San Antonio Spurs Blog – Page 18 – NBA Blog

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green named to NBA All-Defensive Teams

The NBA today announced that Kawhi Leonard has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team for the third consecutive season, while Danny Green has earned his first career honor by being selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

Leonard, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, receives his fourth straight selection overall after being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2013-14. The only Spur to ever win multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, Leonard is the first San Antonio player to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in three straight seasons since Bruce Bowen earned five straight selections from 2003 to 2008.

The First Team All-NBA performer was one of three players in the league this season to record at least 130 steals and 50 blocks, along with Golden State’s Draymond Green and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, averaging 1.78 steals and 0.74 blocks. The sixth-year forward also averaged a career-highs of 25.5 points and 3.5 assists to go along with 5.8 rebounds in 33.4 minutes while shooting .485 (636-1,311) from the floor, .381 (147-386) from beyond the arc and a personal-best .880 (469-533) from the free throw line.

Spurs, Cavs discussing a Danny Green deal

The Spurs have been investigating the market for Green as they look to open salary-cap space ahead of the start of free agency. But the asking price has been a little too high in early talks with the Cavs, sources said. Green has two years and $20 million left on his contract. He averaged 7.3 points and shot 38 percent on 3-pointers in 68 games for the Spurs last season. He is also a strong defender. — ESPN.com

NBA Rumor: Spurs may trade LaMarcus Aldridge

Will the Spurs trade LaMarcus Aldridge? He’s their second best player after Kawhi Leonard, but makes a lot of money and is on the wrong side of 30. Here’s the San Antonio Express News with the report:

Multiple league sources have informed the Express-News the Spurs are exploring the trade market, hoping to find a deal to unload Aldridge, who will turn 32 next month.

“They feel it’s time to move on,” a source told the Express-News.

Considered the best free agent signing of 2015, Aldridge signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the Spurs. He’s scheduled to make roughly $21 million next season.

No surgery for David Lee

David Lee, who averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game for the Spurs this past regular season, and 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game in the playoffs, will be able to recover from his latest injury without the need for surgery, reports the San Antonio Express News:

Spurs forward David Lee will not need surgery to repair his injured left patellar tendon, his agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed Saturday.

Lee suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 3 of the West finals against Golden State and did not play in Game 4…

Lee, 33, has a player option on his $1.6 million salary next season.

Kawhi Leonard out for Game 3

Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting that the Spurs will continue to be without star small forward Kawhi Leonard. The league MVP candidate will miss tonight’s Game 3. The Warriors are up 2-0 and have been absolutely dominant in these Western Conference Finals and the entire 2017 NBA Playoffs so far.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will not face the Warriors in Game 3 of Western Conference Finals on Saturday night at AT&T Center.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made the announcement prior San Antonio’s Saturday morning shootaround.

“In the end, I guess it’s my decision,” Popovich told reporters.

Kawhi Leonard out for Spurs Game 2 vs Warriors

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle with a very important update on tonight’s NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 between the Spurs and Warriors:

Jonathon Simmons will start for the Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night, replacing injured Kawhi Leonard in the lineup for San Antonio.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made the announcement during his pregame news conference at Oracle Arena.
Popovich also said Leonard’s status for Game 3 on Saturday night probably would not be resolved until Friday at the earliest. He re-injured his sprained left ankle Sunday in Game 1, though an MRI exam showed no structural damage.

Patty Mills to start Game 5 for Spurs

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting on the Rockets’ current playoff opponent, the Spurs, who are without starting point guard Tony Parker for the remainder of the postseason:

Guard Patty Mills will move into the Spurs’ starting lineup for Game 5 against the Rockets on Tuesday, replacing Dejounte Murray who had started the two games since Tony Parker’s season-ending injury.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did not say if the move was in any way related to the Rockets’ lineup change, with Eric Gordon starting and power forward Ryan Anderson coming off the bench, but was not because of issue’s with Murray’s play.

Tony Parker injured, out for playoffs

Spurs guard Tony Parker, who has been the team’s second leading scorer through eight games so far during the 2017 NBA Playoffs, underwent an MRI examination this morning in San Antonio. The exam revealed bad news: Parker has suffered a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.

The injury occurred at the 8:52 mark of the fourth quarter of last night’s Spurs-Rockets game.

Parker will miss the remainder of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

Parker had been averaging 15.9 points on 52.56% shooting in these playoffs, though he was only dishing 3.1 assists per outing. Guard Patty Mills now has a lot more pressure on his shoulders, as does forward LaMarcus Aldridge, whose output in the postseason so far has been quite modest.

LaMarcus Aldridge back for Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been cleared to resume all basketball-related activities. After Aldridge had an occurrence of a minor heart arrhythmia in Oklahoma City on March 9, the Spurs medical staff led a process that included multiple tests and examinations as well as consultation with numerous experts in the field.

“We are thankful that LaMarcus will be able to rejoin the team,” said Spurs General Manager RC Buford. “All of us have been impressed with the professionalism and grace he has shown in dealing with this difficult situation.”

Aldridge is available to play in tonight’s Spurs-Blazers game with no restrictions.

LaMarcus Aldridge out due to heart-related health issue

According to the San Antonio Spurs, forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for an indefinite period of time due to an occurrence of a minor heart arrhythmia.

All parties have concluded that at the current time it is best for Aldridge to refrain from play until further tests and examinations are completed.