# Parker's season



## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

I just wanted to bring up the point that Parker is probably having the best season for a Spurs PG in nearly 30 years, dating back to James Silas. In 75-76 in the ABA, Silas averaged 23.8 PPG and 5.4 APG shooting 52% from the field. After that, the rest of Silas' seasons aren't really that great. Johhny Moore averaged a few double-doubles, but I'd rather take 17 PPG and 6 APG than 13 PPG and 10 APG. Then of course, there was Avery Johnson that was very comparable to Moore statistically. Just thought I'd bring that up. It's been a long while (About 3 decades) since a Spurs PG has performed this well.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

in around 8 yrs he will be the franchise


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

IMO Tony will be the best PG the Spurs ever had. But do ya'll think he'll ever be the best PG in the league? I think he's currently top 5. He has the ability to be top 3 IMO, but he's to inconsitent rite now. What do ya'll think?


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Well, his jump shot right now is preventing him from being anywhere near the best PG in the league. If he was knocking down three's, jumpshots, and free throws all at better percentages, he really wouldn't be that far off. People really sleep on this guy. 


With how much he has improved this season, I think the argument is stronger that he's still got the potential to be a top 5 PG. His jump shot and decision making are going to determine just how good he becomes. He's already made huge strides in consistency (Although non Spurs fans are ignoring that), so who's to say he's not going to improve his jump shot?


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Well, his jump shot right now is preventing him from being anywhere near the best PG in the league. If he was knocking down three's, jumpshots, and free throws all at better percentages, he really wouldn't be that far off. People really sleep on this guy.
> 
> 
> With how much he has improved this season, I think the argument is stronger that he's still got the potential to be a top 5 PG. His jump shot and decision making are going to determine just how good he becomes. He's already made huge strides in consistency (Although non Spurs fans are ignoring that), so who's to say he's not going to improve his jump shot?


know anywhere I can find stats of his jump shot percentage since his rookie year? It seems like his shot is getting worse rather than better.


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

His free throws have certainly gotten worse this year.But everything else has improved.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Kunlun said:


> His free throws have certainly gotten worse this year.But everything else has improved.


Everything but his jumpshot I think. I really doubt his jump shot was worse last year than this year.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

He has had a very good season this year, although he is still somewhat inconsistent. He is not anywhere near the top PG in the league as of now, but he is close to being a top 5 point guard. His shot needs to become much more consistent, and he needs to attack the hoop more, especially when his shots aren't dropping. 

He has however improved his consistency each year, and probably could become one of the best PG's, if not the best, a couple years down the line. He has the talent to do it. He is possibly the fastest PG in the league, has a good shot(although its inconsistent), and is an above average decision maker. He has the tools to be the best, he just needs to keep working.


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## DaBobZ (Sep 22, 2003)

ezealen said:


> Everything but his jumpshot I think. I really doubt his jump shot was worse last year than this year.


I don't know about his midrange J... IMO he still knocks them down.
His 3 downgraded big time but he doesn't take enough of them to get in rythm. I guess his last 3pt was against Miami  and If I remember correctly it was an off balanced J beating the 24sec clock.
His FT downgraded a lot as well.

True he is having a tremendous season and probably having one of the best combo ever of points/assists for a PG here in SA, good point Koko.

Bottom line
Unlike Beno and Rasho TP will play the Euro championships this summer wth France... too bad :curse:


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## ballstorm (Nov 30, 2003)

Well , Tony said he would play for france and he will be true to his word . He is the best French player and won't turn Down the selection like (too) many players do . You have to praise such a good attitude . Don't be selfish , we need him too over here


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## mr_french_basketball (Jul 3, 2003)

My Spurs consistency ranking this year :

1. Ginobili : 8.35
2. Duncan : 8.16
*3. Parker : 7.08*
4. Nesterovic : 6.83
5. Horry : 6.27
6. Udrih : 5.78
7. Bowen : 5.62
8. Barry : 5.00
9. Brown : 4.90
10. Massenburg : 4.65

Who said Parker is inconsistent? Like you said Koko, Spurs fans knows it isn't true anymore...

If you take Tony's stats except November, you will have something like
18/6/4 with 54% shooting and 35% 3PTS.

Unconsistency can only be associated with his shooting. I agree DaBobZ, He often makes his jumpers when he takes them into a rythm. His FT technique is still ugly (he shoots too fast), and will need to improve that in the future to be considered as a top 3 PG.

