[Highlight] Victor Wembanyama participated at shoot around this morning and is questionable tonight
They really gotta take it easy with him. Concussions are no joke
I really don’t think they would risk his health for a firet round game 3 against the Blazers lol. If he plays, you can trust that he’s 100% fine
The Spurs are probably the most conservative org on this matter, that’s why the Kawhi drama was so ridiculous with Uncle Dennis mastermindind it all.
This guys gets it.
They didn’t for Duncan in 2000. Torn meniscus followed by first round exit.
Example from 26 years ago whew
It’s also wrong in its assessment that the Spurs medical staff or FO had anything to do with worsening Duncan’s injury. If anything, they made a decision to completely shut him down the moment it happened so that they could preserve his long term health. Worked out great for everyone.
You know all about it, I’m sure, fellow old Reddit account.
Duncan didn’t play after taking his meniscus in 2000. Not sure what you’re talking about. They literally shut Duncan down and spoke people even called Pop overprotective for doing so going into the playoffs (which Duncan didn’t play in).
Misinterpreted the comment. My bad.
Read the post above mine and read mine again. They didn’t risk Duncan’s health.
My bad. I 100% misinterpreted your comment.
If he plays, you can trust that he’s 100% fine
Medically/physically, it’s impossible to be “100% fine” 48hrs 72hrs after a concussion.
That’s quite the assumption given the massive range of severity for concussions
Its crazy how many concussion experts I’ve been talking to lately.
Hope you’re doing fine buddy. You don’t have to suit up tonight if you’re not 100%, we understand!
Well Reddit is the home of the expert
It’s 72 hours but the point still stands.
There are several steps he has to follow and tests he has to pass including being approved by the director of the NBA Concussion Program. This isn’t just the Spurs wanting him to play. The idea that the league would just go with “trust us, bro” from a team is ridiculous.
Not sure if you’ve ever played football or had concussions, but you can be cleared to play and still have lingering effects for days/weeks/months
Passing concussion protocol does not mean you are “100%”
Source: trust me bro
It’s such a ridiculous comment lol
That’s this entire subreddit.
You’re the one that’s ridiculous if you’re trying to claim you know better than the team and their doctors. You really think they would allow him to play if they weren’t sure on his concussion recovery.
Idk man, Scoot is a problem
Yes, but he’s not going to drop 30 3x
I mean there is a zero percent change he’s healed up. Concussions do not heal overnight
Yeah I’m sure the medical staff knows more about his situation and what is ok or not lmao
Yea there’s no history of sports teams pushing athletes back to fast when they have head injuries and damaging the players brains long term. Nope no history of that. With something like a concussion you can go out and perform at a high level almost immediately, but you can still be in a state where you are risking more severe brain damage.
The Spurs would rather lose in the first round than jeopardize the long term health of their franchise player.
See: 2000 playoffs
Yeah man, the people who invented load management definitely want to throw away the golden goose on his 3rd playoff game in a series they’re going to win regardless.
Fox and Wemby have both made tongue in cheek comments this season about our medical staff being very conservative. They did the same with Duncan and Kawhi. Mitch is very long term thinking.
I just don’t see them throwing it all away for a fist round series against a team we have already beat twice without Wemby.
this isnt just the spurs approving him though? The league itself has to approve if hes even good to do light activities, and if the league itself is fine with him doing shootarounds then im certain hes better than most of us think
The league is basically just an auditor to the team medical staff and just makes sure they followed protocol and reviews the data and reports and usually just has a conference call. They stay hands off and mainly leave it up to the team staff.
Lmao bro’s not an NFL player. He’ll be okay.
I mean probably, but multiple concussions in a short period can be extremely debilitating
Or players being the ones pushing to get back too early. Wemby is obviously an insanely competitive guy.
In English (at least?) football a concussion is automatic 10 days out no matter what so I’m very surprised they’re considering letting him play. I guess you could argue since headers are an inherent part of the sport it’s more dangerous but still
In American football, you can still play with a concussion as long as you can successfully hide it. I wish I was kidding, but teams actually do it often.
Yeah. NFL players have admitted that they lie to doctors
Raw room podcast was talking about how they take a reasoning test and their results are used as the control sample, then they have to retake it if theres concussion protocol and compare answers.
So they just sandbag the control test and score miserably on purpose 💀
It’s similar in the AFL, they aren’t allowed to play the next week
If he plays I’d be very surprised and it would certainly raise concerns. But until then I think it’s more them making the blazers plan for him playing.
