Game Thread Spurs (21-7) vs Thunder (25-3) (Tue 12/23/25) [7:30 PM CDT]

[timtonymanu]

I’m gonna get the meltdown posts out of the way for some of you in case we lose this game:

Fox is not worth his max contract.
Wemby is soft for letting his coach decide his minutes restrictions.
The spurs won’t compete with OKC for at least 2 more years and OKC is set to 3peat.

 

[RC_Drunkford]

This isn't even propaganda, but those reporters having as much inside info as we do.
They were just waiting for the injury report.

Kind of dumb to manage his calf this game, could've done it against the Wizards.
Wemby can miss just 5 more games to be eligible for the awards.

They ain‘t managing no calf. I dont believe none of that. All the hints say he‘s in France

 

[LeBowen]

They ain‘t managing no calf. I dont believe none of that. All the hints say he‘s in France

Spurs wouldn't be in trouble if they listed personal reasons on the injury report.
Wemby will probably be back for the game, it's just that they don't want to risk him playing after two intercontinental flights so they list it as calf management, which is accurate.

 

[Amuseddaysleeper]

This isn't even propaganda, but those reporters having as much inside info as we do.
They were just waiting for the injury report.

Kind of dumb to manage his calf this game, could've done it against the Wizards.
Wemby can miss just 5 more games to be eligible for the awards.

Yeah, we just had a b2b not sure he wasn’t rested against Washington

But him not doing a post game for personal reasons was really bizarre

 

[Exstatic]

I want them to

You do in this instance, but that trope can go badly sideways.

 

[Exstatic]

Spurs wouldn't be in trouble if they listed personal reasons on the injury report.
Wemby will probably be back for the game, it's just that they don't want to risk him playing after two intercontinental flights so they list it as calf management, which is accurate.

They would be in trouble listing personal reasons, and THEN he misses the national television game Thursday to fly out. To miss a NT game, you have to have been listed medical the game before.

 

[Ice009]

They would be in trouble listing personal reasons, and THEN he misses the national television game Thursday to fly out. To miss a NT game, you have to have been listed medical the game before.

Are you serious? He can't attend a funeral? He's forced to play if he's not injured and needs personal time?

 

[Exstatic]

Are you serious? He can't attend a funeral? He's forced to play if he's not injured and needs personal time?

There might be limitations,like immediate family, which a grandmother isn’t. Spurs are just reading the regs, and heading anything off at the pass. My thought is that he plays tonight, THEN flies out, missing Thursday and probably Saturday vs. Utah.

 

[Amuseddaysleeper]

There might be limitations,like immediate family, which a grandmother isn’t. Spurs are just reading the regs, and heading anything off at the pass. My thought is that he plays tonight, THEN flies out, missing Thursday and probably Saturday vs. Utah.

I know you are just guessing but would the funeral be that late after her passing? I’d be shocked if he misses the Xmas game hence why I feel he rests tonight and plays Xmas but let’s see what happens

 

[Strategic]

If Vic unboarded a jet in France yesterday wouldn’t there be some video or pictures surfaced by now?

 

[frenchfred]

How does it feel when it's good? Does it still bother you a little bit when it's good, or only if/when you reinjure it? Sounds like you had a really bad one to begin with. I'm also terrible for stretching. Used to do it a lot more when I was younger, but nowhere near as much now.

normal, no pain, no feeling. I pulled it a little last wednesday and today it just feels fine. I have been running more lately like 3 times a week (gained 20 pounds in 2.5 years since I moved back to the States ), the extra activity has probably caused the little strain.

Calf injuries are just lingering and the extra activity has always led to strains (I would say 2-3 a year on average) for me since my grade 2 (I also like to drink wine, I'm sure it's not helping). So I feel that the management for Wemby is the right way to go even though it is annoying for us.

 

[couchman]

You guys are ridiculous.
We are a contender, but only if we have Wemby during the playoffs. This team can likely make the playoffs without 30+ mpg from Wemby. Making sure he isn’t reinjured before the playoffs is 100% our best chance to chip THIS YEAR. If we can keep beating people with him playing 20-25 a night, then maybe we do that until the spring when we ramp him up for the playoffs. If we can’t beat teams doing that the approach will change sooner. It’s the plan until it isn’t. Deal with it.

