Due to this high level of demand, rehab is generally going to take longer and be more conservative because it’s imperative that the tendon is at or very close to 100%. The track record of their medical team speaks for itself: Their medical staff understands that Kawhi’s quad injury and tendon need to be at or near 100% so the tendinopathy doesn’t progress. As Kawhi Leonard takes his time deciding which NBA team he will sign with, fellow free agent Danny Green has done his best to not bother his longtime teammate throughout the process. The Spurs staff doesn’t play when it comes to injury risk and it’s one of the things I respect most about them. Toward the end of the 2017-18 season, Leonard was cleared by Spurs doctors to return to the court. The Spurs wound up trading Leonard to the Raptors, who managed his body perfectly. A timeline for his return to … I’m confident that Kawhi’s quad injury will be resolved and we’ll see him back at 100%. I have no doubt that Pop and Buford are extremely connected to Kawhi, the medical team, and are in constant communication with both. It’s worth noting, though, that Leonard did deal with left knee tendinitis in the Finals. It’s the convergence point of all four of your quads: The quad tendon is involved in basically all upright activity and heavily stressed during dynamic movements such as running, jumping, moving laterally, starting & stopping, etc. Catch the Raptors on the wrong night and you will miss him entirely, for no other reason than Leonard prefers to sit out a … The Clippers are on their way to the NBA playoffs as the No. Kawhi Leonard’s quad injury (diagnosed as a quadriceps tendinopathy) has become a bit dramatic for the buttoned-up Spurs franchise. Both Coach Pop and GM RC Buford have touched on Kawhi’s emotional state: Pop, according to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News: “He’s given it a shot. When? There have been multiple changes in his timetable for return and Coach Pop has openly been stumped about when he will actually return. 12/2/17 – Kawhi returns and plays nine games, averaging up 16, five, and two. A tendinopathy generally falls into 4 different phases, from least to most severe : As you can now see, there’s a huge spectrum on the healing process, rehab process, and timeline for return based on the phase. Here’s a timeline of this injury and all the friction that occurred because of it: Sept. 30, 2017 Leonard’s injury was first revealed at the Spurs’ intrasquad scrimmage in late September. Rumors of a potential rift between the Spurs and Kawhi, News that Kawhi has been medically cleared but choosing not to play, according to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News, Rockets locker room puts up caution tape on doors leading to secret passageways, 9/30/17 – Coach Pop reveals that Kawhi has a quad injury, will miss the pre-season, with no timetable for return, 10/13/17 – Spurs confirm that Kawhi’s quad injury will keep him out of the regular season opener, 11/7/17 – Coach Pop comments that Kawhi’s quad rehab is coming along slower than expected, 11/15/17 – When asked, Coach Pop states that Kawhi should be back sooner rather than later, 11/28/17 – Tony Parker returns from quad tendon rupture. The Spurs had to watch Kawhi Leonard shine during the 2018-19 season. He wanted redemption after getting taken out by Zaza with his team up double figures in game 1 of the western conference finals vs the Warriors. This parallels what happens with the brain and pain. Even when he spent 10 days in New York for a second opinion, the Spurs training staff was there working out with him. They are so forward thinking and ahead of the curve. However, his nagging quadriceps injury wasn’t getting better. No one is as connected to their players, handles disagreements, or player issues quite like these two. Yes. Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard won’t be back in action until next week. Quad tendinopathy is a general catch-all term for a tendon injury. Three reasons specifically – the diagnosis itself, the neuroscience of pain, and the Spurs medical staff. He’s frustrated as hell. There’s the possibility that previously pain free movements are now painful because the brain is on high alert (the car alarm is going off whether it’s a four-year-old toddler crawling by or anyone else). It does that by constantly assessing threat and when it senses danger, it sends out pain as a signal of “don’t do that! Leonard to Return Within 2 Weeks Tuesday, Jan. 6. When you continue to push through pain for a prolonged period of time, your brain begins to anticipate having pain with those movements (it’s almost like Pavlonian conditioning of pain ). He wants to play badly”. Kawhi Leonard is not listed on the latest #Raptors injury report, which indicates he will play tomorrow against #Spurs. 