Parker injury may be turning point
Tony Parker’s injury is absolutely devastating to the San Antonio Spurs in the short term. They’ll struggle to beat the Houston Rockets without him and would need a small miracle to knock off Golden State just for the right to likely play LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even with a healthy Parker, the Spurs were facing an uphill battle. Now with Parker out — he suffered a ruptured left quadriceps tendon in Game 2 on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the playoffs — there are questions as to how this injury will impact Parker’s future and perhaps the futures of Chris Paul and even Derrick Rose.
Parker, 34, had emerged as the Spurs second best player in their first eight playoff games but he’s no longer at All Star level. He missed 19 games during the regular season, including a few just for resting purposes. But the reality is the Spurs will eventually have to replace Parker just as they replaced Tim Duncan last summer by signing Pau Gasol.
The timetable for acquiring Parker’s successor may have been moved up with Thursday’s unfortunate news about the future Hall of Fame point guard from France. This could create an interesting dilemma for Paul, the All Star point guard from the Los Angeles Clippers who can become a free agent in July.
The Clippers want to re-sign Paul and can offer a max deal of approximately $205 million over five years. There are reports that Paul has already verbally agreed to an extension, which isn’t really legal but it is certainly plausible.
The most Paul can receive on the open market is four years at $152 million so returning to the Clippers makes financial sense for the veteran who will turn 32 on Saturday. But the Spurs — verbal agreements aside — should not be completely counted out as a threat.
The no state income tax in Texas helps to offset some of the money. More importantly, the Spurs provide Paul with a legitimate chance to play for a contender and at the very least reach a conference finals, something he’s never done before.
The Clippers once again were without an injured Blake Griffin in the playoffs while getting bounced in the first round by a lower seed for the second straight year. The Clippers need to find a younger supporting cast to play around Paul but salary cap issues make that difficult.
By joining the Spurs, Paul gets to play alongside Kawhi Leonard, who next to Paul’s good buddy LeBron James, is the best two-way small forward in the NBA. The Spurs, unlike the Clippers, have a winning tradition and have proven time and again that they have the resources and the knowhow to stay competitive even after legends David Robinson and then Duncan retired.
An alternative to Paul could be Rose, who had a season-ending knee surgery last month. Neither Rose nor Phil Jackson has ruled out the possibility of the former MVP re-signing with the Knicks. Considering his injury history, Rose is just looking for the most lucrative deal he can find.
The Spurs wouldn’t break the bank for Rose but they can provide him with a stable organization and a strong roster that he doesn’t have in New York. They also run an offense — high pick and rolls — that play to Rose’s strengths.
Rose would also have a chance rediscover his three-point shooting stroke under Spurs assistant Chip Engelland, who is regarded as one of league’s top shooting coaches.
“In a solid organization Derrick will blossom,” said one league executive. “I know that’s true of a lot of players but especially with Derrick.”