RC Buford on Kawhi: “The relationship is challenging”

[SAGirl]

So pros don't make mistakes?

RC came out and denied the initial Woj report, so what does that mean? Maybe it means he said his piece and isn't speaking more on it?

We saw a direct quote from RC after that Woj report. Excuse me for not believing something without seeing / hearing from the horses mouth.

His reputation is at stake... It's easier to believe he meant what he said, than to believe he's making mistakes on something like that. The more rational interpretation is the easiest answer...

[weeks]

I guess they don’t have any answers and that’s what is concerning. At this point speculation would be nice. Something other than ‘crickets!’

agreed. i didn't need all this kawhi anxiety in my life right now

[Uriel]

I'm amazed at how little attention and coverage this saga has received. I know Pop predictably scoffed at it when news broke of the discord a few weeks ago, but there's been little response from Buford and somehow none directly from Leonard or anyone in the media.

The lack of follow up is mind boggling. They're all so damn focused on Cavaliers' mess, that apparently the most stable, successful, drama free organization in sports the past 2 decades, having internal strife with their superstar and top 3 player in the league, isn't a gargantuan story? Bizarre.

I think part of that is by design. The Spurs front office deliberately cultivates great relationships with many media insiders (including Woj) so they're hesitant to report anything negative about the team.

[HarlemHeat37]

I think part of that is by design. The Spurs front office deliberately cultivates great relationships with many media insiders (including Woj) so they're hesitant to report anything negative about the team.

This is part of the reason I'd be very surprised if LeBron joined the Spurs..there are many reasons why HE wouldn't want to join them(no power, Kawhi uncertainty, playing in San Antonio, etc), but nobody is discussing Pop's side of things..

Any team with LeBron on it is going to receive mass media attention..when he joined the Heat, they moved Windhorst + several others to Miami to cover the team..they made Dan Leba his own studio, etc..the same type of happened when he went back to Cleveland, as well..

Is Pop going to be willing to tolerate this? He will be questioned about roster and coaching moves far more than he ever has in his life..any controversy like the current Kawhi situation will be blown up more than anything this franchise has ever dealt with..

I just can't picture it, tbh..

[Amuseddaysleeper]

This is part of the reason I'd be very surprised if LeBron joined the Spurs..there are many reasons why HE wouldn't want to join them(no power, Kawhi uncertainty, playing in San Antonio, etc), but nobody is discussing Pop's side of things..

Any team with LeBron on it is going to receive mass media attention..when he joined the Heat, they moved Windhorst + several others to Miami to cover the team..they made Dan Leba his own studio, etc..the same type of happened when he went back to Cleveland, as well..

Is Pop going to be willing to tolerate this? He will be questioned about roster and coaching moves far more than he ever has in his life..any controversy like the current Kawhi situation will be blown up more than anything this franchise has ever dealt with..

I just can't picture it, tbh..

Good call man, never thought of that but for the first time in his career Pop would be put under the microscope.

[sasaint]

This is part of the reason I'd be very surprised if LeBron joined the Spurs..there are many reasons why HE wouldn't want to join them(no power, Kawhi uncertainty, playing in San Antonio, etc), but nobody is discussing Pop's side of things..

Any team with LeBron on it is going to receive mass media attention..when he joined the Heat, they moved Windhorst + several others to Miami to cover the team..they made Dan Leba his own studio, etc..the same type of happened when he went back to Cleveland, as well..

Is Pop going to be willing to tolerate this? He will be questioned about roster and coaching moves far more than he ever has in his life..any controversy like the current Kawhi situation will be blown up more than anything this franchise has ever dealt with..

I just can't picture it, tbh..

Good insight. I have just been thinking of it as power struggle between king and tsar.

[YGWHI]

Leonard is refusing to play.

I find this so funny...

A top player is refusing to play to miss All-NBA considerations, playoffs appearances, ASG... right? I'm sure a top player loves to have a lost season. I'm sure his agent loves it too. And endorsements.

All we know it's they said that Spurs doctors couldn't find a structural damage but we didn't know what said the 2nd opinion that Kawhi got.

Also, saying threre is no structural damage doesn't mean that the quad doesn't have a dysfunction. It's not that hard to understand.

[Slippy]

It was not misquoted by David Aldridge... he said what he said in a national telecast. He interviewed RC and that was his report. David Aldridge is not an amateur, he's a pro.. and his statement was not retracted, nor was it denied by RC.

If you want to live in denial... that is you.

Theres an nba article out by DA with the quote. RC is addressing the the issue with rehab. " it not chilling, its challenging". Full quote in article if fans want context.

Much ado bout nothing really. They are all frustrated. Nothings chsnged

[DPG21920]

Theres an nba article out by DA with the quote. RC is addressing the the issue with rehab. " it not chilling, its challenging". Full quote in article if fans want context.

Much ado bout n

Link? Makes the most sense but it would go a long way for people here to see that. Even with DA being a pro I dont think he’s immune to pumping narrative as would be the case with what he reported on TNT vs what was the context in the article.

[Slippy]

Sorry bud dont have time right now . Getting kids ready for school. Read it last night

[TD 21]

Maybe there is nothing going on other than everyone is in the dark about his injury. There is only several hundred millions of dollars at stake. It’s hard to imagine Kawhi isn’t anxious to prove he’s worth th3 max, which he is when healthy.

Well it’s Super Bowl time! Go Spurs!

Still, Leonard himself should have said something by now and the media should be continuing the dialogue instead of trying to will themselves to fix Cavaliers or gushing over Warriors and Rockets.

It's not a big story because he isn't playing. And Leonard is like a robot he doesn't speak.. But mostly he is not playing. What is there to discuss?

