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<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/07/sports/basketball/07nets.html">From the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>New York Times</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->:<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Parker Doesn't Welcome Nets' Kidd<br>
By LIZ ROBBINS<br>
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While Jason Kidd visited San Antonio yesterday in his first free-agent recruiting trip, Tony Parker, the Spurs' point guard, was vacationing in the Bahamas, wondering if he would be left out in the cold next season.<br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Parker has recently told his friends, family and teammates that he does not want to play in the backcourt with Kidd, a person briefed on Parker's stance said. </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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If the Spurs choose to spend their free-agent money, close to $16 million, on Kidd and not on a forward like Jermaine O'Neal or Elton Brand, then <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Parker will consider asking for a trade, he recently told Spurs officials. </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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"He loves San Antonio and would love to finish his career there," the person said. "But he feels like he's a point guard and doesn't want to play a two-guard position. Nor does he want to play a backup to a player he won a championship against. <br>
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"He's made it clear to the team that if they choose to do that, he would want to be playing elsewhere."<br>
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With no disrespect for Kidd, considered the league's top point guard, Parker, who has played the position since learning the game in France, told people close to him that he wanted to run his own team.<br>
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A Spurs spokesman said the team had no comment. When reached, Parker's agent, Marc Fleisher, said he would not comment.<br>
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Parker, 21, just finished his second season as the Spurs' point guard. He has two more years on his rookie contract and will make $713,500 next season. <br>
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Entering the free-agent season, the Spurs' plan in recruiting Kidd was to play him and Parker in the backcourt. <br>
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But their games do not seem to complement each other as would a point guard's and a shooting guard's. <br>
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Gary Payton and Sam Cassell played well together in Milwaukee after Payton was acquired at the trading deadline, but neither Kidd nor Parker is a tremendous shooter.<br>
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In the N.B.A. finals, Parker shot 38.6 percent and Kidd 36.4. Kidd led the Nets in scoring, with an average of 19.7 points to Parker's 14.1. Kidd had 47 assists, and Parker had just 25 in the six games. <br>
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Parker's strength is driving to the basket, and he has developed a symbiosis with Tim Duncan on the pick and roll. Kidd, 30, is a pure point guard, whose strengths are running the fast break, rebounding and savvy passing. <br>
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If the Spurs were to sign Kidd to the maximum contract, his starting salary would be about $12.6 million.<br>
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If he and Parker were to split the guard duties, it could hinder the development of Manu Ginóbili, a 25-year-old rookie shooting guard from Argentina, who played more consistently than Parker in the finals.<br>
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During the finals, Parker said he understood that the N.B.A. was a business and that the Spurs would do what they thought was necessary in free agency. <br>
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Parker is said to have a very good relationship with Duncan. Last week, Duncan's agent, Lon Babby, said that while Duncan would give his input in the free-agent decision, Duncan was confident in the decisions of the club officials who had assembled this year's championship team.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END-->
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