4 seed in the Western Conference, mostly a better team than their 2020 NBA playoffs second-round disappointment. Did Tony Parker sabotage Kawhi’s rehab to prove that age doesn’t matter? On how many other teams – Kyrie in Cleveland comes to mind – does LMA’s discontent blow up into something huge to the point of no return. 9/30/17 – Coach Pop reveals that Kawhi has a quad injury, will miss the pre-season, with no timetable for return 10/13/17 – Spurs confirm that Kawhi’s quad injury will keep him out of … The San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard's camp have reportedly disagreed over the nature of the superstar's injury, according to a report from Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. … The team won both games. Additionally, understanding how pain works gives additional insight into why Kawhi’s return has been so variable (I also touched upon this in my piece about Lonzo Ball’s MCL injury). Additionally, if any team understands pain neuroscience intimately and how it affects healing, I’d wager it’s the Spurs. Multiple reports at the time said Leonard was caught off guard by the meeting and left the team for New York to rehab his injury away from the club. Even though it was just nine games, playing through pain again reinforces the expectation of pain. The tendinopathy diagnosis making it difficult to establish a timeline for return, The pain neuroscience factors stemming from Kawhi’s extended duration of soreness and pain and stress/frustration adding more haziness to a timeline for return, Spurs medical staff being ultra conservative yet very effective, Spurs organization being unrivaled in regards to player relationships and conflict resolution. As per the coach, the 2019 NBA Champion injured himself during the Clippers road trip to Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls. Seeks an outside medical opinion in New York. Draymond Green issues huge warning to NBA, doubters. Kawhi's quad injury prognosis. Further, the medical staff and organization have been fully supportive of Kawhi. NBA fans as a whole are familiar with that transpired next. Ok, no big deal. There’s no medical staff or organization that I trust more than the Spurs. It also didn’t help that Parker and Manu Ginobili organized a players-only meeting in which Spurs veterans asked Leonard whether he planned to return for the season. It’s been difficult for the team, because they want to play with a great teammate. In last year’s western conference semi-finals vs the Rockets, Kawhi sprained his ankle in Game 5 and then wasn’t cleared for Game 6. San Antonio’s brass was planning to have an all-hands-on-deck meeting with Leonard in the hopes of working out their differences and continue what had been largely a positive and productive partnership up until the 2017-18 season. Leonard finished with 19 points. That being said, there are two huge positives for Kawhi. Kawhi Anthony Leonard (/kəˈwaɪ/, born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He doesn’t play in back to back games. This rehab hasn’t been simple, and it hasn’t gone in a linear fashion…we sought outside expertise with the best tendon experts in the world…it worked beautifully for Tony [Parker], but it hasn’t worked the same for Kawhi.”. Just reading all this makes me angry and frustrated – and that’s even with my detailed understanding of the injury and pain science. There’s not a better coach and GM duo in the league. "Kawhi Leonard has a quadriceps injury, and the Spurs might have a big problem," read a Washington Post headline at the time. We already have clear examples, involving Kawhi, of just how cautious the Spurs medical staff is. So we’ve established that the diagnosis itself doesn’t provide an established timeline. The reality with Kawhi's quad injury and his specific context is that there are too many variables and grey to put a finite timeline on it. During Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Dubs big man Zaza Pachulia hurt Leonard’s ankle. The reality with Kawhi’s quad injury and his specific context is that there are too many variables and grey to put a finite timeline on it. So, the California native missed the first 27 games of the 2017-18 season rehabbing the ailment before making his season debut on Dec. 12, 2017 against the Dallas Mavericks. When the Indiana Pacers drafted Kawhi Leonard with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft and traded him to the San Antonio Spurs in a draft-night trade involving George Hill, not a lot of pundits thought the San Diego State product was going to carve out a Hall of Fame career. “This has been difficult for everyone…it’s been difficult for Kawhi. The Spurs medical staff haven’t given any specific information and a delayed return or poor response to activity doesn’t necessarily indicate that Kawhi’s quad injury is getting worse. Now, let’s think about the level of stress, frustration, and likely anger that Kawhi has felt throughout this process. Kyle Lowry is doubtful, per team. However, the All-Star swingman was never cleared by his own doctors to play. If you’re living in a dangerous neighborhood that has a lot of car theft,  you want the car alarm to be really sensitive and aware of potential threats. Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA All-Star, is out indefinitely as he rehabs a quad injury that cost him the first 27 games of the season. Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard battles Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game in March, long before they agreed to jointly sign with the Clippers and upend Los Angeles basketball. He’s had basketball taken away from him, is a franchise player but can’t help his team, and isn’t sure if he’ll even return this season. The injury he had was quadriceps tendinopathy, meaning it can linger throughout the year. San Antonio wound up losing Game 1 after Kawhi left and the overall series in four games. Kawhi landed on Pachulia’s foot, rolled his ankle (for the second time in a matter of minutes) and did not play again during the series. Leonard wore a the mask in his first game back after sustaining an injury when he was hit in the face with an elbow. Does Leonard just need to update his OS? However, through hard work and dedication to his craft, Leonard has not only established himself as one of the best small forwards in NBA history, but he’s also won two titles, two Finals MVPs and two Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Born: June 29, 1991 in Los Angeles, California us College: San Diego State High School: King in Riverside, California Dec 30, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) puts on a protect mask as he reenters the game during the second quarter at Staples Center. This long variable process, although not ideal, doesn’t worry me. Is Kawhi just pissed off at the Spurs and doing this to spite them? ... Kawhi Leonard … As a result, that caused some friction between San Antonio and Leonard. The quadriceps tendon  is an extremely important and powerful tendon. It’s actually a campaign for the ages when you consider the NBA landscape was changed because of it. Regular season rolls around and there’s still no timeline. Like I touched upon above, this stress, anger and frustration all plays into and affects how Kawhi perceives his injury, how sensitive he is to pain, and the general healing environment. He’s an elite-level player. However, I’ll trust the judgement of the Spurs medical staff and organization every time. As RC Buford noted, there’s frustration amongst the entire organization and it’s only natural to believe that at some point Kawhi is going to become frustrated with the medical staff and organization as his own anger builds – leading to the reports of possible discord between him and the Spurs. Kawhi is only 25 and even though the Spurs are the third seed, they understand there’s too much risk here to rush him back. 2017-2018: His run in San Antonio is disrupted by a right quadriceps injury that costs him the first 28 games of the season. Let’s go through the general timeline and updates of Kawhi’s quad injury: Clearly, there’s been a lot of uncertainty with Kawhi’s timeline and rehab which naturally leads to a lot of hand-wringing. Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio, league sources tell ESPN. 1/17/18 – The Spurs list Kawhi as being out indefinitely because the quad tendon didn’t respond the way the team wanted, 2/7/18 to 2/17/18 – Kawhi spends 10 days in NY with a quad injury specialist for a second opinion, 2/21/18 – Coach Pop says that he would be surprised if Kawhi returns this season, 2/26/28 – Reports come out that Kawhi has begun working out with the team again, is eyeing a March return, The tissue deterioration rate is greater than the repair rate, Good prognosis as the tissue is attempting to heal, The goal of rehab is to prevent further deterioration of the tissue so the repair rate becomes greater than the deterioration rate, If deterioration continues, this can lead to phase 3, Poor prognosis as the cells are giving up on repairing, Severe tissue breakdown resulting in a tear or complete rupture (grade III tear). San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard … Kawhi Leonard continues a rehabilitation program for right quadriceps tendinopathy. All this adds up to increased stress on Kawhi’s quad tendon compared to the average player. Coach Pop has commented on it multiple times. That I can’t tell you. Parker’s comments were the “last straw” for Leonard in San Antonio. Kawhi Leonard is just out of frame. Is Kawhi’s quad injury worse than the staff is letting on? He’s a 25 year old kid at the height of his career who just came off a season where he was arguably the best 2-way player in the league and the face of the Spurs franchise. Kawhi’s neuro-cognitive pain and high stress and frusration adds another layer of complexity and