Popovich wishes Leonard well
Spurs head coach was alternately wistful and optimistic when he met with members of the media yesterday. Speaking about the trade that sent disgruntled top dog Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors vice fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan, he noted that “we wish him well, but, at this point, it’s time to move on.” Meanwhile, he appeared more effusive in his praise of erstwhile starter Danny Green, who was included in the deal that also netted reserve Jakob Poeltl and a protected first-round pick in 2019 for the black and silver. “He’s been here quite a lot, and he was a big part of what we do on and off the court. He was a great community guy, and we are going to miss him very much.”
Popovich did defend Leonard against criticisms that mounted while the two-time Defensive Player of the Year missed a whopping 73 games of the 2017-2018 season recovering from a quadriceps injury. “All the stories that denigrated him in that regard, [they were] unfortunate and inaccurate.” Still, it was clear from how he parsed his words, and what he did not say, that he didn’t care for how their relationship deteriorated to the point where ties simply had to be severed. “My main interest is to definitely not look back. It doesn’t do us any good whatsoever.”
And look forward the Spurs do, going the competitive route instead of treating Leonard’s departure as an opportunity to rebuild. Never mind that the Warriors, two-time defending titleholders, have become even stronger in the offseason. Forget that, with DeRozan anchoring their offense alongside doorman LaMarcus Aldridge, their style of play figures to be a throwback to the days when the value of midrange jumpers was extolled. No doubt, their refusal to reboot stems from their desire to maximize whatever time they still have with Popovich at the helm.
The Spurs are, well, the Spurs, and will therefore show nothing but their best night in and night out. Nonetheless, it’s telling that their inability to contend as well as their did during their championship run in 2014 coincides with the rise of the pace-and-space system which favors three-point and at-the-basket attempts. It’s what the Warriors, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics ran en route to the 2018 Conference Finals. Which is why, for all his protestations, Popovich will occasionally harm back to what happened with Leonard, and ponder the attendant What Ifs and What Could Have Beens.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
