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Small ball park. You called him a random guy onYoutube.
I think Pop is confusing correlation and causation.
He's tinkered so many things during the Duncan's era and so many things happened that he's cherry picking what he thinks had a real impact on either winning or extending one's career.
Those min restrictions might be the most overrated of those
Small ball park
I have no idea, but would lean towards Pop trying to send a message to anyone interested that Spurs medical management isn't why Kawhi left. He's been vocal about Kawhi this season, as we saw, and he's mentioned him a few times in post games for various reasons. The Kawhi situation really affected Pop, and he's likely managing now with that monkey on his back.
It's actually not a very useful video in the end. At the very end of the video the doctor actually says he's okay with the minutes restrictions and not playing back to back, he just thinks they're ordering too many MRIs. That's a very technical complaint about best practice. Who cares if they are ordering additional MRIs. The doctor's other main concern is completely non-medical, which is that this might frustrate Victor. Again, speculation. Victor obviously is compe ive and wants to play, which is great. He probably is frustrated about his minutes but the team is right now. Also, Pop told everyone about minutes restrictions before the season. So it's not completely related to the injury.
The frustration part is that players won't report injuries. That's a real concern if a team mismanages the injury, and over managing is still mismanaging since players need minutes to establish themselves. Hype is one thing, but regardless how much Pop tries to shield Victor from the expectations, that's not his decision to make, not for that reason. Pop is a master at using what power he has to get the outcome he wants even if ultimately that outcome is beyond the reach of normal coaching responsibilities. That's Victor's call. A coach shouldn't try to career manage a player.
What Lamarcus said recently in a podcast with SJaxx might have more impact because it makes more sense.
Basically Pop as nice blabla … can be overwhelming for players who just want to hoop and enjoy their careers.
Not everybody is made for the daddy treatment
its not the taking of the MRI that concerns him. its that the spurs decision as to how to proceed past a pretty typical ankle sprain seems to revolve around an MRI, which is atypical in the field. if wemby isnt feeling ill effects from the ankle, they should scale up his activity. let him play past 24 minutes, see if his ankle swells up or becomes sore, and then proceed. then let him play back to back. see if his ankle feels fine. and they proceed. etc etc
but as the guy said, with any pro athlete who has had ankle sprains, you'll be able to squint and find something in the MRI that doesnt look perfect. and relying on that for something as mundane and typical as an ankle sprain is out of the norm.
Historically, it's been the opposite problem, where teams force players to play injured. This was a huge problem in the 1970s that Bill Walton has discussed iat arious times I believe. The fact that the team is being cautious to me is not a cause for alarm. I suppose players could under report injuries so they can play, but that's going to be a wide range of variance from player to player, meaning that some players are okay playing through minor injuries anyway and I don't see a big issue there. I agree that pop can be controlling, but I don't see this as some sort of malicious issue.
It would be out of the norm for regular people, in fact, it would probably be something along the lines of insurance fraud from over prescribing. But this isn't normal medical situation anyway with a super superstar player. He doesn't know what the Spurs medical staff is doing precisely so it's speculation. It might be valid, but he's also just a guy on YouTube trying to get clicks like everybody else.
if only the guy on youtube weighing in practiced sports medicine and orthopedics
https://www.sehealth.org/provider-di...rian-sutterer/
I think you're misinterpreting my point. I'm not saying he's not a doctor. What he suggests would make sense for someone in a private practice for average people with sports injuries, yeah, you don't over prescribe MRIs. But the spurs are in a different situation where they can do what they want. There is no harm in over prescribing MRIs. The doctor assumes that they are going to be making medical decisions based on seeing an injury in the MRI and treating the MRI and not the patient. But who knows, they might be doing MRIs to see how well he heals from game to game after an injury. And pop is still playing him. It's not like he's sitting out several games in a row. Pop has been restricting his minutes all season long, and in fact I don't even notice there was a difference after this ankle injury.
I'm thrilled Pop pulled Vic at the end there. Those extra two minutes were really high risk. Career threatening even. That was a close call, tbh.
your not noticing doesnt mean its not happeningAnd pop is still playing him. It's not like he's sitting out several games in a row. Pop has been restricting his minutes all season long, and in fact I don't even notice there was a difference after this ankle injury.
since the dallas ballboy incident, he has
missed the dallas game despite wemby campaigning to play
played 24 minutes vs utah
played 24 minutes vs portland
sat out against portland
played 23 minutes against boston
played 26 minutes against memphis (was supposed to play 24 but subbed himself back in, apparently)
prior to the dallas incident he was averaging over 30 minutes per game for the season
Last edited by spurraider21; 01-03-2024 at 01:52 PM.
Fair rebuttal. Still lots we don't know as far as how the Spurs doctors make their decisions. I still don't think it's a crisis that they are being super cautious with the future of the franchise. I don't think they take this same approach with bench players.
wemby has said after every game that his ankle feels fine and he doesnt notice any ligering effects. he insists he's able to play more. but the spurs are refusing to lift a restriction until they see an MRI on a pretty run of the mill, low grade ankle sprain.
wemby has always been cognizant of his health and injury prevention going back to his days and france. he wouldnt be recklessly trying to play on what he knows is a bum ankle
Pop is sandbagging. The injury provides an excuse to play his most effective player fewer minutes. But Wembanyama is wise to it and already getting sick of the bull .
Wembanyama may not yet understand his power over the franchise. If he makes an ultimatum, Pop is gone. How long until he wields his power?
Spurs got to trust that when Wemby says he feels fine that he means it and let him play! If there was an issue im sure he would be feeling something and not be begging to play.
The bull part is the spurs waiting something like 3 weeks before a new IRM
Like wemby could not have one right after he feels he is 100% fine. It had to be so long…
It was just another excuse to tank more game…
Wemby behavior is not good though. If he’s not happy with it, he has to confront pop behind closed door. The drama in interview and the auto sub is childish
I wouldn't say "historically" then say 1970's. Even though it was part of history, it's been 50 years since then. I'd say historically clubs have managed injuries pretty well and have relied on players to decide after medical release. Recall Manu played with his arm in a brace. No I don't think Pop is being malicious. Nannies normally aren't.
He's got more power than Deron Williams in Utah had but even that guy was able to get Sloan removed. Maybe the FO wasn't too keen on Sloan anymore regardless.
Or maybe just maybe pop needs to get his head out of his ass too. Stop playing the goddamn mind games as well.
I mentioned the 70s because I read a book that mentioned it. I don't know how much it does or doesn't still exist as a problem. But when Pop prioritized minutes restrictions about, what, 10-12 years ago, it seemed like a new approach that other teams weren't doing.
If we want to have a chance for tempting Wemby to stay then they need to start listening to him now, not when he is at the end of his contract contemplating playing elsewhere.
He should learn from the Kawhi situation and stop kicking superstars out the door.
What's childish is Pop always trying to act as the smartest guy in the room and doing things nobody else would do. There's literally no other coach on the league that would be handling the Wemby situation like he is. The only saving grace from this sorry ass season is watching Wemby play, that's what the fans want. Nobody is buying the tickets or tuning in to see the old fart coach. Nobody. For once, take your own damn advice, get over yourself and stop doing things to try and stand out over the rest. Getting sick and tired of the old man, tbh.
Last edited by DAF86; 01-03-2024 at 05:11 PM.
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