What is a good point for him this season, it'is that he still can contribute when his shooting touch is off.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

mr_french_basketball said:


> My Spurs consistency ranking this year :
> 
> 1. Ginobili : 8.35
> 2. Duncan : 8.16
> ...


He's becoming more consistent as of late, but I still think he's too inconsistent. Next year will be the start of his prime IMO. Expect Tony in the ASG aswell next year :biggrin:


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

So, I guess it's safe to say that Parker has had the best season for a Spurs PG in nearly three decades. 



I think the main reason why Parker has had such a good season this year is because of his shot selection, and aggressiveness. When everybody's healthy, he hasn't been forcing shots and has really picked his spots well. He's really improved his ability to know when to take it to the rack and when to pass it out to teammates. Plus, his tear-drop/floater in the paint is almost as automatic as a Duncan bank-shot or Bowen wide-open corner 3. He's really perfected that shot. Defensively he's also been much-improved. This season he has finally started to take advantage of his quickness on the defensive end by striping the ball away from players and putting face-to-face pressure on his man. That's been one of his biggest improvements. 




Since we're already on Parker, he has always improved his numbers in the playoffs from the regular season, so if he follows that trend, he might be scoring 20 PPG in the playoffs. He averaged 18 in last year's playoffs, so that's not completely out of the question.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> I think the main reason why Parker has had such a good season this year is because of his shot selection, and aggressiveness.


I think it's cuz he's trying to show Manu up :biggrin: . He really picked up his game and consistency after the ASG


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## Camaro_870 (Mar 12, 2005)

i think what i really like about him is that he's only 22.... he's having a good year and hes still pretty young.... i'm happy and can certainly live with the way he's playing


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## Guth (Feb 23, 2005)

As I have noted here before, I am not in love with Tony Parker, nor have I ever been. However he is having a very good season. It would seem like he is becoming more mature, the main places I have seen this is in the way that the "down" times after Pop has chewed him out don't last as long as they used to. He knows his role and he is taking advantage of it.

That said, he will never be the best point guard in the NBA and may never be regarded as a top 5 PG 1) because he plays for SA (and us San Antonio folks love talking about the small market bias), 2) because he plays alongside the best PF the league has ever seen and thus will never be the go to guy and 3) as has been mentioned here, his jumpshot can get better, but I think it will always be a little inconsistent (not that that ever stopped Avery)

So, I am still not drinking the Tony Parker kool-aid, and I will forever find things to get mad at him for, but the way he is going right now, it will become harder and harder for me to do that.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Guth said:


> As I have noted here before, I am not in love with Tony Parker, nor have I ever been. However he is having a very good season. It would seem like he is becoming more mature, the main places I have seen this is in the way that the "down" times after Pop has chewed him out don't last as long as they used to. He knows his role and he is taking advantage of it.
> 
> That said, he will never be the best point guard in the NBA and may never be regarded as a top 5 PG 1) because he plays for SA (and us San Antonio folks love talking about the small market bias), 2) because he plays alongside the best PF the league has ever seen and thus will never be the go to guy and 3) as has been mentioned here, his jumpshot can get better, but I think it will always be a little inconsistent (not that that ever stopped Avery)
> 
> So, I am still not drinking the Tony Parker kool-aid, and I will forever find things to get mad at him for, but the way he is going right now, it will become harder and harder for me to do that.


I loved all your posts before this one. No offense, Parker's just my boy.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ditto parker is my fav or second fav spur tim is the other one.


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## DaBobZ (Sep 22, 2003)

Same thing here, I'm in love with Manu as well but somehow Tp is my fav


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## ballstorm (Nov 30, 2003)

The same here . Favourite player in my favourite NBA team . 

Concering the changes in his game , I think that we should keep in mind that he is now a stronger player and will get even stronger lately . It helps alot when it comes to score , all the more when you rely a lot on the mid range floaters like tony . His improved physical abilities helped to raise his confidence as well . And you can see it in his game : last year , he was kind od trying to play like the "academical" PG , shooting more threes , he was not looking free but seemed to be all the time trying to respect the role he was supposed to play . This year , Tony plays like he has always played , relying a lot on his instinct and not being hampered by his wish to do well .

Regarding his consistency , I think that it's unfair to reproach him not to do well , since he has vastly enhanced this part of his game this year . There are still lots of things to fix up in his game (free throws , threes for instance) but i'm convinced that he won't stop working until he is regarded as one of the best PG in the league , if not the best. The man is proud , and that is may be his biggest asset at this point .


