Player The unfortunately low-ceilinged Shaolin monastery of Victor Wembanyama

[Ice009]

I really feel bad for Wemby. He should be on a DPOY threepeat at the end of season, but it looks like he will come empty handed yet again.

Do you guys feel that minimum amount of games played is right? The rule IMO sucks. It should be about 57 games, not 65, that a ridiculous number. If someone is genuinely hurt and still plays more than 70% of the games (57 games), then they should still be able to get the awards. I think the cutoff number should be 70% of the 82 games played.

 

[ambchang]

This is why I've been bringing up about the Spurs not drafting a young center. Even if Luke is a very, very good player, he hasn't played big minutes anywhere and we don't know if his body is capable of it. There's really no data on his durability if playing more minutes consistently. I hope he can do it and stay healthy because he's a darn good player that can only help any team he's on.

Last year, us fans have been complaining about:
1) Not having a PG - Addressed by getting Fox and then drafting Harper;
2) Not having a backup center - Got Kornhub
3) Not having a good coaching staff - Sweeney and Corliss
4) Not having a 3&D player - still loading , maybe Carter Bryant can be that one day).

I get the entire point of getting a Sorber, Beringer and Kalkbrenner, and related but not exactly the same thing, using our 2nd rounders more purposefully, but if Wemby is not durable, there really isn't any point in building this team with what we have, we should just tear the entire thing down, keep Castle, Harper and Korndog, and reset the entire thing.

 

[Ice009]

I guess it's more to the last point you brought up. They did good with all of those other needs, but what you said is right. They're not being very purposeful with their second rounders and they have plenty of them. Why are they not trying to get a good player with them? They're pretty much selling, trading or throwing them away on picks that are not likely to pan out. Jokic was a second round pick, Manu was a second round pick. Why are they not being more serious with their second round picks?

 

[ambchang]

Well, let's not use Jokic and Manu as examples, as they were like .... well, two of them in like 100 years in the league, but I would like to use 2nd rounders as a good feed of competent players. it's perfect for those seniors who are passed on because of age. The Caris Leverts and the Ajay Mitchells of the world. These are good players who are unlikely to be superstar players, but we don't need superstar players, we need role players.

Which again leads to my point, what roles do the Spurs need? I am not sure, because the system the Spurs have is odd to me, still. I think it takes time, but with a talent like Wemby manning the middle, it's a no brainer for me to have a bunch of long athletic perimeter defenders who can cut and shoot.

 

[Exstatic]

Do you guys feel that minimum amount of games played is right? The rule IMO sucks. It should be about 57 games, not 65, that a ridiculous number. If someone is genuinely hurt and still plays more than 70% of the games (57 games), then they should still be able to get the awards. I think the cutoff number should be 70% of the 82 games played.

I think 60 is probably the sweet spot. It’s just shy of 75% of the games

 

[Neuromancer]

I do feel bad for Vic because these stupid games played restrictions are going to fuck up his ability to collect the accolades he deserves

On the other hand...that means he will be eligible for less money on his next contract

 

[Ice009]

I only used them as examples as I suppose I was trying to say (I'm not great at explaining stuff), Spurs are throwing away chances at maybe hitting the jackpot if they trade the pick, sell the pick, or throw it away on a player that will amount to nothing (some of the guys they're drafting have almost a zero percent chance of even being an NBA rotation player let alone the 1% chance of them being the next Manu. You know what I mean, the Spurs are drafting zero percenters, at least go for a 10% type of player that could be a rotation player for the team whether that is now or sometime down the line, go for that type of player). I guess I said it poorly. I'd be happy with the next Ajay Michell. If the 1% chance hits of the next Manu, great, but that is not likely these days with all the scouting they have. I guess plenty of people mentioned that due to the scouting, that's not likely to happen anymore. They should at least be trying to find those types of rotation players you mentioned (Levert, Mitchell) while also looking at team needs and/or younger players to phase out older players such as guys like Biyombo.

I think 60 is probably the sweet spot. It’s just shy of 75% of the games

I still think 70% of games played is more than enough. I think 25 games missed (70% is a real good number). If they've played 70% of the games, I think that is enough to prove that they were MVP or DPOY or whatever the award. Of course, I'd be happier with 60 more than 65. I would not complain at all if it's changed to 60. That's good too. 65 just doesn't give enough leeway in case the player has a legit injury where they miss a bit of time.

 

[BatManu20]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1990826210536886781

 

[gospursgo91]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1990826210536886781

let the man play in a week… we keep babying him. I get we are trying to reduce risks, but nothing is guaranteed. He can get hurt at any moment in any game. If he is good to go let him play.

