**UPDATED** Parker Injured

[steefposton]

Hope it's not bad, but the Kings announcers say it was a bad turn of the ankle. He left the game without putting any weight on it (carried out by Blair/trainer). Hope it's not too bad

[b1gdon]

Originally Posted by steefposton

Hope it's not bad, but the Kings announcers say it was a bad turn of the ankle. He left the game without putting any weight on it (carried out by Blair/trainer). Hope it's not too bad

Express News says sprained ankle.

Jeff McDonald ‏@JMcDonald_SAEN

Tony Parker has a sprained left ankle. Will not return.

[mckennaspur1]

Looked like at least two weeks from the way he left the court. He didn't even try to put weight on it.

Nando, Patty and Joseph get the keys to the car for a while. Hope somebody steps up.

[Mombear]

Greg Simmons
Spurs say Tony Parker suffered a sprained left ankle in the 3rd qtr will not return.

[alh1020]

In his post game response to TPs condition, Pop said he'll be out a while, with emphasis on 'a while'. The way he came down on it, TP looked to have rolled it pretty good. Like Sean and Bill Land both said afterwards, I'm glad we got a deep bench.

[KAD]

Gives the bench a chance to play for real - they will step up big time! TP also needs a rest.

[Spurd_On]

Originally Posted by mckennaspur1

Looked like at least two weeks from the way he left the court. He didn't even try to put weight on it.

Nando, Patty and Joseph get the keys to the car for a while. Hope somebody steps up.

It seems that someone will have to emerge here and I can't imagine it being Neil. This backup-point-guard-by-committee system may not work in the playoffs when teams are throwing shortened rotations at them and the Spurs are throwing in multiple point guards cold off the bench. Or will it?

[spurscrazed]

Tony would try at least to step on it if it is a mild sprain.

It must have been hurt so bad....

Cant wait to the MRI

Get well TP! PLEASE we need you at the end of the season and def in the PO!

And this time take your time Tony! Don't worry about leading the team, all other Spurs will step it up and everyone will pull their weight.

Go Spurs Go!

[Lphenom21]

I blame it on the new cheap 'Peak' shoes! Time to go back to Nike TP!

[KAD]

Its almost 11:00 am, seems like an MRI would have been done by now and the results released?

[Mombear]

Per Greg Simmons: Tony Parker underwent an MRI today that shows he has a grade 2 ankle sprain. The Spurs tell us he will be out a 4 weeks.

[alh1020]

Originally Posted by Mombear

Per Greg Simmons: Tony Parker underwent an MRI today that shows he has a grade 2 ankle sprain. The Spurs tell us he will be out a 4 weeks.

Ouch. Looks like DeColo, Mills and Joseph will get their share of additional playing time in TPs absence. As Pop has said of Tony in the past -- don't be a hero.

[captainlate]

He gets to rest and study before Final(s?!) push. Lets see the bench rise up

[MichaelWi101]

Actually considering the Spurs March schedule, I think they only play 14 games and most of them at home and not many against the top level teams, this should work out ok for the team

[mckennaspur1]

This could be a blessing in disguise. Yeah, Spurs may slip out of the top seed in the West, but we haven't done much with that when we've had it lately.

The blessing is that the Spurs will have to overcome the unspoken sense that Tony would bail us out in the 4th quarter of close games. Rather than just plugging in Nando, Patty or Joseph, the team may work the month to devise patterns on offense that go beyond TP's dribble-penetration. That's a great idea when it works, but as this board has noted, it can be stopped in the playoffs.

Let's see some innovation. We'll take our lumps in the short term, but it may push youngsters like Kawhi to get creative.

[clovisnmspurfan]

NBA says he will be out a month, we can hold on till then.

[MRJONESIII]

That MVP candidacy talk will be put to the test now. If they fall to far, then the league will notice that her truly is the MVP. But hopefully the system just keeps on trucking along.

