The San Antonio Spurs are still grappling with the coronavirus outbreak, their state is battling the effects of the deadly freeze that affected millions of people in Texas, and one of their best players is grieving the death of his father.
Given all this, basketball seems secondary.
But the Spurs were back for training Monday, holding their first full practice since revealing last week that four players had tested positive for COVID-19. They will not have at least six players when they return to the court Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
“We’ve always had this philosophy that there are people or groups that are worse off than you,” said Popovich, who wore a cap with the San Antonio food bank logo. “Considering our position in the world, we are very, very well.”
The Spurs indicated that five players – Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Derrick White – are away from the team due to sanitation protocols and will not travel with the team to Oklahoma City. Popovich indicated that not everyone was able to return to San Antonio due to NBA rules, as the outbreak arose when the Spurs were out of San Antonio.
DeMar DeRozan will also not be on Wednesday for personal reasons. Last week she revealed that her father passed away.
But there is positive news: LaMarcus Aldridge, who has not played since February 1 due to a sore right hip flexor, could be ready. The Spurs will make the final decision on Tuesday.
San Antonio’s last meeting was on February 14, when they outscored Charlotte for their fifth win in six games and improved to 16-11.
They postponed road games against Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Indiana, as well as a pair of Hornets games, completing contact tracing.
The league reached 29 games postponed for reasons related to COVID-19, not including a small number of games that were readjusted to fill the gaps in the schedule.
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