Yeah I’m sure everyone is completely unbiased and not trying to get him back on the court as soon as possible lmao
The medical staff should have his best interest in mind not the teams.
The interests of everyone involved align anyway
Concussions are bad but this is not MMA or the NFL it’s not like he is going out there to get punched again in the head. Also if the Spurs medical staff genuinely think he is ok he is really ok. Boxers get their brains rocked for 12 rounds every fight so I don’t think one time concussion is going to give him CTE or permanent damage.
I hate that I’m putting this out there into the universe but you are hella susceptible to a second concussion in this window and it would be extremely shitty if he falls and causes any level of sudden deceleration to his brain
I hope he is well and know he is competitive but hopefully they are wise about his return
The league docs have to clear him too. Not just the spurs
He literally fell almost the exact same way in Game 1 when Jrue pulled the chair on him the same way during his spin move. He fell and hit the back of his head in THAT game and should have been independently evaluated by a medical expert.
Boxers get their brains rocked for 12 rounds every fight so I don’t think one time concussion is going to give him CTE or permanent damage.
Boxers then don’t train for a while and don’t fight for months.
If the dude wasn’t ok he wouldn’t go to 30K feet altitude on a plane.
Yeah, we should get in touch with the league and team doctors. I bet they have no idea how dangerous those concussion things can be.
Professional sports organizations don’t exactly have a strong track record of integrity in this regard. In normal circumstances, a doctor would never recommend someone return to contact sports 3 days after a concussion.
The Spurs are usually pretty conservative about this.
They sat him a decent amount of games this season just to be safe. I doubt they are pushing him to come back early. Thats the complete opposite of the Spurs motto when it comes to injuries. Especially if its just one game on the line.
We really are circling back to the time when the Kawhi saga happened and Spurs medical staff was being dragged to the ground. Still, the medical team that players have already said is too conservative and wouldn’t allow them to play even though they feel fine is getting questioned again lol. As always, people who are not even medical experts are the ones who keep yapping.
I love Redditors saying that the independent doctors who have to clear him have to be more careful. Why don’t more doctors listen to random Redditors
Yeah because professional sports doctors have always put the player’s health first when it comes to concussions.
Lol right
Funny how people criticised Spurs medical staff for being “too careful” for decades, and now they’re too reckless all of a sudden
They’re an independent doctor. They don’t work with the team or care what the teams want.
You have a single story of independent doctors sending an nba player back too early from a concussion?
Kevin Love in 2016.
Wrong. The team doctor sent him back on the floor for game 2 for a couple minutes. He was not allowed to play in game 3
They get away with it in the NBA because it’s unlikely they’ll hit their head again. But there’s no way that someone can be fully recovered from a concussion in less than a week.
In looking into it the NBA doesn’t handle it the same way, it does appear that despite having independent neurologists on after 2012 they only have them clear players in protocol and not during games. That being said, for all the people here who want him back in game 3, I hope he doesn’t get his brain scrambled again. I know this isn’t the NFL but his risk of a second concussion is spiked in the short term. NBA guys are lucky that head collisions are uncommon.
On one hand. On the other redditors aren’t known for being astute medical savants.
Our medical team puts our players’ health first.
It’s the spurs doctors, they are very conservative and both Fox and Wemby have complained this season that they kept them out for too long. So if he really does play, it mean they really think he is fine.
I mean, this is really directly aimed at the NFL, not overall sports leagues
Independent from the nba? Impressive!
Yep, that’s how it works
Thanks, I just assumed they were directly employed by the league and not an independent providers
The position of who is the director of nba concussion program position is agreed upon by the NBA and by the Players Union. He has his own private practice but does get paid by the NBA.
Doctor: How do you feel? Wemby: Fine. Doctor: He can play.
nba doctors lie then players get hurts news at 11
The independent doctors main job is when the team clears him to play and then they review the data and have a consultation with the team doctors then decide whether to sign off or on. Until then the team doctors handle most of it and send reports and have remote consultations with the independent doctor.
listen i’m not only smarter than the medical professionals but i’m also a better scout, head coach, GM, etc like many other fine redditors here
If he’s participating in a shoot around, and the ball goes in the hoop, I think he’s just fine. Will be very surprised if he doesn’t play.
, I think he’s just fine.