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i met him and his dad. they were very nice people and also to comment on parker any1 no anything boubt if his bro is going to be good enough to be in the nba


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TheRoc5 said:


> i met him and his dad. they were very nice people and also to comment on parker any1 no anything boubt if his bro is going to be good enough to be in the nba


I heard he's pretty good, but not as good as Parker.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

ballstorm said:


> The same here . Favourite player in my favourite NBA team .
> 
> Concering the changes in his game , I think that we should keep in mind that he is now a stronger player and will get even stronger lately . It helps alot when it comes to score , all the more when you rely a lot on the mid range floaters like tony . His improved physical abilities helped to raise his confidence as well . And you can see it in his game : last year , he was kind od trying to play like the "academical" PG , shooting more threes , he was not looking free but seemed to be all the time trying to respect the role he was supposed to play . This year , Tony plays like he has always played , relying a lot on his instinct and not being hampered by his wish to do well .
> 
> Regarding his consistency , I think that it's unfair to reproach him not to do well , since he has vastly enhanced this part of his game this year . There are still lots of things to fix up in his game (free throws , threes for instance) but i'm convinced that he won't stop working until he is regarded as one of the best PG in the league , if not the best. The man is proud , and that is may be his biggest asset at this point .


Add me to Le Club De Tony Parker please :biggrin:


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i was just about to ask the same thing :biggrin:


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Guth said:


> As I have noted here before, I am not in love with Tony Parker, nor have I ever been. However he is having a very good season. It would seem like he is becoming more mature, the main places I have seen this is in the way that the "down" times after Pop has chewed him out don't last as long as they used to. He knows his role and he is taking advantage of it.
> 
> That said, he will never be the best point guard in the NBA and may never be regarded as a top 5 PG 1) because he plays for SA (and us San Antonio folks love talking about the small market bias), 2) because he plays alongside the best PF the league has ever seen and thus will never be the go to guy and 3) as has been mentioned here, his jumpshot can get better, but I think it will always be a little inconsistent (not that that ever stopped Avery)
> 
> So, I am still not drinking the Tony Parker kool-aid, and I will forever find things to get mad at him for, but the way he is going right now, it will become harder and harder for me to do that.


 Hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly do you got against him? It seems odd that you seem to not like one of the best players on the team that is one of the main guys (2nd most important IMO) in our championship quest.


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## XxMia_9xX (Oct 5, 2002)

Guth said:


> As I have noted here before, I am not in love with Tony Parker, nor have I ever been. However he is having a very good season. It would seem like he is becoming more mature, the main places I have seen this is in the way that the "down" times after Pop has chewed him out don't last as long as they used to. He knows his role and he is taking advantage of it.
> 
> That said, he will never be the best point guard in the NBA and may never be regarded as a top 5 PG 1) because he plays for SA (and us San Antonio folks love talking about the small market bias), 2) because he plays alongside the best PF the league has ever seen and thus will never be the go to guy and 3) as has been mentioned here, his jumpshot can get better, but I think it will always be a little inconsistent (not that that ever stopped Avery)
> 
> So, I am still not drinking the Tony Parker kool-aid, and I will forever find things to get mad at him for, but the way he is going right now, it will become harder and harder for me to do that.



uhh OK... do u just not like him? that's weird, you're a spurs fan yet u want to find flaws in parker's game no matter how well he's doing? 

right now parker is doing very well, so i think he's on his way up and is already a Top 5 PG. i have been a big parker fan from the start and i'm happy w/ the way he's played this season...


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Guth said:


> As I have noted here before, I am not in love with Tony Parker, nor have I ever been. However he is having a very good season. It would seem like he is becoming more mature, the main places I have seen this is in the way that the "down" times after Pop has chewed him out don't last as long as they used to. He knows his role and he is taking advantage of it.
> 
> That said, he will never be the best point guard in the NBA and may never be regarded as a top 5 PG 1) because he plays for SA (and us San Antonio folks love talking about the small market bias), 2) because he plays alongside the best PF the league has ever seen and thus will never be the go to guy and 3) as has been mentioned here, his jumpshot can get better, but I think it will always be a little inconsistent (not that that ever stopped Avery)
> 
> So, I am still not drinking the Tony Parker kool-aid, and I will forever find things to get mad at him for, but the way he is going right now, it will become harder and harder for me to do that.


