🎧 Spurs Insider️ 播客: 马刺队与文班重返训练场

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Spurs Insider Podcast, 2024-10-02 04:19:00

由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

专栏作家 Mike Finger、马刺队随队记者 Jeff McDonald 和 Tom Orsborn 共同探讨了德文·瓦塞尔（Devin Vassell）的伤病、谁将暂时顶替他的阵容位置，以及克里斯·保罗（Chris Paul）和维克多·文班亚马（Victor Wembanyama）本赛季的目标。

推荐阅读：

波波维奇和马刺队欢迎哈里森·巴恩斯回归

加盟马刺队后，克里斯·保罗将嘘声变为欢呼声

维克多·文班亚马的下一步？像蒂姆·邓肯一样“无趣”。

瓦塞尔在休赛期手术后发布积极消息

文班亚马第二次参加马刺队训练营，有哪些看点？

报名参加我们的直播活动：

与我们的随队记者一起参加直播问答和赛季前瞻

以下是播客内容：

Mike Finger: 训练营正在进行中。大家熟悉的嘉宾阵容又回来了。我是主持人 Mike Finger，今天我们邀请到了《快报》马刺队随队记者 Jeff McDonald 和 Tom Orsborn，以及体育编辑 Nick Talbot。本周周一清晨，我们齐聚胜利资本表演中心，这里也是首次举行媒体日的全新场馆。Jeff McDonald 从马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇（Gregg Popovich）那里获得了今年的第一手消息，也得到了我们一直期待的答案。Jeff，你告诉了大家一个关于马刺队本赛季阵容的关键决定。你听到了什么？

Jeff McDonald: 当波波维奇宣布这个消息时，你可以听到现场鸦雀无声。我们一直在等待这个期待已久的答案，我们也不确定他会做出怎样的决定，但很显然，维克多·文班亚马（Victor Wembanyama）已经被提名为首发阵容的一员。

Mike Finger: 哇！所以，他没有失去他的工作，这消息像野火一样传遍了整个联盟，就像一周前卡尔-安东尼·唐斯（Karl-Anthony Towns）和朱利叶斯·兰德尔（Julius Randle）的交易一样。除了这个消息，抛开这个最明显的宣布，你从媒体日还有什么收获吗？

Tom Orsborn: 我们是在开玩笑，但就在一年前，杰里米还是首发控球后卫。所以，这都是真的。感觉就像是很久以前的事了，不是吗？

Mike Finger: 媒体日那天有很多东西需要消化。我写了关于克里斯·保罗（Chris Paul）的文章，你写了关于维克多·文班亚马的文章，Tom 写了关于德文·瓦塞尔（Devin Vassell）脚部手术的文章。你提到了索汉先生，你知道，新赛季开始他将打一个更适合他的位置，而不是像去年那样打控球后卫。我不知道我们是否想从这里开始，但当我，我想应该是我，问杰里米，即使控球后卫的尝试失败了（我没有直接使用这个词），但他在去年打控球后卫的过程中学到了什么，这些经验是否可以帮助他更好地打前锋或其他位置。他说，他，他，他学会了如何在黑暗中寻找光明，或者类似的话。这太像，太 emo 了。我期待的是，我学会了如何，你知道，更好地控球，学会阅读比赛等等。他完全陷入了自己的内心世界。

杰里米，杰里米有点戏剧性，我想我们在过去几年里已经见识过了。我当时坐在那里，也想到了同样的事情，比如说，这听起来像是一个，一个在讲述他生命中最悲惨的经历或其他什么事情的人说的话。这听起来像是在宣告 Cutie Songs 的终结。是的。是的，确实如此。但这就像，如果他就是这样看待这件事的，这就是他处理问题的方式，也许对他来说会有用。他在黑暗中找到了光明，黑暗对我们有些人来说意味着某些事情。对他来说，黑暗意味着拿着数百万美元的薪水，在一个他以前从未打过的 NBA 位置上打球。所以，我们拭目以待，看他如何处理这个问题。你刚才简要提到了 Tom Orsborn 本周在《快报》上发布的关于德文·瓦塞尔的最新消息。《快报》随处可见，expressnews.com。这是季前赛的消息。这是我们上次录制播客以来，关于本地球员的新闻。这位首发得分后卫，很明显，他是这支球队中最好的两名球员之一，将在本月晚些时候赛季开始时缺阵。Tom，既然你写了这篇文章，就给我们简单介绍一下，关于德文·瓦塞尔的伤病，人们需要知道些什么，他什么时候做的手术，为什么做的手术，什么时候能回来。

Tom Orsborn: 是的，他回答了很多人都想问的一个问题，因为当你们上次和他说话的时候，我因为新冠肺炎在家隔离，但你们上次和他说话的时候，是在对阵底特律的最后一场比赛之后，他缺席了最后八场比赛。但他在那场比赛后接受了媒体采访，他说，你知道，他认为他的脚会没事的。他的右脚有应力性骨折，他认为事情会自然而然地好起来，它会自己愈合。但问题是，他为什么做手术？手术是在 6 月 26 日进行的。他解释说，它并没有自己愈合。所以他们进行了手术，清理了伤口，你知道，通过手术修复了它。这不是，你知道，这不是什么职业生涯的致命伤病。他将在 11 月 1 日接受重新评估，他很有可能会缺席前五场比赛，然后在那之后的某个时间点复出。而且，他还说他不想操之过急。你知道，如果医疗团队说，嘿，你需要更多的时间休息，他会休息的。你知道，他不想让事情变得比现在更糟。他们，他们称之为应力反应，我猜这不像应力性骨折那么严重。这就像一个即将发生的应力性骨折。只是为了澄清一下。是的，我回去听了，当马刺队宣布这个消息时，我回去听了与活塞队的赛季最后一场比赛后的赛后采访。我问德文，“所以，你将有一个正常的休赛期？是的。正常的休赛期，不会有任何意外。你知道，原话是‘它正在变得越来越好。只需要休息、冰敷和恢复。我们打算让它自己愈合。’而且，我们问了很多这样的问题，结果两个月后他需要做手术，这太不幸了。比如，如果他能早一个月做手术，就不会影响到他的赛季开始。所以，你知道，这只是不幸，运气不好，时机不好。不知道是哪里出了问题，或者，或者，但是，你知道，他将缺席赛季初的比赛，这对他来说确实不是时候。我知道这是一个有争议的词，我承认，这可能会引发媒体的争议，但德文·瓦塞尔是一名容易受伤的球员吗？

