Spurs center Jakob Poeltl strains MCL, out 2-4 weeks

The Spurs have made the playoffs 22 straight seasons – tied for the longest postseason streak in NBA history.

San Antonio faces long odds of topping the 1950-1971 Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers. The Spurs are four games and four teams out of playoff position in the Western Conference.

Now, San Antonio loses backup center Jakob Poeltl.

Poeltl on Facebook:

As today’s examination showed, I suffered a grade 2 MCL strain of the right knee. I will presumably miss the next two to four weeks. Since knee injuries can be very severe, I’m happy that I didn’t sustain a more serious injury. Nevertheless, this is an annoying situation. We’re in the midst of a very important phase, which is why every missed game hurts twice as much. I hope to be back on the floor as soon as possible.

What an unusual and relatively pleasant way to get an injury update. It’s nice to hear straight from a player about his own health.

LaMarcus Aldridge is also banged up. So, the Spurs have gone small with Drew Eubanks or Rudy Gay at center.

Poeltl is a good defender. He just fits terribly with DeMar DeRozan, because neither spreads the floor by shooting 3-pointers. With DeRozan serving as San Antonio’s go-to scorer, Poeltl had received a limited role. But he’d been productive in that role, and now the Spurs lose that.