San Antonio Spurs Blog – Page 61 – NBA Blog

Tony Allen gave Ramen noodles to Halloween Trick-or-treaters

It’s tough for many NBA players to make ends meet — particularly with no game checks coming during the lockout.

That lack of incoming finances led to a drastic cutback at Memphis guard Tony Allen’s house during Halloween.

Instead of giving trick-or-treaters candy during a visit to his house, Allen provided them with beef and chicken Ramen noodles.

“Sorry kids it’s a lockout no candy!!,” Allen tweeted. ”Got a chicken and beef,::: Ramen noodles.”

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Allen made $3 million last year for the Grizzlies. During the course of his seven-season NBA career, he has pocketed $12,777,037

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News

Manu Ginobili suffers minor ankle sprain

Manu Ginobili is hobbling around his Argentinian home after suffering a slightly sprained right ankle earlier this week.

The Argentinian paper La Nueva Provencia reports today that Ginobili sustained the injury while working out with several members of the Argentinian national team during a pickup game in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. (Hat tip: Project Spurs.com)

The injury, which is not considered serious, apparently occurred when Ginobili landed awkwardly on his ankle after attempting a 3-point shot.

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News Blog

Manu Ginobili has not signed in Italy just yet

An Internet report out of Italy on Tuesday indicated Spurs All-Star guard Manu Ginobili, who played several seasons in Bologna, Italy, had agreed to sign with Italian League power Virtus Bologna if Lakers star Kobe Bryant turned down a lucrative deal Virtus has offered him.

Ginobili’s agent, Herb Rudoy, on Tuesday emphatically refuted that report, writing in a text message, “Not true!” when asked if Ginobili had made any such agreement.

Bryant, who attended Tuesday’s negotiating session in New York between the NBA’s owners and players, was non-committal about his offer from Virtus Bologna.

— Reported by Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express News blog

Tony Parker to play in France during lockout

Tony Parker will play with a French team during the NBA lockout, earning a mere $1,995 per month despite his star power on and off the basketball court.

ASVEL, which is based in Villeurbanne, near Lyon in southeast France, announced on Wednesday that Parker will play for them.

Parker told the sports daily L’Equipe that the decision is “logical.” He is vice president of the club and wants to help it advance.

— Reported by the AP

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Extended NBA lockout could hasten the retirement of Tim Duncan

It’s long been considered the apocalypse scenario in San Antonio: The NBA lockout devours the entire 2011-12 season, and then Tim Duncan retires.

Duncan’s contact is set to expire after this season. If the NBA labor impasse winds up cancelling the entire schedule, would the Spurs’ franchise icon simply retire instead of re-upping for another season in 2012-13, when he will be 36?

In May, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich dismissed the notion that Duncan had played his final game in a Spurs uniform. Speaking at a basketball clinic Saturday afternoon in San Antonio, Tony Parker — Duncan’s point guard for the past 10 seasons — echoed those doubts.

Asked if a wiped-out 2011-12 season would also mean the end of Duncan’s career, Parker shook his head.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News blog

Manu Ginobili will decide soon if he will play in Italy

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Manu Ginobili still is mulling a decision on whether to join his former Italian team Virtus Bologna during the lockout.. “I did not say no to the proposal. In Bologna, I had great time and my wife Marianela loves Italy,” Ginobili said. ”There is a possibility that I will join Virtus Bologna during the NBA lockout. I have to give an answer by the end of the month.”

Ginobili is very familiar with the area after playing for Kinder Bologna from 2000-02 before joining the Spurs. He helped his team claim the 2001 Italian Championship, the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 Euroleague, where he was named the league’s Final Four MVP.

NBA postpones training camps, cancels October 9-15 preseason games

The NBA announced today that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. Training camps were scheduled to open on October 3.

In addition, the league canceled all preseason games scheduled from October 9 through October 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

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Tony Parker and Eva Longoria no longer communicate with each other

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News reports (via blog):

Actress Eva Longoria told Ellen DeGeneres that her relationship with her former husband Tony Parker has come to an abrupt conclusion over the past several months.

Longoria told DeGeneres that she no longer communicates with Parker, with whom she was married from 2007-10.

She told GeGeneres that she learned a hard lesson during her marriage.

“Being a woman, I realized you cannot identify yourself through a man or through your marriage,” Longoria said, prompting DeGeneres to high-five her.

Spain and France advance to EuroBasket championship game

The AP reports:

Defending champion Spain and first-time finalist France will compete for the European basketball title on Sunday and have qualified for next year’s Olympics in London.

Juan Carlos Navarro scored 35 points in a performance his coach called a “masterpiece” as Spain beat Macedonia 92-80 in the first semifinal on Friday.

France got 22 points from Tony Parker to beat Russia 79-71 in the late game. Nicolas Batum added 19 points for France, which reached the championship game for the first time.

“I’ve been chasing this for 11 years and I’m very happy that I can finally say I’m going to the Olympics,” Parker said.

France won a silver medal in 1949 but the tournament was played in a different format and did not have a final.

France went on a 10-2 to finish the third quarter and pull away. Going into the fourth, the run was 16-4, with eight points coming from Ali Traore.

Pau Gasol had 22 points and 17 rebounds for Spain.

Navarro scored 19 points in the third quarter to break open a close game. Spain coach Sergio Scariolo did not hold back in praising his point guard.

DeJuan Blair will play basketball in Russia

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair has signed to play with Russia’s Krasnye Krylya Samara for the 2011-12 season, his agent told Yahoo! Sports on Friday.

Because he’s under contract with the Spurs, Blair’s deal has an out clause that allows him to return to the NBA this season should the league-imposed lockout ends, said his agent, Happy Walters…

Krasnye Krylya’s roster for the 2011-12 season includes two former NBA players, Jarvis Hayes and Joe Alexander.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

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