Mike Finger: 我可以理解这个问题的两个方面，因为他看起来总是，总是要做手术，比如做一些小手术。但他真的只有一年缺席了很多场比赛。

Jeff McDonald: 是的，只有一年。你，你这个问题问得我措手不及。但我可以马上查一下。因为我记得去年和别人讨论过这个问题，感觉确实是这样。但是，但是，他只有一年只打了 38 场比赛。但在其他时间，你知道，他打了，你知道，新秀赛季打了 62 场。那是因为新冠肺炎缩短的赛季。第二年打了 71 场。然后他在第三年打了 38 场比赛。我猜是去年，他只打了 68 场，因为他因为，他刚刚做手术修复的脚伤缺席了最后八场比赛。所以，我想说，这个问题的答案取决于你怎么看，对吧？你怎么定义容易受伤？你认为一个赛季要缺席多少场比赛才算容易受伤？他至少缺席了 10 场，我知道 10 场，尤其是在如今的 NBA，已经很多了。但他每年至少缺席 10 场、11 场比赛，对吧？是的。有一次缺席了半个赛季。还有一个赛季缺席了半程比赛。是的。我不记得他新秀赛季，不是因为新冠肺炎中断的那个赛季，而是之后那个赛季，他们开赛较晚，赛程也缩短了。我不记得那个赛季有多少场比赛了。所以，我不知道他那年缺席了多少场比赛，但在那种情况下，他作为一名新秀球员打了 62 场比赛。从德文说话的方式和马刺队说话的方式来看，只是，只是感觉他不会在 11 月 1 日复出。他们的说法是，那是他接受重新评估的时间。所以我预计，这不会被大肆报道，我认为这也不是什么新闻，但从他们使用的措辞来看，感觉 11 月 1 日的重新评估意味着那是我们得到下一个时间表的时间。是的，所以他这周就会回来，或者两周后回来，或者诸如此类。我想，我想他有可能，那个新的时间表就是新的评估，重新评估的结果是，嘿，他今天就可以上场了。我，但是，我不会把赌注押在这上面。是的。好吧，我，我，是的。我不会，好吧，我不知道。我不会把赌注押在任何事情上，但是，别赌博，朋友们。这是最糟糕的。我想说的一点是，马刺队从不这样做。他们从不给你一个时间表。他们从不说我们会在这个日期对他进行重新评估，然后我们会给你另一个更新，他们从不这样做。他们这次这样做是因为他们，他们相当确定，他会在那段时间内复出。他们，他们不想什么都不说，让人们以为他要休战三个月。对。他们给，我被告知他们之所以把 11 月 1 日作为，呃，时间点，是为了表明这是一个短期问题，而不是一个长期问题。这是否意味着在 11 月 1 日，他们会说他将在下一场比赛中上场？也许吧，也许不会。但我认为，除非出现什么意外，他会在 11 月 1 日之后不久就回到球场上。知道这个消息真是太好了。与此同时，我们有一个，我们有一个空缺的阵容位置需要讨论，或者说一个空缺的首发位置需要讨论，格雷格·波波维奇和他的教练组可以用各种不同的方式来填补这个空缺。而且，我们要，我们要，在开始讨论之前，我想我们都同意一个前提，那就是在维克多·文班亚马的首发阵容中，你会看到克里斯·保罗，你会看到杰里米·索汉（Jeremy Sochan），你会看到哈里森·巴恩斯（Harrison Barnes）。如果这三个人没有首发，我会很惊讶。我们同意这一点吗？如果我们同意，那么谁，你们最看好谁来填补德文·瓦塞尔的空缺？

