Kawhi Leonard Reportedly Hidden from Spurs Staffers in NY During Injury Rehab

[Duke4life831]

It's gotten to the point where it's just too hard to side with and defend Kawhi on this stuff. It seems like all these stories that have come out about Kawhi this past year has turned out to be true. He and his people just seem like way too much of a headache to deal with.

How do you know the stories are true though?

Because all the past stories have turned out to be true.

Rift between Kawhi and Pop: true
Rift between Kawhi and teammates: true
Kawhi wanting out of SA: true
Kawhi sitting out not because of injury by the end of the season: all signs point to being true

This story doesn't appear to be a hit piece. It's a very thorough and detailed article. So with the way the past year has gone for Kawhi, I don't see why the most detailed and thorough story to be the one that is false.

[Jedi32]

It's gotten to the point where it's just too hard to side with and defend Kawhi on this stuff. It seems like all these stories that have come out about Kawhi this past year has turned out to be true. He and his people just seem like way too much of a headache to deal with.

How do you know the stories are true though?

Because a professional basketball reporter who's job it is to cover the Spurs went on record and said those things were true, with his career at stake?
Or, you know, you could just believe whatever you want because "It's possible" that's true instead.

I just find it funny that all this negative stuff comes out about kawhi after he seeks a second opinion for an injury and after he wants to leave. If he was such a headache to the spurs and pop and rc Buford are such stand up guys who are high on character and what not, then why do the spurs want to keep kawhi? Something just isn’t adding up.

[8on]

Everybody loved Dwight......in Orlando.

Dwight should be proof positive that the grass is not always greener on the other side. He was doing Powerade and T-Mobile ads from Orlando.

Russell Westbrook has endorsement deals with a bunch of companies. If you’re great, you don’t have to be in a big city.

Kawhi is going to find all of this out the hard way. If there’s a small market team you stay with, it’s the Spurs. It’s the only team where the star can look bad for wanting to leave, no matter who it is.

[Jedi32]

It's gotten to the point where it's just too hard to side with and defend Kawhi on this stuff. It seems like all these stories that have come out about Kawhi this past year has turned out to be true. He and his people just seem like way too much of a headache to deal with.

How do you know the stories are true though?

Because all the past stories have turned out to be true.

Rift between Kawhi and Pop: true
Rift between Kawhi and teammates: true
Kawhi wanting out of SA: true
Kawhi sitting out not because of injury by the end of the season: all signs point to being true

This story doesn't appear to be a hit piece. It's a very thorough and detailed article. So with the way the past year has gone for Kawhi, I don't see why the most detailed and thorough story to be the one that is false.

I thought he and pop were still cool
I thought he had a rift with Parker because of his comments I didn’t hear about any other rift.
When was it substaniated that he wasn’t sitting out because of injury at the end of the season?

[Duke4life831]

How do you know the stories are true though?

Because all the past stories have turned out to be true.

Rift between Kawhi and Pop: true
Rift between Kawhi and teammates: true
Kawhi wanting out of SA: true
Kawhi sitting out not because of injury by the end of the season: all signs point to being true

This story doesn't appear to be a hit piece. It's a very thorough and detailed article. So with the way the past year has gone for Kawhi, I don't see why the most detailed and thorough story to be the one that is false.

I thought he and pop were still cool
I thought he had a rift with Parker because of his comments I didn’t hear about any other rift.
When was it substaniated that he wasn’t sitting out because of injury at the end of the season?

His teammates called a team meeting because they got fed up with this stuff. Pop has been taking small shots at him basically all season and Kawhi refuses to meet face to face with just the two of them. It was supposed to be too important for Kawhi to not leave NY for his rehab and that is why he wasn't with the team during the playoffs. Then like a week later he is out in LA watching Dodger games. Now a ton of rumors that he might sit out next season if he is still with the Spurs.

I'm a Kawhi fan and I've defended him basically all year. But I'm just saying it's to the point where it's pretty hard to defend him on this stuff. Then add in we are talking about one of the best and most respected run franchises in all of sports, who have really never had any issues like this before. It seems like all the evidence is starting to pile up that Kawhi has a helicopter parent (uncle in this case) and that person is causing a ton of issues. And again this article out of all the ones we have seen about Kawhi this past year is the one I question the integrity the least amount.

[CIN-C-STAR]

How do you know the stories are true though?

Because a professional basketball reporter who's job it is to cover the Spurs went on record and said those things were true, with his career at stake?
Or, you know, you could just believe whatever you want because "It's possible" that's true instead.

I just find it funny that all this negative stuff comes out about kawhi after he seeks a second opinion for an injury and after he wants to leave. If he was such a headache to the spurs and pop and rc Buford are such stand up guys who are high on character and what not, then why do the spurs want to keep kawhi? Something just isn’t adding up.