[MichaelWi101]

Here's the March schedule
vs. Detroit Pistons
vs. Chicago Bulls
vs. Portland Trail Blazers
vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
at Minnesota Timberwolves
vs. Dallas Mavericks
vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
vs. Golden State Warriors
vs. Utah Jazz
at Houston Rockets
vs. Denver Nuggets
vs. Los Angeles Clippers
vs. Miami Heat
13 Games - I'll call it right now - Spurs go no worse than 10-3 during the month

[spurscrazed]

Hmmm Grade 2 ankle sprain could spell trouble for Spurs.

I don't see a lot of Spurs wins without TP 4 MVP!!!!But it is all good! I guess it could have been worse. A sprained ankle sound so much better than a broken ankle...

Now Pop will have to pull all Spurs and get them to understand the sense of urgency they need to play with...No more TP bailing them out and carry them in the second half..

This TP injury can be looked as a HUGE Blessing in disguise here and a Momentum build up for the PO. Spurs can create a second consistent scorer or a way for that system to improve those holes when TP goes to the bench to take a breather or to rest. I expect someone to Rise Up from this....

This will be a very good way now to judge the other Spurs and see if they can prepare for a better PO than past years when teams shut down Spurs in the middle or three quarter of the PO...

I say Spurs will survive this TP out time on half of those 13 games! Realistically I see them winning 6 of 13 and we shall still be good!

Hope Spurs prove me wrong and win all those games and go Belletristic 13-0 And Pop would make a new rotation that can Rock Up!

Get well TP!

[WILLTHETHRILL]

Well at least they have a bunch of point guards

[ibanezsr]

Time to give K. L. the ball more like they should have done earlier. At times i would rather see the ball in K. L.'s rather than Duncan or Ginobili in terms of scoring. And can someone please tell Pop that Green and Neal should never have the ball on a fast break... and while you're at it tell Timmy to stop throwing long outlet passes. He sucks at it....

[TodTango]

3 weeks off court healing then rehab. Practicing week 4. Playing week 5.

[steefposton]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

Time to give K. L. the ball more like they should have done earlier. At times i would rather see the ball in K. L.'s rather than Duncan or Ginobili in terms of scoring. And can someone please tell Pop that Green and Neal should never have the ball on a fast break... and while you're at it tell Timmy to stop throwing long outlet passes. He sucks at it....

ummmmm....what?? First off, TD is an excellent outlet passer. Don't let one or 2 instances cloud the larger picture. Second, while I love how Leonard's game is developing, apart from some obvious mismatches, KL should not have the ball more often than Duncan or Manu. That's not to say he shouldn't END UP with it, that's the beauty and strength of Timmy and Manu (and the Spurs in general) is their superior passing.

S

[choppsboy]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

Time to give K. L. the ball more like they should have done earlier. At times i would rather see the ball in K. L.'s rather than Duncan or Ginobili in terms of scoring. And can someone please tell Pop that Green and Neal should never have the ball on a fast break... and while you're at it tell Timmy to stop throwing long outlet passes. He sucks at it....

If you are saying KL should have the ball in his hands in more pick and roll, I agree. I actually would love to see him post up more as well.

I would MUCH rather see him down low in the post than TIM DUNCAN.

Timmy needs to get his points off of his jump shot, put backs, and great interior passing; not off of post ups.

In My Opinion.

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by steefposton

ummmmm....what?? First off, TD is an excellent outlet passer. Don't let one or 2 instances cloud the larger picture. Second, while I love how Leonard's game is developing, apart from some obvious mismatches, KL should not have the ball more often than Duncan or Manu. That's not to say he shouldn't END UP with it, that's the beauty and strength of Timmy and Manu (and the Spurs in general) is their superior passing.