haziness to his timeline for return. He hasn't played since Feb. 3 against the Cavaliers, and there's no timeline … Copyright © ClutchPoints. Leonard is struggling with a sore foot and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. During the summer of 2018, Leonard requested a trade from the Spurs. He’ll be re-evaluated in a week, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Man, what the heck? Let’s use LaMarcus Aldridge’s situation as an example. The Spurs led the Warriors by 21 points with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter when Leonard got hurt. The Clippers, like the Raptors, were load-managing Leonard. Leonard’s ankle healed during the summer of 2017. Comes back for nine games but his quad injury continues to be very sore and he’s eventually shut down indefinitely. The last game he played in 2017-18 was against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 13. The worst possible rumblings emerge as the Spurs offseason begins: Kawhi Leonard isn’t happy, an affirmation of Monday’s somewhat-vague reports of … Leonard played 15:51 in that contest versus the Mavs and finished with 13 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Partner of iOne Digital / Cassius Network. Unfortunately for Leonard and the Spurs, not only did the quad injury remain all season, but Leonard also suffered a partial tear in his left shoulder in January. Check out a visual of this vicious cycle: We know Kawhi has constantly been dealing with soreness and irritation of his quad tendon throughout his rehab process. It simply means that there is a disorder in the tendon. Lastly, the medical staff has a clear understanding of risk/reward. Kawhi Anthony Leonard Twitter: kawhileonard (The Claw, Board Man, Fun Guy, The Hand, The Terminator) Position: Small Forward Shoots: Right 6-7, 225lb (201cm, 102kg) . While head coach Tyronn Lue spoke about Leonard's injury, there is no timeline for a Kawhi Leonard return. When Leonard’s Injury Happened. If Leonard does opt out of the All-Star Game, here’s hoping Paul George gets the starting nod in his place, and Mike Conley is the injury replacement. This is a key tenet of understanding chronic pain and why pain can exist far after a tissue is healed and medically cleared. Gregg Popovich said he hopes to get Kawhi Leonard back "shortly" but disputed Tony Parker's timeline of two to three weeks for when Leonard would return from his quad injury. This represents a way in which we can be passionate about getting Kawhi Leonard to stay in Toronto, but to do it in the Toronto way,” Tory said. An analogy I like to use (full credit to Seth Oberst, I heard him explain this multiple times during my rotation with him) is this: Think of your body as a car and the brain as the car’s alarm system. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports And it’s been difficult for our staff. Kawhi Leonard injury update: Clippers star out with leg contusion, Lue 'not quite sure' when he'll return Jack Maloney 2/15/2021 Rochester, NY police officer fatally shoots man armed with a … Adding to that is the fact Kawhi did come back for nine games and he experienced residual soreness and pain throughout, eventually getting shut down because the quad tendon didn’t respond the way the medical staff wanted it to. Before I get into the actual diagnosis, lets quickly review the quadriceps tendon. Pronunciation: \kah-WHY\. However, the man they call “The Terminator” was still able to dominate the Warriors, as he averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists to capture his second title and second Finals MVP. We have no idea which phase Kawhi’s quad tendinopathy is in. Still no timeline on his return, with Coach Pop saying that he might not even return this season, Least amount of player games missed since 05-06, Were the first team to strategically rest players, Very forward thinking, proactive, and understand risk/reward very well. Imagine how he feels! He is expected to miss the 2017 preseason. Setback. The brain, even after the acute injury and tissue are healed, continues to perceive that body region as threatened, resulting in a constant pain “alarm” going off. However, you move a to a much safer area with no car theft, but the car alarm continues to be really sensitive. Since his initial injury in last season’s Western Conference Finals, the Spurs have made it a task to understand Leonard’s injury. The 2017-18 season was an utter disaster for both Leonard and the Spurs. Rehab continues to go slower than expected, and then he sees his teammate – Tony Parker who suffered a full quad tear, a relatively rare but far more serious injury of the same tendon, at the age of 34 with nearly 17 seasons of wear & tear on his body – come back before he does. Copyright © ClutchPoints. These decisions were made even though there was everything to play for. In 518 NBA games with the Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers, Leonard has career averages of 18.6 points, 6.4 boards and 2.7 assists. The Spurs had to watch Kawhi Leonard shine during the 2018-19 season. Or are there valid reasons for Kawhi’s ongoing uncertainty of return? Historically we’ve been able to successfully manage injuries. This is especially true for Kawhi because in addition to the huge stress that NBA movements put on the quad tendon, Kawhi is a two-way franchise player. Kawhi's neuro-cognitive pain and high stress and frusration adds another layer of complexity and haziness to his timeline for return. It’s dangerous!”