The bizarre weightlifting accident that resulted in a fractured forearm for Sacramento Kings guard-forward Francisco Garcia has prompted a change in some of the Spurs' workout procedures. Garcia suffered the injury when an inflatable exercise ball exploded. Garcia reportedly was lying on his back across a "physio ball" while lifting dumbbells. When the ball exploded, the player fell backwards, fracturing the radius in his right wrist. He also suffered ligament damage. Garcia is expected to miss four months of play after surgery to repair the injuries.
On Monday, the Kings sent a warning to the other 29 NBA teams advising them about the incident.
Spurs strength and conditioning coach Mike Brungardt said the team has used exercise balls - large, inflated balls on which players balance while doing assorted exercises - for many years.
"We check them several times each season, and we've never had a problem," Brungardt said. "We'll continue to use them, but we immediately eliminated their use in some exercises after we got the report from the Kings."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he could not recall a Spurs player being injured during any sort of off-court workout.
"No," he said, "but it made us all think. We all have all these different contraptions we're using. Odd things can happen."
Parker to sit: Popovich plans to begin focusing more on his regular-season playing rotations and combinations in the final three preseason games, so tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers largely will be devoted to evaluation of the players trying to earn a spot on the roster.
To that end, Popovich won't suit up All-Star point guard Tony Parker.
"I'm not playing tomorrow," Parker said after a lengthy Spurs practice Tuesday. "That's why I'm sweating. I practiced hard. Pop told me before practice I was not going to play, so I had to go hard today, so that's what I did. I've got to stay in rhythm.
"It was a good practice. The last two practices were hard, yesterday and today; very good practices."
Parker looks forward to watching Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair match up with Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft.
"Yeah, that's going to be fun," he said. "They're both animals. They're both going to play hard, with a lot of energy. That will be fun to watch."
TP 360: Parker was one of several Spurs who took in the U2 concert Monday night at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
"I'm a big fan, and it was my first time seeing them live," Parker said. "It was great. I had a great time, a great experience.
"The stadium was unbelievable; the biggest stadium I've seen, ever."
Jones waived: The Spurs trimmed their training camp roster by one Tuesday, waiving center Dwayne Jones. Jones appeared in the first three preseason games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. Seventeen players remain on the roster.
