Kawhi Leonard reportedly wants Popovich to ‘tweak some things’
San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has been disconnected from the team all season. Reportedly, Leonard wants Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to change.
The San Antonio Spurs finished the 2017-18 NBA season with a 47-35 record and were the No. 7 seed in the West. After being ousted by the Golden State Warriors this week, one can only wonder what could have been. Their star forward, Kawhi Leonard, only played in nine games and was a headline for a bulk of the second half of the season because of his lack of communication with his team.
Apparently, according to a new story by New York Daily News, Leonard has some things he wants to change. According to a quote from an anonymous a rival executive, Leonard wants head coach Gregg Popovich to lighten up. Popovich has built the Spurs brand on demanding excellence and accountability. Since Leonard isn’t the same player he was when the Spurs won the title in 2014, Leonard may want Pop to see things differently.
"The Spurs, though, have a difficult decision on their hands. Do you invest the richest contract in franchise history for a player who didn’t exactly rush back to play this season and who has missed a ton of games over his career? In his first six seasons, Leonard missed 78 games. This year he was out 73. That’s nearly two full seasons of games missed in seven years."
"“Don’t you have to sign him,” asks one rival executive. “From what I understand, he wants (Gregg) Popovich to lighten up a little with practice and tweak some things. The Spurs may not want to change their ways, but this is Kawhi Leonard we’re talking about.”"
The Spurs must now decide whether Leonard is worth the investment. The Spurs way would probably be successful regardless, but they must remember the likes of Leonard don’t come around often.