Fansided

Danny Green adds fuel to fire regarding Spurs medical staff

By David Rouben

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 4: Kawhi Leonard #2 and Danny Green #14 of the San Antonio Spurs high five each other during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 4, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 4: Kawhi Leonard #2 and Danny Green #14 of the San Antonio Spurs high five each other during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 4, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Danny Green claims he suffered and played through a groin injury last season, but didn’t realize the extent of it until after the playoffs.

The Kawhi Leonard trade gives the Toronto Raptors the best player in the Eastern Conference, but it comes with a huge asterisk. Many people have been quick to point out the risk involved in taking on a player who will likely be a one-year rental and comes with a lot of medical uncertainty. But unbeknownst to Raptors fans, Leonard isn’t the only Spurs player they acquired who has injury concerns.

On the first episode of Danny Green’s new podcast “Inside the Green Room” (h/t Bleacher Report), he claimed to have played through a tear in his groin that went undetected by the Spurs medical staff. Green knew he had strained his groin back in December during a game against the Boston Celtics, which caused him to miss some time in late December and early January. But it wasn’t until an end-of-season physical that he found out it was a tear. It’s still unclear whether he tore his groin at the same time or later than the initial strain, or how long he played through it.

So, what does this mean for Leonard? Perhaps it does add some credence to his concern over the Spurs medical staff, and that he wasn’t wrong to get a second opinion. While it can be argued that Leonard still handled things poorly with Gregg Popovich, Green’s comments seem to have won him back some supporters:

In addition to those two, the Spurs had to deal with Tony Parker’s quad injury that had spilled over from the season prior. He returned before Leonard did, even though he said his injury was “100 times worse,” which was said to have rubbed Leonard the wrong way. But seeing him toil while on the court and lose his starting job before getting unceremoniously shipped off to Charlotte, it’s hard to see how Leonard didn’t make the right move.

It might be easy to use the groin injury to explain Green’s numbers from last season. His three-point percentage has been steadily declining since 2013, when he set a record for most three-pointers made in a Finals series, while he averaged 8.6 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting, to go along with 1.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds.

However, Green still adds a lot to the Raptors. Along with Leonard, he brings defensive versatility and wing depth, giving them plenty of options to switch against opposing teams. He’d be able to guard two through four while the Raptors deploy small ball lineups featuring the two ex-Spurs alongside OG Anunoby.

Next: The 20 different emotions of Gregg Popovich

By moving to Toronto, Leonard and Green are putting their faith in the Raptors’ medical staff, and for good reason. They maintained a relatively clean bill of health during last year’s 59-win season, while an ACL tear didn’t deter Anunoby from playing on opening night and making a big impact in his rookie season. But with Green’s injury news coming out, Raptors fans will be waiting for the results of their post-trade medical with bated breath.

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