Veteran point guard Tony Parker made the surprising decision on Friday to leave the San Antonio Spurs after 17 seasons to sign with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-year, $10 million deal.
It was a move that had caught second-year guard Malik Monk off guard as he was first informed by a reporter following a summer league game on Saturday that led to a hilarious reaction to the news.
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There is clearly a tremendous level of respect for Parker from Monk in terms of what he has accomplished over his illustrious career in the NBA. The 36-year-old certainly has much to offer beyond his play on the court with a plethora of experience playing at a high level while going through much success with the Spurs that included being a part of NBA titles where he was the NBA Finals MVP once while earning six All-Star selections and four All-NBA Team nods.
He has more than earned that respect on the court given what he has gone through over nearly the two decades. The reaction that Monk had was possibly the reaction of many in Charlotte as there had been no public inkling that he was leaning in that direction in any manner. Parker has a chance to take on a full mentor role with the Hornets where he could be a key in helping develop their young players that include Monk.
In his first year in the league, the 20-year-old showed some flashes of potential despite playing in a limited role off the bench averaging just 6.7 points on 36.0 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc with 1.4 assists, and 1.0 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest in 63 games played. The addition of Parker could prove to be highly beneficial for players on the roster like Monk for next season and well beyond that.
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