Of course, Victor Wembanyama should not have been suspended.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar did throw an elbow into Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid’s throat early in the second quarter of an eventual Game 4 defeat. The ejection cost his team the game and control of the Western Conference semis.
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That was enough punishment. To remove him from Game 5 of this series would be a punishment to a viewing public that deserves a fair fight, and sure enough, the NBA on Monday reportedly decided it would issue no fine or suspension to Wembanyama.
We have no prior record of offenses to believe the elbow was anything more than a momentary lapse in judgment. And that was made difficult by Minnesota’s pressure.
Just look at the play.
Wembanyama had full control of the rebound. He was immediately fouled by Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels. No whistle was blown. McDaniels continued to wrap both his hands around Wembanyama’s left arm, leaving him in a vulnerable position. Still, no call was made. Then, in comes Reid, clutching at Wembanyama’s right side, creeping under his right arm, and there was little other place to turn than his opponent’s neck.
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Did he put a little more force into the elbow than necessary? Sure. Did it result from his frustration over the way the Wolves were allowed to manhandle him? Absolutely.
As Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters in the aftermath of his team’s hard-fought loss, “The amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level you have to protect yourself. Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him. We don’t complain because we’re just gonna play, we don’t really give a s***. But at some stage, he should be protected, and if not, he’ll have to protect himself, and unfortunately stuff like that happens.”
What Johnson can’t quite say, but we can: The officials lost control of the play, and Wembanyama took it upon himself to end the nonsense. Did he take it too far? Yes.
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But he didn’t take it so far that it warranted any additional punishment than it has already cost the Spurs, and that is significant. While we cannot know what would have happened had Wembanyama been on the floor, there is little doubt he could have swung the tide entirely in San Antonio’s favor. After all, it trailed by 2 when he was ejected and held a lead late in the fourth quarter, without its best player.
Instead, the Wolves came back to win, and this is a 2-2 series going back to San Antonio. Wembanyama’s out-of-character action cost his team a 3-1 advantage and close-out opportunity at home. The last thing we need is it costing us a chance to see an incredible end to this series. Let’s just hope Anthony Edwards can remain healthy.
And that Wembanyama does not throw another elbow. Then, he can be suspended.
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