Kawhi Leonard has yet to set a date for his return to the San Antonio Spurs’ lineup, and his teammates appear to be growing frustrated with him.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Spurs held a players-only meeting — led by Tony Parker — after Saturday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and urged Leonard to return to the lineup for the stretch run and the postseason. The discussion is said to have gotten “tense and emotional.”
The conversation was described as tense and emotional at times, league sources said.
Several teammates spoke up, expressing frustration and confusion over a growing divide with Leonard that has created significant tension between the franchise star and the Spurs, league sources said.
Leonard, 26, was resolute in response, insisting that he had good reason for sitting out all but nine games with a right quad injury this season, league sources said.
Wojnarowski adds that Leonard has impressed his teammates and coaches during practice drills, which has led them to believe his return was imminent. Leonard was reportedly supposed to play in some recent games but ended up deciding he was not feeling confident enough in his lingering quad injury.
Spurs veteran manu Ginobili recently expressed frustration over the situation and said the team is better off assuming the All-Star will not be back.
“He is not coming back,” Ginobili told reporters. “For me, he’s not coming back because it’s not helping [to think Leonard is returning]. We fell for it a week ago again. I guess you guys made us fall for it. But we have to think that he’s not coming back, that we are who we are, and that we got to fight without him. That shouldn’t be changing, at least until he is ready for the jump ball.”
We have heard plenty of reports about tension between Leonard and the Spurs, but the latest indicates his teammates — not just the organization — have grown tired of the waiting game. Leonard has supposedly been cleared by doctors and has made the choice on his own to remain out.
