Mighty Mouse to the Rescue?

Though it was announced at the end of last week, it became official over the weekend–Damon Stoudamire will play the rest of the season for the Spurs.

The man who once averaged over 10 points per game (hasn’t done it since he got to Memphis 3 years ago), who won the ROY in 1996, and who has played in serious playoff basketball will be donning the silver and gray in all likelihood the next time the Spurs play. Whether or not he gets significant minutes remains to be seen, though, despite previous historical references (see Charlie Ward, Melvin Ely, Francisco Elson in the beginning), I feel its almost a certainty that Mighty Mouse bucks the trend and gets some serious minutes in the next few minutes.

With the next game on Tuesday against the Pacers, maybe 15-20 minutes is in order. By the time the Celtics roll around on the 10th, with 3 games and a week under his belt, Damon should see some extended time. Truth is, he’s being brought in to play, not to learn and ultimately flourish in the system. Stoudamire has been around the block (3 teams) and played for 13 years. That’s not to say adjusting to a new team is simple, but it’s not brain surgery. Will he be as smooth in 2 games as he might be after a full pre-season, of course not. But, that’s why team’s acquire veterans.

With Parker out for at least the remainder of the road trip and Brent Barry sidelined for likely another 3 weeks, the need for competent point guard play is imminent. Though they should be able to get by with Jacque Vaughn against Indy, Washington and the Knicks, when good teams come-a-knockin’, they’ll continue to leave Jack Vaughn wide open. And, as was evidenced in that Suns game last week, that’s a major problem. For that reason alone, it stands to reason that we should hope Stoudamire doesn’t take too long to get acclimated.