Kawhi's knee annoys me

[racm]

Cause if he had two good knees he'd be out there scrimmaging with the other American young guns

And he would have shown just how awesome he is

And he could have convinced some of the guys to bolt for San Antonio when they reach UFA

And because that would leave Manu Ginobili as the last Spur for a long time to win a gold medal and a ring, and that ain't right since the GOAT Spur doesn't even HAVE a gold medal

[Poolboy5623]

The goat spur isn't even American.

[Russ]

Cause if he had two good knees he'd be out there scrimmaging with the other American young guns

I'll fix it for you.


Cause if he wasn't going into a contract year he'd be out there scrimmaging with the other American young guns
:)

[Poolboy5623]

Kawhi will be on the next team..if his knees make it that long, anyway.

[racm]

I'll fix it for you.


:)


what's his excuse? Kyrie "glass bones" Irving is out there and he's also up for an extension after this season. So are Kenneth Faried and Chandler Parsons.

[racm]

Kawhi will be on the next team..if his knees make it that long, anyway.

I just hope he's not the 3/4 version of Brandon Roy.

[HI-FI]

so what is the deal with Kawhi's tendonitis?

is this common in the league, is it genetic or just bad form?

can he overcome it and not be hampered by it for the future?

[racm]

so what is the deal with Kawhi's tendonitis?

is this common in the league, is it genetic or just bad form?

can he overcome it and not be hampered by it for the future?

It wasn't that big an issue his rookie season. Dunno if he was hampered by it in college.

It flaring up in his sophomore season (when he took on increased minutes and was named the full-time starter) is a bit concerning though.

[Marrow]

And he could have convinced some of the guys to bolt for San Antonio when they reach UFA

Seeing as Kawhi is an introvert (like TD) I don't know how persuasive he'd be for this scenario to play out...I think he lets his play to the talking and the chips fall where they may

On the other hand he may have the uncanny ability to subliminally/telepathically coax UFA to come to San Antonio...which he could do just as well from home whilst resting his knee

[racm]

Seeing as Kawhi is an introvert (like TD) I don't know how persuasive he'd be for this scenario to play out...I think he lets his play to the talking and the chips fall where they may

On the other hand he may have the uncanny ability to subliminally/telepathically coax UFA to come to San Antonio...which he could do just as well from home whilst resting his knee

The flipside is that we're gonna see a Kyrie/Davis/Parsons superteam sometime in the future. :lol

[Marrow]

The flipside is that we're gonna see a Kyrie/Davis/Parsons superteam sometime in the future. :lol

that sounds about right...hopefully for the spurs sake they team up in the east

[racm]

that sounds about right...hopefully for the spurs sake they team up in the east

Knowing Daryl Morey though... :lol

[barakz21]

If fully healthy, I think he's gonna be a lock for the World championships.

[raybies]

speaking on that draft we passed on Parsons and Butler.

[racm]

speaking on that draft we passed on Parsons and Butler.

The problem was that after trading Hill for Leonard another wing wouldn't suffice. Parker had no backup with that trade and the Spurs had Manu/Anderson/Neal/Green/RJ on the wings.

[Marrow]

speaking on that draft we passed on Parsons and Butler.

I believe picking Kawhi at 15 had something to do with that...but yes we did pass on both

in other news...hindsight is great

[TheGreatYacht]

so what is the deal with Kawhi's tendonitis?

is this common in the league, is it genetic or just bad form?

