The Clippers are just a game above .500, but they’re willing to give Kawhi Leonard all the time he needs to start playing again, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Leonard participated in a five-on-five workout Friday for the first time since experiencing right knee soreness on October 23. Although that’s an encouraging sign, his teammates don’t want to rush him back into the lineup.
“I’m excited to get him back whenever he’s ready,” Paul George said. “Nobody here wants to put added pressure on his return. His return is his return. Like I’ve been saying, we got a job to do and that’s to continue to play ball, win games, compete. When he’s ready, he’s ready, but that’s his timetable, not ours.”
Leonard, who missed all of 2021/22 while recovering from a torn ACL, has only been able to play in two games this season. Kevin Durant, whose Nets won in L.A. this afternoon, said Leonard understands what he needs to do to get healthy.
“He knows how to deal with his body,” Durant said. “He knows his body better than anybody. The league is better though, when Kawhi Leonard is playing.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- After missing Friday’s game with a left adductor strain, Lakers star LeBron James has been upgraded slightly for Sunday but still remains doubtful, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. With James sidelined, coach Darvin Ham said “self-inflicted mistakes” cost L.A. in a loss to the Kings, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The Lakers committed numerous turnovers and defensive mistakes in the closing minutes of both halves. “We’ve just got to get some wins, especially in the West,” Anthony Davis said. “Every team is good. Got a lot of basketball left but we dug ourselves a hole. So we’ve got to put some wins together, got to start winning — ASAP. Try to stay positive, obviously. The energy around our locker room feels like 2-10, as it should. But we’ve got to start putting wins together immediately.”
- Malik Monk, who left the Lakers for the Kings in free agency, has been a good fit in Sacramento, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. L.A. wasn’t able to offer Monk more than the taxpayer mid-level exception, so he signed with the Kings for $9.5MM. “People probably may not look at him like this because he’s so young, and he’s bounced around as a young guy, but he knows how to lead,” coach Mike Brown said. “He uplifts the group. He’s fun-loving. He’s always messing with somebody, and guys really, really enjoy that, and you need that when you’re together as much as we are.”
- The Warriors should consider trading third-year center James Wiseman, who doesn’t fit the team’s style of play and isn’t ready to be part of a championship contender, argues Nekias Duncan of Basketball News.
Warriors don’t play Wiseman and Kuminga, trade them.
Don’t waste the talents.
It’s better for both sides if those guys are traded. The Warriors have a small window considering Green and Thompson falling off so much and Steph having to score 40 to beat has teams. They can get some vets back and the other team gets some good young talent.
@Lionel Who is this fictious veteran that the Warriors should trade for? The is obviously not very talented. Why trade for him?
Who should the Warriors trade them for? Bigs take a few years to develop. Why do you want to sell low? Give us an answer that makes good basketball sense.
So if the warriors give up on developing him who would be the team that wants to take a lot of time and trade the warriors quality for him? That is why he doesn’t get traded.
Leonard seems washed up at this point. He’s an old 31 with an injury history longer than Suge Knight’s rap sheet. He got that early ring with aging Spurs dynasty. Then it seems like he gave Toronto everything he had left to get that second ring. He still has a couple years to get back on track. But there was a year or two there where we asked ourselves if he was the greatest player in the game. I don’t think that ever becomes a question we ask again.
Will he make the HOF will be interesting. I say it’s not enough as of now.
I hope he gets healthy and makes a 3-4 year push back into the NBA elite. But it’s pretty much unprecedented for a player to miss so much time and then at 31-32 go on a dominant injury free run to reclaim that dominance they had in their 20’s. This really seems like a disappointing end to what could have been a legendary career.
I question if his mindset held him back. He never seemed to have that super competitive personality Kobe and Jordan had. He seemed cool with taking off back to backs and taking rest days. Doesn’t seem like it has helped him anyways.
If kawhi doesn’t play another game he’s still making the hall of fame easily. If you don’t think so, look at some of the players who are there who haven’t achieved as much as Leonard already has
The thing about Leonard is that he peaked early. Injuries seem to have played a role in that. And he seems kind of, dare I say, lazy these days. He just seems complacent.
Also I think he should have stayed with Raptors. He had such a good thing going over there.
He’s easily a HOF. 2 titles, 2 FMVP and his defense.
Larry Bird had about 5 season’s maybe 7 without injury, and he did enough to make the HOF easily. Top 3 best 5 year stretches ever in my opinion. Leonard while not stringing the seasons together has had an enormous impact on his teams’ success, and has a couple championships. Thats really good, because Bird, and his 3- ’81,’84,’86 is incredible, and his impact on winning them. Kawhi is a HOFer definitely. Not Bird good, but good
Bird scored 21000 career points. Ten thousand more than Kawhi. Bird had ten seasons of 70 games or more played, to Kawhi’s 2. Birds career averages are 24/10/6 to Kawhi’s 19/6/3. I understand Kawhi still has more time but I’m arguing against that he’s in the HOF right now already.
Bird also played in an era where players beat the crap out of eachother on the floor.
Mentioning them together in a hall of fame argument makes no sense to me at all.
You just want to argue. Not my thing. Fine I’m wrong, and everything you say is right. Unbelievable. I made the distinction in the comment you are criticising me for, and now suggest that I am comparing Bird & Kawhi directly. I really wasn’t trying to crap on your cornflakes. Please forget I commented ever, and I will request it be deleted.
Does anyone else miss that commenter Lil Dunker? I feel like he was knowledgeable and hilarious and that’s what we’re missing now
I got hacked
Yes where have you been? It’s been several months. Sorry to hear you got hacked welcome back.
Oh and if you’ve seen X%sure, tell him to come back too.
Did you really just comment on your own post? Lol
Who is Nekias Duncan? Why should anybody care what he thinks?
Career averages of 19 and 6.
Only 2 seasons with more than 70 games played.
Only 11000 career points scored as of today.
For these reasons I don’t think the HOF is a no brainer with him. Then again, it does seem like the bar for the HOF gets lower and lower as time goes on.
Only twelve players in NBA history have won multiple finals MVPs. Nine of them are in the HOF and the other three (LeBron, Durant and Leonard) are a lock to make it.
There’s always exceptions. Leonard could be it!
Is that the only reason he’s getting in? Because what else is on his resume that stands out? You win two finals MVP’s and you’re automatically HOF?
11,000 career points is good enough? I don’t think he’s been on the court enough, for someone who hasn’t had many dominant years. 19 points 6 rebounds and 3 assists isn’t great. But throw in excellent shooting percentages, 2 steals per game and great D and the two title runs and it’s definitely an interesting case. But to say he’s a lock just based on 2 Final MVP’s, I’ll disagree with. But maybe the voters will agree more with you.
The standard is getting lower and lower. It’s okay to have been a great player but not make the HOF. It should be reserved for the best of the best.