Due to the recent passing of his father, DeMar DeRozan will be absent from Wednesday’s game.
The San Antonio Spurs are in the midst of handling a coronavirus outbreak, while also grappling with the aftermath of a lethal icy storm that has impacted millions in their home state of Texas. Moreover, one of their top players is grieving the loss of a parent.
Considering everything, basketball appears to be of less importance to the Spurs at the moment.
They returned to work on Monday, conducting a full-scale practice for the first time since the disclosure last week that a minimum of four players tested positive for COVID-19. They will be missing at least six players when they hit the court again on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
Popovich, donning a cap with the San Antonio Food Bank logo, stated, “Our underlying belief has always been that there exist numerous individuals or groups who are in far worse situations than us. Given our status in this world, we are incredibly fortunate.”
The Spurs announced that five of their players – Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Quinndary Weatherspoon, and Derrick White – are currently not with the team due to health and safety protocols. As a result, they will not join the team on their trip to Oklahoma City. Coach Popovich stated that NBA rules have prevented some of them from returning to San Antonio due to the recent outbreak that occurred while the Spurs were on a road trip the previous week.
DeMar DeRozan will also not be playing in Wednesday’s game due to personal reasons; he disclosed late last week that his father passed away.
“Dealing with the loss of a parent is a challenging circumstance,” said Popovich. “I’ve been communicating with him and he’s a very mature, kind-hearted man who’s currently taking necessary actions for his family.”
Typically, a player is marked as “out” due to protocols if they have tested positive for COVID-19, are suspected to have a positive test, or are sidelined due to contact tracing. Before any player who has tested positive is deemed fit to return, they must first pass a series of medical examinations. As a result, the return date for any of the five players currently out due to virus-related circumstances remains uncertain.
Our next three games have been postponed in accordance with the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols. pic.twitter.com/q9cOsJXNvi
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 16, 2021
One promising update on the team roster is the potential return of LaMarcus Aldridge, who has been off the court since February 1 due to right hip flexor pain. His readiness to play will be finally determined by the Spurs on Tuesday.
Popovich stated that Aldridge got through Monday’s practice without any problems.
“Popovich said, “I’m certain he was likely a bit out of breath.”
Last week, the NBA initially reported that four players from the Spurs tested positive for COVID-19, without revealing their names. The team played their last game on February 14, defeating Charlotte. This victory marked their fifth win out of six games and improved their record to 16-11. For the first time since April 2019, they are five games above the .500 mark.
Shortly after the team received news of four positive tests, several games were postponed. These included road games against Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and Indiana, and two Hornets games. These measures were taken as a precaution while contact tracing studies were being finalized.
The number of games canceled due to virus-related reasons this season has risen to 29 due to those postponements, excluding several other games that were rescheduled to fill schedule gaps.
#SpursFamily, let's come together and help each other recover from this week’s winter storm.
If you can, please consider donating or volunteering with @safoodbank at the several distribution sites this weekend ➡️ https://t.co/Op6Ph5pbJ9 pic.twitter.com/3LDFBP88yL
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 19, 2021
The Spurs have become the fourth team this season to experience an unexpected hiatus of at least a week due to virus-related concerns. Boston had a break of seven days between games, Memphis had a 12-day gap, and Washington had a pause of 13 days.
The storm then arrived, essentially paralyzing much of Texas for several days.
On Monday, Popovich emphasized perspective and attempted to contextualize the absence from a few basketball games.
“Self-pity or complaints have no place here,” stated Popovich. “It’s not suitable or warranted. We should only express gratitude for what we possess. So, currently, it’s crucial to consider all the individuals who’ve experienced severe hardships. As per numerous reports, the situation didn’t need to escalate to this level,” he added.
