Monday, February 2nd, 2009...12:27 pm
The Andrew Bynum Injury
Reports out of Los Angeles suggest that Andrew Bynum will miss 8 to 12 weeks with a torn MCL, the result of this play against Memphis:
On an optimistic view, Bynum will return in April with enough time (7 or 8 games) to regain his conditioning and game rhythm prior to the playoffs. It’s more likely, however, that he’ll be reinserted into the line up after the playoffs begin.
What does this mean for San Antonio?
It’s a hard thing for this Spurs fan to type, but even without Bynum the Lakers remain the team to beat in the West. They have a commanding 5 game lead on San Antonio and, 1 through 8, still have a more talented roster than the Spurs. Typically, when an opposing team loses an All-Star caliber center for two or three months, it casts a favorable shadow your direction. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is still really stinkin’ good. But there is reason for optimism.
Ryan Schwan of the Hornets 24/7 recently wrote, “Spurs fans like to act like a mid-season game doesn’t matter to the Spurs because the team is so superior to those around it. That casual arrogance may play for the fans, but don’t believe it for a second for Popovich, Timmy and company. ” He’s right on both accounts. I trust that Pop and company will do their part to turn it up now that we’ve passed the half-way flag, and so I’ll try my hand at a little casual arrogance. So long as the Spurs remain healthy, the Western Conference is now a two team race. Sorry, Ryan.
The Spurs are beginning to look like the Spurs, right on cue for the Rodeo. If they find their rhythm, they’ll become the only team with a chance of beating Los Angeles in the playoffs. I’d feel better about their chances if they swung a trade to shore up the rotation, but, assuming they roll with what they’ve got, they’ll be a tough out. And, as things currently stand, the Spurs should have home court advantage for the opening two rounds.
Setting aside my homerism for a moment, the injury couldn’t come at a worse time for Bynum. We hope he makes a swift and full recovery, just not too swift.
9 Comments
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Excellent points, thank you for looking at the Spurs chances this season from avoice of experience. Please allow me this one note of optimism, even mid-season. This is a different Spurs team than last season, and ‘08 team still put together a great run. Last year they would struggle to score for long stretches and were losing to teams they should beat. Injuries abounded, but even the rodeo trip last year was okay, not the stuff of champions. This trip could be different. Home court advantage is important for deep runs in the playoffs on old legs. Nobody wants our dead weight, so Better the team we have now than risking a bad trade.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
It’s always sad to see a great player go down, but I can’t help but feel that karma has come around after the Wallace incident. Maybe that’s what he gets for defending like a (slow, lazy) punk.
As for the Spurs and Lakers future, I wouldn’t read too much into it. The Lakers went to the final w/o Bynum last year. And the Spurs have been known to play very well while missing any of their big 3, even 2 of them as was the case earlier in the season. Sometimes it’s even a great opportunity for a team to gel in the face of adversity, and for role players to get much needed minutes and raise their level of play (cf. Hill, George).
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Thanks for giving and out-of-towner a place to get fresh daily takes on my team. I am really excited about this years’ chances.
What is the likelihood that the Spurs could swing a deal for Marcus Camby? I have read rumors on ESPN.com that there is a chance he’d be dealt. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=TradeWatchBigs-090129
I think if we dealt Thomas, Bowen and Vaughn (I tried it on the ESPN trade machine and it works $-wise) for Camby, called up Hairston and Tolliver to fill roster spots the upgrade to our frontcourt would outweigh the sacrilege of shipping Bowen off. This would provide the help Duncan needs inside without giving up too much (I can’t believe I’m even saying that wouldn’t be giving up too much, I love Bowen). Bowen seems to be able to contribute in 5 minute stretches anymore, though he played a great game in Phoenix the other night.
Doing this would allow us to compete against LA using our previous championship years’ type system - 2 towers inside w/scoring threats around them. A lineup of Duncan & Camby (Bonner and Oberto backing up) inside with Ginobili, Parker and Mason/Finley is very fun to think about. Either pop my balloon or feed the fire…
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Why would the Clippers take back so little for Camby? I’d like him as a Spur too. But you have to justify the trade from their end too.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
According to the report, and according to their on-court performance he just isn’t a good fit with that team (I guess that’s not a very convincing argument with all the injuries that team’s had). Randolph and Kaman are both solid options there and this would beef up some other areas of need (backup PG/veteran, defender/veteran, and solid post defender/mid-range shooter/veteran). I understand that the common thread is veteran, but they’re the Clippers and I think they pulled the trigger on the Camby deal only to appease fans after losing Brand.
If that still doesn’t seem likely, can you see any worthwhile scenario where we could get him (maybe with picks/unsigned players/cash or all three)?
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm
It comes down to value. Camby has more value than Thomas/Bowen/Vaughn. The Spurs would have to do better. In terms of other available bigs, there aren’t a lot of options out there. There was a rumor about Collison, which we addressed in a previous post. Polish papers are reporting that the Spurs are interested in Gortat. That’s the best I can do for you.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 am
I should have shut up. The Lakers (well, one of them at least) rebounded quite well from the loss of Bynum.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
[...] If they find their rhythm, they’ll become the only team with a chance of beating Los Angeles in the playoffs . I’d feel better about their chances if they swung a trade to shore up the rotation, but, assuming they roll with what they’ve …Page 2 [...]
February 5th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
[...] If they find their rhythm, they’ll become the only team with a chance of beating Los Angeles in the playoffs . I’d feel better about their chances if they swung a trade to shore up the rotation, but, assuming they roll …Next Page [...]
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