Sorry if it kinda seems that we're all ganging up on you. I reread everyone's posts that what to you and it kinda seems like that. As you can probably tell by now, most of the Spurs fans on this board love Tony. I'm not mad that you don't, and I very much doubt that the others are. It's your opinion afterall. But what do you have on him? He's either our third or second best player (atleast second, maybe even the best since the ASG).


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Tony has really impressed me of late. Although he hasn't been as consistent throughout games as I would like him to be, he has carried this team at times when TD couldn't and really showed me he could be a leader. I love his scoring and penetrating ability. He has scored in double figures every game since Jan 21 at the Suns, and lately has picked up his scoring big time, as evident by his 30 point/25 point back to back performances against the Suns and Nuggz(although we lost those games).

I think TP's still improving, and that is the best part. Some parts of his game are still weak, such as his 3pt shooting, and A/TO ratio. He has had somewhat of a problem with turnovers this year, and his horrid 27% 3 poing shooting, but im confident that as hard as Tony works, he will rapidly improve these facets of his game. He also needs to work on his aggressiveness, and take it to the hole more often. He needs to realize he is one of the quickest guys in the league, and take his man off the dribble.

I love Tony. He has faced everything he has dealt with as a Spur like a professional and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Although I don't think he will ever be the best PG in the league, he is still improving as a player, and he has shown major strides this year. Hopefully he can continue to grow as a player, and become our perrennial All-Star along with Duncan.


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## Camaro_870 (Mar 12, 2005)

i guess i can kinda see where guth comes from.... for a couple of seasons i didnt really like the way parker would shoot first and pass second, but i've come the realize that hes awsome when he learns to control it, he has really matured alot since his rookie year, and is playing great this year. And as i said in my post earlier, hes only 22 and has so much room to grow (that means if hes a top 5 pg this year he can only go up)

as far as parker's season is going, i give him 3 thumbs up


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## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

_San An Tony Oh_

:yes:

Glad, I stuck with him through my Fantasy league every week. :banana:


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i also think people fogot about him durring the playoffs last yr(the first 10gms) he was unstopable


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

TheRoc5 said:


> i also think people fogot about him durring the playoffs last yr(the first 10gms) he was unstopable



No one has forgotten. We all know he can be dominate at times, but the thing with Parker is that he has been inconsistent his whole career. One week he will look great, then the next he could go 3 games without scoring more than 5 points. I love the guy, and think his consistency is getting better, but unless he can do what he did in the first 10 games of the playoffs, everyday, then I don't think he will be considered the best PG.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Well, lately Parker's inconsistency is showing up again, this time not neccessarily from game-to-game, but rather quarter-to-quarter. Last game as an example. He gets 6 easy buckets to start off the game, Pop takes him out, then he scores one more bucket the rest of the game. That's just not acceptable from one of the teams best players. Another example, the most recent Phoenix game. He has what, 29 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, then doesn't get a single point after that during the most crucial part of the game. 



Plus, March really hasn't been a good month for him. 18 PPG game is nice, 46% from the field is nice, but 1/15 from the 3 and 58% from the line is a joke. He's a friggin Point Guard for crying out loud. Assists are also down, with his TO rate about the same as his season rate.


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## Bobot (Mar 28, 2005)

Parker is having an amazing year so far I just hope next year is even better.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Amazing is a bit of an exaggeration. At times, he has been great and looked like one of the best PG's in the league. Other times, however, he is timid with his shot and his penetration, and has turned the ball over way too much on occasion. His FT% is horrid, as is his 3 point %. He has had a good year, solid, but has still been too inconsistent to consider his play amazing.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

It would be an amazing season if he hit his FT's at a higher rate and hit some three pointers better. Other than that, he's been better than solid IMO. He's really broken down defenses this year, and while he doesn't do it every game, he's done it often enough for the opposing teams to respect him. Not amazing, but not just solid either.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> It would be an amazing season if he hit his FT's at a higher rate and hit some three pointers better. Other than that, he's been better than solid IMO. He's really broken down defenses this year, and while he doesn't do it every game, he's done it often enough for the opposing teams to respect him. Not amazing, but not just solid either.


