After watching his point guard play with a painful bone spur in his left heel for the past several weeks, Gregg Popovich finally decided to give Tony Parker some rest. How much rest? At the very least a couple of games, but if he's as serious about getting his team healthy for the playoffs as he says he is, Parker could end up missing a couple of weeks, if not more.Fortunately the Spurs have a capable backup in Jacque Vaughn who's clearly chomping at the bit for more playing time ...
Popovich informed Vaughn that he was starting for the fifth time this season, just as the 11th-year veteran was coming back into the locker room.Yikes, that doesn't instill much confidence, does it? As it is, Vaughn has already seen much more action lately than anticipated due to Brent Barry's injury, and his performance in Tuesday's loss to the Sonics (four points and four assists in 37 minutes) in place of Parker suggests the Spurs will be stuck if they can't get help soon ... preferably in the form of free-agent-to-be Damon Stoudamire.
Vaughn stood in the doorway of the locker room with a stunned look on his face and finally said, "Uh ... OK."
According to ESPN's Chris Sheridan, Popovich was scheduled to speak with Stoudamire on Tuesday on evening. Stoudamire was also expected to talk with Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, the Raptors are believed to be interested and of course there's the persistent Boston rumors that even his family is starting to believe, but if immediate playing time on a legitimate contender is Stoudamire's primary concern, the Spurs certainly seem to have the leg up.
