Tag: Tim Duncan

Parker: Lockout won’t hasten Duncan’s retirement

It’s long been considered the apocalypse scenario in San Antonio: The NBA lockout devours the entire 2011-12 season, and then Tim Duncan retires.

Duncan’s contact is set to expire after this season. If the NBA labor impasse winds up cancelling the entire schedule, would the Spurs’ franchise icon simply retire instead of re-upping for another season in 2012-13, when he will be 36?

In May, had played his final game in a Spurs uniform. Speaking at a basketball clinic Saturday afternoon in San Antonio, Tony Parker — Duncan’s point guard for the past 10 seasons — echoed those doubts.

Asked if a wiped-out 2011-12 season would also mean the end of Duncan’s career, Parker shook his head.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Parker said. “I see myself playing at least two or three more seasons with Timmy.”

Obviously, Parker is not Duncan’s agent, and isn’t qualified to speak authoritatively on the two-time MVP’s career plans. Still, Parker has been in touch with the reclusive Duncan often throughout the lockout, and plans to work out with him Monday in San Antonio.

If doomsday occurs, and the entire season is scuttled, it would be quite a blow to a Spurs team that still relies heavily on aging stars like Duncan (35) and Manu Ginobili (34), whose remaining seasons of elite productivity are numbered.

That seemed to be the , when he said the Spurs could “no longer say that we’re playing for a championship.” Parker has since backed off those remarks, and did again Saturday.

“We still have a great team,” Parker said. “We just have to stay positive. Right now, you’re thinking too far ahead.”

For the record, Parker believes talk about a scuttled season to be a moot point. Despite the doom and gloom shrouding labor talks, Parker said Saturday he believes the NBA will return at some point.

“I think we’ll have a season,” he said.

Blog brother thinks Nash for Tiago, TP is workable deal

Even with the lockout, there’s still a few interesting stories found on the internet if you look hard enough.

ESPN.com “insider” Tom Haberstroh spells out a variety of scenarios that might be available for the Phoenix Suns if they .

Among the possible trades that Haberstroh considers is one where Nash would be dealt traded to the Spurs for a package including  Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter.

Haberstroh also mentions Oklahoma City and New York as possible locations for Nash.

Here’s what he had to say about a Nash-to-the-Spurs scenario on his password-protected report.

“Who else should the Suns call? The San Antonio  have a shutting title window, but it’s still open as long as Tim Duncan’s around. The Spurs might feel pressure to shake things up after their core was blindsided by the Grizzlies last season. The money works for a Nash-for-Tony Parker deal, but the Suns may be reluctant to absorb Parker’s long-term deal unless they receive Tiago Splitter in there, too.

One problem with Haberstroh’s analysis. Even with Parker’s iffy contract status, I can’t see Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford willingly trading him and Splitter for Nash. Parker is more than 8 years younger than Nash. While Nash ranks among the greatest point guards in NBA history, I think that age difference effectively kills any interest the Spurs might have.

Here are a few other Spurs-related stories from across the web. Enjoy them. 

  • Oregonian columnist John Canzano says that Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindseyfor the vacant Portland general manager position.   
  • Project Spurs.com’s Michael De Leon liked what he saw when by scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to help beat the former BYU All-American’s team.
  • Andrew McNeill of 48 Minutes of Hell.com describes how a the Spurs annual Rodeo Road Trip. And McNeill isn’t excited about Duncan , despite new Spurs strength coach Matt Herring’s aim to preserve his career for a few more years.
  • Humberto Cervera of Project Spurs.com writes that  for the NBA season to start.
  • Associated Press Indianapolis-based reporter Cliff  Brunt when the lockout ends.
  • The Sacramento Bee’s Ailene Voisin notes that the Kings’ home exhibition opener against the Spurs is among the .
  • an interview with Toronto radio station CJCL.
  • Among current and former Spurs, Duncan ranks as the  on the Bleacher Report.com’s Kelly Scaletta’s list of top players in NBA history. , , and . Michael Jordan is the.
  • CBS Sports.com’s Jeff Goodman describes the to former Oklahoma coach and current Houston top assistant Kelvin Sampson.
  • KXAN television in Austin notes that the Spurs and Rockets are the only professional teams to have .
  • Parker’s wedding band tattoo when he married Eva Longoria is ranked as one of the by Miss Abigail’s Guide.com.