I agree. I was a bit harsh on my earlier assesment. I meant he has had a good year, but amazing is pushing it. Like Koko said, his FT's and 3's need to get better, as does his consistency in driving to the basket.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I'm kind of late on this thread, but I agree, Parker is having a very good year. He's not a finished product by any means, but he's slowly developed his game over his career, and I think this is a year where he's moved to another plateau. He's still not top 5, or that close to it, he still needs to work on consistency (if he expects to be among the *best*) and the 3-point shot, from what I see.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

this off season he needs to keep working on what hes doing but make 3pt shooting a priority. if he can do that he will very effective. he is not complete yet his progress is at a nice pace but when he is complete he will be the best pg in the nba.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

I hate saying "_If_ this and _if_ that" for Parker, but the guy can raise his game to another level if he figures out how to knock down those jumpers and free throws consistently. Hopefully he doesn't suffer from Jason Kidd's shooting fate, because while Kidd has never been a great shooter, he's always been one of the best passers and creators in the league; Parker will never be like that. 



Defensively, he's had a big improvement. I've never seen him so active with his hands on defense than what he's done this year. Offensively, he has been much more consistent in attacking the basket, and he's been much more consistent picking his spots and knowing when/when not to take it to the rack. He also hasn't created for teammates that consistently (Mainly lately), but he's shown he can do that enough to make me believe that will be part of his game in his peak years.


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## DaBobZ (Sep 22, 2003)

I have to agree with you guys, TP is consistent this year...
To prove haters wrong (or Kirk Hinrich fans :biggrin: ) last time he had a (10- points OR 8- assists) game was... at Phoenix when we won in overtime back in late January I guess, he struggled for sure but we now have Beno that fits Speedy's shoes so well, and guys Beno can shoot the 3 ! (Parenthesis on Beno).
Back to the topic... before that game his last (10- points OR 8- assists) game was back in early January (1/2) @Sacto were a lot of Spurs struggled.
*Before that it was in mid November so that's only 3 games since then !!!!! out of 64 games !!!*
TP had 59 out of 64 10+pts/game... not bad.

*So far he has had 63 out of 70 (10- points OR 8- assists) games.*Can you say consistency?

That's only stats but I though they speak truth and fit so well Koko's point about TP beeing the best PG in the organisation since James Silas days.

But what amazes me the most with TP this year is that he his playing very good post ball and he's mad at rebounding some given game. he has improved so much in the paint, he attacks the basket so well. he got it to the next level without a doubt. It must be taken in account when you consider his poor shooting. 



KokoTheMonkey said:


> Hopefully he doesn't suffer from Jason Kidd's shooting fate, because while Kidd has never been a great shooter.


Got to agree with that, It's my major concern right now... I mean his shooting game has decreased but he averages an insane and career high FG %. I guess the fact that he attacks the rim a lot more and doesn't shoot the three anymore (by his standards) doesn't help. 
His shot selection must be considered for his abismal 27% from downtown... 
*He rarely shoots more than 3 threes in a game if not two, doesn't help for his 3pt consistency but men he doesn't shoot a lot of desperate 3's... his shot selection is another major improvement from his. It will pay big dividends come playoff time I believe.*
Now his ridiculous FT shooting it's sad if not pathetic, and he's always shooting it even worse in the playoffs (compared to his regular season stats) Please Tony shoot at least 70% in the playoffs from that so-much-feared-by-Spurs-players charity stripe. At least don't become a baby shaq.



KokoTheMonkey said:


> Kidd has never been a great shooter, he's always been one of the best passers and creators in the league; Parker will never be like that.


*
WRONG !
Tony matched JKidd's brilliance for 1.5 seconds against the Raptors* :eek8:


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## Guth (Feb 23, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> . He also hasn't created for teammates that consistently (Mainly lately)



I think in this, Koko brought up a very interesting point that I don't think he meant to. I think more important than that statement, he hasn't created any consistency for the team, which is one of my main knocks on him. What I mean by that is, he is the leader of the team on the floor. He calls plays and directs the offense. If he is inconsistent, then the team is lost and the offense will sputter because of that. That has been one of his main problems in years past and while he has improved that this year, he will need to perfect that to be in the upper echelon of guys because he is so close.

And remember, that last comment was from a guy who admittedly can't stand him. That said, I would not want any other PG in the league on our team because I think he fits in and understands the system best.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

While I have been harsh on Parker at times, it is mainly because I see what he does, and compare it to what he could do; henceforth I become disappointed. Although I don't think he will ever be the best PG(there is Dwade, Bdiddy, etc), I think he can be one of the upper tier PG's in the league(top 5, maybe top 3).