 

[rjv]

I think he'll be back sooner than later. harper was supposed to miss all of preseason and came back sooner than reported so it can happen. i wouldn't be shocked if vic is back within 2 weeks.

 

[DAF86]

 

[plateado]

SIf the rules are so strict, isn't there a way to bend them? What if Victor gets dressed and goes into the game, plays for 5 minutes, and then rests? Yes, averages would go down, but it's for a specific situation. Like they did in the All Star game with CP3, but better.

 

[inagra]

SIf the rules are so strict, isn't there a way to bend them? What if Victor gets dressed and goes into the game, plays for 5 minutes, and then rests? Yes, averages would go down, but it's for a specific situation. Like they did in the All Star game with CP3, but better.

There is a min minutes requirement per game to count

 

[Ariel]

Not sure if anybody mentioned this, but unless Wemby wins MVP this year (very unlikely IMO), failing to meet the 65 game threshold next season would rule out the 30% max rookie extension, as he wouldn't qualify for MVP/DPOY/all NBA in the most recent season before the extension (season 4), or 2 of the 3 most recent seasons (due to missing half of season 2, where he'd definitely have made all NBA third team at least and likely DPOY as well).

This is a double edged sword, as on one hand it grants the Spurs some cap flexibility, but on the other it may be an incentive for Wemby to insist on a shorter contract extension or, more likely, a player option on that 5th year. So a relatively minor injury could have a huge impact for both Wemby and the Spurs.

 

[spursparker9]

POV from Brian Sutterer MD.

He don't think that the Pod's sweeping kick is the cause to Wemby's injury. The Spurs and the whole nba are just over paranoid and over conservative on this

 

[BankShot21]

I really feel bad for Wemby. He should be on a DPOY threepeat at the end of season, but it looks like he will come empty handed yet again.

Yep I agree. When it was announced they needed to play 65 games for awards I thought it was maybe a little high but in some way ok, i understood the reasons. It detracts from sitting for no reason and some other bullshit ala Kawhi.

But when you've got a dominant force in a certain category (DPOY last year) Dyson Daniels winning when he isn't close to DPOY, it's kinda strange. With Victors height and body type, with the new rules, realistically he might not ever win an MVP or DPOY.

He might not even qualify for a supermax when the time comes with these rules also cause he doesn't play enough to make All NBA or win awards. The new rules could cost certain players massive amounts of millions of dollars. I'm on the fence. One sprained ankle could disqualify someone from awards and paydays

 

[Ice009]

POV from Brian Sutterer MD.

He don't think that the Pod's sweeping kick is the cause to Wemby's injury. The Spurs and the whole nba are just over paranoid and over conservative on this

Interesting that Doctors are backing up my "feelings" . However these guys/Doctors are basing it on there being no evidence of a 1:1 connection that a calf strain causes Achilles injuries. There's no direct correlation in the literature or previous data. He mentioned a couple of times in the video if someone has data, he'd be happy to see it. It very well could be contributing, but as Brian Sutterer MD said, I think teams are also being overcautious with this. He also mentioned the Mavs and Davis too. Could be any/all those other factors he mentioned towards the end of the video, not just calf tightness/calf strains like teams are worried about now. I don't like that he mentioned the calf/blood clot issue. He said a blood clot can cause calf tightness and he hopes the Spurs have checked that out with an ultrasound (I assume they did).

Yep I agree. When it was announced they needed to play 65 games for awards I thought it was maybe a little high but in some way ok, i understood the reasons. It detracts from sitting for no reason and some other bullshit ala Kawhi.

But when you've got a dominant force in a certain category (DPOY last year) Dyson Daniels winning when he isn't close to DPOY, it's kinda strange. With Victors height and body type, with the new rules, realistically he might not ever win an MVP or DPOY.

He might not even qualify for a supermax when the time comes with these rules also cause he doesn't play enough to make All NBA or win awards. The new rules could cost certain players massive amounts of millions of dollars. I'm on the fence. One sprained ankle could disqualify someone from awards and paydays

It's backfired because I think they bought it in so clowns like Kawhi don't sit games with load management when they're healthy and can play. Kawhi has screwed even more people over with his load management. Players are going to lose money, awards because of his bullshit, all the while, this fucker was getting paid even more money illegally while also taking games off. I've never gone off on Kawhi before, but I will now - Fuck this guy.

People with legit injuries shouldn't be penalized. Drop that limit down to 57 games (25 games[70% of games played]). I also believe that should maybe start the season a month earlier to space out the games and eliminate back to backs. I don't like shortening the season, because that screws all the records, but also, what if a player or two is out 30 games and you miss the playoffs in a shortened season when you would have been a contender if the players played. Having less games can screw up teams entire seasons if they have key players out with minor injuries for 4-6 weeks.