Unfortunately that’s not how it works with concussions. Him playing tonight would be a big risk even if he “feels” fine.
Let the doctors know this
I’m sure they do. I’m also sure that, like all sports med doctors, they’re under a lot of pressure to clear the players ASAP. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.
48 hours dude. This is the protocol. This is the way.
post concussion syndrome can cause things like long-term dizziness and blurred vision that can persist for months or even years
I appreciate that he probably even wants to play, but making sure he is 100% healed from the concussion before risking another one should be the number one priority
You ain’t wrong but the nba is really strict on their concussion protocol. I don’t think they would clear him just because he wants to play.
The NBA has pretty minimal concussion protocols. The fact that a player can return within 48 hours is a very lax way to treat concussion.
I mean being fine to play is one thing, but if he isn’t fully back yet and takes another bump to his head like that his career could be in jeopardy
Did he have a confirmed concussion or was there risk of a concussion due to head impact?
We’re gonna be the first NBA team to have a Tua vs the Bengals moment
I can’t not think of Tua when I think of concussed players. That poor bastard’s brain is mush now and he won’t have a good life because of it
No disrespect to the Blazers, I think they are a good team, but the Spurs won the season series without Victor playing. Obviously they want him back, but I don’t think they are going to rush him when they have to feel fairly confident of their chances even without him.
I think they understand that and whatever decisions they make, it’s pretty safe to assume it’s backed by the doctors
Was he confirmed to be concussed
TIL Kelly Olynyk is still in the league
It’s always fuck Kelly Olynyk for dislocating K Love’s shoulder and costing LeBron a ring
God that was such a bummer. Kyrie was out too by the finals right?
Iirc, out for game 2.
He only played in game 1 of a 6 game series.
Is there any Canadian player that is just straight up liked? The bigger ones seem to have a bad rap (some warranted, most not). Maybe Murray, but he probably benefits from playing with the NBA’s darling.
Steve Nash
Ah, true
Even the people who don’t think he deserved the mvps like him lol
NAW
Shaedon Sharpe
Dwight Powell
Do people not like Rick Fox or Zach Edey?
Um hey in DC it’s fuck Kelly Olynyk for randomly going off on us versus the Celtics a decade ago. We boo’d that man every time he touched the ball in DC
He made the sub frontpage recently coz the commentators were clowning his ankle socks on court
He was actually good for the Pelicans last year. A lot of people expected him to be part of the Spurs rotation this year but I wonder what happened.
Kornet has been enough of a backup for Wemby, and when Spurs go small Carter Bryant can actually guard a big reasonably well.
Genuinely one of the greatest centers of all time and gets no love. Sad
Here come the Reddit medical experts.
All Reddit users were experts on everything prior to AI. But with AI now? We are super duper experts.
Look I’m not going to pretend to know the details about concussion risks and I’m happy we’re taking them more seriously and getting the word out about how dangerous they are. And I do not care the tiniest bit if Wemby plays game 3 or not.
With all that said, I feel like reddit especially but really everyone in the sports media sphere has started to swing too far to the fake concern and being overly cautious with athlete injuries to the point of ridiculousness and along the way telling people way more informed and knowledgeable that they’re wrong. It feels like people feed off of the drama of the injury in the form of faux concern
That might be so - my feeling on concussions is I’ve observed a lot of people brush them off. In the NFL, guys like Cam Skattebo and Puka Nacua think concussions are fake, and fans do tooa nd one big problem is that because the injury is internal I feel like people downplay them a lot. Your brain literally smacks into your skull, with nothing to cushion it. If you’re lucky, you recover quickly, but I don’t think enough people think about the reality of your brain actually getting damaged. It doesn’t mean it’s permanent, but it’s a lot different than a knee injury or a back injury you can play through with the magic of toradol. At least NBA players don’t have as high a risk of getting one but there is also no such thing as a mild concussion.
I think on one hand, you have people saying shit like Wemby will never have a healthy season and will never play more than 50 games because he’s 7’5”. Which has obviously been wrong.
On the other, I definitely feel like even if medically cleared this is the one player and one scenario in which you absolutely do not put Wemby back in and play it one extra step safe. Obviously not an expert tho. And (no offense to the Trailblazers) if the Spurs were truly the 60 win team they were in the regular season, they should be able to take a game off the Blazers without Wemby. I’m hoping they’re just listing him as questionable as a “break glass in case of emergency” but he’s not actually gonna play.
