Postponed game: Victor Wembanyama will not make his return to the court this Wednesday evening, during the NBA Cup quarter-final which will pit the Los Angeles Lakers against his San Antonio Spurs team. He was announced as “absent” this Tuesday evening by his frankness during the announcement of the squad which must participate in the meeting (during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, at 4 a.m. French time).
The French basketball player has been injured in his calf since mid-November. In recent days, he had resumed training. He even warmed up before the meeting in New Orleans on Monday evening. After more than three weeks of absence, his return was announced possible by his team. “He will be on the plane to Los Angeles, that’s for sure,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson smiled on Monday.
But the Texan franchise does not intend to take any risks with its nugget. The left calf strain he suffers from is taken very seriously by Spurs. In recent months, several players have in fact been very seriously injured after calf injuries that were not sufficiently taken into consideration.
San Antonio’s bluff about Wemby?
Could San Antonio bluff and claim a package to surprise everyone, including the Californian opponent, by bringing out its pivot that everyone admires at the last minute? A priori no. Some teams have recently risked playing with erroneous announcements of absence, and have paid a high price: the Philadelphia 76ers will notably have to pay a $100,000 fine for having first announced Joel Embiid forfeited, at the end of November, before a match against Atlanta in which he had finally played.
The San Antonio staff played it safe. A return of Wemby, to the city of Angels for an NBA Cup quarter-final, would have generated a lot of attention around the player. Too much for a 21-year-old coming back from injury? Especially since the Spurs will be entitled to a little respite after Wednesday’s meeting: three days of rest if they win (during the NBA Cup semi-finals), and five days if they lose (Wednesday, December 17 at home against Washington).
The Spurs will therefore have to do without their French star during this meeting which could open the doors to Las Vegas and the “Final 4” of the NBA Cup for the first time, the last four of this competition created two years ago to revive public interest in the heart of winter.
Without Wemby, San Antonio continued its streak of strong performances. The Spurs are currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference, with 16 wins in 23 games.