 

[Unseen]

During the season grind players are never fully healthy and without pain, it's always been part of a physical sport the difference now is players will sit out weeks for something the would either continue playing through it or sit out maybe a game or 2.

I'm not a health expert so I know I can't speak to that and what should be done but what im wondering is if this is sustainable for the League with so many stars and starters continuing to sit out more and more games then ever before.

 

[BankShot21]

Interesting that Doctors are backing up my "feelings" . However these guys/Doctors are basing it on there being no evidence of a 1:1 connection that a calf strain causes Achilles injuries. There's no direct correlation in the literature or previous data. He mentioned a couple of times in the video if someone has data, he'd be happy to see it. It very well could be contributing, but as Brian Sutterer MD said, I think teams are also being overcautious with this. He also mentioned the Mavs and Davis too. Could be any/all those other factors he mentioned towards the end of the video, not just calf tightness/calf strains like teams are worried about now. I don't like that he mentioned the calf/blood clot issue. He said a blood clot can cause calf tightness and he hopes the Spurs have checked that out with an ultrasound (I assume they did).




It's backfired because I think they bought it in so clowns like Kawhi don't sit games with load management when they're healthy and can play. Kawhi has screwed even more people over with his load management. Players are going to lose money, awards because of his bullshit, all the while, this fucker was getting paid even more money illegally while also taking games off. I've never gone off on Kawhi before, but I will now - Fuck this guy.

People with legit injuries shouldn't be penalized. Drop that limit down to 57 games (25 games[70% of games played]). I also believe that should maybe start the season a month earlier to space out the games and eliminate back to backs. I don't like shortening the season, because that screws all the records, but also, what if a player or two is out 30 games and you miss the playoffs in a shortened season when you would have been a contender if the players played. Having less games can screw up teams entire seasons if they have key players out with minor injuries for 4-6 weeks.

100% exactly what I'm saying

 

[Ice009]

During the season grind players are never fully healthy and without pain, it's always been part of a physical sport the difference now is players will sit out weeks for something the would either continue playing through it or sit out maybe a game or 2.

I'm not a health expert so I know I can't speak to that and what should be done but what im wondering is if this is sustainable for the League with so many stars and starters continuing to sit out more and more games then ever before.

Right now, it's looking like Silver might have screwed the NBA up in his tenure. The want for higher offensive numbers and the rule changes to help facilitate that have sped up the game and it's probably not helping players playing this way night in and night out.

I really don't understand why they can't start the season early enough to eliminate all back to back games. Players that don't make the playoffs have almost 6 months off before the start of the next season. They're usually training and playing during that time anyway. Why not have training camp at the start of Sept. and start the season Oct. 1st or thereabouts at the very latest?

Those of you that watched basketball regularly in the 80s, is the pace of play still higher these days than even back then?

 

[Sugus]

Those of you that watched basketball regularly in the 80s, is the pace of play still higher these days than even back then?

It's not (just) about pace at all IMO; people just quote it because it's an "easy" way to measure the "speed" of the game across eras.

But the style of game being played matters far more -- it's one thing to be trotting up and down the court a billion times because every possession is either a brick or a big man dunk/layup, and another thing to have the Start-Stop, herky-jerky, five-out modern game as your nightly mileage.

There's a particular vulnerability in these lateral movements that stresses the joints and articulations in ways that the 80's game hardly ever did. I don't think NBA players today could get away with playing in plain fuckin' Converse shoes like they did back then, for example, it's insane to even think about.

 

[Sugus]

Anecdotally, here's a quote I found from His Airness himself, on using his original sneakers many years later:

Jordan on wearing Jordan 1's (1985) v The Knicks in '98.

“Well, I was joking around with my wife at home, and I said, we’re going to New York, might as well bring back the old shoes. It’s been a long time since I wore them, and it’s kinda fun to come back here and play and to remember some of the old days and some of the games I’ve had here, and the shoes are a part of that. My feet are killing me, but it was fun.”

Imagine that -- sneaker technology, R&D etc (to not mention modern medicine in general) has been developing for over 25 years since Jordan gave that quote.... And players are still getting these injuries more than ever before. It's not (just) the pace at all.

 

[scott]

AJ1s are some of the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever worn, I can't believe anyone ever played a basketball game in them.

 

[LeBowen]

AJ1s are some of the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever worn, I can't believe anyone ever played a basketball game in them.

Reminds me of Sefolosha mostly playing in AM90.

 

[wEmBoY]

i think wemby is just resting