Now that the San Antonio Spurs have had a week of rest and have had some time to figure out just exactly how they were unceremoniously bounced from the 1st Round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, it’s time to start contemplating the future of the aging Spurs.
While most people will be focused on either the injuries that seem to constantly plague Manu Ginobili or Tim Duncan’s wooden knees, they should be focusing a bit more on Tony Parker, since he recently committed to play for Team France during this Summer’s EuroBasket taking place in Lithuania.
The French weekly show “Stade 2“ visited with Parker last week and got the 29 year old point guard to reveal in a nearly 7 minute interview that he is looking forward to trying to win a title this Summer for his native country France.
Here’s Parker in his own words:
“I will be at EuroBasket this summer,” Parker said. “I’m eager to get started. We have a really good team. “I talked to my team-mates and they’re all motivated and ready to go. I’m really excited at the idea of the team we’re going to have.”
Team France’s preliminary roster this Summer appears loaded with the possibility of having upwards of 9 players with NBA experience in addition to a number of star players from Spain’s ACB League, arguably the top league in Europe. Adding Parker to a mix that includes Joakim Noah(Bulls), Boris Diaw(Bobcats), Ronny Turiaf(Knicks), Nicolas Batum(Blazers), Alexis Ajinca(Raptors), Ian Mahinmi(Mavs), Kevin Seraphin(Wizards), and possibly Roddy Beaubois(Mavs) could prove to be bad news for other favorites like Spain, Turkey, and the home country Lithuania.
Parker committing to play for a European squad may be a precurser of what may be an exodus of NBA players to play overseas if and when the NBA lockout occurs following the Finals. While most clubs in Europe won’t be able to afford the salaries demanded by many of the league’s superstars, I’d bet that a number of lesser players will seek an income playing professionally in Europe.
Parker last played for Team France, also known as Les Bleus, back in 2009 during the EuroBasket held in Poland, where they finished in a disappointing 5th Place.
Check out some highlights of Tony Parker during EuroBasket ’09:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