Mike Finger: 我的，只是我的猜测，比如，如果我必须下注，嗯哼。别赌博，朋友们。我，我，我认为，我认为会是，朱利安·尚帕尼（Julian Champagnie）。是的。因为他去年基本上都是这样做的。而且，只是，只是波波维奇对这种短期首发人选的惯用伎俩是，你尽量让其他人保持你想让他们在整个赛季中扮演的角色。所以，人们可能会说，好吧，那就让凯尔登（Keldon）先首发，好吧，不，他们希望凯尔登整个赛季都担任第六人。所以，他们不想让他在首发阵容中打五场比赛，然后就不得不回到替补席上。这只是我的，我的想法。你让朱利安·尚帕尼上场。好的，朱利安·尚帕尼。那，那是什么？斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（Stephon Castle）也是一样，不要把他放在一个他不会一直待着的位置上。是的。让他适应你想让他扮演的角色，一个从替补席上站出来的菜鸟。波波维奇处理这类事情的方式几乎总是，你不会，你不会在有人受伤的时候让你的第六人进入首发阵容。你会让你的第十人，是的。在有人受伤的时候进入首发阵容。所以，这就是我要，我要，我要把赌注押在朱利安·尚帕尼身上的原因，因为他，他去年在那里首发了 60 多场比赛。这对马拉奇·布拉汉姆（Malachi Branham）来说是一个机会，当然，你知道，他的表现一直不稳定，但也许，你知道，也许他已经准备好，那将是我的第二个猜测，也许是。乔·维斯坎普（Joe Wieskamp），说到他们两个人，总是把布拉汉姆和布雷克·韦斯利（Blake Wesley）联系在一起，来自同一个选秀梯队，分别是 20 号秀和 25 号秀，我相信。哈里森·巴恩斯主动，他说是主动，对布雷克·韦斯利在，公开训练和防守中所展现出来的东西表示赞赏。你知道，我们知道他的招牌是防守，但很显然，在巴恩斯先生的帮助下，他的防守更上一层楼了。对他们两个人来说，这都是至关重要的一个月。而且，我的意思是，确切地说是一个月，因为，是的。距离马刺队决定是否执行他们下一年的合同选项还有一个月的时间。而且，我认为，我认为这两个决定现在都不是 100% 确定的。我认为马拉奇·布拉汉姆的可能性比布雷克·韦斯利大。我不确定。而且，瓦塞尔的伤病，即使他们两个人都没有进入首发阵容，也为 10 人轮换阵容腾出了一个位置，如果你愿意这样说的话。就像你不能，任何一支 NBA 球队都不会经常让超过 10 名球员上场。而且，在德文·瓦塞尔受伤之前，马拉奇·布拉汉姆和布雷克·韦斯利是否都能进入前 10 名还悬而未决。现在，我，我预计他们中的一个人，如果不是两个人的话，会在赛季初得到一些上场时间，肯定会得到一些季前赛的上场时间，很多季前赛的上场时间。而且，我怀疑马刺队已经知道他们对布雷克·韦斯利和马拉奇·布拉汉姆的合同决定倾向于哪种方式了，但是如果因为某些原因，他们还在犹豫不决，如果因为某些原因，他们倾向于不执行，或者，或者，呃，在确定这两个人的选项方面这意味着什么，是的。对这些人来说，比如季前赛，可能会让他们下定决心。所以，是的，布雷克·韦斯利，马拉奇·布拉汉姆，他们是未来的拼图吗？我们还不知道，但他们，他们可能会在这里度过一个重要的一个月。是的。只是为了向观众、听众和读者们澄清一下，只是，只是这是如何运作的。马拉奇·布拉汉姆和布雷克·韦斯利都已经与球队签约，将在即将到来的赛季中效力。到 10 月底，马刺队必须决定是否执行他们下一赛季的合同选项，你知道，2025 年开始的那个赛季。而且，基本上你是在决定是否要让他们在下个赛季结束后继续留在球队。而且，最终，会有一个，是四年期的球队选项，对吧？是的。是的。是的。而且最终，对他们每个人来说都不是很多钱，我不这么认为，但是，你会遇到即将到来的阵容危机。如果你有所有这些选秀权要加入。我的意思是，马刺队明年夏天能有多少个选秀权？首轮是三个，还是类似的？好吧，我认为有可能有四个，但除非，这是不可能的。但是，你有多个选秀权，而且你已经有点，就像我们刚才讨论的，今年的阵容，你已经有点捉襟见肘了。我们不知道如果，你知道，在球队完全健康的情况下，在瓦塞尔复出后，布雷克和马拉奇将如何获得上场时间。所以，你要考虑的一件事是，这个赛季结束后，阵容中还有他们两个的位置吗？而且，他们将不得不，你知道，去争取。而且，也许，也许部分原因是马刺队无法留下他们，但他们整个赛季都在为其他球队试训，以便在明年夏天有人来，来追求他们。而且，那保证了，你知道，那 400 万美元，它，它不是很多钱，但它可能会影响到，明年的薪金空间。因为，因为，你知道，你的薪金空间可能是 2500 万到 3000 万美元，而你把布雷克·韦斯利的 400 万美元从中剔除，那就多了一些空间，而且，可以签下一名真正的球星。而且，每年夏天你基本上都要努力争取每一分钱的薪金空间。对。而且，如果你有一个你甚至不想留下的 400 万美元的球员，那就更难了。对。对。所以，总结一下，问题是，你是否要保证下赛季支付他们这些钱？而且，这将是未来几周值得关注的事情。有什么，谁，谁是我们昨天在媒体日没有提到的？我想我们刚才顺便提到了他，但是，凯尔登·约翰逊（Keldon Johnson），身材更苗条了，号码也换了，还是熟悉的替补角色。凯尔登·约翰逊的情况简而言之是什么？我想我们可以从这样一个事实说起，他之所以会出现在那里，是因为整个夏天都有关于他的交易传闻，但他还是带着他那典型的凯尔登·约翰逊的态度回来了。昨天，他还试图向 Jeff McDonald 提供饮食方面的建议。我不知道，这个建议对你是否有用，还是，当我问他他是如何减肥的时候，我希望他说的是 Ozempic。因为那正是我所希望的，比如，我问他，是因为我想做和他一样的事。他说的是节食和锻炼，拜托，伙计。是的。配合我一下。对俄亥俄州人来说，这是糟糕的一天。那么，他最喜欢去哪里吃烧烤呢？凯尔登·约翰逊最近怎么样？我不知道。他只是一个很有趣的球员。而且我不知道该怎么说他。只是维持现状，对吧？他，他，他今年有进步吗？他会成为一个不同的球员吗，还是说他已经在联盟中打了六年了？我认为我们从他身上看到的就是你会得到的东西，而且在某种程度上，我认为他在球迷群体中是两极分化的。我不确定这是否准确，但我就是这么觉得的。他看起来像是一个可以从替补席上提供帮助的球员，他就在那里。偶尔，他会爆发，拿下 20 分。替补席上能有这样的球员真是太好了，你知道。我不认为他是，不可或缺的。这就是为什么他在，交易，在夏季的交易流言中，他的名字会被提及。在本赛季到 2 月份的交易截止日期之前，你可能会听到更多这样的消息，但只要他还在这里，他就是一个可以帮助你的人，我认为。不，不，你知道，他在防守端帮不了你。三分球时有时无，但他可以，他可以时不时地得分。我想这就是我的，我，我认为这可能是他连续第三年在媒体日上谈到要提高防守，而这，对我来说，这是教练组最看重的负面因素，就是，你知道，他在那方面的不足，那方面的缺点。当，当 Jeff 提到“两极分化”这个词时，我认为这里的情况是，他，他是在，他是在首轮末段被选中的，在那里你通常找不到，你知道，如果你只看被选中的球员的平均影响力，他是第 29 顺位吗？20，他是 20 多顺位。第 29 顺位，是的。他是第 29 顺位。像这样的球员，他们并不总是能进入球队名单。除了第一份，第一份合同，他们并不总是能在轮换阵容中站稳脚跟。他们不会成为常规轮换球员。而且，有一段时间，你知道，他的第二年，第三年，那时候人们觉得，这，这可能会成为球队的基石。他在早期取得了如此巨大的成功。而且，我认为他在某种程度上被过度吹捧了。但是，如果你看看，如果你回到他被选中为第 29 顺位的那一年，然后说，在选秀之夜，那天晚上，也就是他们在前半轮选择了卢卡·萨马尼奇（Luka Samanic）的那次选秀中。这就是凯尔登·约翰逊的数据。这就是他将在未来 6 年里做的事情。马刺队和他们的所有球迷都会毫不犹豫地接受这一点。比如，那，那是一次巨大的胜利，选秀的胜利，拥有了这个家伙。他，他只是变得有点像，人们对他的看法是，哦，他的表现不佳。你，你看到了这些，是的，对。你们在，近年来提到的他比赛中的所有漏洞。所以，而且，而且这种情况也发生在其他球员身上。你早早地得到了一些机会，你早早地得到了一些炒作，然后你没有成为全明星球员，比如，这其中会有一些失望，这是很正常的。但是，他，他只是一个奇怪，他是一个奇怪的球员。这是一个奇怪的故事。只是，因为所有这些因素。他已经成为了一名绝对可靠的 NBA 轮换球员。是的。而且，能在第 29 顺位选中这样的球员是很好的。我，我想你说得很对。有一段时间，人们把他视为球队的基石，你知道，甚至在德章泰·默里（Dejounte Murray）入选全明星阵容之前。我记得人们说过，凯尔登·约翰逊可能会成为马刺队的下一个全明星球员。而当你透过这样的眼光去看待一个球员时，突然间，他们所有的，所有的，所有的缺点都比你看到，嘿，这是一个第 29 顺位新秀，他已经成为一名非常可靠的，轮换球员时更加刺眼。这就是马刺队现在使用他的方式。他甚至都没有首发。他从替补席上站出来。他是一个替补席上的能量球员。他，他很合适，我认为去年他在适应这个角色的过程中经历了一些成长的烦恼，但这就是他应该在的地方。而当你从这个角度去看待他的时候，我的意思是，他，他，他们，他们在第 29 顺位选中他，做得很好。而且我告诉你，如果他们在第 19 顺位选中他而不是卢卡，我还是会说他们做得很好。是的。还有什么，你提到了我们看待问题的角度。我记得我读过，今年夏天早些时候，当劳里·马卡宁（Lauri Markkanen）的传闻甚嚣尘上的时候，你知道，犹他是在与他续约之前交易他，你知道，当时有一些关于，可能对马卡宁感兴趣的球队的交易方案。而且，在网上看到了一个故事，犹他的某个人问，“马刺队愿意把凯尔登·约翰逊加入这笔交易吗？”因为看看他在过去五年里表现得多好，看看他稳定的数据等等。看到那篇文章，我几乎感到不和谐，因为我们一直身处圣安东尼奥，这里的人们都在谈论凯尔登近年来表现如何令人失望，但当你从外部的角度来看待他时，你会觉得，嘿，这，这是一个很有实力的 NBA 球员，他可能是，犹他爵士队想要得到的球员。就像，就像，它，它，有时你需要退后一步，从外部的角度来看待问题，比如联盟中有一些球队认为凯尔登·约翰逊是一个很有实力的球员，一个，一个他们想要的球员。而且，我认为这可能会在明年或之后的谈判中起到作用。还有你提到的这个回音室，那只是推特，或者他们现在管那个网站叫什么。我，我，我认为这不仅仅是，不仅仅是那样。比如，你认为如果你坐在，坐在弗罗斯特银行中心的看台上，每个人都在抱怨凯尔登·约翰逊打得有多糟糕？好吧，我们之前讨论过这个问题。我认为那是两个极端，比如，只是普通的，普通的球迷，他会带着他的办公室，比如他的办公室，他那天晚上得到了他的办公室座位。谁只是来看一场马刺队的比赛，那些在酒吧里看马刺队的绝对休闲的，你知道，伙计，然后，还有推特上的那些狂热分子，他们是两个极端。我认为有很多，很多球迷介于两者之间。所以，我不知道有，好吧，你不认识人。确实如此。不管怎样，关于凯尔登·约翰逊的话题，我们在这个播客里已经说了 15 分钟了。我们还没有谈到球队中两位最有名的球员。好吧，你想先说谁？凯尔登，桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利（Sandro Mamukelashvili）？是的。你写了关于克里斯·保罗的文章。克里斯·保罗的故事是什么？

