Dame Lillard’s ‘calf soreness’ upgraded to a ‘calf strain.’ Serenity Now.

Live look at me reading this tweet before the game last night:

Christ Almighty. I was sort of under the impression that Dame’s absence the last three games was veiled ‘load management.’ We’re at that time of year in the NBA where start players (*COUGH* LeBron *COUGH*) start taking a few weeks off to load up for the playoffs. I’m guessing, like everyone, Dame is a little banged up, but I thought this was more for rest before the playoffs than anything.

Then that exchange last night and the change in injury designation from ‘calf soreness’ to ‘calf strain.’ The same thing that sidelined Giannis for the entire playoff series against the Pacers last season.

Now look, I’m on record that a DEEP Bucks playoff run feels extremely unlikely. For a while I thought their ceiling was a Conference Finals run, but it’s feeling more more like this is going to be a team bounced in the second round, if they even make it that far.

But ANY hope of any kind of run revolves around Dame and Giannis being as close to healthy as possible when we get to mid-April. They’re still two of the Top 75 players of all time, if they can get on a heater maybe you can make some noise, but even that feels like a pipe dream.

Also: The Bucks front office needs to see a playoff series with Dame and Giannis playing together to figure out what the hell they’re going to do in the offseason. Feels like this franchise is in a VERY precarious spot if we see another early exit in the playoffs. Dame is still under contract for next year and has a player option after that, Giannis is under contract for two more years with a player option after that. In order to assess what this team needs, you really want the data of having the two of them healthy and playing together for at least one playoff series. Do you burn it down around Dame and Giannis and try to rebuild around them with a different supporting cast? Do you try to trade Dame and start from scratch with Giannis? Would Giannis be willing to sit through a 2-year rebuild? Do you scrap the ENTIRE thing? Am I panicking (I am)?

PS: I’m had a working hypothesis that we sold our souls for that 2021 title, and if Dame is legit hurt and can’t play in the playoffs, it further backs that idea up. After the title:

• Khris rolls his ankle on a wet spot on the Fiserv Forum floor and misses the rest of the playoffs. Not a doubt in my mind the Bucks make the Finals in 2022 if he doesn’t get hurt.
• Giannis basically breaks his back on the first play of the playoff series against the Heat in 2023. Bucks suffer a historic upset at the hands of the Heat which sent the front office spiraling into the offseason (fire Bud, hire Griffin, trade Jrue).
• In Dame’s first year in Milwaukee, Giannis hurts his calf before the playoffs and doesn’t play a game in the Indiana series. Dame also gets hurt and plays half of the games in that series. Just as Middleton was coming back.
• Potentially Dame hurts his calf before the playoffs.

I’m not saying I wouldn’t make that the soul-for-title trade again, those memories last a lifetime and banners hang forever, but MAN, they feel cursed since that championship run.