S

ummmmm timmy is far from an excellent outlet passer. nothing is clouding my vision. for the 1 or 2 times he actually connects on those long baseball outlet passes he throws away 5 to 6 of them. Its not worth the risk. I have even seen him throw semi-long ones to dejuan blair a few times at half court. asking dejuan to dribble from halfcourt on fastbreaks is never a good idea. He needs to just stick to the shorter safe passes. Also, Duncan and Ginobili have already proven that their offensive game is not even close to what it used to be. Too many fall away off balance shots. Timmy should not tet the ball on the block much anymore. Teams know this and dont need to double team. Gino is not clutch anymore and is not a dominant scorer. Couple that with putting a big guard on TP and the Spurs are toast in the playoffs. So yes, at this point while TP is out i think K.L. should get the ball more. He is going to be the key to going anywhere in the playoffs the next two yrs. He needs the next month to develop confidence if the Spurs are going to have a shot at winning it all. Not saying he is going to crush it but this is a good time to see what he has on a consistent night in night out basis.

[spurduncan21]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

ummmmm timmy is far from an excellent outlet passer. nothing is clouding my vision. for the 1 or 2 times he actually connects on those long baseball outlet passes he throws away 5 to 6 of them. Its not worth the risk. I have even seen him throw semi-long ones to dejuan blair a few times at half court. asking dejuan to dribble from halfcourt on fastbreaks is never a good idea. He needs to just stick to the shorter safe passes. Also, Duncan and Ginobili have already proven that their offensive game is not even close to what it used to be. Too many fall away off balance shots. Timmy should not tet the ball on the block much anymore. Teams know this and dont need to double team. Gino is not clutch anymore and is not a dominant scorer. Couple that with putting a big guard on TP and the Spurs are toast in the playoffs. So yes, at this point while TP is out i think K.L. should get the ball more. He is going to be the key to going anywhere in the playoffs the next two yrs. He needs the next month to develop confidence if the Spurs are going to have a shot at winning it all. Not saying he is going to crush it but this is a good time to see what he has on a consistent night in night out basis.

Too say Manu is not clutch anymore is a sin rookie! Maybe he hasnt been on the level we're accustomed to seeing him play, but he's getting there. He needs time and time he has so before you write him off, wait and see. If he's healthy and TP comes back in full stride, this team will win #5. Yes, the next month is crucial not only for KL, but also for Green and Splitter to boost their confidence even more so they all produce like they did prior to the OKC series. Those three have all improved this year, but need to do so even more in Tony's absense. Im surprised that there hasnt been enough talk about Neal forgetting how to put the ball in the hoop. His shooting has been flat out abysmal this season compared to the 2 previous seasons. Going forward I am most interested in seeing the competition between the pgs (Mills, De Colo and Joseph - Neal not included for obvious reasons) for the backup position. As long as the backup is not Neal, our PG rotation is vastly improved. I like all the three for different GAME situations

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by spurduncan21

Too say Manu is not clutch anymore is a sin rookie! Maybe he hasnt been on the level we're accustomed to seeing him play, but he's getting there. He needs time and time he has so before you write him off, wait and see. If he's healthy and TP comes back in full stride, this team will win #5. Yes, the next month is crucial not only for KL, but also for Green and Splitter to boost their confidence even more so they all produce like they did prior to the OKC series. Those three have all improved this year, but need to do so even more in Tony's absense. Im surprised that there hasnt been enough talk about Neal forgetting how to put the ball in the hoop. His shooting has been flat out abysmal this season compared to the 2 previous seasons. Going forward I am most interested in seeing the competition between the pgs (Mills, De Colo and Joseph - Neal not included for obvious reasons) for the backup position. As long as the backup is not Neal, our PG rotation is vastly improved. I like all the three for different GAME situations