Mike Finger: 我只是很好奇这一切会如何发展，或者说会是什么样子。比如我，你知道，作为一个喜欢看篮球的人，我认为看到一个，一个知道自己在做什么的人，来带领维克多·文班亚马，你知道，他会从中受益，这将会很有趣。我认为这可能会像，呃，空接之城 2.0，或者随便什么，续集。我只是对此很感兴趣。我，你知道，我，我，我不，他不会，克里斯·保罗不会打 82 场比赛。我认为我可以，再说一次，我现在愿意为此下赌注。他很糟糕，朋友们。他没有，你，你，你在毁掉我们拉赞助的机会，你知道，因为，确实如此。唯一会赞助我们的只有，FanDuel 之类的公司。但是，不管怎样。就像我查到的那样，克里斯已经很久没有打过很多场比赛了。比如，你刚才说德文·瓦塞尔。克里斯·保罗在 2014-15 赛季打了 82 场比赛。而且，从那以后，他每个赛季基本上都至少缺席了 10 场比赛。而且他已经快 40 岁了。是的，没错。所以，我的意思是，他不会，他不会打满 82 场比赛的，所以，在他身后会有很多人来填补空缺，你知道，我们还没有看到特雷·琼斯（Tre Jones）作为首发的最后一场比赛，特雷会有很多首发的机会。但是，这对我来说只是一种，只是一种奇妙的体验，看到这个家伙在，就像你说的，快 40 岁了，名人堂成员，他那一代的控球大师，他将在，这可能是他职业生涯的最后一个赛季。我们不知道，但这可能是他职业生涯的最后一个赛季了，基本上，你知道，教这支年轻的球队如何打球。但是，同时他自己也要打球，就像他说的那样。这对他来说很重要，如果他要为了一个赛季而离开他的家人，他想上场比赛，而不是坐在场边观战。所以，这很重要。他，他，这，这，这很，他重复了他在 7 月初来到圣安东尼奥时说过的话，当时杰夫，杰夫在萨克拉门托参加夏季联赛。而且，克里斯来参加了他的新闻发布会，然后他又重复了所有说过的话，他在本周的媒体日上也说了同样的话。而且，那不，它，它，它几乎就像，他太坦诚了。这，这太令人震惊了。而且，人们问他，你知道，为什么他会选择马刺队，顺便说一句，他们问了很多次。而且，而且，重点是，比如，他，他的意思是，我可以在那里打球。除此之外，别无其他。他尊重格雷格·波波维奇吗？当然。他对这支球队多年来所代表的一切感到钦佩吗？当然。但是，他想打控球后卫。他想打篮球，而这里是唯一能让他做到这一点的地方。其中之一，而且，就这么简单。是的。而且，而且，就他，教导和指导而言，他会做一些，但这也不是他来这里的原因。他来这里是打球的，就像格雷格·波波维奇说的那样，仅仅是出现在更衣室里，出现在球场上，出现在最后两分钟的暂停 huddle 中，这就是这支球队的关键所在。有了哈里森·巴恩斯，克里斯·保罗，你知道，杰里米·索汉，维克多·文班亚马，甚至德文·瓦塞尔，他们都增加了经验，比如，这都取决于势均力敌的比赛的最后两分钟。我们去年看了多少场比赛，马刺队本来有机会赢球，但在最后关头，在关键时刻却不知道该怎么办？这就是可以改变的地方。是的。如果，当克里斯·保罗在那里，表现得就像他以前经历过很多次这样的情况一样，通过耳濡目染，这种感觉会渗透到其他球员身上，渗透到其他首发球员身上吗，比如，这将是值得关注的有趣之处。是，是，马刺队能否赢得他们在最近几年没有赢得的那些比赛？马刺队上赛季输掉了 28 场关键时刻的比赛，与联盟并列第一。其中有多少场，比如，如果你只是猜测一个百分比，有多少场，如果克里斯·保罗在那些关键时刻在场上，他们会赢下多少场？比如，我，我的意思是，即使是三分之一，如果他们能赢下四分之一，那几乎就是一个 30 胜的赛季了。是的。是的，他，他用一个很好的比喻来描述他能带来什么。你知道，他说他，他希望在这种情况下带来一种冷静的感觉。你得不到冷静。而且，这是一个很好的方式来说明马刺队在过去几年中缺少的东西，是的。哦，是的。如果，是的。如果我没记错的话，Tom，你可能报道过那场比赛，但我感觉，马刺队输掉的那些关键时刻的比赛中，有一场是对阵勇士队的。而克里斯·保罗是马刺队输球的原因，因为，哦，是的。他在第四节对他们打得很好。是的。是的。我对此记忆犹新。那场比赛是在主场。我记得很清楚。那只是克里斯·保罗在做克里斯·保罗该做的事情。那就是，你知道，如果你把他放在另一支球队，那，那一场比赛的结果绝对会改变。所以，也许他只打了 60 场比赛，只是因为健康原因。我的意思是，但是，但是那，那 60 场比赛，他肯定能带来改变。我们，我们将以，以这位球星，这位我们整个夏天都在谈论的球员，而且，我们每周都会谈论他，妈妈。还有，维克多·文班亚马，他在媒体日上的发言给我留下了深刻的印象。杰夫问维克多，我想是杰夫问的，关于，他的哪一方面需要提高，他今年夏天都做了哪些努力？而且，这个，这个，这个家伙简直就是 NBA 的流量密码。当他，他，他每晚都会做三件让老将球员，你知道，勒布朗·詹姆斯（LeBron James），凯文·杜兰特（Kevin Durant），斯蒂芬·库里（Steph Curry）这样的球员都摇头，心想，他到底是怎么做到的？你知道，无论是将球传到篮板上，然后完成扣篮，还是一个身高 7 英尺 3 英寸的球员在侧翼投出的“上帝也无法阻挡”的三分球，你知道，单手胯下运球，背后传球，胯下运球，还有那些夸张的长臂扣篮。他说，他所做的，是充分利用简单的情况。而且，我认为这太有马刺队的风格了。而且，这真的是他比赛中缺失的一部分，他比赛中缺失的一部分。而且，说他的比赛中缺少了什么，这听起来很荒谬，因为他无所不能。他打出了历史上最具统治力的新秀赛季之一。但是，他没有那种杀手锏，那种心态，杰夫报道了蒂姆·邓肯十多年的比赛，当比赛进入关键时刻，当他们需要得分的时候，你可以把球交给“无聊的”蒂姆·邓肯，他会用他一遍又一遍使用的“无聊的”招式，为你得分。维克多没有这样的招式。只是一个“无聊的”杀手锏，我比防守我的人高，我要在他头上得分。我认为，对于马刺队的球迷来说，知道他正在努力做到这一点，真的很令人鼓舞。我有一个，我有一个，一个工作人员告诉我，去年，在赛季中期，一个在马刺队工作了很长时间的工作人员，他说，“当，当维克多·文班亚马明白蒂姆·邓肯所明白的东西，关于如何，如何拥有一个能让他一次又一次地站上罚球线的杀手锏，一个人们无法阻挡的招式，我们的比赛就会变得非常，非常无聊。”而且，这是真的，比如，我喜欢他那些急停三分球。我喜欢他那些传到篮板上的传球。我喜欢他做的所有事情。看他打球很有趣。报道他也很有趣。但是，如果他只是拥有蒂姆·邓肯那种“无聊的”转身跳投，能让他一次又一次地站上罚球线，你知道，只是在，在，在篮下完成进攻。比如，他将势不可挡。所以，那

