THE ENIGMA’S GREAT UNKNOWN
Kawhi Leonard’s situation might leave the Spurs facing unfamiliar territory
SAN ANTONIO — Somewhere along the line, we forgot. Many of us did, anyway. There are young adults among us who never knew in the first place.
As a rule, small NBA markets have to sweat everything. They sweat about whether they are good enough to make the playoffs. They sweat about whether they picked the right players. And on the rare occasions when they get a great one, they sweat about whether they can keep him.
But ever since Tim Duncan boarded a return flight from Orlando 18 years ago, having rid himself of his short-lived flirtatious streak for good, San Antonio has worried about none of this.
Not only have the Spurs always been good, they always have had at least one All-NBA player, and they always have known that All-NBA player would stay here forever.
So it was natural that we forgot what almost every other NBA city has to deal with. It was natural that we forgot we might not be everyone’s idea of an ultimate destination. And it was natural that we forgot what it was like to deal with the unknown. Well, the unknown finally is here. The enigma’s name is Kawhi Leonard.
Here is a list of things we do not know for sure about the Spurs’ best player, whose all-around inscrutability has created an uneasiness fans in these parts haven’t endured in almost two decades:
How badly he’s hurt: When the Spurs announced Leonard had been diagnosed with tendinopathy in his right quadriceps, it was not supposed to be a big deal. Described as more of a wear-and-tear injury than one related to a specific trauma, all it needed was a little rest. After all, it was not like he ruptured the tendon, like teammate Tony Parker did.
Street-clothes limbo
As it turned out, though, maybe a tear would have been better. Not only did the 35-year-old Parker beat Leonard back to the floor, he now is playing on back-to-back nights while Leonard lingers in streetclothes limbo.
Leonard has sought a second opinion, which Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he welcomes. But nobody is specifying what, if anything, is the difference between the two diagnoses.
When he’ll be back: Everyone with the Spurs and in Leonard’s camp seem to agree it will happen this season. Even after being shut down from game action a week and a half ago, Leonard has continued to work out, and all parties remain optimistic.
But the Spurs are not releasing a timetable, and that is sort of understandable, given recent history. In October, they thought he would be back to start the season. In November, they thought he would be back within weeks. And once he returned, only to not show the kind of physical improvement everyone expected, it became clear that trying to pin down a specific date is futile.
Whether he’s happy: For a few days last week, this was the subject of rampant national speculation, with ESPN reporting that Leonard’s relationship with the Spurs had undergone a “chilling effect” and then following it with TV commentators claiming he wants out of San Antonio.
This might be nonsense. But the problem is Leonard never tells anyone much of anything, at least publicly, so there is no way to know what he is thinking.
Once he emerged as an All-Star and Most Valuable Player candidate, the Spurs made an effort to turn him into the face of the franchise. And while he did make more of an effort to cooperate during interviews, he remains by far the league’s most withdrawn superstar.
The inscrutable Spur
This is not to say he is not ecstatic about where he and the Spurs are headed. It’s just that there is no way to tell if he is.
Whether he wants to stay: This is the one that might keep Spurs’ fans up at night, but the good news is it should be answered in the next six months or so.
Leonard currently is signed through next season, with a player option for 2019-20. But this summer, the Spurs can offer him a five-year, $217-million “supermax” extension. (If he is traded, his new team would not be allowed to offer him that much without him requalifying for it by making another All-NBA team.)
Yes to an extension
You might be asking if, considering his injury, the Spurs should offer this to him. They should, and will.
Is there a risk he might not live up to the money? A small one, perhaps, but he gives them their best chance to compete for championships, and there probably is not a Plan B that is even close.
The Spurs will need to add other top players. But right now, Leonard and Popovich are their top two attractions. Once they lose one or the other, they start looking an awful lot like every other small-market team out there.
So Leonard will get the offer, and then he will have a decision to make. He can reject it and give everyone in San Antonio permission to panic.
Or he can do what seems more likely, and sign it. Then he will be a little less of an enigma, and San Antonio can forget about the unknown again.