just because i dont have time to post over 1000 posts like yourself doesn't mean im a rookie to notice what is going on with a team i have watched every game of every season since dvr and the nba package have been available. Trust me Gino has been my favorite player over time but im not going to be naive to the fact that he doesnt have it anymore on a consistent basis. Part of being clutch is being reliable (health plays a big role in that). Gino cannot be clutch on a consistent basis due to mileage and age. its not a dig its just a fact. Spurs need a clutch scorer in the playoffs. Do you think out of the 4 games SA lost to OKC in the playoffs last yr that Gino was a clutch scorer? He scored 8, 13, 34 and 10 in those games. He is spectacular in spurts at this point. Nothing more and nothing less. And that isnt going to cut it with Timmy's diminished offensive skills. Combine all that with a big guard on Tony and Spurs are in trouble. They need someone else to pick up slack and the only one i see that comes close to having the skills to be something special is K.L. so I don't think its a bad idea to give him the green light in March to see what hes gott is all. ALSO.... not a Neal fan at all if that makes you feel any better.

[Rzarector7]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

just because i dont have time to post over 1000 posts like yourself doesn't mean im a rookie to notice what is going on with a team i have watched every game of every season since dvr and the nba package have been available. Trust me Gino has been my favorite player over time but im not going to be naive to the fact that he doesnt have it anymore on a consistent basis. Part of being clutch is being reliable (health plays a big role in that). Gino cannot be clutch on a consistent basis due to mileage and age. its not a dig its just a fact. Spurs need a clutch scorer in the playoffs. Do you think out of the 4 games SA lost to OKC in the playoffs last yr that Gino was a clutch scorer? He scored 8, 13, 34 and 10 in those games. He is spectacular in spurts at this point. Nothing more and nothing less. And that isnt going to cut it with Timmy's diminished offensive skills. Combine all that with a big guard on Tony and Spurs are in trouble. They need someone else to pick up slack and the only one i see that comes close to having the skills to be something special is K.L. so I don't think its a bad idea to give him the green light in March to see what hes gott is all. ALSO.... not a Neal fan at all if that makes you feel any better.

I agree on most of that post there.

[spurduncan21]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

just because i dont have time to post over 1000 posts like yourself doesn't mean im a rookie to notice what is going on with a team i have watched every game of every season since dvr and the nba package have been available. Trust me Gino has been my favorite player over time but im not going to be naive to the fact that he doesnt have it anymore on a consistent basis. Part of being clutch is being reliable (health plays a big role in that). Gino cannot be clutch on a consistent basis due to mileage and age. its not a dig its just a fact. Spurs need a clutch scorer in the playoffs. Do you think out of the 4 games SA lost to OKC in the playoffs last yr that Gino was a clutch scorer? He scored 8, 13, 34 and 10 in those games. He is spectacular in spurts at this point. Nothing more and nothing less. And that isnt going to cut it with Timmy's diminished offensive skills. Combine all that with a big guard on Tony and Spurs are in trouble. They need someone else to pick up slack and the only one i see that comes close to having the skills to be something special is K.L. so I don't think its a bad idea to give him the green light in March to see what hes gott is all. ALSO.... not a Neal fan at all if that makes you feel any better.

Oh did I hurt your feelings? I wasnt trying to tbh. I wouldnt necessarily correlate clutch with health. Clutch simply means producing when needed most. In the OKC series like you alluded to, he had one breakout game in the 4 losses, but his play was diminished along with many others. Fact is he's playing better now than at any point this season. I will refrain from writing him off simply because when healthy in produces in a plethora of ways outside of scoring. That OKC series was bad for most of the team as nobody could buy a shot when needed so that shouldnt fall solely on the shoulders of Manu. The most important player moving forward in Tony's absense is MANU and I am counting on him to regain the confidence and clutchness we're all accustomed to. I hear what everyone keeps saying about Kawhi, but in all honesty, I'd be hesitant in saying Pop will allow him to handle the rock come playoffs. Yes he needs to be involved in the offense other than the corner 3 and I know Pop will fully utilize him during this period without TP. Green and Splitter need to continue grinding and maximizing their potential as well. Kawhi will be prepared to handle a larger role in the playoffs since the team has clearly been grooming before the season even started in the 2 summer league games he played in. I doubt he'll be a focal point in the offense when the real season starts due to Tony playing 35+ minutes, but it is vital to have someone other than TP(ie. Manu or even Kawhi) handle the rock when TP is guarded by Sefolosha or any other big guard. The most important thing to me about Manu is his FT shooting. I am not fully on board he's back to his old ways, but I know the man will get there. You don't think people have written him off already? He knows that and since he feels great (he recently said), I fully expect big things out of him.

