Devin Vassell Ruled Out Monday With Adductor Injury As Spurs Roll

The San Antonio Spurs are officially putting Devin Vassell on ice for Monday night's matchup against the Phoenix Suns thanks to an adductor injury.

If you follow the NBA closely, you already know that the word adductor is basically Latin for we will evaluate him in two weeks and then tell you absolutely nothing. It is the ultimate lingering soft-tissue nightmare for a basketball player.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Devin Vassell (adductor) ruled out Monday.'"

The timing is a brutal speed bump for a team that has been absolutely rolling. San Antonio is sitting at 8-2 and holding down the third seed in the Western Conference.

They just finished dismantling the Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 on Sunday, but the back-to-back schedule means the medical staff is not taking any chances with their starting shooting guard.

Vassell already dealt with a left adductor strain earlier this calendar year, which makes this flare-up a giant flashing red light for the training staff. You do not mess around with a core muscle injury unless you want it to ruin your entire winter.

For anyone looking at the board tonight, the Spurs opened as 8.5-point favorites on the road against a struggling 3-5 Phoenix squad. Vassell's absence means a massive chunk of perimeter scoring just vanished from the projected 226.5 game total.

San Antonio has the depth to survive a random Monday night in November, but the rotation is going to look a lot thinner on the wing. Expect a heavy dose of the secondary unit trying to fill the void.

The Spurs head to Chicago to play the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Do not be shocked if Vassell is wearing street clothes for that one, too.