Wembanyama's breaking injury news takes Spurs' woes from bad to worse

It can never be easy for the Spurs these days. Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, so that will change his injury designation from day-to-day to week-to-week. It's fair to note that San Antonio did not publicly reveal a timeline for the Alien's return, but longtime insider Don Harris believes Wemby will be re-evaluated in 2-4 weeks.

Wemby played a monstrous game against the Golden State Warriors, and everything seemed fine. It just goes to show that you never know what a player is going through, because fans were shocked to see him show up on the injury report for the Kings game with calf tightness. But we also know them to be careful.

That's why it took De'Aaron Fox so long to make his debut. The franchise will always be thorough with the health of their players. Now that they've found a strain, you can count on another extended absence from one of the team's stars. A conservative approach is in the best interest of his long-term health, but it will put his ability to win awards in jeopardy.

DPOY and MVP are at risk for Wembanyama

Due to the 65-game rule, Vic can only miss a total of 17 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. He's the runaway favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, and with the surprising (to some) success of the team, he stands a great chance to make the All-NBA First Team and win the Most Valuable Player of the Year award, too. It would be terribly unfortunate to miss out on such achievements because of an injury.

Quite frankly, I think the league needs to do away with the rule. It was put in the game to put a stop to healthy players sitting out for load management purposes. If their ability to win awards and therefore bolster their worth to earn more money were to be compromised, they would try harder to get out on the floor. It makes sense. But it's hurting players who don't deserve it.

Wembanyama respects the game like the GOATs of old. He wants to play every single game possible, and the organization often has to hold him back for his own good. As long as he plays long enough, he'll easily make the Hall of Fame, and he deserves to have as many, if not more, accolades than anyone else with a Gold Jacket.

He hasn't cheated the game once. He competes hard on both ends of the floor, and because of his size and unique skill set, he's showing us something we've never seen before. If anyone deserves recognition for such an effort and display, it's him. Hopefully, Adam Silver will recognize that he implemented a bad idea, despite his good intentions, and reverse course.

Until then, Vic will have to hope the medical team clears him in time to avoid disqualification. Three weeks from today would bring the Spurs to their December 8th matchup against the Pelicans. If that's the last game he misses, it would bring his total games missed to 11. That would only give Wemby six more absences to use. It's going to be tight.