[bills0]

Originally Posted by ibanezsr

and while you're at it tell Timmy to stop throwing long outlet passes. He sucks at it....

Actually this is something the coach Pop asked him to do this year to help start the fast break.

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by bills0

Actually this is something the coach Pop asked him to do this year to help start the fast break.

He was doing it last year too.

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by spurduncan21

Oh did I hurt your feelings? I wasnt trying to tbh. I wouldnt necessarily correlate clutch with health. Clutch simply means producing when needed most. In the OKC series like you alluded to, he had one breakout game in the 4 losses, but his play was diminished along with many others. Fact is he's playing better now than at any point this season. I will refrain from writing him off simply because when healthy in produces in a plethora of ways outside of scoring. That OKC series was bad for most of the team as nobody could buy a shot when needed so that shouldnt fall solely on the shoulders of Manu. The most important player moving forward in Tony's absense is MANU and I am counting on him to regain the confidence and clutchness we're all accustomed to. I hear what everyone keeps saying about Kawhi, but in all honesty, I'd be hesitant in saying Pop will allow him to handle the rock come playoffs. Yes he needs to be involved in the offense other than the corner 3 and I know Pop will fully utilize him during this period without TP. Green and Splitter need to continue grinding and maximizing their potential as well. Kawhi will be prepared to handle a larger role in the playoffs since the team has clearly been grooming before the season even started in the 2 summer league games he played in. I doubt he'll be a focal point in the offense when the real season starts due to Tony playing 35+ minutes, but it is vital to have someone other than TP(ie. Manu or even Kawhi) handle the rock when TP is guarded by Sefolosha or any other big guard. The most important thing to me about Manu is his FT shooting. I am not fully on board he's back to his old ways, but I know the man will get there. You don't think people have written him off already? He knows that and since he feels great (he recently said), I fully expect big things out of him.

would have been nice to ser Gino step it up when the team needed him the most tonight... but he could not... meanwhile K.L. has come up big night in and night out since Parker's been out.

[esparzar1]

Kager, I don't have any official news but I'd guess TP9 should be back in about 2 weeks. He's a quick healer and has already been out 10 days. My guess (and this is pure speculation on my part) is that he will be back Wed 27 Mar. That's the start of a little 3 game homestand where the Spurs play Den, LAC, then Mia. Again, just my guess.

[exit7]

Originally Posted by esparzar1

Kager, I don't have any official news but I'd guess TP9 should be back in about 2 weeks. He's a quick healer and has already been out 10 days. My guess (and this is pure speculation on my part) is that he will be back Wed 27 Mar. That's the start of a little 3 game homestand where the Spurs play Den, LAC, then Mia. Again, just my guess.

I doubt Pop would do that, I just don't see him bringing Tony back to play against those teams. Why would he? He enjoys snubbing his nose at Stern so much, why wouldn't he hold Tony out agains the Clippers and the Heat? Just my opinion but I don't think we will see Tony until April.

[MichaelWi101]

Playoffs start April 20th, so if Pop holds him out all of March that would give him 9 games to get back into sync with the squad and back in playing shape. Is that enough time?

[esparzar1]

Originally Posted by exit7

I doubt Pop would do that, I just don't see him bringing Tony back to play against those teams. Why would he? He enjoys snubbing his nose at Stern so much, why wouldn't he hold Tony out agains the Clippers and the Heat? Just my opinion but I don't think we will see Tony until April.