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点击查看原文：Spurs, Wemby back in training

Spurs, Wemby back in training

Columnist Mike Finger and Spurs beat reporters Jeff McDonald and Tom Orsborn discuss Devin Vassell’s injury, who might replace him in the lineup for now and Chris Paul’s and Victor Wembanyama’s goals for this season.

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Vassell issues positive update after offseason surgery

What to watch for in Wembanyama’s second Spurs camp

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Here is the transcript of the podcast:

Mike Finger: Training camp is underway. Your usual panel is back. I’m your host, Mike Finger, joined by Express-News Spurs beat writers Jeff McDonald and Tom Orsborn, along with Sports editor, Nick Talbot. We all convened this week early Monday morning at the Victory Capital Performance Center. Sparkling new facility. First ever media day at that new facility. Jeff McDonald got the first scoop of the year when he found out from Spurs head coach Greg Popovich. He got the answer we’ve all been waiting for, Jeff. You let everybody know a key decision has been made in terms of the lineup the Spurs will use this year. What did you get there, Jeff?

Jeff McDonald: You could hear a pin drop in that place as Pop made the announcement. The long-awaited, uh, we weren’t sure uh, which way he was going here, but apparently, uh, Victor Wembanyama has been named to the starting lineup.

Mike Finger: Wow! So, yeah. He did not lose his job, less Through out the league ripples of that went out through out the league yesterday, just from corner to corner of the NBA map. Much like the Karl-Anthony Towns Julius Randle trade the week before. Um, aside from that, like what was your big takeaway from media day, aside from the most obvious announcement of all time?

Tom Orsborn: We jest, but we’re just a year away from Jeremy being the starting point guard. So, That is true. That seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?

Mike Finger: There was a lot to digest from that media day. I wrote about Chris Paul, you wrote about Victor Wembanyama. Tom wrote about uh Devin Vassell’s foot surgery. Um, you mentioned Mr. Sochan, uh, you know, getting to start the season playing like a position that makes sense instead of point guard, um, like he did last year. I just I don’t I don’t know if this is where we want to start, but I just thought it was kind of funny when I I think it was me that asked Jeremy about, uh, you know, if he learned anything playing point guard last year, even though it was a failed experiment, I didn’t use that term directly, but you know, even though it didn’t work out. Did he learn anything, you know, that he might be able to carry forward playing, you know, at at forward, or what forward or a different position? And he says like, uh, I I I learned how I learned how to look for the light in the darkness, or something like that. Like it’s It’s so like uh, emo. Like I was expecting like, uh, Yeah, I learned how to like, uh, you know, handle the ball a little better, learn to make some reads, this or that. He went completely to his his psyche.

Jeremy, uh Jeremy’s a bit dramatic, I think we’ve we’ve uh, learned that the first couple years he’s been around. I I was sitting there thinking the same thing, uh, just about like, uh it sounds like some it sounded like the words of uh, a a person talking about like the greatest tragedy in his life or whatever. It seemed like a lot. It sounded like a death knell for Cutie Songs. Yes. Yes, it did. Uh, but, it’s like if that that that’s the that’s the way he saw it. That’s the way he processed it, and maybe it’ll work out for him. He found the light in the darkness, uh, the darkness being uh, for some of us, darkness means certain things. For him, darkness meant getting paid millions of dollars to play a position in the NBA that he hasn’t played before. So, uh, we’ll see how he handles that. You mentioned quickly there, uh, Tom Orsborn giving a Devin Vassell update for the newspaper this week. The Express-News available everywhere, expressnews.com. Um, that is that had that was the preseason news. That was the news, um, about the local cagers since we last podcasted. That the starting shooting guard, um, pretty clearly, one of the two best players on this team, is going to be sitting out when the season begins, later this month. Tom, since you wrote about it, just give us the quick rundown, uh, about what people need to know about Devin Vassell’s injury, when he had his surgery, why he had his surgery, when he’s going to be back.

Tom Orsborn: Yeah. He, um, he answered a question that a lot of us had because when we when you guys last spoke to him, I was I was down with COVID, but when you guys last talked to him, uh, after the finale against, uh, Detroit, and he was He missed the last eight games. But he met with the media after that game, and he said that, you know, he thought the the foot would be fine. He had a stress fracture in his right foot, thought things would work out organically, that it would heal on its own. Um, but so the question was why did he have surgery? And it occurred on June 26th. And he explained it just wasn’t healing on its own. So they went in, cleaned it up, you know, repaired it surgically. It’s not uh, you know, career-threatening injury by any any means. Um, he’ll be re-evaluated on November 1st, in all likelihood he’ll miss the first five games and then come back at some point after that. And, He also said he doesn’t want to push it. You know, if the the medical staff says, hey, you need need some more time off, he’ll take it. You know, he doesn’t want to, you know, make it even worse than it it is. Doesn’t want to have another setback. They’re And they’re calling it a stress reaction, which I guess is not so bad as a stress fracture. It’s like a stress fracture waiting to happen. So just to clarify that. Yeah. I went back and listened to, um, you know, when the Spurs announced that, I went back and listened to the the postgame interview from the season finale against the Pistons. And, I asked Devin like, "So, you’re going to have a normal off-season? Yep. Normal off-season, not expecting anything. You know, The quote was it’s just getting bet It’s just been getting better and better. Uh, just needs rest ice and recovery. Um, we’re just going to let it heal on its own. And, we asked those questions a lot, and to to find out 2 months later he needed surgery is is un unfortunate. Like, if if he could have had that surgery even a month earlier, it’s not threatening the start of his season. So, it’s, you know, it’s just unfortunate, bad luck, bad timing. Not not sure what the disconnect was there or or or what, but you know, it does it is bad timing that he’s going to miss games to start the season. This is a loaded term. I realize that up front, I acknowledge um um um um, creating a media controversy here perhaps, but is Devin Vassell an injury-prone player?

