Hornets.com’s 1-on-1: San Antonio’s Tony Parker, Bill Schoening
December 23, 2006
Hornets.com’s Dennis Rogers and Jim Eichenhofer chatted with San Antonio guard Tony Parker and San Antonio radio play-by-play announcer Bill Schoening, respectively, prior to Saturday’s game at the Ford Center.
Parker made the Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in 2006. At just 24 years old, the native of France has already helped lead the Spurs to a pair of NBA championships, in 2003 and 2005.
Schoening has been the Spurs’ radio play-by-play announcer since the 2001-02 season.
San Antonio guard Tony Parker
Q: Describe your friendship with Chris Paul.
A: CP is a good friend of mine. I have gotten to know him pretty well the past two years since he has come into the league. When he comes to San Antonio he comes over to my house and when I am here, I go over to his house.
Q: Speaking of when he came into the league, CP has told me that he looks up to you for advice and studies game tapes on you to pattern his game after you. What kind of advice do you give him?
A: When I came into the league I was young and it was important to have someone there to teach you and show you the ropes of how it is as an NBA player on and off the court. Chris and I share the same Nike rep and I got his number from him and told CP that I wanted to be that guy for him.
Q: What do you think of Chris’ game?
A: He is a great young point guard, one of the best in the league. He is a great guard and he has many good years ahead of him.
Q: With Chris as a young and rising point guard and the recent addition of Allen Iverson to the Nuggets, how hard is it going to be to go to the All-Star game as a guard from the Western Conference?
A: It is going to be really hard. You just have to work hard and let things happen. If Chris doesn’t make it this year, he definitely will in the next few years."
San Antonio broadcaster Bill Schoening
Q: The Spurs have been one of the most successful and consistent teams in the NBA over the past decade. Has there been anything that has surprised you about their play over the first two months of the season?
A: Not a whole lot. They are still working out the two-headed combination at center of Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson. Fabricio started the season (as the starter), now it’s Francisco, so that has been something to watch. But it’s been pretty much what I expected. They’ve been playing very well and been consistent.
Q: At this early stage of the season, how do you rank the top teams in the Western Conference right now?
A: Obviously the Spurs have been very consistent. The Spurs split games with Dallas so far; I think Dallas is right there. Utah impressed me when we saw them, and I’d have to put them right up there as well. The Lakers looked very good against us. Also, Phoenix has been playing great and just had a 15-game winning streak. That would be my top five in the West right now.
Q: Does the Allen Iverson trade move Denver closer to the upper echelon in the West?
A: Yes, it does move them closer. I don’t think it puts them up there, though. It’s a little early to tell right now, because Carmelo Anthony is out for 15 games and J.R. Smith is out as well, and Marcus Camby is out for a couple weeks now. We really won’t know what the Nuggets are capable of until they have all of their pieces back.
If they get everyone set, they are going to be a very formidable team. I don’t know if they will be quite in the top two or three teams in the West, but I think they will be a dangerous team, and certainly a team no one will want to face in the playoffs.
Q: How do you think pairing Iverson with Carmelo Anthony will work? Many basketball observers are curious to see if there are going to be enough shots for both players.
A: I think the dynamic is going to be a little bit different (compared to other high-scoring teammates paired with Iverson in Philadelphia), because George Karl runs a very wide-open offense. Because of that, I think there are going to be plenty of shots for both of those guys. But how is it going to affect a guy like J.R. Smith, who is getting a lot of shots and averaging about 15 points a game? I think his numbers will probably drop a little bit.
But I do think (Iverson and Anthony) can work together. I also think that throughout this whole process (of Iverson being traded by Philadelphia), he may have learned a little bit of a lesson in terms of playing with other guys. And his clock is ticking – he really probably has about three or four good years left – so this is an opportunity for him to get to the upper echelon. The Sixers were a struggling team, but Denver is going to be a playoff team.
Q: Did you think the length of suspensions from the Denver-New York brawl were fair?
A: I did. I think Commissioner Stern has been very clear about how he wants teams and players to behave. He doesn’t feel like there is any room for that type of thing, and he’s trying to get away from the negative image that some people have of the NBA. Because of that, guys that do what Carmelo did – that was kind of a sucker-punch – they are going to get (suspended) a lot of games.
In my opinion, they should have looked a little bit more at the cause of the brawl, and maybe more suspensions could’ve been handed down if they’d done that.
Q: Hornets head coach Byron Scott said recently that the goal for his team is stay within range of .500 until the Hornets’ injured players return. How difficult do you think that will be without Peja Stojakovic and David West for an extended period of time?
A: Obviously, when you’re missing West, Peja and Bobby Jackson, it’s going to be very difficult. I don’t think there is any team that could play well while missing three of their top six players for an extended period of time – it’s just not going to happen.
They’re playing hard, but they’re shorthanded. They’ve got one of the best, if not the best, young point guards in the league in Chris Paul. I’ve always liked Rasual Butler – I’m a native of Philadelphia, so I’ve known about Rasual Butler and Marc Jackson for a long time. I think Marc is capable of giving more performances like he did (Friday) night against Memphis, when he had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
But the West is so loaded right now, that it’s going to be very difficult. If they were in the East, I’d be very a lot more optimistic about their chances of making the playoffs. In the West, when you’re missing three of your top guys, it’s going to be difficult.
I thought the Hornets were a playoff team before the injuries. If they can get some good performances from young guys such as Hilton Armstrong and hold down the fort, then maybe they’ll have a chance. But it’s real tough when you take that many points out of the lineup, not having West, Stojakovic and Bobby.
