Tag: San Antonio Spurs (Page 7 of 16)

Tony Parker suffers ankle sprain

The Spurs will be without Tony Parker the next few games as he deals with a left ankle sprain.

From ESPN.com:

The Spurs said Thursday that the swelling in Parker’s ankle was minimal after being carried off the court Wednesday night in a win over Atlanta. No structural damage was found.

Parker won’t play Friday against Memphis and will also likely sit Sunday’s game against Denver. No timetable for his return has been set.

Parker has been troubled by the same foot all season. He missed four games earlier because of another ankle sprain and has been bothered by plantar fascitis.

The Spurs need Parker back at full strength quickly. Parker truly is one of the best point guards in the Western Conference and the Spurs are going to struggle without him running the offense.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Manu Ginobili does not expect to re-sign with Spurs

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

Spurs dangled Tony Parker for Chris Paul?

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.

Line of the Night (12/23): Jerryd Bayless & Kevin Durant

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.

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