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Kawhi Leonard Back In San Antonio, No Spurs Meeting Set Yet

May 2nd, 2018 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

After spending nearly six weeks in New York rehabbing his quad injury, Kawhi Leonard is back in San Antonio, along with his advisor, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, for now, there’s no set date lined up for Leonard to meet with the Spurs’ brass.

As we’ve detailed ad nauseam over the last few weeks and months, Leonard and the Spurs have been somewhat at odds this season over the diagnosis and treatment of his troublesome quad issue, with Leonard’s own doctors disagreeing with team doctors about the nature of the injury. That disagreement has been a source of tension between the Spurs and Leonard’s camp.

As we relayed on Tuesday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright shared several new details on the Leonard situation this week, and their piece is worth reading in full. Shelburne and Wright provided some specifics on why both sides are frustrated — the Spurs don’t like injury treatment for their franchise player being out of their hands, while Leonard’s camp was bothered by the team’s resistance to outside opinions and by Gregg Popovich‘s apparent public questioning of their handling of the situation.

While it appears a meeting between the Spurs and Leonard has yet to be formally scheduled, it’s expected to happen at some point, and the club remains confident that fences can be mended. However, as Shelburne and Wright detailed in their report, it’s not clear whether team ownership will sign off a super-max contract offer following this season’s drama, and it’s also not known whether Leonard would accept such an offer.

Still, Leonard being back in San Antonio is a first step — we should hear in the not-too-distant future about plans for a sit-down between the two sides.

Hornets Interviewing James Borrego For HC Job

May 2nd, 2018 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets continue to conduct interviews for their head coaching position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Spurs assistant James Borrego is meeting with Charlotte about the job today.

Borrego began his NBA coaching career with the Spurs, spending seven seasons with the team from 2003 to 2010 before joining the Hornets for two years and the Magic for three. He returned to San Antonio in 2015. Primarily an assistant over the course of his career, Borrego earned his lone head coaching experience in 2015 in Orlando, leading the Magic to a 10-20 record as Jacque Vaughn‘s interim replacement.

Borrego, like a couple other Spurs assistants, has been a popular head coaching candidate this offseason, having already interviewed with the Knicks and the Suns for their open positions. Borrego’s fellow assistants Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina have also received consideration for head coaching jobs, including the Hornets’ role.

Besides the three Spurs assistants, the Hornets have also interviewed – or will interview – David Fizdale, David Vanterpool, and Jerry Stackhouse. New head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak appears to be conducting a thorough search, so it’s entirely possible that Charlotte will meet with more candidates following today’s Borrego interview.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

May 1st, 2018 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

While there has been tension between the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard‘s camp this season, the relationship between the two sides used to be strong. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright, Spurs sources point to the departure of agent Brian Elfus in 2016 as a turning point in the relationship between the two sides.

As Shelburne and Wright detail, Elfus co-represented Leonard along with Mitch Frankel up until 2016. Since then, Frankel and Leonard’s uncle Dennis Robertson have handled matters, and the relationship hasn’t been nearly as healthy, Spurs sources tell ESPN.

According to Shelburne and Wright, the Spurs have become worried that Leonard’s group has an ulterior motive to fray the relationship between the player and team, perhaps pushing the star forward to a larger market such as Los Angeles, New York, or Philadelphia. L.A. is Leonard’s hometown, while Robertson lives in New Jersey.

ESPN’s in-depth look into the Leonard situation in San Antonio includes several more interesting details, and should be read in full. However, here are a few highlights from the piece, via Shelburne and Wright:

