And Timmeh Goes Down…
Scary moment during yesterdays game against the Trailblazers. Around midway through the second quarter there was a very strong disturbance in the force as if millions of central/south Texans screamed out in fear and then fell silent. Of course, I refer to James Jones tangling up Timmeh as he was chasing down a pass from the Sickness.
The look of it was frightening as Tim first twisted his ankle by stepping on Jones’ foot which caused the bulk of his frame to collapse on a twisted knee. A million thoughts ran though my head; foremost being, I wonder if Tony and Manu are ready to lead the team this year. Thankfully, news out of the locker room suggested that it looked much worse than it was. Preliminary diagnosis is that of a knee contusion (inner muscle bruise) and a sprained ankle. The MRI is scheduled for today; however, they found no evidence of fracture or ligament damage.
So I’m guessing 2 weeks; however if Pop’s smart and I think he is, he’ll probably be out as long Pop can physically restrain him. So what does this mean going forward… first, I think Manu can kiss his Sixth Man award goodbye (not that he cares for such meaningless accolades). It’s well documented that Manu didn’t spend his teenage years training in Buddhist basketball techniques for personal glory. He plays for the glory of San Antonio, Texas, and Argentina (probably not in that order).
Second, Tony is going to become the focus for the opponents defensive schemes. This I’m actually happy about as he has been playing brilliantly and I believe it’s time he takes the next step. That can’t be done without testing and the next two weeks should be a ample enough time to gauge his progress.
C. Big Shot Rob picked the perfect time to come back to the team; although I imagine if he hadn’t already suited up, he would of been getting ready to go as soon as he saw Timmy go down. That’s just the kind of player he is; he really doesn’t get enough credit for what he does for the team on daily basis. On that note, despite his poor shooting, Big Shot looked as good as ever yesterday, even fooling the smaller Blake into believing he’d blown by him for an easy layup only to slam his weak shot against the backboard on the other side. That’s kinda smarts you only get through incredible age.
IV. With defenses collapsing on Ton, he’s going to get plenty of passes out to wide open shooters. Fin, Bones, Rocket and Big Shot have to be able to hit those shots when they get the opportunity. If not, Manu may just have to take things upon himself to keep the team cruising. I’d prefer him resting however so if you guys are reading this, time to hit the gym fellas.