Hornets.com’s Dennis Rogers and Jim Eichenhofer chatted with San Antonio guard Tony Parker and San Antonio radio play-by-play announcer Bill Schoening, respectively, prior to Saturday’s game at the Ford Center.
Parker made the Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in 2006. At just 24 years old, the native of France has already helped lead the Spurs to a pair of NBA championships, in 2003 and 2005.
Schoening has been the Spurs’ radio play-by-play announcer since the 2001-02 season.
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Q: Describe your friendship with Chris Paul.
A: CP is a good friend of mine. I have gotten to know him pretty well the past two years since he has come into the league. When he comes to San Antonio he comes over to my house and when I am here, I go over to his house.
Q: Speaking of when he came into the league, CP has told me that he looks up to you for advice and studies game tapes on you to pattern his game after you. What kind of advice do you give him?
A: When I came into the league I was young and it was important to have someone there to teach you and show you the ropes of how it is as an NBA player on and off the court. Chris and I share the same Nike rep and I got his number from him and told CP that I wanted to be that guy for him.
Q: What do you think of Chris’ game?
A: He is a great young point guard, one of the best in the league. He is a great guard and he has many good years ahead of him.
Q: With Chris as a young and rising point guard and the recent addition of Allen Iverson to the Nuggets, how hard is it going to be to go to the All-Star game as a guard from the Western Conference?
A: It is going to be really hard. You just have to work hard and let things happen. If Chris doesn’t make it this year, he definitely will in the next few years."
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Q: The Spurs have been one of the most successful and consistent teams in the NBA over the past decade. Has there been anything that has surprised you about their play over the first two months of the season?
A: Not a whole lot. They are still working out the two-headed combination at center of Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson. Fabricio started the season (as the starter), now it’s Francisco, so that has been something to watch. But it’s been pretty much what I expected. They’ve been playing very well and been consistent.
Q: At this early stage of the season, how do you rank the top teams in the Western Conference right now?
A: Obviously the Spurs have been very consistent. The Spurs split games with Dallas so far; I think Dallas is right there. Utah impressed me when we saw them, and I’d have to put them right up there as well. The Lakers looked very good against us. Also, Phoenix has been playing great and just had a 15-game winning streak. That would be my top five in the West right now.
Q: Does the Allen Iverson trade move Denver closer to the upper echelon in the West?
A: Yes, it does move them closer. I don’t think it puts them up there, though. It’s a little early to tell right now, because Carmelo Anthony is out for 15 games and J.R. Smith is out as well, and Marcus Camby is out for a couple weeks now. We really won’t know what the Nuggets are capable of until they have all of their pieces back.
If they get everyone set, they are going to be a very formidable team. I don’t know if they will be quite in the top two or three teams in the West, but I think they will be a dangerous team, and certainly a team no one will want to face in the playoffs.
Q: How do you think pairing Iverson with Carmelo Anthony will work? Many basketball observers are curious to see if there are going to be enough shots for both players.
A: I think the dynamic is going to be a little bit different (compared to other high-scoring teammates paired with Iverson in Philadelphia), because George Karl runs a very wide-open offense. Because of that, I think there are going to be plenty of shots for both of those guys. But how is it going to affect a guy like J.R. Smith, who is getting a lot of shots and averaging about 15 points a game? I think his numbers will probably drop a little bit.
But I do think (Iverson and Anthony) can work together. I also think that throughout this whole process (of Iverson being traded by Philadelphia), he may have learned a little bit of a lesson in terms of playing with other guys. And his clock is ticking – he really probably has about three or four good years left – so this is an opportunity for him to get to the upper echelon. The Sixers were a struggling team, but Denver is going to be a playoff team.
Q: Did you think the length of suspensions from the Denver-New York brawl were fair?
A: I did. I think Commissioner Stern has been very clear about how he wants teams and players to behave. He doesn’t feel like there is any room for that type of thing, and he’s trying to get away from the negative image that some people have of the NBA. Because of that, guys that do what Carmelo did – that was kind of a sucker-punch – they are going to get (suspended) a lot of games.
In my opinion, they should have looked a little bit more at the cause of the brawl, and maybe more suspensions could’ve been handed down if they’d done that.
Q: Hornets head coach Byron Scott said recently that the goal for his team is stay within range of .500 until the Hornets’ injured players return. How difficult do you think that will be without Peja Stojakovic and David West for an extended period of time?
A: Obviously, when you’re missing West, Peja and Bobby Jackson, it’s going to be very difficult. I don’t think there is any team that could play well while missing three of their top six players for an extended period of time – it’s just not going to happen.
They’re playing hard, but they’re shorthanded. They’ve got one of the best, if not the best, young point guards in the league in Chris Paul. I’ve always liked Rasual Butler – I’m a native of Philadelphia, so I’ve known about Rasual Butler and Marc Jackson for a long time. I think Marc is capable of giving more performances like he did (Friday) night against Memphis, when he had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
But the West is so loaded right now, that it’s going to be very difficult. If they were in the East, I’d be very a lot more optimistic about their chances of making the playoffs. In the West, when you’re missing three of your top guys, it’s going to be difficult.
I thought the Hornets were a playoff team before the injuries. If they can get some good performances from young guys such as Hilton Armstrong and hold down the fort, then maybe they’ll have a chance. But it’s real tough when you take that many points out of the lineup, not having West, Stojakovic and Bobby.
