Of the countless surprises the National Basketball Association has churned out this season, perhaps one of the most understated has been the Spurs’ continued competitiveness in the wild, wild West. In large measure, it’s due to the culture of continuity and consistency that has engulfed the silver and black in the Gregg Popovich dispensation. Still, few projected them to be third in the conference despite losing key players — and especially top dog Kawhi Leonard — due to injury.
Needless to say, the Spurs’ capacity to contend is attributable to Popovich’s brilliance in the sidelines. All the man-hours lost have taken their toll, to be sure, but his confident handling of the obstacles coming his way has, well, spurred his charges no end. Leonard’s protracted convalescence from right quadriceps tendinopathy, for instance, would have compelled quite a few others to tank; given his importance to the cause on both ends of the court, thy wouldn’t have been faulted for deeming themselves better served angling for the draft lottery. Instead, they tweaked their sets on offense, as well as KM defense, to rely more on seemingly forgotten LaMarcus Aldridge.
Yesterday, Popovich cautioned against the idea that Leonard would be returning to make the Spurs even better; if anything, he implied that the two-time All-Star is done for the 2017-2018 campaign, with the possibility of his return to the hardwood tempered by the lack of time to adjust. “We only have X number of games left in the season, and he’s still not ready to go,” the bench tactician said. “If by some chance he is, it’s gonna be pretty late into the season.”
Do the Spurs want Leonard back? Of course. The roster Popovich is forced to work with could certainly use a Finals Lost Valuable Player, even at far less than full strength. On the other hand, the short-term effects cannot be underestimated; reintegration can and will take time. In the nine games he was able to suit up for through the turn of the year, his team went a pedestrian five and four. Which is why the brain trust would rather deal with what they know they have. Meanwhile, he seems to have decided against returning this season, never mind that team doctors have medically cleared him for action; if scuttlebutt is to be believed, a second opinion on his condition has him shutting himself down for the foreseeable future.
In this regard, Popovich is right. The Spurs “have a job to do. We have to do that with or without him. We’re going to have to prepare to make a run with or without him… We still feel like we’re a superior team.” And, under his tutelage, they are — maybe not on paper, but definitely in practice.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
