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More Spurs NewsSpurs LinksBack-up Point Guard Answer? LAST UPDATE: 6/5/2004 6:09:58 PM Posted By: Kori Ellis By Kori Ellis SpursZONE.com One glaring weakness of the 2003-04 San Antonio Spurs team was their depth at the point guard position. After an extensive search in the offseason, they headed into preseason with Anthony Carter and Alex Garcia backing up Tony Parker. But after injuries to both Carter and Garcia, as well as Parker, San Antonio found themselves with the NBDL’s Jason Hart starting and Australian Shane Heal coming off the bench. Fortunately for the Spurs, Parker recovered quickly from an ankle injury and Hart filled in admirably in his absence. But as the season progressed, Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich found himself using shooting guard Manu Ginobili as Parker’s primary back-up. Even after acquiring veteran Charlie Ward midseason, San Antonio used Ginobili at the point in their motion offense with Ward and Hart sitting on the bench. ... The 6-4 Jasikevicius is a strong playmaker who can not only distribute but can shoot from distance. Last summer Jasikevicius was MVP of the European Championship tournament, chosen over the likes of Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Andrei Kirilenko. "He's the leader on the floor -- he's always talking to his teammates," Parker said of Jasikevicius. "He's a great shooter and a very good passer. He's perfect for Europe. Could he play in the NBA? There might be some questions about his defense, but he runs a team pretty good." “We are talking about a true winner here, with two straight Final Four titles under his belt, and a European Championship and MVP nod to boot,” writes Jonathan Givony of DraftCity.com. “That is on top of another championship and MVP award in Spain last season playing for Barcelona.” Does Jasikevicius want to make the transition to the NBA? “In Barcelona I talked a lot with my friend Dejan Bodiroga, the number one player in European basketball,” says Jasikevicius. “He has the same philosophy: if it happens one day, fine. If not, that's also fine.” Jasikevicius is obviously very comfortable playing basketball in Europe, but would he pass up a chance to play with the world’s best in the NBA? The Spurs hope not. |