I think what's not adding up is simply your interpretation of events.
Kawhi sought a second opinion last summer, and then got a third opinion, and then assumed control of his own rehab nearly a year ago on August 8.
There were no leaks at that time or immediately after. The leaks started in January, with a leak that Kawhi wanted a trade.
So your suggestion that "all this negative stuff comes out about kawhi after he seeks a second opinion for an injury," is inaccurate, unless by "after" you just meant any time after, even way after, and if that's what you meant, that wouldn't be funny or coincidental at all since our perception of time is linear and everything new happens after everything else that has already happened.
Just seems like ignoring facts and doing mental gymnastics to try to make the Spurs look bad tbh.
And also, they want to keep him because he is really good at basketball, and because he and his group have intentionally sabotaged his trade value, and they are in the business of winning basketball games, so keeping him would help them achieve their goal the most at this point. Pretty easy to figure out if you're willing to look at the situation without a slant.

[Lalouie]

of course they have an ulterior motive. they want kl outta there so they can rebrand with minimal damage control, so they're making up stuff to make it look like sas's fault. they don't want kawhi's image taking a hit like kd when kd left. it was working for a while because everyone was siding with kawhi and against pops, asking if this is all pops fault.

[ChartFiction]

Spurs coming out with a lot of hit pieces to convince the less intelligent fans.

A disgusting, dirty franchise. Surprised they haven't hired Bowen to dropkick him and drag his body back to San Antonio.

[zimpy27]

This makes no sense. If Kawhi wanted to go back then, then he could have just said he wanted to leave like he is saying now.

I believe spurs are spreading this to suggest their medical staff didn't mess up and the whole medical issues in NY were just a ruse.

The most logical explanation to all of this is that the spurs organisation mishandled kawhis medical condition either by accident or on purpose to not pay him a big pay salary.

This would be the most elaborate misdirect in Spurs history over something as minor and as common as a misdiagnosis. I highly doubt the Spurs would go through trouble of lying to the media to make their medical staff look better, especially after the way the Spurs and Pop himself have admitted their faults in the past. If they didn't want to offer Kawhi the contract, they could just not offer it to him and skip the BS.

I don't think the most logical explanation in this situation would be something that's highly uncharacteristic for an organization. I think given the information we know about Kawhi's group that has come out, the legal issues, controlling uncle who wants to build a business, shady agents with peculiar relationships, rumors of a big pay day, etc. I think it's alot more likely they are behind this.

It just seems like you have to do some real mental gymnastics to think the Spurs are more likely to be at fault here given all the information we have.

I disagree, there is no precedent for the supermax and how organisations are dealing with it.

Logically the supermax is the best avenue for money so it makes no sense that his uncle would jeopardise that for a bigger pay day.

Spurs have no credibility here, why should they be trusted because things went well in the past? As I say, Boston mishandled the IT situation, but before that, were they considered a good organisation?

[zimpy27]

This makes no sense. If Kawhi wanted to go back then, then he could have just said he wanted to leave like he is saying now.

I believe spurs are spreading this to suggest their medical staff didn't mess up and the whole medical issues in NY were just a ruse.

The most logical explanation to all of this is that the spurs organisation mishandled kawhis medical condition either by accident or on purpose to not pay him a big pay salary.

wow, this has to be the stupidest thing I've ever read in realgm (with all respect)

I don't care the reason, whether it was accidental or on purpose. Point is they mishandled the medical situation and it has come to where we are.

How can it be the stupidest thing you read when the statement was open-ended? Does that mean you have the poorest reading comprehension on here?

[PerkinsFor3]

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[mitrandil20]

[kazyv]

This makes no sense. If Kawhi wanted to go back then, then he could have just said he wanted to leave like he is saying now.

I believe spurs are spreading this to suggest their medical staff didn't mess up and the whole medical issues in NY were just a ruse.

The most logical explanation to all of this is that the spurs organisation mishandled kawhis medical condition either by accident or on purpose to not pay him a big pay salary.

wow, this has to be the stupidest thing I've ever read in realgm (with all respect)

I don't care the reason, whether it was accidental or on purpose. Point is they mishandled the medical situation and it has come to where we are.

How can it be the stupidest thing you read when the statement was open-ended? Does that mean you have the poorest reading comprehension on here?

again, the medical situation was out of their hand on august, the 8th, are you saying that they mishandled it so bad, kawhi had to miss all season? and what exactly could they have done in the time between playoffs and august 8th? he was rehabbing/taking time off from the ankle injury anyway and at some point he must have been to vacation too. it's not like they made him play in the summerleague.

[tribulations]

I just want to hear something from Pop or Kawhi

[boomershadow]

The idea that the Spurs would deliberately mishandle Leonard's injury two years before his free agency to try to get him to take less money on his next contract is absolutely absurd.