Mike Finger: I can see both sides of that question, because it does seem like he’s alrea always getting surgery, like little minor surgeries for this, that, and the other. But he’s really only had one year where he’s just missed a ton of games.

Jeff McDonald: Yeah. Just one. I I You caught me off guard. But I can pull it up right here. Um, because I remember having this discussion with people last year, and it feels that way. But But, he just had that one one gam one year where he only played in 38 games. But the rest of the time, you know, he’s played you know, 62 as a rookie. That was the COVID short year. 71 his second year. Um, then he had the 38 games his third year. I guess last year he was limited to 68 because he missed the final eight with that, um, the foot injury that he’s just now getting cleaned up. So, I guess to answer your question, it’s kind of in the eye of the beholder, right? What do you consider injury prone? How many how many missed games per year are you sort of you know, can you have at least He’s missed at least 10, and I realize 10 especially in the modern NBA, is That’s a whole lot. But he’s missed at least 10 11 a year, right? Yeah. Yeah. Half a season one time. And a half a season. Yeah. I forget the rookie, the that COVID-shortened year, not the year that was interrupted by COVID, but the following year, they started late and played a shortened schedule. I forget how many games were on that schedule. Right. So, I don’t know how many he missed that year, but he played 62 as a rookie in that situation. Reading between the lines of uh the way the the Devin is talking about this, the way the Spurs are taking about this, um just just seems like he’s not going to be back on November 1st. The way they’re saying is that’s when he’ll be re-evaluated. Um, so I I anticipate this this isn’t to be aggregated. I don’t think this is breaking news in any way, but just the the verbiage they’re using, um, it seems like the re-evaluation on November 1st means that when that’s when we get the next timetable. Yeah, so he’ll be back this week or he’ll be back in 2 weeks or what have you. Like I guess I guess it’s possible that he could That new timetable would be that new revaluation. re-evaluation would be, hey, he’s ready today. I have But, I wouldn’t bet on that. Yeah. Well, I have a I I Yeah. I wouldn’t Well, I don’t know. I wouldn’t bet on anything, but um, Don’t bet, people. That’s the worst. One thing I’ll point out out is the Spurs never do that. They never give you a timetable. They never say we’re going to re-evaluate him on this date and then we’re going to give you another up They never do that. The reason they did it this time is because they they’re fairly certain that it’s it’s going to be in that neck of the woods where he’ll he’ll he’ll be back. They they They didn’t want to not give anything, and people think he’s out 3 months. Right. They gave I I’ve been told the reason they put the November 1 time uh uh date on there is to sort of signal this is more a short-term thing than a long-term thing. Does that mean on November 1st, they’re going to say he’s playing in the next game? Maybe, maybe not. But I think unless there’s some sort of setback, um it’ll be not long after November 1st that he’s on the floor. That’s good to know. In the meantime, we have a, uh we have an open roster spot to discuss, or an open starting spot to discuss, and there’s all kinds of different, uh, ways that Greg Popovich and his staff could go about filling that spot. And, we’ll we’ll uh preface this conversation by I think we can all agree on the premise that alongside Victor Wembanyama in the starting lineup, you will see Chris Paul, you will see Jeremy Sochan, and you will see Harrison Barnes. Like I would be surprised if those three guys aren’t starting. Uh, can we agree on that? And And, if we can, then whose who are your favorites to fill in the Devin Vassell spot?