can he overcome it and not be hampered by it for the future?
Kawhi Leonard has the makings of a star and many believe that he could blossom in to the future face of the San Antonio Spurs when their current group of veteran leaders moves on, so it should come as no surprise that the team is looking to protect Leonard and do everything they can to make sure he spends the offseason fully recovering from a knee injury that was nagging all season long.
Leonard missed 24 games last season with “jumper’s knee” in his left knee and now the soreness could keep him from participating in a July basketball camp for Team USA.
The 21-year-old was one of just 27 players invited to attend the camp, as Team USA looks to assemble their roster for the 2014 FIBA World Cup tournament in Spain.
Unfortunately for Leonard, he may not get that chance because Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wants the young star to rest and meet with the team’s medical staff before making any decisions to move forward.
“I need to talk to Kawhi and the doctors about that before we make a decision,” Popovich said, via the San Antonio News-Press. “It’s obviously an honor to be involved with USA Basketball in any way, shape or form.
“Kawhi is thrilled by the selection (http://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Knee-may-be-issue-for-Leonard-4616739.php?t=24749d3edc927fc3fb), but we need to talk to the doctors to make sure he’s able to do it.”
Leonard broke out during the NBA Finals where he averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds. If he can get healthy, he will be a nice addition that could help Team USA as they look to take home the World Cup. http://fansided.com/2013/06/23/kawhi-leonards-knee-may-keep-him-from-participating-with-team-usa-basketball-this-summer/
Jumper's knee — also known as patellar tendonitis or patellar tendinopathy — is an inflammation or injury of the patellar tendon, the cord-like tissue that joins the patella (kneecap) to the tibia (shin bone). Jumper's knee is an overuse injury (when repeated movements cause tissue damage or irritation to a particular area of the body).Constant jumping, landing, and changing direction can cause strains, tears, and damage to the patellar tendon. So kids who regularly play sports that involve a lot of repetitive jumping — like track and field (particularly high-jumping), basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, running, and soccer — can put a lot of strain on their knees.
Jumper's knee can seem like a minor injury that isn't really that serious. Because of this, many athletes keep training and competing and tend to ignore the injury or attempt to treat it themselves. But it's important to know that jumper's knee is a serious condition that can get worse over time and ultimately require surgery. Early medical attention and treatment can help prevent continued damage to the knee. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/jumpers_knee.html (http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/jumpers_knee.html
[QUOTE]
The Prognosis
Unfortunately, in my experience, prognosis for this type of knee tendonitis is not as good as the other. It's not as easy to work around and can sometimes take YEARS for it to go away, if at all. It's actually the injury that ended Mark McGwires career. He had surgery to repair it but that still didn't get the job done. I know a few other people that have dealt with it for years. I personally dealt with it twice over a 6 year period of time and was once virtually out of commission for almost 2 years. Granted, I didn't lay off of it like I should have which is why it took so long to go away. But for the better part of 2 years I was in so much pain I couldn't do any sorta quadricep dominant squat AT ALL and any jumps I did hurt like hell and would ofen send me writhing to the ground in pain. That's fairly typical for this condition. It hurts but people gut it out and it gets worse. What You MUST Do
If you ever begin to get this type of knee pain there are 3 things that you MUST do:
1. Eliminate ALL forms of quadricep training that cause ANY painAny activity you do that causes or recreates the pain must be eiminated. Unfortunately that means squatting is usually out. (This is in direct contrast to lower knee tendonitis which typically is HELPED by quadricep strengthening.)
2. Eliminate ALL jumps
There's no way to get around this. Jumping is usually the one activity that causes the most pain. If you jump with this condition you're practically guaranteeing yourself a chronic condition and you WILL be in constant pain. Trust me, I know. It WILL NOT respond to treatment unless you totally eliminate jumps and plyos. The ONLY jumps you might be able to get away with are jumps in a pool - even then I'd be very careful. This is the type of condition that you can make weeks of progress on but the MOMENT you do something stupid and flare it up again you start right back at zero.
3. Do LOTS of quadricep and hip flexor stretching
Static stretching the quads and rectus femoris is particularly helpful in my experience. As noted above, the tighter your quads get the more your quad tends to pull on the knee attachment point. Over time this causes strain. The issue is compounded many times because people disproportionately strengthen their quads and disproportionately STRETCH their hamstrings. Think of the quad/ham ratio sorta like a pulley. the quads pull from one side and the hams from the other. Most people do at least a 2:1 quad to hamstring strengthening protocol and a 2:1 hamstring to quad STRETCHING protocol. Not many people stretch their quads like they do hamstrings and when done in conjunction with a quad dominant program that's just asking for an imbalance and eventual knee pain.Anyway, the more often you stretch your quads thebetter. I'd go twice a day to start and I'd also make sure I hit the other major lower body muscles - calves, hamstrings, etc. Both static and dynamic mobility work are beneficial but if you have to choose one or the other go with the static.
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/images/quadstretch3.jpg