Whether he's playing or not is irrelevant in this case. What's to discuss is everything I said. This should be by far the biggest story in the league right now.

I think part of that is by design. The Spurs front office deliberately cultivates great relationships with many media insiders (including Woj) so they're hesitant to report anything negative about the team.

Maybe some, but definitely not all and it doesn't necessarily have to be negative. I realize this team has fallen off the radar this season, but how can a story that should be monstrous go silent a few weeks after being reported? It makes no sense.

[DPG21920]

Leonard probably isn’t talking because he does not care about this crap and is pissed he’s not playing. He’s not Lebron that lives in the spotlight.

He also does not feel the need to address rumors that aren’t true. That does not mean he can’t be frustrated with SA or the situation; just that there is a wide gulf between that and wanting out.

[Dre_7]

Theres an nba article out by DA with the quote. RC is addressing the the issue with rehab. " it not chilling, its challenging". Full quote in article if fans want context.

That is what I thought. He said it quickly in game and everything he said related to rehab except that one word. It just didn't make sense in context of the rest of the DA quote and in context of everything else that RC has said.

[NASpurs]

Link? Makes the most sense but it would go a long way for people here to see that. Even with DA being a pro I dont think he’s immune to pumping narrative as would be the case with what he reported on TNT vs what was the context in the article.

Link is right here:

http://www.nba.com/david-aldridge#/

Buford said last week that the issue of Leonard’s rehab is “not chilling; it’s challenging. But no one’s put more time into than our group, and Kawhi, and we’ve put all the resources we can, internally and externally, to get him feeling confident enough to play.”

[Chillen]

This is part of the reason I'd be very surprised if LeBron joined the Spurs..there are many reasons why HE wouldn't want to join them(no power, Kawhi uncertainty, playing in San Antonio, etc), but nobody is discussing Pop's side of things..

Any team with LeBron on it is going to receive mass media attention..when he joined the Heat, they moved Windhorst + several others to Miami to cover the team..they made Dan Leba his own studio, etc..the same type of happened when he went back to Cleveland, as well..

Is Pop going to be willing to tolerate this? He will be questioned about roster and coaching moves far more than he ever has in his life..any controversy like the current Kawhi situation will be blown up more than anything this franchise has ever dealt with..

I just can't picture it, tbh..

If your franchise has a chance to get a GOAT NBA player and your head coach has a problem with it, the problem with your team is clearly the head coach. So if Pop can't handle it and I know he had done plenty for the Spurs, maybe it would be time to move on.

[DPG21920]

Link is right here:

http://www.nba.com/david-aldridge#/

Buford said last week that the issue of Leonard’s rehab is “not chilling; it’s challenging. But no one’s put more time into than our group, and Kawhi, and we’ve put all the resources we can, internally and externally, to get him feeling confident enough to play.”

Great - thanks. This puts that comment and report by DA in a totally different light.

Buford said last week that the issue of Leonard’s rehab is “not chilling; it’s challenging. But no one’s put more time into than our group, and Kawhi, and we’ve put all the resources we can, internally and externally, to get him feeling confident enough to play.”

So, while they wait for Leonard, they must win games with their young guys taking on bigger roles -- and with Parker coaching Murray on the intricacies of the position -- the hardest, by far, in basketball.

There is the quote and it’s NOTHING to the effect the TNT comment made it seem.

[bklynspursfan]

His reputation is at stake... It's easier to believe he meant what he said, than to believe he's making mistakes on something like that. The more rational interpretation is the easiest answer...

Now you can see the link/quote for yourself above. DA's comment was taken out of context, as expected like several of us suspected. Everyone makes mistakes, including DA

[SAGirl]

Now you can see the link/quote for yourself above. DA's comment was taken out of context, as expected like several of us suspected. Everyone makes mistakes, including DA

it wasn't taken out of context.

[DPG21920]

it wasn't taken out of context.

Huh? I don’t know how you can still defend that after reading the exact article. There is a MASSIVE difference in saying “the relationship with Kawhi is challenging” and “the issue of Kawhi’s rebhab is challenging”.

I mean that was the crux of all the debate.

[Dre_7]

it wasn't taken out of context.

DA's quote wasn't taken out of context. DA misquoted RC on the air. Obviously accidentally, but still.

[SAGirl]

Huh? I don’t know how you can still defend that after reading the exact article. There is a MASSIVE difference in saying “the relationship with Kawhi is challenging” and “the issue of Kawhi’s rebhab is challenging”.

I mean that was the crux of all the debate.

if you say so. reading the article didn't add any more context than I already had.

[dabom]

Huh? I don’t know how you can still defend that after reading the exact article. There is a MASSIVE difference in saying “the relationship with Kawhi is challenging” and “the issue of Kawhi’s rebhab is challenging”.

I mean that was the crux of all the debate.

Big difference.

[DPG21920]

Again, this is overblown. But the team got Kawhi a le and is supposedly willing to give him a huge deal despite his injury issues. If Leonard is so out of touch that he doesn't understand that the Spurs are going about as far as a team can reasonably expect to go, then there's nothing you can do.

I just wish people stopped comparing Kawhi to Tim in terms of personality. They're very obviously extremely different people, and it does neither any favors to overlook that.

[Leetonidas]

Yeah that article makes the quote seem a lot different. Of course Spurfan jumps to conclusions straight off the cliff...

[DPG21920]

if you say so. reading the article didn't add any more context than I already had.

The entire point of this thread was based on the fact that DA said on TNT that the relationship with Kawhi was challenging straight from RC’s mouth.

Many people tried to explain how that could be taken out of context only to have people specify that it was literally from DA’s mouth and a report from his interview with RC.

I’m so confused