It has nothing to do with pop. I'm going more off the timeframe. He sprained his ankle on the 1st of march. Knowing a grade II ankle sprain, it takes approximately 4-6 weeks to heal (professional athletes are usually on the faster side of that timeframe). So, based off of that, I see him coming back around that time. Again, just speculation on my part but the timeframe matches up. I've been working on sports injuries the last 12 years of my life ( physical therapy) so I'm sticking with my prediction

[Kager]

My panties vary in colour ibanezser but your emotion doesn't, you tried to make a deal out of me asking a question so you are obviously wanting to have a go and that is fine if that is what you need but I am just after information rather than affirmation.

If you read what I said I pointed out that Manu is not required to fill TP's shoes and could not so I have more of a halfie as I do still love watching him play.

But most importantly there has been multiple threads where people are discussing the value of Manu and I felt that this thread where I was hoping to open and see TP come back next week was going to the same wasteland.

And with my TVP ballot I was making the point that I have heard many commentators talking about the fact he should be in contention for MVP even if he falls behind LBJ, Durant and CP3..... but even if I wanted to talk about that in this forum I will spit the dummy if anyone suggests I can't, are you? Because I am not afraid to call in to question your softness if you are

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by Kager

My panties vary in colour ibanezser but your emotion doesn't, you tried to make a deal out of me asking a question so you are obviously wanting to have a go and that is fine if that is what you need but I am just after information rather than affirmation.

If you read what I said I pointed out that Manu is not required to fill TP's shoes and could not so I have more of a halfie as I do still love watching him play.

But most importantly there has been multiple threads where people are discussing the value of Manu and I felt that this thread where I was hoping to open and see TP come back next week was going to the same wasteland.

And with my TVP ballot I was making the point that I have heard many commentators talking about the fact he should be in contention for MVP even if he falls behind LBJ, Durant and CP3..... but even if I wanted to talk about that in this forum I will spit the dummy if anyone suggests I can't, are you? Because I am not afraid to call in to question your softness if you are

I have no idea what you said in your last paragraph.... something about spitting on fiery dummies or something. Moving on... my original statement was that i would rather see K.L. get more chances with TP out and someone chimmed in about K.L. shouldn't have the ball more than Gino. Developing K.L. in the last part of the season stretch is much more important than Gino "stepping in" for TP. I still enjoy watching Gino as well but I know what he will bring to the table in the playoffs. I just think K.L. will need to step it up or Spurs won't have a chance (especially when a team puts a tall defender on Parker). Its not a bash on Gino as I appreciate what he brings (minus all the turnovers). Also.... i am glad you have a colourful assortment!

[Kager]

Agreed on KL as he showed in OKC game he is starting to look to take on the D for a pull up or drive which means more options when TP has a small forward guarding him, and it seems it is state sanctioned as I doubt he would go off his own bat to get his as Pop would bench him quick.

[ibanezsr]

Originally Posted by Kager

Agreed on KL as he showed in OKC game he is starting to look to take on the D for a pull up or drive which means more options when TP has a small forward guarding him, and it seems it is state sanctioned as I doubt he would go off his own bat to get his as Pop would bench him quick.

I hope we see a lot more of it in the next month. I dont think teams will have an answer if they have to deal with the big 3 and a confident K.L. Also would like to see offense go through Splitter in the meantime too. I know he had a rough night last night but good things happen when he has the ball (for the most part). If Splitter and KL step it up I dont see anyone beating SA in West playoffs but if they dont they are toast. While im at it is it ok to bash Gary Neal? He should be kidnapped along with Bonner and Blair during playoffs. Would rather see Baynes than Blair at this point.

[Kager]

To answer my own question David Aldridge on TNT just said that apparently TP's injury healed better than expected and so will be 3 weeks rather than 4, apparently TP is on the bike and shooting around and he is "confident in getting the Spurs doctors clearances to play, just not Doctor Pop" (I may have misquoted slightly there but close enough)

[TodTango]

If you look at the background of this video, you see none other than Tony Parker himself shooting jumpshots with Coach Chip.
Practice: Manu Ginobili | video | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS

GO TONY PARKER AND GO SPURS GO!