4. Regularly engage in regular, non-irritating, rhtymic activity. Walking on a treadmill, jump rope, cycling, flopping your legs in a pool, bodweight GPP circuits - pretty much any activity is fair game. This increases blood flow to the tendon which helps with new collagen synthesis. I'd go with a minimum of three 20-30 minute sessions per week.
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/jumpersknee.html

[Vash StampedE]

That's why I got concerned when news of him deciding not to participate came out. Even though he did play heavy minutes last season, you have to consider that so does the other olympic team invitees. Perhaps his current injury is that serious and may be a continuously affect him through his whole career

[cjw]

And because that would leave Manu Ginobili as the last Spur for a long time to win a gold medal and a ring, and that ain't right since the GOAT Spur doesn't even HAVE a gold medal


Manu was on the first team to ever beat the NBA-version of Team USA, and has the only non-U.S. gold medal since the advent of the Dream Team. Pretty unbelievable that they were able to pull that off, even if it was a down era in USA Basketball.

I'm not concerned at all with Kawhi. Don't forget he had a MUCH longer season than basically everyone else at this camp - only two of the guys even made it to the conference finals and most haven't played a meaningful game since college (being on perennial lottery teams). Kawhi was guarding the best player on the planet a month ago. Let Kawhi rest. Given Lebron isn't going to be playing on Team USA anymore, I can really see that opening up a spot for Kawhi in the medium-term if he continues on this trajectory.

By the way, props to George Hill for keeping his commitment - not going to make Team USA anyway, but nice of him to follow through with his camp.


The problem was that after trading Hill for Leonard another wing wouldn't suffice. Parker had no backup with that trade and the Spurs had Manu/Anderson/Neal/Green/RJ on the wings.

Exactly ... hindsight is 20/20, but the Spurs badly needed a PG at that point and went with Joseph over Butler / Parsons given the wing depth (this was before De Colo came over). I'm happy with how he's developed from looking like a fringe player early. Though Hill is flawed as a starter, he's the perfect first guard off the bench - he was just going to make too much to let him do that.

[Rogue]

Dude has a monkey's wingspan to make up for the poor knees though. dude can play a game wearing skating shoes and still do a good job on both ends of the floor imho.

[Man In Black]

Man...I can't believe, as Spurs fans, you guys completely fail to see what's going on with Kawhi. Try...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Consider that Kawhi sees Tim's window of dominance closing. His improvement is so key to the Spurs chances of getting 1 for the thumb. Rather than play with Team USA at this stage in his career, he can focus his energy on getting that ring. I've seen so much game tape on Kawhi and after analysis of him running, walking, jumping, lateral movements and toe up and heel down movements, I see no physical discomfort nor do I see any compensation to make up for the pain in his knee.

Besides, maybe he's doing it to show Pop that he has Pop's back since Pop wasn't given the chance he deserves, to be Head Coach of Team USA.

[InRareForm]

overreaction thread tbh..

[anakha]

overreaction thread tbh..

Overreaction is a fact of life here, tbh

[TheyCallMePro]

What exactly is the extent of Kawhi's knee injury? Is it something that could keep hindering him throughout his career? Because were going to have to max this guy really soon.

This next year is critical for Kawhi. If he can succeed in a larger role in the offense, then he'll definitely be maxed. But this goddamn knee injury is worrying me... if he doesn't have a good year, and his knee holds him back...then the Spurs might not decide to max him and we could lose him after next year...

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

Forget the NBA, he should be worrying about whether he'll be able to walk at 40. Everyone I know who had jumper's knee was in a wheelchair by 35.

[exstatic]

What exactly is the extent of Kawhi's knee injury? Is it something that could keep hindering him throughout his career? Because were going to have to max this guy really soon.

