Spurs' Popovich says Parker could be out for 'a while'

Tony Parker's left hamstring injury can be classified as "nagging," and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday night he is going to sit his point guard "for a while."

"Every time he thinks it's back, he feels something," Popovich said, as reported by Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News. "Give it time and if we ... it's on the conservative side. It keeps coming back and that's not good, so we're just going to sit him out for a while."

A while sounds like, well, a while. Parker has missed nine of the Spurs' last 12 games with the issue, and if that's not enough for him to recuperate, an extended absence is a possibility. San Antonio has lost six of its past eight, although Cory Joseph has shown some flashes filling in for Parker.

Parker turns 33 in May and, like the rest of the Spurs, has a lot of miles on those legs. The team has two back-to-backs over the next two-and-a-half weeks.