- Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni will likely stick with smaller lineups and force the Spurs to adjust in the wake of Nene Hilario‘s season-ending injury, Sam Amick of USA Today reports. With Nene suffering a groin tear in Game 4, the Rockets downsized and buried the Spurs with a flurry of 3-pointers. It’s a good bet that forward Ryan Anderson will be replaced in the starting lineup by guard Eric Gordon, a strategy D’Antoni employed in the second half on Sunday.
- Unrestricted free agent point guard Patty Mills could enjoy a big payday this summer, according to Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. Tony Parker‘s serious quad injury could make Mills the Spurs’ top priority this offseason. They own his Bird rights and can thus offer Mills more than any other team, Finger points out. Mills provides scoring and energy off the bench, as Manu Ginobili has delivered for so many years, Finger adds.
The Rockets were firing on all cylinders in Sunday night’s win over the Spurs, making 52.6% of their field goal attempts, including 44.2% of their threes, en route to a comfortable 125-104 victory. Their Game 4 win evened up the series at two games apiece, and the two teams will head back to San Antonio for Tuesday’s Game 5.
While the Spurs maintain the home-court advantage, both teams have shown they’re capable of winning a game in their opponent’s arena so far, having split the first two games in San Antonio and the next two in Houston.
Injuries have also played a part in the series so far, but the Spurs managed to pull out a Game 3 victory after receiving word that Tony Parker would be sidelined for the rest of the postseason due to a ruptured left quadriceps tendon. As for the Rockets, their impressive showing on Sunday came – for the most part – without key reserve Nene, who played less than two minutes before leaving with a left groin injury. He’ll undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details.
The Rockets and Spurs still have their MVP candidates – James Harden and Kawhi Leonard – on the court, and both teams have the firepower necessary to advance to the Western Conference Finals for a probable date with the Warriors. So which team do you think will make it through?
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- The Spurs were able to shake off a season-ending injury to Tony Parker because other players stepped up in his place in Game 3, according to Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. LaMarcus Aldridge had his best game of the series, and Jonathon Simmons and Dejounte Murray both gave San Antonio what it needed in a 103-92 victory. Veteran center Pau Gasol said the team had to get over the mental aspect of not having Parker. “We understand how much Tony means to this team, what he brings to the table and how well he was playing for us in the playoffs, making huge plays at critical points in critical games,” Gasol said. “He will be missed on the floor and off the floor, because he’s an emotional leader for this team. He brings a lot of poise, a lot of leadership.”
- The ruptured quadriceps tendon that immobilized Spurs guard Tony Parker on Wednesday has Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post wondering if hoops fans may have witnessed the end of an era. The scribe is rather ambiguous, neglecting to mention anything about Parker still being under contract through the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
- In an official press release, the NBA has announced that Rockets center Nene Hilario has been fined $15K for pushing Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon.
- Is Spurs star Kawhi Leonard the best non-lottery draft pick of all-time? Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com examines that question and others in his latest mailbag feature.
MAY 5: The Spurs announced today (via Twitter) that Parker underwent successful surgery to repair his ruptured left quadriceps tendon. The club will determine a recovery timetable for the veteran guard at a later date.
MAY 4: Tony Parker has a ruptured left quadriceps tendon and will miss the rest of the postseason, the team announced via Twitter.
The extent of the injury was confirmed by an MRI this morning in San Antonio. Parker is expected require surgery, and a timeline for his recovery “will be determined at a later date,” according to the Spurs.
The recovery time for an operation of this type is usually 6 to 8 months, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, which would jeopardize Parker’s availability for the start of next season.
Parker suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s victory over the Rockets. He landed awkwardly without contact and had to be carried off the court by teammates.
Parker missed 19 regular season games and San Antonio had a 15-4 record without him, notes Ben Gulliver of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Patty Mills is expected to move into the starting lineup in Parker’s absence and Kawhi Leonard will take on a larger role in running the offense.
Parker, 34, is in his 16th NBA season, all with the Spurs. He has one year remaining on his current contract at more than $15.45MM.
11:32am: The pre-MRI diagnosis is a partial or full tear of the quadriceps tendon with surgery needed either way, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
9:41am: MRI results aren’t complete, but the Spurs expect Parker to need season-ending surgery, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
8:44 am: Tony Parker will undergo an MRI today after leaving Wednesday’s game with a left knee injury, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Parker had to be carried off the court after suffering a non-contact injury early in the fourth quarter. Post-game comments from the Spurs locker room indicated that the veteran point guard may be looking at an extended absence.