Independent doctors aside, yall honestly think the SPURS of all teams would rush Wemby back?
They are definitely going to err on the side of caution. That said head injuries ARE tricky
It’s also not up to the Spurs to clear him… He needs to be cleared by the NBA & their Dr. As much as the spurs may want to play him. It ain’t up to them…
I fully expect teams to let a lot of shit slide, yes, lol.
The league itself has to approve of stuff like this, so not only did the spurs medical staff say it was fine, the nba itself said he could do it, so im certain hes probably fine
well for whatever its worth the league’s social media graphic doesnt feature Wemby for tonight’s game (has Fox and Deni instead)
Cause he is questionable brother
Bruh all these comments giving medical advice lol If he does end up playing he would have been cleared by spurs medical and NBA medical
100%. There are doctors who make these judgement calls lol.
Plus it looked like he hit his chin more than his head. Bros eating oatmeal forsure.
sit his ass down
Camera guy pissed me off. How you miss the ball that bad
Missed Wemby’s shooting motion AND missed the ball completely. Just filmed the space between the two. smh
Maybe i’m harsh, but i feel like filming basketball with vertical phone is so “modern low iq/modern trash habit”.
Cameraman missed both Wemby, the ball and the rim. It’s like i’m watching the stands while i know someone is shooting in on the court.
Camera guy needs to get checked for concussion too
Basketball isn’t football. A concussion in basketball is going to be evaluated completely different. Yeah you have to be careful but if he passes the rigorous tests there’s no reason to overreact to him coming back right away.
If your brain is bruised it really doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing.
Yeah they would know if he was dealing with a brain bruise bro
He got concussed from a hard hit but the degree of that concussion is something only they know
What is a concussion?
A concussion is your brain beating around inside your skull, if the bruising is noticiable it’s a cerebral contusion and like I said, they’d know it
Beating around inside your skull causing bruising, yes. Concussions can occur and be worsened from a variety of activities and situations, but especially head -> stationary object like the ground or a post.
you wouldn’t say you have a bruised brain because you got a concussion unless the bruise was noticiable because that entails way harsher stuff
it’s like saying you got a muscle tear when you have a common lesion or after a workout
you shake your head hard enough and you can give yourself a concussion, and yeah the degree of it varies, some of them will entail noticiable bruising to the point you get an actual bruised brain
If your brain is bruised and you put on a helmet and smash heads with another man wearing a helmet at max speed, it matters more than a sport where you don’t so that.
Ironically IIRC basketball is a weird exception because the floor is hard, but otherwise yeah.
The brain moves during lesser contact than just collision. Can even be impacted once it’s happened by hard cardio. Brain injuries are tricky
It does matter because the risk of further damage is significantly higher in football.
All kinds of exercise and contact are dangerous once you have a concussion.
Yeah we’re talking about 2 different things. I work in the medical field and I have first hand knowledge of what a concussion is.
I coach sport across multiple levels and review concussion policy annually as a part of my certification. We aren’t talking about different things: playing on a concussion can make it worse with or without super violent collisions.
I never said what you’re saying I said. All I ever said is that the risk of further damage is higher in football. I’m an MRI Tech that does a dozen brain scans every day including for an NFL franchise.
The comment I replied to is literally opened with “we’re talking about 2 different things”. We aren’t. He is concussed and just because your risk is higher in football for violent collision doesn’t reduce your risk of playing with a concussion.
We’re still talking about different things. Part of returning is risk assessment. I’m strictly talking about likelihood and you’re talking about it like it’s black and white with no in between. There is a significantly higher risk of further damage, more severe damage, and likelihood of damage in football.
Sure.👍
Get the hell out here, yeah it’s also uncomfortable to fly with a concussion and he did with no symptoms… Hrs fine dude it wasn’t that serious of a concussion the spurs are just a cautious team
As a Spurs fan, I’m scared. I’d rather him sit for his long term health.
Spurs have been one of the most cautionary teams in the league.
If they say she is good to go, then I think he is 100%
Pop sat Duncan with a meniscus tear in 2000 and it resulted in a first round exit but ultimately four more championships. I trust PATFO.
That’s a great sign, they’ve been so cautious with him that it’d be hard to believe they’re rushing him. Great news for spurs fans.
I thought the whole flying thing with a concussion was like a no go?