As Shelburne and Wright note, one root issue of the tension between the Spurs and Leonard’s camp is their disagreement over the nature of his quadriceps injury. Leonard’s group believes the issue is “an ossification or hardening in the area” where he has endured multiple quad bruises, which in turn has affected the tendons connecting the muscle to the knee. The Spurs have referred to the injury as quadriceps tendinopathy, a disease of the tendon that has a degenerative effect on the muscle. The two diagnoses call for different treatments.
When Leonard returned for nine games in the middle of the season, he was only shut down again after seeing Dr. Jonathan Glashow, a New York-based orthopedic surgeon. Frankel and Robertson arranged that consultation, and Glashow’s team has guided Leonard’s rehab ever since, leaving the Spurs frustrated at having lost control of the forward’s medical care. “It’s out of our hands,” one Spurs staffer told ESPN.
Leonard’s advisors – who felt that the Spurs resisted considering outside opinions – have also been frustrated by their belief that Gregg Popovich has public questioned their handling of the situation. “They’re alienating him,” one Leonard confident told ESPN. “They’re making him look bad. You have this seamless transition from the [Tim] Duncan era to the new era, this homegrown superstar. Like why would you alienate him?”
A source close to R.C. Buford told ESPN that the Spurs’ GM is “losing sleep” over how and why the team’s relationship with Leonard has frayed.
Although the Spurs remain internally optimistic that Popovich and Leonard can work things out during the offseason, Shelburne and Wright suggest it remains unclear whether team ownership would approve a super-max contract offer, given how things played out in 2017/18. There’s also no clear answer yet on if Leonard would accept such an offer.
Following the death of Erin Popovich, Leonard was ready to leave New York and attend a Spurs game to support Gregg Popovich if the head coach had returned to the team’s bench. However, when Popovich didn’t return, Leonard ultimately stayed in New York to continue his rehab.

Magic To Interview Ime Udoka For Coaching Job

May 1st, 2018 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic are scheduled to interview Spurs assistant Ime Udoka for their head coaching job this week, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Udoka, a former NBA player for the Lakers, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Spurs, transitioned to coaching in 2012 following his retirement. He has been a member of Gregg Popovich‘s coaching staff in San Antonio since then, spending the last six seasons as a Spurs assistant.

Like fellow Spurs assistants Ettore Messina and James Borrego, Udoka has been a popular candidate so far this spring for teams seeking a new head coach. As Wojnarowski notes, Udoka has spoken to the Hornets already. He has also been identified as a potential target for the Hawks.

As for the Magic, they’ve been taking their time with their head coaching search, carefully weighing their options since parting ways with Frank Vogel last month.

A mid-April report indicated that Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse would meet with Orlando about the team’s coaching job, and we heard a few days ago that the club would also speak to Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool about the position.

Leonard Trade Would Signal Rebuild

April 30th, 2018 at 9:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs had two members in their organization in New York while Kawhi Leonard rehabbed his quad injury there, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports. That shows the team and Leonard’s representatives had regular communication despite the rift between the two parties. However, the disconnect appears to go well beyond whether Leonard should have returned to action, Aldridge adds.
The Spurs’ string of 21 straight postseason appearances could end next season if Leonard forces their hand and they trade him, Sean Deveney of Sporting News opines. The player option decisions of guard Danny Green and forward Rudy Gay will also impact where the team’s future is headed, Deveney continues. The team needs to add younger players and draft picks, especially if they put Leonard on the block, Deveney adds.

Knicks Rumors: Howard, Blatt, Leonard, Mudiay

April 29th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Juwan Howard, the latest name to emerge in the Knicks’ coaching search, has a powerful connection in the team’s front office, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. GM Scott Perry is a former assistant at the University of Michigan, and his first year with the Wolverines was Howard’s last season there.

Howard will be the 10th candidate to talk to Perry and team president Steve Mills, who were in Europe this week to interview former Cavaliers coach David Blatt and to scout Luka Doncic, along with other prospects. Despite the long list of interviewees, Bondy hears that the Knicks’ next coach may be someone not yet mentioned by the media.

There’s more news from New York:

Howard has a long list of former teammates with coaching experience who could potentially fill out his staff if he gets the Knicks job, notes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. The list includes Adrian Griffin, Nick Van Exel, David Vanterpool, James Posey, Darvin Ham, Jamaal Magloire, God Shammgod, Rafer Alston and John Lucas III.
If the Spurs make Kawhi Leonard available in trade the summer, the Knicks should go all in, even if it costs them Kristaps Porzingis and this year’s first-rounder, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Leonard’s scoring ability, defensive prowess and record of big-game performances make him a player that a franchise can be built around, Beer argues. He adds that the Knicks are hoping to construct a contender by surrounding Porzingis with top-level free agents, but their recent record in free agency casts doubt on that plan. He cautions that New York should make the deal with the Spurs only if team doctors determine that Leonard’s quad injury won’t be a long-term issue and he agrees to a four-year extension.
One-time Knicks coach Larry Brown remains optimistic about Emmanuel Mudiay‘s prospects in New York, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Brown tried to recruit Mudiay to SMU before he opted for China, and he believes the 22-year-old can excel by getting into top physical condition. “I don’t think Emmanuel has ever been in the greatest shape of his life,” Brown said. “That position you have to be an elite athlete and in unbelievable shape. I don’t know until he got to the NBA if he has ever been coached the way he needed to be coached.” Mudiay was placed in the league’s concussion protocol after hitting his head late in the season and was just cleared for basketball activities last week.