. Instead, we didn’t even find out about LMA’s trade request until months after the fact. Additionally, increased stress, frustration, anger, etc (each of which up-regulate your sympathetic nervous system aka “fight or flight” system) increases your perception of pain, sensitivity to pain, and generally is not conducive to a healing environment. Spurs legendary point guard Tony Parker, while speaking to media, said the quad injury he suffered in 2016-17 was “a hundred times worse” than Leonard’s. Toronto load managed Leonard during the 2018-19 regular season, with Kawhi saying multiple times last season that he was happy with how the Raptors took care of him. He played two seasons of college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and was named a … — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 15, 2018 It all started this season after Kawhi returned from his injury … However, Leonard was not interested in a return and wanted to be traded to either the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. In that game, he played 37 … Kawhi Leonard’s rehab timeline causing rift between him and Spurs, per report The Spurs typically don't have reports like this written about their organization. NBA By … Jordan Brand has decided to let Leonard's current shoe deal with the company expire in … When Kawhi again sprained his ankle in Game 1 of the western conference finals, they held him out the rest of the series. Kyle Lowry is doubtful, per team. It’s now perceiving innocuous things as threatening and goes off constantly. We’ve seen these protocols throughout the entire process including shutting Kawhi down after 9 games when the quad injury didn’t respond appropriately. Is Kawhi’s uncle to blame? This means more minutes, often guarding the opponent’s best player, generally having an increased role on both ends, playing during the most intense stretches of the game, etc. This now long-term pain serves to reinforce that movement is painful and threatening. While the Los Angeles Clippers have Kawhi Leonard back on the floor, the two-time NBA champion has apparently been playing through an injury. The brain’s key role is to survive and keep it’s vessel – the body – functioning and alive. Pain is an output from the brain. More … The medical staff utilizes incremental rehab progressions & protocols that mitigate chronic pain tendencies. The 28-year-old was averaging 26.9 points, 7.3 boards and 5.0 assists in his first season back home. Leonard’s injury reportedly came late during the team’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Maybe if the franchise had done a better job of treating his quad injury, Leonard would still be starring for San Antonio. A tendinopathy diagnosis already exists on a spectrum and the added layers of pain neuroscience convolute that even more. III. Kawhi Leonard. He’s still dealing with constant soreness and pain. His stat line and total numbers would be a lot better, though, if injuries didn’t ruin his 2017-18 campaign with the Spurs. TSN.ca reflects on the anniversary with a timeline of Leonard’s stellar season with the Raptors that ended in the team winning its first-ever NBA title. He gets hurt over the summer and is originally told that he will be back by the start of the regular season. All that rest in the regular season paid off, as Leonard guided the Raptors to their first-ever title in 2019 over the Warriors in six games. Kawhi Leonard will be searching for two new contracts in 2019. Maybe if the franchise had done a better job of treating his quad injury, Leonard … Partner of iOne Digital / Cassius Network. Before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March, Leonard appeared in 51 games for the Clippers. These two are the best in the business when it comes to organizational and player relations, bar none. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports passes along some good news regarding Kawhi Leonard's hand injury: . Functioning and alive against the Portland Trail Blazers team understands pain neuroscience intimately and how affects. Portland Trail Blazers worry me return and coach Pop has openly been stumped about when he spent 10 days New. Bar none and Leonard an established timeline the face with an elbow held him the... 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