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San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker has not had much rest since his team was defeated by the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Parker decided to compete for his country of France during the 2013 EuroBasket tournament, which just ended on Sunday. Parker helped his team be crowned champions of the tournament. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. Will Parker have enough energy to help the Spurs begin the 2013-14 NBA season on the right foot?
“I saw (Spurs general manager) R.C. (Buford),” Parker said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “He wants me to play less minutes to be ready for the Spurs next season. But I have a great relationship with the Spurs. I’m very lucky to have R.C. and Coach Pop to let me play for my country. They know that I love playing for my country.
“I take a lot of pride playing for France. I’m just happy that I have the Spurs organization to let me do that.”
Parker made it very clear the minutes were getting to him late in the tournament. He left everything on the court in the win against Spain in the semifinals. Thankfully, France dominated in the championship game, which allowed Parker to get some much needed rest.
With San Antonio beginning training camp next week, the Spurs have to hope that Parker’s tank is not on empty. There is no question the team is loaded with talent but Parker is a huge reason why they were successful last season.
If the Spurs want to make some noise in the playoffs in 2013-14 they will need Parker to pave the way. However, he will only be able to do that if he is well rested. For that reason, San Antonio needs to win games frequently in the beginning of the season so that Parker will not have to play as much in the second half.
Parker averaged 20.3 points, 7.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 32.9 minutes per game in 66 contests last season.
