Debate rages on injury to Spurs ace
Zaza Pachulia’s foul on Kawhi Leonard was either dirty or just dangerous, and Gregg Popovich isn’t interested in the NBA’s opinion.
“I don’t care what the league does. I’m just telling you how I feel,” the Spurs coach said Monday. “The league is the league. They do what they do. I couldn’t care less.”
Popovich ruled Leonard out for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, but the debate about the play that caused his injured left ankle raged on long after Leonard crashed to the floor in pain Sunday.
“That was the right defense from my side to challenge the shot,” Golden State’s Pachulia said. “I wish that he hadn’t landed on my foot and honestly I had no idea he landed on my foot until I turned back and he was already on the ground, because as soon as he released the ball I turned around trying to chase the rebound and see where the ball was going.”
The play that knocked Leonard out of the game and helped Golden State’s huge rally in Game 1 of the series is one the NBA started cracking down on four seasons ago in an effort to protect jump shooters.
And more protection is the last thing shooters need, Cleveland guard Iman Shumpert said.
“Trust me, we don’t need the league putting in any more fouls and advantages for offensive players. We don’t need it.
“That’s something I think, if you take a ctontest out of the game, come on,” he said.
But with long-distance shots playing such a heavy role in offenses these days, the risk of injury isn’t going away.
Pelicans
A second consecutive non-playoff season will not cost general manager Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry their jobs — at least not before the start of next season.
How much patience owner Tom Benson, who turns 90 in July, and executive vice president Mickey Loomis will have with them once the season starts is another matter.
Cavaliers
Cleveland will team with another Akron icon starting next season.
Linked by geography and superstar LeBron James, the defending NBA champions Monday announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Goodyear.
The Cavaliers will wear the tire giant’s winged-foot logo on the fronts of their jerseys starting next season. No financial terms were released concerning the deal. Last year, the league approved teams signing companies to place logos on the upper left portion of their jerseys.
Philadelphia, Boston, Sacramento, Utah and Brooklyn already have such partnerships.