Mike Finger: Um, my like just This is just my guess, like this is my like if if I had to bet, Uh-huh. Um, Don’t bet, people. I would I I think I I think it would be, uh, Julian Champagnie. Yep. Because that’s He kind of did that all last year. And also, uh, just just Pop’s M.O. for these short sort of short-term starter things is, um, you try to keep everybody else in the role that you want them to fill for the whole season. So, people might say, well, just now Keldon can start to begin the season, well, no, they want Keldon to be the sixth man for the entire season. So, they don’t want him to start the season playing five games in the starting lineup and then have to move to the bench. This is just my my theory. But you take Julian Champagnie. Okay, Julian Champagnie. What’s What’s that? Same thing with Castle. Don’t throw him in there to a spot that he’s not going to be sticking with. Yeah. Um, get him comfortable with the role that you want him to play as a rookie coming off the bench. The way the way Pop is almost always approached these kind of things is, you don’t you don’t elevate your sixth man to the starting lineup when someone’s injured. You elevate like your 10th man Yep. to the starting lineup when someone’s injured. And so, that’s why I’m going to I’m going to I’m going to place my bet on Julian Champagnie, uh, for that reason and the fact that he he started 60-some odd games there last year. It’s an opportunity for Malachi Branham, uh, of course, um, you know, he’s been in inconsistent uh, in his play, but maybe, you know, maybe he’s ready to That would be my second guess, maybe. Joe Weisp and uh, speaking of those two, uh, always linked, uh, Branham and Blake Wesley together, out of the same draft class, number 20 and number 25, I believe. Harrison Barnes just unsolicited, gave a as he put it a shout-out to Blake Wesley for what he’s been showing in uh open gym and the defense. You know, we knew he was That’s his calling card is defense, but apparently, he’s stepped that up even more, courtesy of Mr. Barnes. It’s a big month for both of those guys. And And, I mean specifically a month because Yeah. um we’re about a month away from the from the decision date on whether the Spurs guarantee their contracts next year. And, I don’t think I don’t think either one of those decisions is a 100% right now. I think Malachi Branham is more likely that Blake Wesley. When I’m not sure about. And, the the Vassell injury, even if neither one of those guys step into the starting lineup, that opens a spot in the the 10-men rotation, if you will. Like you can’t no NBA team plays more than 10 guys regularly. And, before Devin Vassell went out, it was up in the air as to whether there’s room in that top 10 for either Malachi Branham or Blake Wesley. Now, I I would expect one of them if not both of them to get some early season run, uh, for sure to get some preseason, a lot of preseason run. And uh, I I suspect that the Spurs already know which way they’re leaning, uh, on on those contract decisions, with both Blake Wesley and Malachi Branham, but if for some reason, they are on the fence, if for some reason, they’re leaning against keeping or or uh, uh, What What does it mean in terms of nailing down the option, uh, Yeah. uh, on on those guys like a p preseason could um, put them over the top. So, Yeah, Blake Wesley Malachi Branham, are they part of the future? We don’t know yet, but they they could have a big month here. Yeah. Just to clarify for the viewers and listeners and readers at home, just just how this works. Uh, Malachi Branham and Blake Wesley are both under contract already for the season that’s about to start. By the end of October, the Spurs have to decide if they want to pick up their options for next season, um, you know, the season that starts in in 2025. And uh, basically you’re deciding if you want to keep them around past the season that’s coming up. And, Eventually, there’s going to be a For the 4-year option, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And eventually there’s It’s not a lot of money for each of those guys, I don’t think, but, um you’re getting to a spot where there’s going to be an upcoming roster crunch. If you have all these draft picks that you’re adding. I mean, how many draft picks can the Spurs have next summer? Is it three in the first round, something like that? Well, I think it’s possible maybe four, but short of It’s not going to happen. But just You have multiple draft picks there, and you’re already kind of, as we can see discussing, this year’s roster, you’re a little there’s already a little bit of a crunch. We don’t know how those guys, Blake or Malachi, are going to get minutes if, you know, with the team’s fully healthy, when Vassell’s back. So, that’s kind of one thing you’re looking at is, is there even room on the roster for those guys after this season? And, they’re going to have to you know, earn it. And, maybe maybe part of it is the Spurs can’t keep them, but they’re auditioning for other teams throughout the season, and to to have someone come out, come after them next summer. And, that guaranteed that, you know, the the $4 million dollars it it It did It’s not a lot of money, but it could play into uh um, cap space next summer. Because because uh, you know, you’re you’re looking at maybe 25 30 million in cap space, and and you you knock Blake Wesley’s $4 million off of that, and that opens up a little bit more, and uh, to to sign like a legitimate star player there. And, Every summer you’re ba basically you’re trying to like carve as every nickel of cap space that you can. Right. And, if you have a $4 million dollar player on there that you don’t even want to keep, it makes it harder. Right. Right. So, just to to summarize here, it it’s it’s a matter of, are you guaranteeing that money to those guys next season? And, um that will be something to watch in the weeks to come. Uh, something What who who else have we not mentioned from media day yesterday? I guess we did mention him in passing, but uh, Keldon Johnson, with his slimmer body, new number, um, familiar role coming off the bench. What’s what’s kind of the cliff notes version of the Keldon Johnson situation? I guess we can start with the fact that he was there because he was the rumored trade piece all summer, but he’s back with his his typical Keldon Johnson attitude. He tried to counsel Jeff McDonald yesterday on diet. I’m not sure Did Did that message hit home for you, or I When I asked him how how he how he lost all the weight, I was hoping he’d say Ozempic. 'cause that’s so That’s what I was hoping, that like, I asked him 'cause I wanted to do what he did. He said diet and exercise, which come on, man. Yeah. Work with me a little. It was a bad day for Buckeyes. Then, what is his go-to place for barbecue? Um, What What What is the state of Keldon Johnson these days? I don’t know. He’s just a fascinating player. And I don’t Yeah. And I don’t know what to say about him. It’s just kind of status quo, right? It’s He He Is he adding anything this year? Is he going to be a different player, or is he at at in year six? I think what we’ve seen from him is what you get, and I’d In some ways, I think he’s polarizing among the fan base. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but that’s the sense I get. Uh, he seems like a guy that can help you off the bench, and that’s where he is. Um, every so often, he’s going to pop off for 20 points. It’s nice to have those guys, uh, you know, around on the bench. I don’t think he’s like, uh indispensable. That’s why he was his name came up on in uh trade trade rumors in the trade rumor mill over the summer. Probably hear more of that going through this season to the trade deadline in February, but while he’s here, he’s he’s a guy that can help you, I think. Not not, you know, he’s not going to He’s not going to help you on defense. Um, three-point shot comes and goes, but he can he can get buckets every now and then. I guess that’s my I I think it was probably the third media day in a row in which he’s talked about improving defensively, and that’s that’s the to me, that’s the biggest negative that the coaching staff looks at is just, you know, his liability in that area, shortcomings in that area. When When Jeff mentioned the word polarizing, I think the part of the dynamic here is, is He was He was taken at the end of the first round, where you typically don’t find, um, you know, if if you just look at the historical average of the impact of a guy taken Was he another 29th pick? 20 He was in the mid 20s. 29th, yeah. He was 29. Um, like those guys don’t make rosters all the time. Um, beyond the first you know, the first contract, they don’t stick in rotations all the time. They don’t become regulars. And, there was a period there, you know, his second, third year, when it was like, this this could be a foundational piece. He had been such a success story early on. And, I think he almost got overhyped in a way. But, if you look at if you go back to the year when he was taken 29th overall, and said, on draft night, that night, the same draft when they took Luka Samanic in a half a dra half a round earlier. That These are Keldon Johnson’s stats. This is what he’s going to do over the next 6 years. Like the Spurs and all their fans would have taken that in a heartbeat. Like that’s that’s a huge win, draft win, to have this guy. He he’s just become sort of like the perception of him has been, oh, he’s underperforming. Be you see all these Yeah, right. holes in his game that that you guys have mentioned, um, in recent years. So, and and that that happens with other guys too. You get some early run, you get some early hype, and then you don’t become an all-star, like there’s going to be some disappointment there, and that’s fair. But, um, He’s It’s just a weird It’s a weird player. It’s a weird story. Just, because of all of those factors. He’s become an ab absolutely a solid NBA rotation player. Yes. And, to get that at 29 is is good. I I think what you what you said is spot on. There was a period in there where people were looking at him as a foundational piece, you know, be before even before Dejounte Murray made the all-star team. I remember people saying, Keldon Johnson could be the next Spurs all-star. And when you’re looking at a guy through those glasses, all of a sudden all their all their all their flaws do become a lot more glaring than when you’re looking at, hey, this was the 29th pick who has become a really solid, um, rotational player. That’s how the Spurs are using him now. He’s not even starting. He’s coming off the bench. He’s a bench kind of energy guy. He He fits I think there were some growing pains into that role last year, but that’s where he belongs. And when you look at it through that lens, I mean, he’s he’s They They did well at that 29th pick. And I’d tell you what, if they had taken him at 19 instead of Luka, I would’ve still said they did well. Yeah. Um, what what was also You talk about the lens we look through. I remember reading, um, earlier this summer, when the the Laurie Markkanen rumors were out there, and you know, is is Utah going to trade him before they signed him to the extension, um, and you know, when there were some proposals out there, the various teams that might have had interest in in Markkanen. And, there was some story, um, online somewhere where uh, someone in Utah was asking, “Would the Spurs be willing to include Keldon Johnson in this deal?” Because look at look at how well he’s done for 5 years, and look at his solid stats and all this kind of stuff. And, it was almost jarring to read that, um, because we’re in this echo chamber of how disappointing Keldon has been in recent years in San Antonio, that still, when you look at him from outside, it’s like, hey, that’s this This has been a productive NBA player that could be, uh, something that the Utah Jazz would want. Like like It It It sometimes you need to step back and and look at it from the outside, like there are teams around the league that consider Keldon Johnson a productive guy, a a desirable guy. And And, that might play into more talks in the next year or so, I would think. Also this echo chamber you mentioned is that’s just Twitter, or whatever they call that website now. Uh, I I think it’s bey I think it’s more than that. Like Like, do you think if you were sitting in the at the in the stands at the Frost Bank Center, everyone’s grumbling about how how bad Keldon Johnson is playing? Well, we’ve talked about this before. I think there’s those are the extremes, like just the average the average fan who’s coming there with his office like his office He got his office seats that night. Um, who’s just going to come check out a Spurs game, the the absolute casual uh, you know, guy watching the Spurs in the bar or whatever. And then, the obsessives on Twitter, those are the two extremes. I think there’s a lot of of uh, a lot of fans are in between those. So, uh, I don’t know any Well, you don’t know people. That’s true. Um, Anyway, uh, that’s probably about Keldon Johnson talk for this podcast. We’ve been 15 minutes here, and and we haven’t talked about the two most famous players on the roster. Well, who who do you want to start with? Keldon, Sandro Mamukelashvili? Yeah. Um, you wrote Chris Paul. What What’s what’s the what’s the Chris Paul story?