This next year is critical for Kawhi. If he can succeed in a larger role in the offense, then he'll definitely be maxed. But this goddamn knee injury is worrying me... if he doesn't have a good year, and his knee holds him back...then the Spurs might not decide to max him and we could lose him after next year...

It's tendonitis of the quadriceps, which is the large muscle on the front of the thigh. Really has nothing to do with his knee at all, which is structurally sound and stable, although they call the malady "jumper's knee".

[FireMicoHalili]

Overreaction is a fact of life here, tbh
Replying with tbh is a fact of life here tbh

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Man...I can't believe, as Spurs fans, you guys completely fail to see what's going on with Kawhi. Try...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Consider that Kawhi sees Tim's window of dominance closing. His improvement is so key to the Spurs chances of getting 1 for the thumb. Rather than play with Team USA at this stage in his career, he can focus his energy on getting that ring. I've seen so much game tape on Kawhi and after analysis of him running, walking, jumping, lateral movements and toe up and heel down movements, I see no physical discomfort nor do I see any compensation to make up for the pain in his knee.

Besides, maybe he's doing it to show Pop that he has Pop's back since Pop wasn't given the chance he deserves, to be Head Coach of Team USA.

This. Tough the Pop bit is probably 5% of it if that. He knows the TD window is closing, and his improvement will be the key to pushing us over the top in a rematch. He's a competitor, he wants to take it to LeBron when they meet again.

[kobexxx]

same issues with gasol.. he will be old quick, just like that

[gambit1990]

i remember duncan was asked a few years ago if the tendonitis comes and goes and he replied, "no. it just comes." pretty sure that was during the season though.

hopefully kawhi makes a full recovery.

if it was bothering him during the playoffs/finals... think about how much better he could've been. even though he played great for being 21 at the time.

[exstatic]

i remember duncan was asked a few years ago if the tendonitis comes and goes and he replied, "no. it just comes." pretty sure that was during the season though.

hopefully kawhi makes a full recovery.

if it was bothering him during the playoffs/finals... think about how much better he could've been. even though he played great for being 21 at the time.

Duncan had tendonosis, not tendonitis.

[gambit1990]

haha, oh. well i'm glad i know that now cause i had been thinking they were hurting because of the same problem.

[Chomag]

This to me might be his biggest issue on what might keep him from going from a great player to an all-star level.

His game will put him over the top if he keeps improving but I am very concerned about his knee. He is in his early 20's so that can be both a blessing and a cursing. Hes young so maybe he can heal, but then again a player this young should really not be suffering from these kind of chronic issues.

[exstatic]

This to me might be his biggest issue on what might keep him from going from a great player to an all-star level.

His game will put him over the top if he keeps improving but I am very concerned about his knee. He is in his early 20's so that can be both a blessing and a cursing. Hes young so maybe he can heal, but then again a player this young should really not be suffering from these kind of chronic issues.

NOTHING IS WRONG WITH HIS KNEE.

It's tendonitis of the large muscle on the front of his thigh, the quadriceps. His knee is structurally sound and stable.

[purist]

This thread annoys me!

[gambit1990]

This thread annoys me!
yeah, racm is good at delivering the bads tbh.

[Johnny RIngo]

Cause if he had two good knees he'd be out there scrimmaging with the other American young guns

And he would have shown just how awesome he is

And he could have convinced some of the guys to bolt for San Antonio when they reach UFA

And because that would leave Manu Ginobili as the last Spur for a long time to win a gold medal and a ring, and that ain't right since the GOAT Spur doesn't even HAVE a gold medal

Proud of Kawhi. Fuck Olympic ball and Fiba. It's a complete scam. An organization that makes millions off of NBA players without any sort of compensation. International basketball has always been and always will be a joke.

[SAGirl]

Kawhi will be on the next team..if his knees make it that long, anyway.


I just hope he's not the 3/4 version of Brandon Roy.


It wasn't that big an issue his rookie season. Dunno if he was hampered by it in college.

It flaring up in his sophomore season (when he took on increased minutes and was named the full-time starter) is a bit concerning though.


