San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kawhi Leonard Set To Return For Spurs

December 12th, 2017 at 11:56am CST by Austin Kent

DECEMBER 12, 11:56am: Leonard will play on Tuesday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confirmed today (Twitter link via Michael C. Wright of ESPN). The star forward will be on a minutes restriction.

DECEMBER 8, 2:29pm: Leonard is now targeting Tuesday’s game in Dallas for his return, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael Wright of ESPN (Twitter link). The Spurs don’t play on Sunday or Monday, so delaying his debut until next week would give Leonard a few extra recovery days without missing multiple games.

DECEMBER 7, 2:43pm: The Spurs could welcome Kawhi Leonard back to the lineup as soon as this Saturday, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News writes. The forward has been held out of action with a quad injury since late September.

While Leonard seems optimistic about his imminent return, the team will have a better idea of his status after they re-evaluate him on Friday. Leonard, Young writes, participated in a final workout session with the team today.

Leonard has missed all 25 games for the Spurs this season while recovering from right quadriceps tendinopathy but has slowly ramped up his activity in practice over the last few weeks.

Just last season, the 26-year-old took his game to a new level, averaging 25.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while guiding the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals. The well-rested 2016-17 MVP finalist will look to pick up exactly where he left off.

“He looked great [in practice],” Tony Parker, who just returned from his own quad injury, told reporters. “I almost forgot he was that good.”

Soon enough we’ll all remember.

Kawhi Leonard Probable To Play Tuesday

December 11th, 2017 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kawhi Leonard‘s long-awaited season debut will likely take place on Tuesday. The Spurs All-Star forward is listed as probable for Tuesday’s road game against Dallas, ESPN’s Michael C. Wright relays. Leonard has endured a longer-than-expected recovery period from right quadriceps tendinopathy. He averaged a career-high 25.5 PPG last season and led his club to the Western Conference finals.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/10/17

December 10th, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Spurs announced on Sunday that guard Derrick White has been assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Through six games with San Antonio, White averaged 1.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in less than eight minutes per game.

Rudy Gay Fitting In Well With The Spurs

December 10th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Arthur Hill

Rudy Gay was considered an odd fit when he signed with the Spurs this summer, but the move has worked out, notes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype in a Twitter video. Gay has accepted a reduced role in San Antonio, playing just 23.5 minutes per night, and is averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. He has also adopted the Spurs’ language, as Kennedy includes a recent quote of Gay saying, “For us to be successful, we have to find the open man and pass up a good shot for a great one.”

Leonard Says He'll Return Soon

December 4th, 2017 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Spurs All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard said he’ll return soon from the quadriceps injury that has kept him out all season but he still has a few more steps in his rehabilitation process, according to an Associated Press report. Leonard has been practicing but still doesn’t have a target date, the AP report adds. “I feel good, soon to come [and] be able to play on the floor,” Leonard said to reporters on Monday. “It’s been a long wait, but I’m feeling pretty healthy right now.”

Kyle Anderson Out 2-3 Weeks With Sprained MCL

December 4th, 2017 at 2:09pm CST by Austin Kent

DECEMBER 4, 2:09pm: Anderson is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks due to a sprained left MCL, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

DECEMBER 3, 9:57pm: Less than two months into a breakout season with the Spurs, fourth-year forward Kyle Anderson went down with a left medial knee sprain. Royce Young and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN report that he underwent an X-ray at the stadium.

The X-ray, a standard procedure in this situation, came back negative but more details as to the severity and timetable of the injury will be brought to light Monday when the 24-year-old undergoes an MRI.

Anderson suffered the non-contact injury in the third quarter of San Antonio’s Sunday night loss to the Thunder. Per Marc Spears of ESPN, the forward – who had been filling in for LaMarcus Aldridge at the four – went to the floor screaming and grabbing at his knee.

Wojnarowski and Young add that the Anderson was unable to put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped off the floor by teammates.

The injury comes 22 games into a season in which Anderson’s role has increased substantially on account of Kawhi Leonard‘s lingering quad injury. In 27.7 minutes of action, he’s averaged 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Leonard's Rehab In Its 'Last Steps'

December 2nd, 2017 at 11:13am CST by marksuleymanov

Kawhi Leonard has yet to suit up for the Spurs this season as he’s battled a quadriceps injury but he is close to making his season debut. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes that head coach Gregg Popovich sees Leonard rehab in its “last steps.”

Leonard, 26, finished third in NBA Most Valuable Player voting last season as he averaged 25.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG while also frustrating opposition on defense. Despite Leonard’s absence, the Spurs have still played well, currently occupying the third seed in the Western Conference with a 15-7 record.

Tony Parker Returns After Six-Month Absence

November 30th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Austin Kent

After seven months of inactivity, Tony Parker made his return to the Spurs lineup this week and the veteran’s presence was quickly felt. As ESPN’s Michael Wright reports, Parker’s return boosted the squad on an emotional level.

“Big lift, especially emotionally more than anything,” Spurs shooting guard Danny Green said. “Just to see him warming up with us. I think everybody’s just happy for him, just to see him go through that process — the injury first, then taking that process of six to seven months of being out and not being able to play — and what he’s meant to us and this organization.”

Parker followed up his debut in the Spurs’ Monday night victory over Dallas with a 10-point, five-assist showing on Wednesday.

Anderson Bolsters Case For Free Agency

November 29th, 2017 at 8:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs swingman Kyle Anderson will be in a strong position when he enters free agency next summer, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined since preseason, Anderson has stepped into the starting lineup and has impressed San Antonio’s front office with his performance, averaging career highs in points (9.2), rebounds (6.3) and assists (3.2) through 20 games. “Free agency happens this coming July, and he’ll be in a better position because of the way he’s played,” Spurs GM R.C. Buford said. “We’ll be in a better position because we know the role that he can fill with the team that we have. We’ll evaluate Kyle’s free agency as a part of the whole team, but he’s clearly put himself in a position to be respected in free agency.”

Leonard Closes In On Season Debut

November 27th, 2017 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Alex Len has become the odd man out in the Suns’ center rotation and he cannot hide his displeasure, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic reports. Len signed a one-year, $4.2MM qualifying offer with Phoenix after failing to receive an offer sheet that he found acceptable as a restricted free agent over the summer. Len has not played in two of the three last games, as interim coach Jay Triano has decided to ride veterans Tyson Chandler and recently-acquired Greg Monroe. “I put in the work hoping to show my skills on the court,” Len told Bordow. “So when you’re not able to help your team, it’s frustrating.” Len’s lack of playing time won’t help his cause when he enters the market again next summer, this time as an unrestricted free agent.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Jazz center Rudy Gobert is participating in on-court individual drills at practice, Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News tweets. This could be a sign that Gobert, who is recovering from a right knee injury, will return to action sooner than the four- to six-week timetable given on November 12th. Gobert injured the knee in a collision with Heat guard Dion Waiters.
Spurs All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard is making significant progress from the right quadriceps tendinopathy that has kept him out of action all season, coach Gregg Popovich told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News and other media members. Popovich, who jokingly scoffed at “Doctor” Tony Parker‘s estimation that Leonard could return in two or three weeks, said Leonard would soon participate in 5-on-5 practice drills. “He’s getting very close and making progress,” Popovich said. “He’s having contact now and hopefully we will get him back shortly.”
The Rockets are not experiencing chemistry issues because the veterans they acquired know how to blend in, according to Hunter Atkins of The Houston Chronicle. Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute know what it takes to work well with others and it shows now that the team is playing at full strength, Atkins adds.