As for this week, we can’t say he is questionable for “personal reasons” if he might be back in time for the game. At that point the real reason he sits is that you don’t want a tired, jet lagged, emotional guy who just spent 9 hours on a flight, which are notorious for being bad for circulation in the legs, and who has a recent calf injury + blood clot history, to play. I don’t know how the NBA rules work there but I’m pretty sure “calf injury management” covers our ass better if he gets back in time but still sits than “personal reasons.”

Lastly, don’t lose sight of the big picture here. The longest NBA career ever for a player 7’5” or taller was 12 years for Sean Bradley. Manute Bol only played 10. Yao Ming 9, and the results get worse from there. We can’t treat Wemby like a normal medical case if we want him to last.

 

[RC_Drunkford]

If Vic unboarded a jet in France yesterday wouldn’t there be some video or pictures surfaced by now?

these guys fly private

 

[RC_Drunkford]

 

[Strategic]

these guys fly private

This I know, and then they land somewhere.

 

[PanameSpur]

throwing it out there, because we are all thinking it: he's in a soft doghouse because he doesn't like his minutes to be managed more than it makes medical sense (1 or 2 games at most) and mitch wants to assert dominance given he has the "doctor's opinion" on his side.

Very probable.

I'd add that PATFO is using the Duncan "allowed Pop to coach him" experience to make Wemby accept whatever decisions they take as if it was the smartest way to behave for him.

I don't like it at all and pretty sure wemby will question it at some point.

 

[RC_Drunkford]

This I know, and then they land somewhere.

exactly and they can easily keep a cover and not be seen by press. Happens all the time.

 

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Yeah, I can see where Wemby is coming from. Him exiting early didn't sit right.

 

[PanameSpur]

You guys are ridiculous.
We are a contender, but only if we have Wemby during the playoffs. This team can likely make the playoffs without 30+ mpg from Wemby. Making sure he isn’t reinjured before the playoffs is 100% our best chance to chip THIS YEAR. If we can keep beating people with him playing 20-25 a night, then maybe we do that until the spring when we ramp him up for the playoffs. If we can’t beat teams doing that the approach will change sooner. It’s the plan until it isn’t. Deal with it.

As for this week, we can’t say he is questionable for “personal reasons” if he might be back in time for the game. At that point the real reason he sits is that you don’t want a tired, jet lagged, emotional guy who just spent 9 hours on a flight, which are notorious for being bad for circulation in the legs, and who has a recent calf injury + blood clot history, to play. I don’t know how the NBA rules work there but I’m pretty sure “calf injury management” covers our ass better if he gets back in time but still sits than “personal reasons.”

Lastly, don’t lose sight of the big picture here. The longest NBA career ever for a player 7’5” or taller was 12 years for Sean Bradley. Manute Bol only played 10. Yao Ming 9, and the results get worse from there. We can’t treat Wemby like a normal medical case if we want him to last.

There aren't enough example of 7'5 for comparisons to make much sense, at least as direct causes (more correlations imo)

Different body type, different background, different type of growth, some having "gigantism" condition, some never prepared their body from a young age, most didn't work on their flexibility or different aspects Wemby works on today etc

Wemby is 21 and other that a blood clot, that isn't an injury, he hasn't shown any type of physical weakness since he arrived. His rookie season Pop invented a sprained ankle to force a month of min restrictions (Wemby candidly admitted it at the end of the season) and this season he had no pain 2 days after his calf "injury".

It's as if, even unwittingly, Spurs were trying to convince Wemby he is fragile...

As for your PO reference, you can't use a player 20' all season and suddenly use him +30' during the POs

You can't dismiss the importance of the RS in a career and how frustrating it must be to be eliminated from any individual price bc you'll never play 65 games or only play 20' and can't make strong enough numbers.

You can't just think in your interest, you have to put yourself in the player's shoes because he won't perform at his best if he's not happy.

 

[Strategic]

exactly and they can easily keep a cover and not be seen by press. Happens all the time.

Hey Vic, we need you to keep your head down at grandmas funeral. This has turned in to some conspiracy delusions.

 

[Spurs Homer]

Here is another perspective- im not disagreeing with anyone who is in support of "carefully" managing wemby to make sure he is good for the playoffs yada-yada...

just offering up another perspective;

unc Barnes has not missed a game in years (no jinx*) and i am going to guess that in that time- he went thru some bumps,bruises and yes - even some calf strains or calf related issues...

he sucked it up and played the fucking games that he signed a fucking contract to play. I am not suggesting the spurs risk wembys future ot whatever -

but man the fuck up and talk to Barnes and figure out why the man has REFUSED to sit game upon game when he has done the same rigourous off-seasons, in season-training, 82 game regular seasons, playoffs, finals, etc...

the man SUCKED IT UP- MANNED THE FUCK UP and played the motherfuckin games he signed to play for. Zero motherfuckin excuses.

