No PG or Kennard vs Portland and Utah / Leonard tbd

[KL2]

PG said he was fine and would play against the Jazz. Obviously did not. Leonard said he was fine and be a go for the GS game. Obviously will not.

Maybe one day they’ll be honest about these things.

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[MartinToVaught]

I'm sick of this. This team is never going to be healthy and at some point it might be time to accept it and start over. This is ridiculous.

[PeteyPablo]

I read a comment yesterday that Kawhi limped off during a time out. I think he stepped on another clippers foot.

This will be a good game for everyone not named Kawhi and Paul to show up and ball out .

[Roscoe Sheed]

PG said he was fine and would play against the Jazz. Obviously did not. Leonard said he was fine and be a go for the GS game. Obviously will not.

Maybe one day they’ll be honest about these things.

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these are probably fairly minor injuries and they would be willing to play, but the staff is just being very cautious

[nickhx2]

organization thus far has leaned way on the side of caution in spite of kawhi and/or pg wanting to play, so it's not necessarily anything having to do with them being dishonest.

hard to blame them, but for whatever it's really worth, those are like two of the scariest injuries that can be re-tweaked and be cause for re-injury later down the line. i think it's fair to be cautious, especially for a hamstring strain, and especially because the ankle sprain can very easily have a compound effect with kawhi's still-recovering knee.

[esqtvd]

hard to blame them, but for whatever it's really worth, those are like two of the scariest injuries that can be re-tweaked and be cause for re-injury later down the line. i think it's fair to be cautious, especially for a hamstring strain, and especially because the ankle sprain can very easily have a compound effect with kawhi's still-recovering knee.

Bingo this, Nick. Kawhi could complicate his recovery playing through a new injury, even slight. He's been showing up and the effect is already felt. In his absence, PG and Reggie have become terrific leaders but in the end, this is Kawhi's team. He's the one with the rings and the Finals MVPs. The straw that stirs the drink.


But PG and the hammy is the worst. You can drag yourself out for a Game 7 but if you do it in November you can still be feeling it in April.

It's hard to like Beard and his weird game but James Harden is NOT a dog. He's been playing at 80% for the last 2 years.

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On March 31, 2021, Harden suffered an HSI while playing for Brooklyn Nets. At the time, this injury did not appear to be a significant cause for concern. Previously, Harden experienced two HSIs with the Rockets, one during the 2017-2018 season and another during the 2018-2019 season, which together sidelined him for just ten games. However, by April 5, 2021, Harden returned after missing only two games but experienced a subsequent HSI four minutes into the game, which sidelined him for the next 18 games.

During the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Harden returned to performance without any apparent challenges. However, less than one minute into Game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukie Bucks, Harden suffered another HSI. Despite having an offseason to recover, persistent hamstring issues continued into the 2021-2022 season, sidelining Harden for several games and likely contributing to the notable decline in his performance relative to the past six seasons when he received MVP votes each year.

[Wammy Giveaway]

Maybe one day they’ll be honest about these things.

On the contrary, telling the truth would actually hurt them. Opponents will be bullying the Clippers like they were a lottery team, a team that's easily beatable, a laughing stock. Hiding the truth (or in this case, lying) protects the Clippers somewhat, buys them time. Deliberating concealing facts to throw your opponents off the trail is what gives teams who are missing players to injury the presence of a trap game.

It's actually kind of weird. The shorter the number of available players, the more intimidating the Clippers become. I think there's gonna be a game in their future where the Clippers become godlike the instant they are down to their last five players, and one foul out/ejection away from a forfeit. They have a comeback reputation: they did prevent three straight 3-0 leads in the playoffs, two of which would up getting eliminated.

[Clemenza]

I think PG is generally ok. The team was overplaying the sh*t out of him with Kawhi out. But I do wish one of these two were playing tonight.

[KL2]

Most cautious team I’ve ever seen.

It’s a shame you can’t believe who’s ok and who’s not or who’s playing and who’s not until you actually see who is on the floor any given night.

[Max Headrom]

I saw when Kawhi turned his ankle. It was when THT ran over Coffey and Kawhi contested the shot but came down awkwardly on his ankle trying to avoid stepping on Coffey after the contest. He limped immediately but stayed in the game. I don't blame the team being cautious this early in the season. Especially with all the teams bunched together in the West with no clear cut favorite. This is a long season

[nickhx2]

not trying to be overly repetitive but i think it does bear repeating: we went through a stretch where blake griffin and chris paul took turns getting injured in the playoffs every year, which tanked our chances over and over and over until they both went out at the same time and the team pretty much moved on. chris paul straining his hamstring over and over and over was mind-boggling. so yeah, i'm of the mind that you just don't screw around with hamstrings.

we're in a similar spot now where the team simply hasn't had the health they've needed to do what they have the expectations for, so i don't think anyone should really be upset that zero caution is thrown to the wind with these guys.

just to add: i recently rehabbed a high hamstring strain myself (i rehabbed it literally every day for WEEKS) and i'm the opposite of a professional athlete. and it sucks cause you kinda can't really tell it's alright until you've put a lot of stress on it and you come out fine. and for these guys the only stress that matters are real nba games, so i understand the team's caution.

