Clock is ticking on the 2021-22 NBA season for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
The Wednesday-morning-blogger purpose to have watched the Warriors clown the Clippers was for the Chris Haynes sideline reporter update on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Yahoo Sports activities reporter mentioned Leonard participated in an prolonged exercise in entrance of media members for the primary time since having surgical procedure to restore a torn ACL.
“Kawhi Leonard participated in a rigorous pregame exercise that lasted for effectively over an hour right now,” Chris Haynes mentioned through the TNT broadcast Tuesday. “I used to be advised it was his first prolonged exercise he’s carried out in entrance of media members. From my remark, he has zero limitations. But nonetheless, the Clippers are being cautious and nonetheless aren’t issuing a timetable for him or Paul George.”
Leonard letting the media watch him exercise is the conventional individual equal of telling somebody your deepest, darkest secret. He even shot 3s, on the courtroom, for everybody to report on their cellphone, earlier than the sport.
May he return quickly? Will it’s in time for the playoffs? Will Leonard ever inform anybody something about any damage no matter severity? Are the Clippers not issuing a timetable for a return as a result of Leonard and George haven’t given them a timetable?
The tweet-length in-game report mentioned coach Ty Lue would want to see each Leonard and George play common season minutes earlier than attempting to make a return within the postseason.
“I spoke with coach Lue and he advised me that if he can’t get his guys again for video games within the common season, it wouldn’t be secure for them to return within the playoffs,” Haynes mentioned.
The group is probably not issuing a timeline, nevertheless it sounds just like the coach is giving his two stars a month to get again on the courtroom or name it a season. Who is aware of what sort of updates the workforce is getting, or if Leonard is even utilizing the workforce’s medical workers. The coach both didn’t see — or didn’t wish to acknowledge — Leonard getting up photographs earlier than the sport.
George’s elbow damage has featured shady updates much like the non-update updates we get for his teammate. The final progress report earlier than Haynes’ extremely environment friendly information dump was Lue telling reporters Feb. 25 that the elbow is “feeling higher,” however will “want extra time.” When George obtained harm in late December, the team said he would be reevaluated in three to four weeks; greater than 10 weeks have handed.
(He tore his UCL, which might be healed with relaxation and with out surgical procedure, according to Johns Hopkins Medical, however might require surgical procedure relying on the way you wish to use it. When a baseball pitcher tears his UCL, it takes Tommy John surgical procedure and a prolonged rehab to get again.)
I’ve a tough time looking for the reason why the Clippers’ two stars have opted to deal with everybody like mushrooms — feed them shit and preserve them at nighttime — with regards to accidents. Leonard’s technique is to by no means say something to anybody, so I’ve come to anticipate it from him, similar to I’ve come to anticipate that he’s at all times taking part in harm.
And now it looks as if George additionally has adopted this PR transfer, which is okay. They need to know, although, that secrecy doesn’t do you any favors once you’re damage inclined. It results in hypothesis, like is that this period of Clippers basketball one other false prophecy of an excellent workforce?
In the event that they don’t come again previous to the playoffs, which begin April 16, then Steve Balmer should wait till subsequent yr when his two finest gamers can be 31 and 32 and coming off main accidents and important time missed. I agree with coach Lue that taking part in it secure is the good transfer as a result of the playoffs are exhausting on gamers who’re wholesome, and nothing about Leonard and George’s dealing with of their accidents would lead you to imagine that they’re even remotely near being one hundred pc.
The franchise can’t gamble on the well being of their finest gamers as a result of Kawhi and PG are their solely possibility. The in-the-moment-basketball-fan purpose to observe the Warriors trounce the Clippers on Tuesday evening was to see if an overachieving LA may give a not too long ago underwhelming Golden State workforce a recreation. Pfft.
The window to win a title is fleeting for tremendous groups nowadays, and it’s good to attempt to preserve it propped open, however the query is: Will Leonard and George ever be wholesome sufficient — and robust sufficient — to shove the Clippers via it?