So, vic, you want to be the best player on the planet?
Go consult with your teammate and decide who you want to be.

Rant over,

 

[RC_Drunkford]

Hey Vic, we need you to keep your head down at grandmas funeral. This has turned in to some conspiracy delusions.

you think journalists work for the CIA. Reporters from San Antonio can't find out a thing about the Spurs even though they are in the building all the time, yet you think somebody in Paris can track Wemby like the MI-6. European journalists aren't as crazy as TMZ. When DeRozan's dad died, there weren't journalists tracking him down either.

 

[Sugus]

There aren't enough example of 7'5 for comparisons to make much sense, at least as direct causes (more correlations imo)

Different body type, different background, different type of growth, some having "gigantism" condition, some never prepared their body from a young age, most didn't work on their flexibility or different aspects Wemby works on today etc

Wemby is 21 and other that a blood clot, that isn't an injury, he hasn't shown any type of physical weakness since he arrived. His rookie season Pop invented a sprained ankle to force a month of min restrictions (Wemby candidly admitted it at the end of the season) and this season he had no pain 2 days after his calf "injury".

It's as if, even unwittingly, Spurs were trying to convince Wemby he is fragile...

As for your PO reference, you can't use a player 20' all season and suddenly use him +30' during the POs

You can't dismiss the importance of the RS in a career and how frustrating it must be to be eliminated from any individual price bc you'll never play 65 games or only play 20' and can't make strong enough numbers.

You can't just think in your interest, you have to put yourself in the player's shoes because he won't perform at his best if he's not happy.

Dude, what? Wemby is being injury managed for an injury he suffered, lmao. They're not randomly shutting him down with no injury or cause, all the examples you listed have come after actual, real injuries he's sustained. There's a big difference between "overly cautious in resuming activity after injury" and this "shutting down healthy players to psyche them into believing they're fragile" narrative you're peddling.

And we were all here complaining about Fox being held out, also after an injury, to start the season, so don't tell me it's a "mind games on Wemby" thing, it's clearly the team's medical team behavior/approach. And considering Fox has not re-aggravated his injury after returning.... Nor has Harper after his calf injury.... Nor has Wemby himself re-aggravated his calf while following this schedule.......... Maybe step off the ledge, tbh?

 

[Sugus]

Here is another perspective- im not disagreeing with anyone who is in support of "carefully" managing wemby to make sure he is good for the playoffs yada-yada...

just offering up another perspective;

unc Barnes has not missed a game in years (no jinx*) and i am going to guess that in that time- he went thru some bumps,bruises and yes - even some calf strains or calf related issues...

he sucked it up and played the fucking games that he signed a fucking contract to play. I am not suggesting the spurs risk wembys future ot whatever -

but man the fuck up and talk to Barnes and figure out why the man has REFUSED to sit game upon game when he has done the same rigourous off-seasons, in season-training, 82 game regular seasons, playoffs, finals, etc...

the man SUCKED IT UP- MANNED THE FUCK UP and played the motherfuckin games he signed to play for. Zero motherfuckin excuses.

So, vic, you want to be the best player on the planet?
Go consult with your teammate and decide who you want to be.

Rant over,

Sorry to say, but this is such a shitty and boomer-ish perspective on injuries and players, it's hard to read. How many NBA players have come forward to speak about being forced to play through injury, and their bodies and careers never being the same? Dirk and Isaiah Thomas easily come to mind, to name a few.

Players aren't more cautious with injuries because they aren't "man enough" to play through them; science has evolved to prove just how idiotic the "man up" concept even is, and sports teams took notice. Wemby doesn't need to talk to Barnes and "figure out" ( ) why he doesn't sit games -- Barnes will never see the wealth of Wemby's Supermax contracts or close to it, and therefore has a very different risk/reward perspective, to where playing through shit is justified for him (not to mention the obvious "different bodies" etc).

You can say "man up" and "motherfuckin" all you want, it doesn't make the body hurt less or you more capable of playing through pain. I take it you've never had any significant injury, maybe never even played basketball competitively? Shit can hurt your body like a true "mothafucka", you ain't playing through a calf injury lol.

At the end of the day, ranting at the TV screen cause the players don't do what you like does have a very boomer feel to it, I guess...

 

[FiestaSpurs]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2003515214906773899