The San Antonio Spurs will play game three of a playoff series against the defending champs on Thursday night, yet the most prevalent discussion about the team has revolved around a player who hasn’t set foot on the court since January. The issue of Kawhi Leonard, who has reportedly been cleared to play since February but has opted to rehab his quad rather than play in the postseason, is a perplexing one.
For the first time in a very, very long time, the Spurs appeared to be in trouble. There was reported friction between the organization and its superstar. The terminology of Leonard and his “group,” combined with head coach Gregg Popovich’s seeming irritation and the comments of Leonard’s teammates, led to mass speculation of turmoil within the Spurs organization. In the first good news we’ve had in some time on this front, however, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post reports that Popovich and Leonard are on good terms:
The relationship between Popovich and Leonard, multiple sources say, remains strong.
Popovich and Leonard being on good terms doesn’t necessarily mean the latter is on good terms with the rest of the organization, or that he wants to stick around in San Antonio. The Spurs have until July 1 to repair whatever damage may have been done if they hope to sign Leonard, a near-concensus top-five NBA player, to a supermax contract extension.