Green, Gay Could Be Too Costly For Spurs

April 29th, 2018 at 9:51am CST by Arthur Hill

The focus in San Antonio will be on Kawhi Leonard this summer, but the Spurs have plenty of free agent concerns, states Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. If Danny Green opts out, Deveney expects him to get offers of $12MM to $14MM per year for three to four seasons, which may be higher than the Spurs are willing to go. It’s also doubtful that they would commit to an expensive long-term deal for Rudy Gay if he opts out.

Suns Interview Steve Clifford, James Borrego

April 27th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Hornets coach Steve Clifford and Spurs assistant James Borrego are the latest candidates to interview for the head coaching spot in Phoenix, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Clifford, who was fired in Charlotte two weeks ago, had a meeting with Suns officials today, Wojnarowski relays. Clifford has expressed a desire to coach again next season after compiling a 196-214 record in five years with Charlotte.

Borrego, an assistant to Gregg Popovich for the past three seasons, interviewed in Phoenix on Thursday. He has brief NBA head coaching experience, compiling a 10-20 mark as an interim with Orlando at the end of the 2014/15 season.

The Suns have been among the most active teams in the search for a new coach, with David Fizdale, Igor Kokoskov, Frank Vogel, Jason Kidd, Vinny Del Negro, David Blatt and Kevin McHale all either interviewing or being linked to the position in the rumor mill.

Keep up with all the latest action on the coaching front by following our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

A Possible End Of An Era In San Antonio

April 26th, 2018 at 6:24pm CST by marksuleymanov

Manu Ginobili may officially retire this offseason, which will continue to shrink a Spurs core that has been a constant in the NBA for nearly two decades. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post looks at what could the end of an era in San Antonio with Tim Duncan‘s recent retirement, the possible departures of Ginobili and Tony Parker, and the ongoing drama with Kawhi Leonard.
Following the death of Gregg Popovich‘s wife Erin, assistant coach Ettore Messina stepped up to coach San Antonio for Games 3 through 5. He enters the offseason as a popular candidate for numerous head coaching vacancies and his three-game cameo may have helped his chances, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes.

Spurs’ Rudy Gay Mulling Player Option Decision

April 26th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Spurs’ 2017/18 season now in the books, Rudy Gay will face a decision this summer on whether to play out his contract or return to unrestricted free agency. Gay’s two-year deal with San Antonio includes an $8.8MM player option for 2018/19, and Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes that Gay sounds “genuinely torn” over whether to exercise or decline that option.

“Obviously I have to go through and assess some things,” Gay said. “But after a season like this, it’s hard not to want to come back and fight for a championship. I love these guys.”

Gay, whose 2016/17 campaign ended early due to an Achilles injury, made a speedy recovery and was ready to go for the Spurs in the fall. However, he was nagged by heel problems during the winter, limiting him to 57 regular season games, and never seemed fully like his old self.

“A lot of times, I will-powered through games, will-powered through practices,” Gay said, per McDonald. “I didn’t feel like there was anything worse I can go through (than the Achilles tendon injury).”

Although Gay averaged a career-low 21.6 minutes per contest, his per-minute numbers were solid, as he posted 11.5 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .471/.314/.772 shooting line for the season. He’ll enter this offseason in better health as he considers his option decision.

With NBA free agent spending not expected to be as extravagant this summer as it has been in the past couple years, an $8.8MM salary is probably a fair price for Gay, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him return to San Antonio on that deal. However, that $8.8MM figure is in the ballpark of the projected mid-level exception for 2018/19, and it also wouldn’t be a surprise if another team wanted to sign Gay to a multiyear deal using its full MLE.

While the Spurs have interest in bringing back Gay, other factors will dictate how much they could offer him if he decides to test the market, McDonald notes. Tony Parker and Kyle Anderson will be free agents this offseason for San Antonio, while Danny Green also has a player option for 2018/19, so the Spurs’ cap outlook hinges on a few roster decisions.