It’s difficult to put the Kawhi Leonard drama in the rear view.
As long as the Spurs’ star player stays silent and hidden, rumors of a fractured relationship with the team will continue to swirl. Conspiracy theories will grow more complex. The national narrative may get out of control. Fans will panic, calm themselves with a Spurs history book, come up with another conspiracy theory and start all over again. (I’m definitely not talking me here.)
But inside the locker room, the Spurs have a more pressing issue. The team is dangling from the third-seed by one of Pop’s beard hairs, and two more losses could drop them down to the fifth seed.