Tony Parker played in the All-Star Game last weekend with a sprained hand.
That’s not to mention his sore back, groin, shin/calf, and hip that he has played through recently. Actually, it might just be quicker to list the places where Tony Parker is not banged up.
Which is why the Spurs are going to do the most Spurs of thing and shut Parker down for a while, tweets Mike Monroe of the Express-News.
Here's the deal on @tonyparker: Popovich shutting him down til he's 100 pct because 'he's been playing at '60 to 70 pct."
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) February 18, 2014
No single injury cited re. @tonyparker shutdown; rather a 'variety of maladies' including calf, groin, back
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) February 18, 2014
This is what the Spurs do this time of year — don’t worry about the wins, worry about getting healthy for he playoffs. At 38-15 they are the two seed in the West and if they can hold off the Rockets (second in the Southwest Division and two games behind the Spurs) then San Antonio gets a top four seed.
The West is surprisingly wide open right now. Oklahoma City is clearly the bar that has to be cleared to make the finals, but any number of teams — Spurs, Grizzlies, Clippers, Rockets, Warriors Trail Blazers — could make the case they can make a run to the conference finals and test Oklahoma City.
For San Antonio that only can happen if Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and the rest of them are healthy. So better to rest Parker now and get him right.