You can fly with a concussion 😂😂 is just not comfortable.. That’s why he’s playing tonight because he got on the plane and was fine
He impressed health professionals responsible for evaluating his concussion symptoms with his profound self-awareness and willingness to ask important philosophical questions like, “Who am I?” and “Where are are we?”
thats a fast turnaround
This is the worst cameraman ever.
He almost certainly isn’t playing tonight, but he is going through the required steps for the concussion protocol. After shooting and non-contact drills with no symptoms he’s gotta make it through a full contact practice with no symptoms and then the league and team doctors have to sign off on his return. With little real reason to worry just yet, they’re probably targeting game four.
HE PLAYIN
Here come all the reddit doctors…
I don’t want to risk it personally
I genuinely think they should af least give him another game off. Another hit to the head would be really bad
Man, NBA franchises should really be seeking the advice of all you armchair doctors instead of shelling hundreds of thousands of dollars to have medical professionals on their staff and on speed dial.
Even more so the Spurs. You know, that franchise known for years as the most cautious organization in the NBA.
Blazers light crew to put constantly flashing lights 7’2” off the ground.
I suspect he will not play tonight, (he really shouldn’t) but it’s great to see him out with the team like this.
Look obviously not a doctor but anything less than a week feels irresponsible. I’m sure the med staff know what they are doing but it feels off.
With concussions complete rest is not recommended anymore. Light activity as tolerated is common advice. Shoot around is a pretty light activity. Id be surprised if he’s actually cleared to play tonight.
Until then nothing wrong with this.
A lot of places do a 5-day return to play where you go from “normal daily activity” to “full contact practice” and wait a day for each to make sure symptoms don’t return or worsen.
its gonna be loud tonight buddy
For him to be questionable either he didn’t have a concussion or he’s been hitting the smelling salts crazy style.
I love Wemby but he plays reckless. Someone posted a vid where the exact same thing happened in game 1. He needs to slow it down and imo I think he should be sitting this game or play minimal minutes. It’s not worth the risk.
I’m gonna trust the doctors to make the choices (regardless of whether that means playing tonight or not) but the insistence of Redditors who saw Concussion once over a decade ago that they know better is maddening
It’s one thing if he’s cleared, but a whole other thing if he gets accidentally hit in the head fighting for a board.
This seems desperate. Give him one game off, at least.
They need to feed him. He’s so hungry he’s tryna graze on the court.
Get him a big helmet
Looks good to me. He’s playing.
He’s definitely playing
Man, we’re fucked.
To start this off: I think Wemby should sit tonight.
If the Spurs of all teams think that he is okay, then he’s probably okay. San Antonio has always been a team that is overly cautious of people returning to play; its a byproduct of Pop caring more about the person than the player and why so many NBA legends call the Spurs the best run franchise in sports.
2 options. 1. They are rushing this more than they should and either breaking protocols or at minimum not playing it safe enough. 2. He really is a super human to recover that quickly from bouncing his head off the floor and seeming unconscious.
way to go camera guy
Remember, every single person talking about this stuff the other night said that without a doubt, it would take a minimum of 7-10 days to return. Full stop. Everyone was a concussion expert…and yet here we are.
I hear they lobotomized him and hes fine now
Like stilts with a screw loose
Mf was throwing up straight clanks
I’m assuming he’s not concussed right? If he was there’s no shot he’d be allowed to play right?
They had enough of Fox being the #1.
Apparently there is an increased chance of lower body injury post-concussion. Spurs would be wise to sit him.
He ain’t playing tonight for sure. Maybe next game
Why would he practicing at shoot around ? A ball could bounce off the rim and hit him in the head if he wasn’t paying attention. I think the doctors let him on the court
That’s just part of the protocols. At each stage they monitor the player to make sure they are still free of symptoms and if they aren’t they return to the previous stage.
Cardio work is a step, he must have cleared that and is now at the step where he does non-contact team drills.
He could feel totally fine on a stationary bike but then when he gets into non-contact drills feels off. Like his balance might feel off or the shooting stroke feels off or sluggish.
The step after non-contact drills is full practice and then if he clears that without symptoms he can play.
A ball could bounce off the rim and hit him in the head if he wasn’t paying attention
So you’re implying he shouldn’t play?
I think the doctors let him on the court
So you’re implying he’s gonna play?
All this says to me is that the spurs don’t believe they can win without him.
Health is wealth and this could be a bad move. Could be.
A healthy vic is good for the whole league.