The Spurs will be without starting center Tiago Splitter today against the Lakers.  He has played in 3 games (all starts) for the Spurs so far against the Lakers and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  DeJuan Blair will be asked to replace Splitter, and he is a solid player.  Blair has played in 3 games (0 starts) against the Lakers so far in this series and he is averaging 8.7 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

The San Antonio Spurs lose 30-year old SG/SF Boris Diaw for the next 2-3 weeks due to a sore back.  His back has effected his play so far in April.  He played in 4 games (2 starts) in April for the Spurs and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  Diaw only shot 32% this month for the Spurs.  Diaw has played in 75 games (20 starts) overall this year for the Spurs and he is averaging 22.8 minutes, 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  This is going to hurt the Spurs a little big as Diaw might miss the first round of the playoffs, or at least part of it.

UPDATE:  (4/12/2013) - The Spurs will be without Diaw for 3-4 weeks as he needed back surgery to remove a cyst.

The Spurs have lost 35-year old shooting guard Manu Ginobili for the next 3-4 weeks due to a strained hamstring.  Ginobili played in 59 games (0 starts) for the Spurs in 2012-13 and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  But, he didn’t play that well in March.  Ginobili played in 13 games (0 starts) in March for the Spurs and he averaged 23.7 minutes, 10.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He only shot 37.9% from the floor and 31.9% from the three point line in March, which was not good.  The Spurs will be without their energizer bunny until some point in the playoffs.  Until Ginobili returns to action, the Spurs are going to lean on Danny Green to play more.

The Spurs are going to be without 30-year old point guard Tony Parker due to a badly sprained left ankle.  He was injured in last night’s game against the Kings.  This is a gigantic blow for the Spurs as Parker was playing the best basketball of his NBA career in 2012-13.  Parker has played in 56 games (all starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 33.0 minutes, 21.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.  Parker is shooting 53.3% from the floor, 37.9% from three point range and 82.9% from the free throw line so far this year, which is very, very impressive.  The Spurs are going to turn to 28-year old Gary Neal and 24-year old Patty Mills at point guard until Parker is ready to return to action.  Neal has played in 51 games (17 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 22.5 minutes, 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Mills has played in 49 games (2 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 10.2 minutes, 4.5 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Neal and Mills are really going to need to step up to keep the Spurs’ train rolling until Parker returns to action.

The Spurs will be without 35-year old shooting guard Manu Ginobili for the next 10-14 days due to a strained hamstring. Ginobili has now played in 36 games (0 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 24.4 minutes, 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 44% from the floor, 37.7% from the three point line and 83.6% from the free throw line so far this year. Gary Neal and Danny Green will likely see more minutes until Ginobili is ready to return to action.

The Spurs will be without 34-year old small forward Stephen Jackson for the next 4-6 weeks due to a fractured right pinky finger. Jackson has played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 23.2 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Spurs are likely going to move Danny Green from shooting guard to small forward until Kawhi Leonard is ready to return to action. Green has played in 11 games (all starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 29.5 minutes, 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The Spurs will be without 21-year old starting small forward Kawhi Leonard for the next 10-14 days due to tendinitis in both his right knee and right quad. Leonard has played in 9 games (all starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 28.9 minutes, 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Look for 34-year old Stephen Jackson to replace Leonard in the starting lineup. Jackson has played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 24.3 minutes, 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Jackson will likely do a solid job while Leonard gets back to health.

28-year old point guard T.J. Ford has decided to retire from the NBA. He had a neck stinger last Wednesday and it really scared him as he has had neck problems and spine problems in his NBA career. Ford played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Spurs this year and he averaged 13.6 minutes, 3.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He played in 429 games (366 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 27.7 minutes, 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. This is a sad end for T.J. Ford’s career as he was a pretty solid point guard.

The Spurs will be without 34-year old shooting guard Manu Ginobili and 27-year old center Tiago Splitter for the next couple of weeks due to injury. Ginobili has a strained oblique and Tiago Splitter has a calf injury. Ginobili has played in only 9 games (5 starts) for the Spurs and he is averaging 21.8 minutes, 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Danny Green and Gary Neal will continue to split minutes at shooting guard until Ginobili is ready to return to action. Tiago Splitter has played in 31 games (0 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 20.7 minutes, 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner will see a spike in P.T. until Splitter is ready to return to action. The Spurs should be ok until Ginobili and Splitter return to action due to the incredible depth they have on the roster.

The Spurs have lost 28-year old backup point guard T.J. Ford for the next 4-6 weeks due to a torn left hamstring. Ford has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. 27-year old Gary Neal will likely pick up most of Ford’s minutes until he’s ready to return to action. Neal has played in 5 games (4 starts) for the Spurs so far this year and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.