Mike Finger: Um, I I’m I’m just kind of fascinated by how this is going to play out, or look. Like I’m you know, as a person who enjoys watching basketball, I think it’s going to be exciting to see, um um someone who knows what they’re doing, run the show with Victor Wembanyama, you know, benefiting from that. I think I I think it could be like a uh uh lob city times two, or whatever, take two. Um, I’m just interested in it. I, you know, I I I don’t He’s not going to play Chris Paul is not going to play 82 games. I think I can Again, I would be willing to bet on that right now. He’s He’s bad, people. He hasn’t you you’re you’re you’re ruining our chance to get a sponsor here, you know, because That’s true. That’s the only people that are going to sponsor this stuff is the uh FanDuel’s of the world. But, anyway. Um like I was looking it up, he Chris hasn’t played in a ton of games in a long time. Like, you talked about Devin Vassell. Chris Paul played 82 games in 2014 and 15. And, then he’s basically missed at least 10 games every season since. He’s also almost 40. Yeah, exactly. So, my point is, he’s not going to He’s not going to make it to 82, so, um there’s going to be a lot of like filling in the blanks behind him, uh, you know, we haven’t seen the last of Tre Jones as a starter, there’s going to be a lot of filling starts for Tre. But, it’s just kind of It’s just kind of a fascinating dynamic to me, to see this guy coming in at at like you said, nearly 40, Hall of Fame-er, point guard of his generation, and he’s going to spend what might be the last season of his career. We don’t know, but it might be the last season of his career, basically, um, you know, teaching this young team how to hoop. But, and also hooping himself, as he said. That’s kind of important to him is to if he’s going to leave his family for a season, he wants to play and not watch. So, that’s just kind of important. He He It’s It’s pretty He repeated the same The same things he said when he came to San Antonio at the first week of July time, when Jeff Jeff was in Sacramento at the summer league. And, Chris came in for his press conference, then he repeated all the same He had the same notes at media day this week. And, that it’s not It it It’s almost like he was so candid. It was It was shocking. And, that people ask him, you know, why did he choose the Spurs multiple times, by the way. And And, the the point is like, he His point was, that that’s where I could play. It wasn’t anything beyond that. Does he respect Greg Popovich? Of course. Does he have, um, uh, admiration for everything the organization has stood for over the years? Absolutely. But, he wanted to play point guard. He wanted to play basketball, and this was the place that let him do it. One of the And, it’s as simple as that. Yeah. And And And in terms of him, uh, teaching and mentoring, um, he’ll do some of that, but that’s not why he’s here, either. He’s he’s here to play, and just by being Chris Paul, as Greg Popovich says, just by being in the locker room and being on the court and being in the huddle in those last 2 minutes, that’s that’s what this comes down to for this team. With both Harrison Barnes, Chris Paul, um, you know, the added experience of all the the the Jeremy Sochan, uh, Victor Wembanyama, uh, even Devin Vassell, like it comes down to the last 2 minutes of competitive games. How many games did we watch last year where the Spurs were in it and then just didn’t know what to do in the crun in in the in the clutch, in crunch time? Um, that’s where the difference can be made. Yeah. If When Chris Paul is out there acting like he’s been there before, uh, by osmosis, does that kind of permeate the rest of the roster, the rest of the lineup, like, that’s going to be the fun thing to watch. Is Is Are the Spurs able to win these games that they did not win in recent years? The Spurs lost 28 crunch-time games last year, which was tied for most in the league. How many of those, like, if you just had a guess as a percentage, how many of the would they have won had Chris Paul been on the floor for those crunch-time minutes? Like I’m I mean even if it’s a even if it’s a third of them, could that If they win a quarter of them, that’s almost a 30-win season. Yeah. Yeah, and he he used a great description of what he can bring. You know, he said he he wants to bring a sense of calmness in the situation. You don’t get calmness. And, that that was a great way to illustrate what the Spurs haven’t had in this sort Yeah. Oh, yeah. It gets Yeah. And if I’m not mistaken, Tom, you might have covered the game, but if I feel like uh this one of those crunch-time games the Spurs lost was against the Warriors. And Chris Paul is the reason the Spurs lost it because oh, yeah. He had a big fourth quarter against them. Yeah. Yep. That was at home. Uh I remember that well. It was just Chris Paul doing Chris Paul things. That was the, you know, if you put him on the other roster, and that that’s one specific game that absolutely the outcome would change. So maybe he only plays 60 games, just health wise. I mean, but but those those 60 games, he can make a difference in, for sure. We’ll We’ll wrap up this week, uh, with uh with the star player, with the guy that we talked about all summer and, uh, that we’ll talk about every week, Mama. And also, uh, with Victor Wembanyama, the uh the thing that stood out to me from his availability at media day. Um, Jeff had asked Victor, I think it was the chef question about uh, what he what what part of his game is he going to improve, what he worked on this summer? And uh, this this this guy is just the NBA viral sensation. When he he he’s the guy that every night does three things that veteran players, you know, LeBron the LeBron James’s, the Kevin Durant’s, the Steph Curry’s of the world, just shake their heads and think, how in the heck did he do that? You know, whether it’s like passing the ball off the backboard into a dunk or the god-sham-god from a 7-ft-3 guy on the wing, you know, one-handed crossover, uh, behind-the-back passes, between-the-leg dribbles, the the out stretched Gumby dunks. What he worked on, he said, is is making an advantage of simple situations. And, I just think that is so Spurs-like. And, it really is the part of the game, part of his game that was missing. And, it sounds outrageous to say that a part of his game was miss missing last year, because he did everything. He had one of the most dominant rookie seasons of all time. But, he did not have that go-to, um move, that go-to kind of mentality where Jeff covered over a decade of Tim Duncan, when the game was on the line, when they needed a bucket, you could dump the ball into the boring Tim Duncan, and he’d used the same boring move that he used over and over and over again, and got you a bucket. Victor didn’t have one of those. Just a boring go-to, I’m I’m taller than the guy guarding me, and I’m going to score on him. And I think it’s really encouraging for Spurs fans to know that that’s kind of what he’s working on now. Um, I had a I had a a staffer tell me last year, as mid-way to the season, uh a staffer with the Spurs who’s been there a long time, and he said, “When when the moment that Victor Wembanyama figures out what Tim Duncan figured out about just how to how to have a go-to move that gets him to the foul line over and over, that people can’t stop, our games are going to get really, really boring.” And, it’s true, like that if if he just like I love the pull-up three pointers. I love the off the backboard passes. I love all that stuff. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to cover. But, if he just has that boring go-to Tim Duncan swim move that’s going to get him to the foul line, you know, just to finish at the at the at the at the basket. Like he’s going to be unstoppable. Um, and so, that’