Kawhi Leonard-Spurs relationship strained due to injury rehab
What's the story?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright are reporting that there is a rift between the San Antonio Spurs and their biggest star Kawhi Leonard. Due to a quad injury, Leonard has only played in nine games this season.
In case you didn't know...
Leonard was the 15th pick overall in the 2011 NBA Draft out of San Diego State. A few years later, he would make the 14 teams who passed on him regret that decision when he won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and was named the NBA Finals MVP.
The heart of the matter...
Wojnarowski and Wright used two words to describe the relationship between Leonard and the Spurs, "distant" and "disconnected" in regards to how his injury has been handled this season.
The Spurs recently shut Leonard down for an indefinite period of time. Spurs coach Greg Popovich stated they decided to shut him down after noticing that Leonard was not looking comfortable on the floor during those nine games.
Leonard averaged 23.3 minutes per game, and within that time, he was fairly productive averaging 16.2 points per game.
Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford denies the reports and provided the following quote:
"There is no issue between the Spurs organization and Kawhi. From Day 1 all parties have worked together to find the best solutions to his injury."
Buford would further expand on these thoughts and how historically these issues have been handled with no problems before:
"This has been difficult for everyone," Buford told ESPN. "It's been difficult for Kawhi. He's an elite-level player. It's been difficult for the team, because they want to play with a great teammate. And it's been difficult for our staff. Historically we've been able to successfully manage injuries. This rehab hasn't been simple, and it hasn't gone in a linear fashion."
What's next?
There may be some turbulence between Leonard and the Spurs, but overall the organization is still succeeding with a 30-18 record good for fourth in the Western Conference. Their next game is on Thursday with a team who's had their own troubles, the Cleveland Cavaliers (27-18) on a game that will air nationally on TNT.
Author's take...
The Spurs are the definition of a dynasty for good reason, they are a well-run organization. I fully believe that this could just be some frustration over the fact that Leonard cannot get completely healthy, but in the end, I believe everything will be okay and the Spurs will continue to win.