ESPN.com predicts challenging future for Spurs

The state of Texas has accounted for seven NBA titles since 1994, with the Spurs claiming four, Houston two and Dallas notching the most recent championship. 

The “Texas Triangle” has traditional been a source of power teams. It might not be quite as rosy in the future.

Chris Palmer of ESPN.com has an interesting breakdown of all three teams in a recent Insider post. Of them, San Antonio might be facing the biggest test to return to elite status.

Here’s what Palmer had to say about the Spurs’ current outlook:

The Spurs’ 61-win regular season had head coach Gregg Popovich’s name in the Coach of the Year conversation all season long. As surprising as their Western Conference-best win total was, the manner in which they were bounced from the playoffs was even more stunning and exposed serious flaws in the Spurs’ game plan. They simply matched up poorly with an upstart Memphis Grizzlies team that became just the second No. 8 seed to topple a No. 1 seed since the NBA expanded the first round to best-of-seven. While age and injuries are probably their biggest concerns, Tim Duncan (34 years old), Manu Ginobili (33) and Tony Parker (28) missed only a combined 12 games last season. But there are a handful of other players on the roster over 30 who simply can’t match the speed or intensity of young teams such as the Grizzlies and Thunder. The Spurs were still highly effective on defense last season, but there’s no getting around the fact that this bunch is nearing the end of its run and is about to enter a major rebuilding phase.”

Here’s what Palmer had to say about the Spurs’ leadership with R.C. Buford and Popovich running the franchise.

“You don’t win four championships without an unseen mastermind behind the scenes. R.C. Buford, arguably the best GM in the NBA, has been the architect of the past three Spurs title runs and one of the most successful executives in American pro sports. The master of the Euro draft-and-stash, he convinced Popovich to go for Parker (three All-Star appearances, 2007 Finals MVP), had a hand in snagging Ginobili 57th overall in 1999 and has seen his gamble on DeJuan Blair pay off. ”He’s proved he can build and maintain a dynasty. Now he’s got to prove he can rebuild one. Buford won’t likely have the good fortune of rebuilding around an all-time great at his position as the Spurs did in 1997, when Duncan became the cornerstone of their brilliant 15-year run. Those rebuilding efforts also might include finding a new coach, as it’s hard to imagine Popovich, owner of four championship rings, slogging through the basement of the Southwest Division while Buford mines distant lands for the next Ginobili.

 ”But even dicier for Buford is what to do with soon-to-be free agent Duncan. Buford must balance the needs of the team with showing the utmost respect for a Spurs legend who made the success of the past 15 years possible.”

And here’s are Palmer’s comments on the team’s key needs heading into the upcoming season.

“Of all the Texas teams, the Spurs have the most work to do at the bargaining table since their key needs likely won’t come through the draft lottery. San Antonio needs an injection of youth, and needs it fast. The Spurs are in desperate need of athletes who can keep up with the speedy teams and sustain an up-tempo brand of basketball over long stretches of minutes. This could be the year the Spurs really start acting their age. During the playoffs, the Spurs simply couldn’t keep up with the spry legs and speed of the Grizzlies. Teams saw that and will surely try to exploit it. What was an ugly exit from the postseason could turn into an ugly demise of San Antonio’s “Big Three.”

It’s a dire prognosis for a team that has made the playoffs every year during Duncan’s tenure with the team and claimed  four NBA titles.

What about it Spurs Nation? Do you think the upcoming future appears to be as bleak as Palmer predicts?

And if not, why do you have faith the Spurs still have another title challenge left  in them?