Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have taken it easier than usual this offseason in order to get healthy.

The Spurs front office was unusually active this summer, trading for Richard Jefferson and signing Antonio McDyess as a free agent.

Duncan, who was bothered by knee issues last season, has pushed his offseason program back a month.

Ginobili has severely limited his workouts after appearing in just 44 games last season because of bad ankles.

"He is healthy," coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili. "He'll come back out of shape but healthy."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knows that his team's window to win another NBA title won't be open forever.

"Our time is now. Timmy [Duncan's] time is now. He has three years left on his contract," Popovich told the Boston Globe. "Something tells me that you don't have to be too smart to figure out that the next three years are probably going to be better than the three after that."

San Antonio has added Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair this summer, which Popovich admitted took some arm-twisting of longtime owner Peter Holt.

"We told him that if we were going to compete, we had to go over the [tax threshold]. He did not like that answer," Popovich said. "But he also said, 'I don't like it, but I understand it, so go out and do what you need to do.' "

Gregg Popovich believes that Bruce Bowen could fit in with the right team, but it probably won't be the Spurs.

The Bucks waived Bowen at the end of July and the forward is now a free agent.

"He might come back with the right team in the right situation, but it's probably not going to be San Antonio," Popovich told the Boston Globe.

Roger Mason Jr. knows that Richard Jefferson's presence in San Antonio could rob him of some minutes.

Mason posted career-highs in games, minutes, scoring average and three-point shooting percentage for the Spurs during the 2008-09 season.

"I've been getting that question a lot," Mason said of his role on the team post-makeover. "I know I'm not where I want to be, as far as my game's progression. The main thing is, I want to know I'm going to continue to progress, especially on this team.

"Last year I had a good year. This year, I want to have an even better one."

Mason has been working on strengthening his legs this summer.

"This is the first summer I've been able to focus on my legs and my body," he said. "I'm trying to be way more active. That's my biggest thing this year."

The Spurs have added a few impact players this offseason.

San Antonio traded for Richard Jefferson, signed Antonio McDyess as a free agent and drafted DeJuan Blair.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told Yahoo! Sports that he believed changes were necessary if the club was going to compete with the NBA's best.

"We weren't beating the Lakers, even if we were whole," Popovich said of last year's team.

"If you really wanted to be honest with yourself, you had to think that."

Popovich acknowledged that many of the league's other top teams have improved this summer as well.

"By no means are we the best team in the league," Popovich said. "But I think we're back in the ballgame."

Tony Parker returned from an ankle injury to help France beat Finland in a European Championship qualifying match on Saturday.

Parker missed the team's win over Italy on Wednesday with a right ankle sprain.

The point guard wanted to play against the Italians, but the Spurs brought him back to San Antonio for tests after he was injured in a collision with an Austrian player in July.

Last month Richard Jefferson called off his wedding via e-mail and now sources claim that he banned his former fiancee from their shared apartment.

Jefferson told doormen that she wasn't even allowed to enter the building to retrieve her belongings, according to the New York Post.

Kesha Nichols' friends have also told the Post that Jefferson has retracted the six-figure settlement he claimed he would give her.

Tony Parker was examined earlier by the Spurs medical staff on Saturday. The examination confirms that he has a mild sprain of his right ankle.

Parker will begin his rehabilitation process in San Antonio before rejoining the French National Team next week. He will not be with the team on Wednesday when France faces Italy in an additional qualifying round game in the 2009 Euroleague Championship. A timeline for Parker's return will be determined based on how he responds to his rehabilitation program.

"We want to thank Tony for returning to San Antonio to allow our medical staff examine him," said Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford. "It shows his maturity and his dedication to the Spurs organization."

The Spurs summoned Tony Parker back to San Antonio so their medical staff can examine injuries Parker suffered a week ago in France.

Parker collided with an Austrian player in a game in Strasbourg, France, on July 23, leaving the court on crutches after injuring both his right thigh and ankle. An MRI exam showed no ligament damage, but the Spurs this week requested Parker's return so they could perform their own tests.

?Honestly, I don't understand this decision, because of all the tests done with the French doctors and the Spurs,? Parker was quoted in the release. ?I regret what is going on.

?I am obligated to follow what my (NBA) club wants me to do, but I hope to come back (to France) as soon as possible to participate in the qualification with the French national team.?

Bruce Bowen was waived on Friday by the Bucks in a cost-saving move.

A return to the Spurs is highly unlikely but contenders such as Orlando, Cleveland and Boston have been mentioned as potential suitors for Bowen.

A source told Yahoo! that Bowen will contemplate retirement.