Spurs' Parker likely to play tonight

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Injured point guard Tony Parker participated fully in the Spurs' light shootaround Wednesday morning and came away without any ill effects on his sprained left ankle.

That wasn't enough to get him into uniform against Sacramento later that night, as coach Gregg Popovich opted to keep Parker out for the third consecutive game.

Parker, however, does at last have a clearer idea about when he might be ready to return to the court after his latest bout with the injury bug.

“Tomorrow,” he said after the shootaround.

Tomorrow, of course, would mean tonight, when the Spurs continue their annual rodeo road trip at Portland. Popovich said that timetable sounded plausible to him.

“I think he's possible, or probable, or whatever the words are,” Popovich said.

Parker, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, is averaging 16.9 points and 5.8 assists. His numbers are down across the board from last season, but he had eclipsed 20 points in five straight games before injuring himself in a Jan. 27 win over Atlanta.

Making perfect: Veteran center/forward Antonio McDyess was not surprised to learn Popovich had scheduled a morning shootaround for the first time since the start of the regular season.

“You can't be surprised at anything when you've lost two or three in a row,” McDyess said.

Popovich has scheduled all afternoon practices this season, in hopes of giving his players more rest and recovery time after games. After the team arrived in Sacramento a little late and a lot jet-lagged Tuesday night, Popovich called off the traditional practice upon arrival, instead pushing the workout to 10 a.m. Wednesday.

McDyess said Wednesday's refresher, a light walk-through focused more on the Spurs' Xs and Os rather than anything Kings-specific, was a much-needed one.

Rodeo memories: Kings swingman Ime Udoka, who spent the previous two seasons with the Spurs, got nostalgic when informed that Wednesday marked the first game of his ex-team's rodeo trip.

“Man, I miss that trip,” Udoka said wistfully. “It was always a good time.”

Udoka and the Kings got their fill of the road earlier this month, going winless on a six-game Eastern Conference swing. After that, Udoka said it was good to be back in Sacramento, where he had dinner with former teammates Parker and Roger Mason on Tuesday night.

Odyssey overblown: Though the Spurs have gone a combined 40-16 on seven previous rodeo trips, Popovich said the annual effect it seems to have on his team has “probably been mythologized a bit.”

“We really do try to use it to come together and get distractions away,” Popovich said. “We take it as an opportunity to make a jump, but it has been exaggerated to some degree.”