This is my somewhat annual Thanksgiving Day piece. I say” somewhat” annual because I don’t believe I have done this every year at this time – though I could be mistaken. I often am.
Before I start with the things I am thankful for, I find it odd when people say, “If I don’t see you before Thanksgiving, have a good one!!” Does that mean if they do see me again before the holiday, all bets are off? I think it should be “Whether I see you again or not, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!” Or maybe just “Hey, have a great Thanksgiving!” Who’s with me? Anyway, on to things I am thankful for.
1\. The main thing Spurs fans are thankful for: we finally have a good team again. Every season since the Spurs went 48-34 record in 2018-19, the Spurs have won less than 35 games, bottoming out with back-to-back 22-60 records in 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. While the team was better last season, the Spurs were still not what you would describe as “good”. Of course, once Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox went down with injuries for the year, the Spurs were what you would describe as “bad”, finishing with 34 wins.
By contrast, this season’s buzz around the league, and the team, is completely different. Even without Fox for the start of the season, and Victor’s recent absence, the team has remained competitive. I am very thankful to once again turn on the game and expec a Spurs win – a feeling we haven’t had in years. I am also thankful to hear the pre-game commentators on the various networks describe the team in glowing terms, also something we have not been hearing for a while.
2\. We are also very thankful that the 22 and 34 win seasons turned out so well on the draft nights after each of those years. After winning the Victor lottery, I wrote about how friends were congratulating me:
“One of the many great things about having a birthday, graduation, or a promotion at work is receiving congratulatory notes from friends and family. Last Tuesday was one of those days for me even though I did not just have another child, graduate from anywhere or get promoted at work. I also did not win the lottery, which surely would have led to many calls and emails asking to borrow money. But instead of me winning the lottery, my favorite team did. So many people reached out to me that I began to think maybe I did win the lottery. Even though none of them were Spurs fans, people were so happy that I was happy that it made me even happier.”
As a side note, I am sure the NBA is very thankful that the Spurs won that draft lottery over Charlotte. The Spurs are the perfect organization to develop a generational talent, while the Hornets are … not.
And then the Spurs followed up the Victor home run by selecting Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in the next two drafts. Wow, the recent NBA draft and draft lotteries has given the Spurs a lot to be thankful for. Although it is too early to tell, ten years from now we may be saying that the Spurs’ draft the past three years were the best three consecutive drafts _ever_ – especially if Carter Bryant becomes a productive NBA player.
3\. Having those young stars mentored by our semi-young and still young veterans has also been worthy of a Thanksgiving toast. For instance, even though Keldon Johnson lost his starting job as a result of all the additions, he has treated that demotion like a promotion. “If I am not starting, I will be the best 6th man I can be!” He continues to play with passion and enthusiasm, letting everyone on the team know the job of being an NBA player can also be an absolute blast. Enjoy it, and let everyone know you do. I am very thankful to Keldon, along with fellow vets Devon Vassel, Harrison Barnes and Fox, along with the perfect off-season addition Luke Kornet.
4\. I am thankful to be part of an excellent group of writers here at Pounding the Rock, including Charlie Thaddeus and his endlessly entertaining post-game rants entitled “What We Learned From \[insert the most recent Spurs game\]. I read each of Charlie’s posts, and enjoy each one. But I need to disagree with his November 19 post written after Victor’s calf injury was announced. Charlie was certainly NOT thankful about Victor’s injury -- none of us were, Charlie predicted Victor’s injuries would be an ongoing issue:
“The risk of Victor Wembanyama getting hurt is greater than it is for a lot of other players. His anatomy is unique. It puts strain on his joints and muscles and knees and ankles and bones in ways that no one else really has to deal with. The chances of him suffering something that keeps him out for a two month stretch or a season or, knock on wood, even longer feel high. Higher than most. Look at Bill Walton, Yao Ming, or Greg Oden in the past or, shoot, look at Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis right now. Big men in this league staying healthy one hundred percent of the time is not something that happens and Victor Wembanyama is one of the biggest men we have. If you cannot see the pieces of that puzzle sitting on the board then you are being willfully ignorant at this point.”
Perhaps I am being willfully ignorant (and thankful to be so!), but I have a different take on Victor’s long-term prognosis. As I wrote while Victor was a rookie, and even thinner than he is now, his body-type and training regimen led me to reject the comparisons to Walton, Ming, Oden, Embiid or F.I.A.D. (F.I. stands for “Frequently Injured” Anthony Davis), I would instead compare Victor to The Admiral and the Great Duncan and, most of all, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
“But as encouraging as those numbers are from the Spurs’ home-grown legends, I take even more comfort from another NBA great — Bucks and Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Victor and Kareem share similar body types: long and lean. . . I still come back to the Kareem comparison: graceful movement, body type, and dedication to staying loose and mobile. I will stay with wishing — and hereby predicting — Victor Wembanyama will have a long, productive and healthy NBA career. And while I am at it, let’s have him spend it all in San Antonio.”
I will be _very_ thankful if I am right – and I am sure Charlie will be too. As Bruce Springsteen sang (and continues to sing), “Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night.”
5\. Closer to home, I am very thankful to all my friends with season tickets who allow me to attend Spurs games when the team visits Los Angeles to play the Lakers or the Clippers. Thank you to Ken and Kim, TD, Mike, Peter and Marc! In related news, and with insincere apologies to my Clipper fan friends, I am very thankful to look at the standings and see that the Clippers are 5-13.
6\. Also close to home, it looks like Palisades High will be opening up at the start of 2026, having been closed since the wildfires which decimated the Palisades and Altadena last January. I have had a weekly Sunday morning game at Pali High for many years. Returning to the Pali High gym a year after the devastating wildfires will be an extremely thankful event. Even better, the LA Times yesterday morning had an article with a picture of the first house completed in the Palisades since the fires. More to come. Last January, I wrote about looking out my office window and [seeing flames in the Palisades](/2025/1/11/24341561/from-the-scene-of-the-canceled-spurs-lakers-game). I much prefer the views now, including this sunset from early this week looking out that same office window as I did on January 7, 2025:
7\. Finally, I am very thankful that all three of my teams either have done or are doing so well. Along with enjoying my Spurs’ resurgence, I am a Dodgers fan (won the World Series!) and a Rams fan (best record in the NFL!). Thanksgiving is feeling pretty good.