[madmaxmedia]

It would have been faster if you just listed who was playing...

As others have stated, the frustrating thing about the team is their lack of transparency with injury reports. But if guys just need to sit out a couple/few games to get well, that's fine.

[KL2]

Lue said Kawhi woke up with soreness so that’s why he’s out. There’s no timetable for his return. There isn’t one for PG or Kennard either.

[KL2]

They’re fine. Nothing to be concerned about. Just want to make sure we’re doing right by them. Lue’s rinse and repeat statement.

lol

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[Roscoe Sheed]

not trying to be overly repetitive but i think it does bear repeating: we went through a stretch where blake griffin and chris paul took turns getting injured in the playoffs every year, which tanked our chances over and over and over until they both went out at the same time and the team pretty much moved on. chris paul straining his hamstring over and over and over was mind-boggling. so yeah, i'm of the mind that you just don't screw around with hamstrings.

we're in a similar spot now where the team simply hasn't had the health they've needed to do what they have the expectations for, so i don't think anyone should really be upset that zero caution is thrown to the wind with these guys.

just to add: i recently rehabbed a high hamstring strain myself (i rehabbed it literally every day for WEEKS) and i'm the opposite of a professional athlete. and it sucks cause you kinda can't really tell it's alright until you've put a lot of stress on it and you come out fine. and for these guys the only stress that matters are real nba games, so i understand the team's caution.

I get the caution, but if you are too cautious you may end up in the play in- then all bets are off like we saw last season- no telling what happens in any given game.

They are walking a fine line

[ejftw]

I honestly don't understand how Jasen Powell is still the Clippers head athletic trainer....he's been around since 99, and the franchise has never been good at managing injuries and the such.

He's a cool guy, met him a few times, but think Ballmer needs to replace the medical staff

[Dynamix]

They’re fine. Nothing to be concerned about. Just want to make sure we’re doing right by them. Lue’s rinse and repeat statement.

lol

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As frustrated as the fans are about all the injuries, imagine how much worse it must be for Ty, having to deal with this constant uncertainty regarding the rotations, while also being expected to compete at a very high level and build chemistry. So I totally understand why at some point you just say screw it and start giving the same vague answers to the same questions.

Also, if there's even a 1% advantage in opponents not knowing for certain a week in advance if Kawhi/PG will play against them or not, I say take it. Just try to make the most out of this crappy situation.

[og15]

PG said he was fine and would play against the Jazz. Obviously did not. Leonard said he was fine and be a go for the GS game. Obviously will not.

Maybe one day they’ll be honest about these things.

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That's usually why it's not simply up to the players saying "I'm fine" whether they get on the court or not. Player can think he's fine, doesn't mean he actually is, or you sleep and wake up with swelling, etc, those kinds of things. Sucks, but, yea.

I honestly don't understand how Jasen Powell is still the Clippers head athletic trainer....he's been around since 99, and the franchise has never been good at managing injuries and the such.

He's a cool guy, met him a few times, but think Ballmer needs to replace the medical staff

Powell would only be one piece of the equation. The team went and acquired a best player who had a known degenerative leg issue. He came to the Clippers banged up, he basically crawled to the finals and championship with the Raptors while being load managed. There is a point where if you get injury prone guys and they get injured, you can't really get too surprised.

It's like getting Embiid and saying, "why can't we keep him healthy". Kawhi though seems to also have his own "people" that help manage his injuries.

[PeteyPablo]

2021 was the Clipper's year to get to the finals. This year could still be in play. We will have to see how it all plays out.

Reggie Jackson can not be delegated to a playmaker. He makes mistakes that kill the momentum. He jumps in the air and then throws a pass into a crowd which leads to a fast break bucket.

What do you all think about giving Preston some minutes at Point? John Wall should be that guy but was benched vs the Warriors I think for several bad passes in a row.

[Ballings7]

Most cautious team I’ve ever seen.

It’s a shame you can’t believe who’s ok and who’s not or who’s playing and who’s not until you actually see who is on the floor any given night.

Made me lol good - but its true.. and I mostly get it, but yes very cautious and eventually this team will need to get a flow where Kawhi/PG are playing maybe not every game together for 2 weeks.. but you have Kawhi playing more than once a week, and then PG a bit more.

Wonder when they'll start being cautious with Wall.