 26-55 (47%) from deep and will make teams pay if they double off of him.

With the win, the Spurs are now 6-6 after struggling with some injuries early in the season. Newcomer Richard Jefferson is playing pretty well (15.0 ppg, 47% shooting), but it’s going to take some time for the team to work out the kinks.

The word rivalry is defined as “competition for the same objective or superiority in the same field.” Rivalries exist in all facets of life, but they are no more apparent than in the world of sport. With the end of the decade looming, here are the six most intense rivalries of the last ten years.

6. Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson

Competition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson may not produce the mystique that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus once did, but their rivalry has been exciting nonetheless. Without Tiger Woods, professional golf’s popularity would be a mere morsel of what it is today. The man has won 14 majors, holds his own tournament (the AT&T National), designed two beautiful courses, is the only golfer with his own video game, and garners public intrigue on the same level as world leaders. Still, his status as figurehead of professional golf wouldn’t have any merit without some stiff competition. Enter Phil Mickelson, Tiger’s only adversary with any staying power. When Mickelson won the 2000 Buick Invitational, he also officially ended Tiger’s streak of consecutive tournament wins at six. Over the years, Mickelson would hire Butch Harmon, Tiger’s former coach, and joke about Tiger’s use of “inferior equipment.” Still, their rivalry always remained amicable, even as Phil won his first major in ’04 (The Masters), the PGA Championship in ’05 another Green Jacket in ’06. During this year’s Masters, Tiger and Mickelson were finally paired together in a major event. Trudging down the final back nine at Augusta, the two golfers put on a show that thankfully lived up to the hype. –- Christopher Glotfelty

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Last night, the Spurs were down Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, who both sat with ankle injuries. But it didn’t matter because San Antonio had Manu Ginobili, who dropped 36 points on the unsuspecting Raptors. He shot 8-15 from the field, but hit 6-8 from long range and 14-16 of his free throws. He also posted eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks in the Spurs’ 131-124 win.

The Raptors have to be disappointed with the loss. They shot 59% from the field and 65% from long range, but were outrebounded by nine and committed five more turnovers than the Spurs. Considering that San Antonio was without Duncan and Parker, that shouldn’t happen.

This was a big win for the Spurs, who avoided a 2-4 start…thanks to Ginobili.