The reports are coming in, and it looks like Parker will miss up to 6 weeks with a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand.
If that is the case, it’s almost a poetic ending to Parker’s season. He was just never able to get it going, battling various ankle, foot, and hip problems all season. He played valiantly and showed bursts of his former speed and abilities, but it was fairly obvious to most observers that Parker just wasn’t his usual self this season. In many ways, his season has mirrored the Spurs season. Looked like the old version, still played like the old version, but something was missing and never quite clicked.
The Spurs, of course, will move on without Parker as best they can. They’re still a quite good and very capable team without Parker, and they’ll undoubtedly still make the playoffs. But chances of moving beyond the first round are even smaller than they were before. And much like last year with Ginobili, it will feel like another year with Duncan has been wasted.
The real shame is that it was really starting to feel like this team was coming together and playing better. Over the last 4 games we’ve beaten some really good teams at home and on the road by playing smart, executing well, and being very active and energetic on the defensive end. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Here’s wishing Parker a speedy recovery and a chance to heal all that ails him.