Parker has improved a bunch this season, especially defensively; however, he still has areas he needs vast improvement in. His FT's, 3's, and ball control all need improvement, as does his consistency. Yes, he consistently gets his 17/7 numbers, but I mean his consistency in driving into the lane, getting penetration and either scoring or creating for a teammate. When he settles for outside shots, our team is worse. He can get to the rim at will, yet he doesn't always attack, and that is what he needs to be more consistent in. He could average 25+ if he attacked like he should.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

I wonder if Parker knows how important free throw shooting is. I really wonder. If he all of the sudden starts shooting at 75-80% from the line, he'd approach 20 PPG, since he's been getting to the line more this season. Just the way he shoots free throws in a rush without really taking his time, it's no wonder he's the Shaq of Guards at the free throw line. 



Guth and texan really brought up great points though. We all talk about his consistency in shooting, but sometimes fail to mention his consistency in taking the ball to the basket, and creating for teammates. I'm definitely guilty of that. As a PG, his responsibility is to move the ball around and create for others, and that's even more critical since he's had the ball more in his hands this year than in years past. Afterall, Duncan can't create offense _every_ possession. Parker had an outstanding streak in January I believe with good assist numbers. He was drawing the defense in the paint with his penetration, and he was kicking it out. As of late, he's been hesistant in taking the ball to the rack, and that's why the assist numbers have been down. Still, you have to admit Parker has made big strides this year in consistency. This is a guy who was an All-Star PG one night, then Charlie Ward the next night, and he had done that every prior season. This season, he's narrowed the gap between his best performances and his worst.






And, this probably doesn't cut it for the non-Spurs fans, but don't forget Parker's age. There's a ton of room to improve, and I don't see why he won't. There's people who think he's already at his peak, but that really doesn't make sense, considering his main attribute, quickness, shouldn't fade until his 30's. There's room for him to get stronger, and there's obviously room for him to figure out a consistent jump shot.


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## spursfaninla (Sep 13, 2003)

People have pointed out the major points regarding Tony's development, stengths and weaknesses;

1) He is probably the best penetrating/finishing pg in the league (based primarity on quickness )

2)Because he does get to the basket so well, he has a great fg % for a guard (49%!). This hides the fact that when he is outside of the paint he shoots poorly (his mechanics suck, he lacks follow through). 

This really brings down his effectiveness as a primary scoring option, because as Houston a few nights ago (and the Lakers during the last 4 games of the playoffs) showed the league, show on the pick n roll and Tony is not going to shoot the Jumper. Tony is most effective driving to the basket off a pick, so switching and preventing that penetration shuts him down.

3) Probably as a result of poor mechanics and the Spurs curse at the line, he ft shooting is weak, especially considering he is a pg. Again, I can just see coaches telling their teams to kill tony on the way to the basket. 1, it will make him think twice about driving again, and 2 he will miss almost half his ft's, making him less effective. 

4) His defense has greatly improved, (bowen tutoring has worked, strength training helped some). This is hard to quantify, and most fans don't notice it much unless you are one of the VERY top defenders, or a defensive specialist.

According to an efficiency article on USA TODAY , http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2005-salary-backcourt.htm , Parker was number 13 among ALL GUARDS, so I guess he is doing ok...


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

spursfaninla said:


> People have pointed out the major points regarding Tony's development, stengths and weaknesses;
> 
> 1) He is probably the best penetrating/finishing pg in the league (based primarity on quickness )
> 
> ...








Great post. :clap: 




While Parker certainly isn't as effective as Mr. Pick-and-roll John Stockton, he's one of the best in the game today on that play, and if the opposing team can successfully defend that, we are dead. But as they say, the pick-and-roll is the toughest play in basketball to defend, and if Parker proves he can knock that jumper down, it will make it even tougher. 




Just one thing from that USAToday link you posted: Can you believe that there is *82* guards being paid more than Tony Parker? I know that Parker is on the last year of a rookie contract, but it's amazing how much bang for the buck we are getting as opposed to many other guards.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

yes i agree i think parkers shooting prob. is his mechanics... he never learnd how to properly shoot well so if he can work on that best pg in the nba hear we come :biggrin: that would also help his free throws also... we need to have a nick name for parker he sure deserves one..
tim has alot wich he deserves more
manu has ginobiliiiiiiiii lol
parker?


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

The only nick name I've heard for Tony is Frenchy. Sean Elliot's kids started calling Tony that and so Sean would call him that once in a while. Personally, I like TP better.

And Gino's nickname isn't Ginobiiilliiiii! His nickname is Manu. I don't know if you know this, cause there's actually quite of few of people who don't, but Manu's real name is Emanuel. I've also hear him called The Squirrel and Amazing Ginibolli but those are pretty gay.


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