Tim Playing Hurt? Manu Should be Suspended

I was present for the Celtics game, and watched the losses to the Thunder and Rockets. The Spurs probably should have won all three, but a combination of mental lapses and horrific officiating resulted in three losses for the Spurs. The Spurs now sit ½ a game behind the Rockets for second place in the Midwest Division, third place in the Western Conference.

I could spend the next thirty minutes describing each horrific call that doomed the Spurs. The no-call on Yao Ming's putback immediately comes to mind. What drove me crazy about that game was reading Shane Battier's comments that if Bonner had made the last second three for the win, the Rockets would have locked arms and not left the court till they were given the win. As if the game was called perfectly up until that point and it would have been thievery to count that shot. Not only did the Rockets get the go ahead bucket off of a horrendous no-call, but moments later the Spurs were called for a ghost foul that cemented the Rockets' victory. The Spurs should have locked arms after Ming's offensive goal tending and not played until the refs made the more than obvious call.

While the officiating is nothing short of disgraceful, the most upsetting thing I saw was Tim Duncan playing on one leg. The guy is clearly playing hurt. It pains me to think about, but he is playing 50 to 60% right now. He seems to lack his normal explosiveness off his drive. This is forcing him to take more contested outside jump shots, and since he does not have the lift from his legs, he shoots short in the second half. When healthy, Yao cannot get close enough to Tim to challenge his jumper. If Yao gets close, Tim would normally put the ball on the floor, take his two steps in the lane, draw contact and make his patented running hook. In his current state, this shot is not an option for Tim. Against Perkins and Yao, Tim could not get the separation from the defender on his drive, and they would get a piece of the ball. Yes, he gets fouled the majority of the time, but the referees are awful and have not made this call since the All-Star break. The referees seem to not understand that if you hold a player down with one arm, it’s very easy to get a piece of the ball when the shot is taken. Apparently holding is no longer a foul in the NBA, unless it’s a point guard 35 feet away from the basket.

So, what are the Spurs chances with Tim playing at 50% and Manu playing at 75%? I don’t want to think about it. Imagine how good this team would be with all three of its stars playing at 100%. They should have beat the Celtics and Rockets with a hurt Tim and absent Manu.

What really killed the Spurs this year was Argentina. If Manu does not play on his already injured ankle during the off-season with the Argentine national team, he probably gets enough rest for it to heal and does not require surgery. If Manu does not miss any time, Tim does not have to carry the load for 50 games this season and is fresh coming into the playoffs, rather than playing on one leg.

This has to be addressed in the much talked about mediations between the Players’ Union and David Stern, right? Players that are being paid millions of dollars should not be allowed to play during the off-season without the consent of their employer. To me, it’s similar to what happened in Golden State this off-season with Monta Ellis. During the offseason, Monta rode a scooter, which was specifically forbidden in his contract, and injured himself. He was suspended by the team without pay for most of the season. Manu should also be suspended for his poor decision making. He knew he was hurt. He knew the Spurs were counting on him this year. He knew how much money they were paying him. And he still chose to play hurt during the off-season, perhaps costing the Spurs a chance to win the championship this year. He should give half his salary to Tim for forcing him to carry the team in his absence. Who knows how this will affect the rest of Tim’s career. Did Manu just shave two productive years off the end of Tim’s career? No one is talking about this, but I promise it’s on Pop’s mind, Tim’s mind, the Spurs’ minds. If a player decides it’s more important to him to play for his nation than it is to make millions of dollars playing a game, then that’s his decision. But he should not have the option to play hurt, costing his employer millions in the process, and fans like you and me a season during an ever-closing championship window.