“You kind of know we’re not going to see him any time soon,” Manu Ginobili said.
“It’s not good,” added coach Gregg Popovich.
The Spurs responded with a 21-5 run after the injury to take Game 2 and even the series, but their playoff prospects look shaky without Parker in the lineup. He has been a productive force through eight postseason games, averaging 15.9 points per night. If the injury turns out to be serious, Patty Mills is expected to take his place in the starting lineup.
“There is an empty feeling there for sure,” Mills said after the game. “We talked amongst ourselves about keeping at it. Guys are ready to step up and make an impact, that’s for sure.”
Parker, 34, has been with San Antonio throughout his 16-year NBA career and has been a starter since joining the organization in 2001. He has one more season left on his current contract at nearly $15.5MM.
- Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey turned down other GM offers before accepting Utah’s, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Prior to accepting the Jazz’ top job, Lindsey had been the assistant general manager for the Spurs. During Lindsey’s conversation with The Vertical on Sunday, he said that he accepted Utah’s offer because the vision of the Jazz’s ownership group reminded him of that of the Spurs.
- According to J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic, George Washington University’s departing star Tyler Cavanaugh worked out for the Jazz over the weekend. As a senior, Cavanaugh led the Colonials with 18.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG, while shooting 40.9% from deep. The 6’9″ forward spent his first two college campaigns with Wake Forest before transferring to George Washington. Cavanaugh also had a pre-draft workout lined up with the Spurs, among other teams.
Although Tony Parker‘s 2016/17 numbers may be a far cry from what he’s posted throughout his career, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle flags him as a possible game-changer in the upcoming Spurs/Rockets second-round series.
Parker posted just 10.1 points per game this season, his 16th, but raised that to 16.3 in his squad’s first-round victory over the Grizzlies.
Rockets guard Patrick Beverley, one man who will have to check the veteran playmaker, knows all too well that Parker is still capable of dealing damage.
“He gets better with time, right?” he said. “He just continues to get better. Tony. His mid-range, his floaters, his spin moves. At his age, how fast he is is unbelievable. He’ll go down as a Hall of Famer, for sure. It’s always good to play a type of player like that.”
There’s more from the Spurs:
- When Dewayne Dedmon was under the weather prior to Game 4, Gregg Popovich thrust David Lee into the starting lineup. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News discusses how the veteran was able to make the seamless transition into the starting lineup.
- Even though he’s made a case for the award himself, Kawhi Leonard understands that he’ll have his work cut out for him guarding MVP candidate James Harden. “It’s going to take my all to try to make it difficult for him out there,” the forward told Melissa Rohlin of MySanAntonio.com.
- One of the key matchups to watch in the second-round tilt between the Spurs and Rockets will be Parker versus Beverley. Tom Osborn of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the 34-year-old veteran can keep his offensive streak alive against his pesky counterpart.
While our friends at Pro Football Rumors cover this week’s NFL draft, we’ve still got nearly two months until NBA draft day. However, that doesn’t mean there are no draft-related stories worth following in the NBA at the moment.
For instance, as Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com tweets, each NBA team has now voted for its top 70 candidates for 2017’s draft combine, and the league figures to announce this year’s invitees next week. That list will be crucial for many prospects, especially for early entrants who are testing the draft waters — they don’t have to decide whether or not to withdraw until 10 days after the combine, so getting a chance to talk to and work out for NBA teams in Chicago could significantly impact those decisions.
Here are a few more 2017 NBA draft notes:
- As expected, former Cal forward Ivan Rabb is staying in the draft. Rabb, who is viewed as a possible lottery pick, has agreed to hire Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management for representation, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- USC’s Bennie Boatwright, who had been testing the draft waters, announced (via a Twitter video) that he’ll head back to school for his junior year, removing his name from the draft pool.
- Speaking to Shams Charania of The Vertical, top prospect Lonzo Ball said that – while he’d love to be drafted by the Lakers – he’s ready to play for any NBA club and is prepared for “the challenge of helping turn around any team in the league.”
- A handful of NBA teams are doing their homework on Kentucky prospect Hamidou Diallo, who is testing the draft waters without an agent. As Adam Zagoria details at FanRagSports.com, Diallo’s former coach Andy Borman has fielded calls from the Spurs, Hawks, and Thunder, among other teams.
- Sam Vecenie of Vice.com decries the practice of “concern trolling” when it comes to the high number of early entrants declaring for the draft. According to Vecenie, those early entrants are well aware that only 60 players are drafted each year, but many of them have their own personal reasons for exploring the possibility of going pro.