Interesting post in this thread about jumper's knee by TGY, scroll up if you want to read it, but what struck me about that post was that it can take several years to clear up and that Kawhi attempting to come back and play midseason when he was not 100% probably set him back in his recovery and rehab time. Here is the relevant quote:


I personally dealt with it twice over a 6 year period of time and was once virtually out of commission for almost 2 years. Granted, I didn't lay off of it like I should have which is why it took so long to go away. But for the better part of 2 years I was in so much pain I couldn't do any sorta quadricep dominant squat AT ALL and any jumps I did hurt like hell and would often send me writhing to the ground in pain. That's fairly typical for this condition. It hurts but people gut it out and it gets worse.
----
If you jump with this condition you're practically guaranteeing yourself a chronic condition and you WILL be in constant pain. Trust me, I know. It WILL NOT respond to treatment unless you totally eliminate jumps and plyos. The ONLY jumps you might be able to get away with are jumps in a pool - even then I'd be very careful. This is the type of condition that you can make weeks of progress on but the MOMENT you do something stupid and flare it up again you start right back at zero.
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/jumpersknee.html


That description goes right with RC's description of the condition being very challenging to rehab and the fact it had not gone in a linear fashion with Kawhi receding on prior progress made. It also goes in hand with Pop saying after the 9 games Kawhi played they decided to sit him bc he was having pain after games and it was going in the wrong direction as in getting worse, not subsiding or going away.

It's tough to say how to go from here when he apparently has had this chronic problem for many years (one report I saw said it went back to his college years).

I am convinced he's injured and in pain... the question is if he will be fine next season.

[boutons_deux]

I am convinced he's injured and in pain... the question is if he will be fine next season.

I give KL the benefit of the doubt.

No matter what the docs/MRI say, he knows his leg ain't right.

People who say he's sandbagging to get traded to an LA team are assholes.

[SAGirl]

I give KL the benefit of the doubt.

No matter what the docs/MRI say, he knows his leg ain't right.

People who say he's sandbagging to get traded to an LA team are assholes.
there's a fair amount of fans that are frustrated. This season started with terrible offseason signings, then Kawhi is hurt all year. Some wanted to tank... but of course, hindsight is always 20/20... it's a frustrating situation.

I have given him credit that he's injured, but now I found that he's had a history of chronic tendinopathies and it appears this year he got a really bad one. It can take years for it to clear up.. so perhaps it's not a career ending injury, but he will be sidelined for a long time. I don't know how you can supermax him with this injury history but obviously when healthy if 100%, he's an MVP candidate. Tough situation. I won't hate on him bc I do believe he's really hurt. He could sit and support his team and be a better leader but he's had this lack of personality his entire career.

[SpursforSix]

:pop: Rest assured, my team is on it.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/bf/86/b8bf8658dd216b2ec14a1b9a27123f20.gifhttps://i.makeagif.com/media/11-15-2015/18pR_H.gifhttps://media.giphy.com/media/xYbNcQcQq3V4s/giphy.gif

[Stabula]

:cry

[Hoops Czar]

kawhi wants that supermax contract before he even steps foot on the court. He probably realizes his days of pain free basketball are over and he wants lifetime compensation.

[UZER]

He’s hurt. Fine. If still he’s rehabbing to try and get back on the court this year, fine.

But if he’s done for the season and knows it, he owes it to the players that have busted their asses all year to sit behind them and cheer them on and be part of the playoff process. He is still a Spur as of right now. They are still paying him $19mm for this season.

[Stabula]

What a shitty situation for everyone tbh. The fans, the team, and Leonard himself.

[SpursforSix]

Knees are replaceable. But that feeling you get when you're eating your first chicken gimlet is not.

[Play Boban]

Cause if he had two good knees he'd be out there scrimmaging with the other American young guns

And he would have shown just how awesome he is

And he could have convinced some of the guys to bolt for San Antonio when they reach UFA

And because that would leave Manu Ginobili as the last Spur for a long time to win a gold medal and a ring, and that ain't right since the GOAT Spur doesn't even HAVE a gold medal
:wow