There's a right way to play out the string
... and it wasn't like that.
This wasn’t the place San Antonio had hoped to find itself after acquiring De’Aaron Fox ahead of the February trade deadline. Not even close.
Back then, in what now feels like ages ago, there was a palpable boost of energy during what had already been a trying season — a reignited resolve to push toward a postseason berth the team had been craving. But now, after the Spurs announced Thursday their star point guard would undergo season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his left pinky that had been affecting him since training camp, the white flag has been raised.
Much of what has ailed San Antonio this season couldn’t be helped. It didn’t plan for Devin Vassell’s foot to require surgery and an entire offseason of recovery, when all signs pointed to it healing on its own prior to the operation in June. It was impossible to foresee its Hall-of-Fame coach suffering a stroke not 10 days into the campaign, leaving them in a state of limbo in which they remain despite his (thankfully) improved health. And it was even more unlikely it would discover deep vein thrombosis in Victor Wembanyama’s right shoulder, a rare condition for any otherwise healthy 21-year-old. Teams prepare for injuries, not potentially life-threatening health events.
If anything, raising that white flag probably gave the Spurs a sense of relief, and a shift in focus that would allow them to better prepare for a healthy summer, and for the massive expectations that loom ahead. But on Friday night, in a 145-134 loss to the Charlotte Hornets that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, it looked like San Antonio took that white flag and planted it squarely at midcourt.
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