[zimpy27]

wow, this has to be the stupidest thing I've ever read in realgm (with all respect)

I don't care the reason, whether it was accidental or on purpose. Point is they mishandled the medical situation and it has come to where we are.

How can it be the stupidest thing you read when the statement was open-ended? Does that mean you have the poorest reading comprehension on here?

again, the medical situation was out of their hand on august, the 8th, are you saying that they mishandled it so bad, kawhi had to miss all season? and what exactly could they have done in the time between playoffs and august 8th? he was rehabbing/taking time off from the ankle injury anyway and at some point he must have been to vacation too. it's not like they made him play in the summerleague.

They just brought out that report today. From the spurs.

You don't think that would have come out during the season when there were articles of misdiagnosis?

The reports were that Spurs were handling it and their doctors said he was cleared to play, yet now they say that Kawhi group had control. These reports from the Spurs are contradictory. How could he be cleared to play by a group not handling the process?

[IrishBeatdown]

Uncle Dennis is Reggie Rose, the bulls went through this a few years ago.

Pretty sure this has been brought up, but I only read 2 pages.

Dealing with family as a go between is **** NBA torture

[ILikeLollies]

Best thing for Kawhi is to go to the Sixers if only because Joel Embiid is an Alpha and tells it like it is.

No doubt in this case he will tell Kawhi he need to kick Uncle Dennis to the kerb.

[Lalouie]

This makes no sense. If Kawhi wanted to go back then, then he could have just said he wanted to leave like he is saying now.

I believe spurs are spreading this to suggest their medical staff didn't mess up and the whole medical issues in NY were just a ruse.

The most logical explanation to all of this is that the spurs organisation mishandled kawhis medical condition either by accident or on purpose to not pay him a big pay salary.

This would be the most elaborate misdirect in Spurs history over something as minor and as common as a misdiagnosis. I highly doubt the Spurs would go through trouble of lying to the media to make their medical staff look better, especially after the way the Spurs and Pop himself have admitted their faults in the past. If they didn't want to offer Kawhi the contract, they could just not offer it to him and skip the BS.

I don't think the most logical explanation in this situation would be something that's highly uncharacteristic for an organization. I think given the information we know about Kawhi's group that has come out, the legal issues, controlling uncle who wants to build a business, shady agents with peculiar relationships, rumors of a big pay day, etc. I think it's alot more likely they are behind this.

It just seems like you have to do some real mental gymnastics to think the Spurs are more likely to be at fault here given all the information we have.

I disagree, there is no precedent for the supermax and how organisations are dealing with it.

Logically the supermax is the best avenue for money so it makes no sense that his uncle would jeopardise that for a bigger pay day.

Spurs have no credibility here, why should they be trusted because things went well in the past? As I say, Boston mishandled the IT situation, but before that, were they considered a good organisation?

What makes you think it's only about money. Maybe it's rebranding. Maybe he wants him closer to a media center.

And why should the spurs be NOT trusted when things went well in the past. It's called having a track record. And why are you comparing them to the celts. Just because one, why does it have to be the other. What,,,,, do you not look at the history.

[zimpy27]

This would be the most elaborate misdirect in Spurs history over something as minor and as common as a misdiagnosis. I highly doubt the Spurs would go through trouble of lying to the media to make their medical staff look better, especially after the way the Spurs and Pop himself have admitted their faults in the past. If they didn't want to offer Kawhi the contract, they could just not offer it to him and skip the BS.

I don't think the most logical explanation in this situation would be something that's highly uncharacteristic for an organization. I think given the information we know about Kawhi's group that has come out, the legal issues, controlling uncle who wants to build a business, shady agents with peculiar relationships, rumors of a big pay day, etc. I think it's alot more likely they are behind this.

It just seems like you have to do some real mental gymnastics to think the Spurs are more likely to be at fault here given all the information we have.

I disagree, there is no precedent for the supermax and how organisations are dealing with it.

Logically the supermax is the best avenue for money so it makes no sense that his uncle would jeopardise that for a bigger pay day.

Spurs have no credibility here, why should they be trusted because things went well in the past? As I say, Boston mishandled the IT situation, but before that, were they considered a good organisation?

What makes you think it's only about money. Maybe it's rebranding. Maybe he wants him closer to a media center.

And why should the spurs be NOT trusted when things went well in the past. It's called having a track record. And why are you comparing them to the celts. Just because one, why does it have to be the other. What,,,,, do you not look at the history.

Money is the motivator for both sides. I think that's fairly obvious.

What history? We know nothing of the history of any basketball business and how they operate internally. Organisations are about building positive branding, they pay people millions to make them look good. They also change management. Sports media, social media and player empowerment are also relatively new with the level of transparency. Records are fairly useless.

This isn't like a crime proceeding, we aren't getting character references of an individual. This is a business with smart business decisions made.

If you want to make it personal. RC Buford has broken the law before, Kawhi has not.