Patty Mills is out.Leonard had an x-ray, but isn't expected to miss much time according to Jeff McDonald of the Leonard, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, is an underrated but vital part of San Antonio's squad that features a marquee veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.The 23-year-old Leonard will presumably become the face of the franchise when all those aging All-Stars walk away from the game. I’m confident that Kawhi’s quad injury will be resolved and we’ll see him back at 100%.When? When you're a young kid, you're going to defer to Timmy and Manu and [Tony]. Portland (tonight), Dallas (Sat) in meantime.Paul Garcia of Project Spurs reported the details of Leonard's status:Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard have already been ruled out by the Spurs for tomorrow as well.The Spurs announced earlier Kawhi Leonard (bruised right hand) is questionable to play tomorrow in Denver. Can't do things like "catch" which seems vital#SASvsWAS Injury Report: Leonard and Parker remain out. Now it's like, "To heck with those guys. And it’s been difficult for our staff. Does Leonard just need to update his OS?Or are there valid reasons for Kawhi’s ongoing uncertainty of return?Yes. Kawhi is only 25 and even though the Spurs are the third seed, they understand there’s too much risk here to rush him back.We already have clear examples, involving Kawhi, of just how cautious the Spurs medical staff is.These decisions were made even though there was everything to play for.
Kawhi Leonard’s quad injury (diagnosed as a quadriceps tendinopathy) has become a bit dramatic for the buttoned-up Spurs franchise. Coach Pop has commented on it multiple times. Pop says he should graduate to 2-on-2 soon. Historically we’ve been able to successfully manage injuries. He's getting more license. Even when he spent 10 days in New York for a second opinion, the Spurs training staff was there working out with him.Lastly, the medical staff has a clear understanding of risk/reward. One positive: Can't hurt himself further.Popovich didn't sound very optimistic when talking about On Wednesday, Leonard — the 27-year-old two-way wunderkind who spent the bulk of the 2017-18 season on the injured … It’s … Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard suffered a hand injury on Wednesday, Dec. 10. To hell with them. He’s an elite-level player. That I can’t tell you. Let’s go through the general timeline and updates of Kawhi’s quad injury:Clearly, there’s been a lot of uncertainty with Kawhi’s timeline and rehab which naturally leads to a lot of hand-wringing.Is Kawhi’s quad injury worse than the staff is letting on? The Spurs staff doesn’t play when it comes to injury risk and it’s one of the things I respect most about them.There’s not a better coach and GM duo in the league. Check Out Kawhi Leonard's Extensive List of Injuries after Nine Years in the NBA . From the moment Kawhi Leonard left Game 1 with injury, the Golden State Warriors have outscored the San Antonio Spurs by 61 points. There’s the possibility that previously pain free movements are now painful because the brain is on high alert (the car alarm is going off whether it’s a four-year-old toddler crawling by or anyone else).Now, let’s think about the level of stress, frustration, and likely anger that Kawhi has felt throughout this process.Just reading all this makes me angry and frustrated – and that’s even with my detailed understanding of the injury and pain science. Maybe the Spurs didn’t know it yet, but Leonard was as good as gone. It simply means that there is a disorder in the tendon.A tendinopathy generally falls into 4 different phases, from least to most severe :As you can now see, there’s a huge spectrum on the healing process, rehab process, and timeline for return based on the phase. These two are the best in the business when it comes to organizational and player relations, bar none.This long variable process, although not ideal, doesn’t worry me. An analogy I like to use (full credit to Think of your body as a car and the brain as the car’s alarm system.If you’re living in a dangerous neighborhood that has a lot of car theft, you want the car alarm to be really sensitive and aware of potential threats.However, you move a to a much safer area with no car theft, but the car alarm continues to be really sensitive. San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard reacts after an injury during the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on May 14. This means more minutes, often guarding the opponent’s best player, generally having an increased role on both ends, playing during the most intense stretches of the game, etc. In fact, it started new rumors on whether he was not playing because of his injuries or because of the issues he had with the team. It’s the convergence point of all four of your quads:The quad tendon is involved in basically all upright activity and heavily stressed during dynamic movements such as running, jumping, moving laterally, starting & stopping, etc.Due to this high level of demand, rehab is generally going to take longer and be more conservative because it’s imperative that the tendon is at or very close to 100%.Quad tendinopathy is a general catch-all term for a tendon injury. Leonard already has a sophisticated understanding of the game and is among the best and most versatile on-ball defenders in the NBA.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich emphasized—in his unique way—just how valuable Leonard is to the team's success, per We're trying to loosen up a bit and give him more of a green light. The track record of their medical team speaks for itself:Their medical staff understands that Kawhi’s quad injury and tendon need to be at or near 100% so the tendinopathy doesn’t progress.This is especially true for Kawhi because in addition to the huge stress that NBA movements put on the quad tendon, Kawhi is a two-way franchise player.