Was Kawhi right to go against San Antonio team doctors and sit out games?

[iamgine]

Seems to me teams don't always disclose and explain what the real diagnosis is:


Isaiah Thomas discussed the situation on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson (47:08 mark).

"The only thing that I think they handled wrong was not explaining to me what the extent of my injury could be if I do play," Thomas said. "That was the biggest thing for me that I disliked. 'Cause nobody gave me no insight, 'OK, you do play, this can happen.'"

The two-time All-Star explained that the injury initially came during a March game against the Minnesota Timberwolves but got worse in the playoffs. Team personnel at the time called it a bone bruise, which wasn't enough for him to sit out for key games.

"If you're gonna tell me it's a bone bruise, I'm playing 10 times out of 10," he said.

"I'm 5'9". If I don't play, they gonna forget about me," he added. "That's how I always felt, just being the smaller guard. I played through it, hurt myself even more."

The injury was later diagnosed as a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear that knocked him out of the final few games of the playoffs. His career was never the same.

[warriorfan]

Yes

[1987_Lakers]

Might be true (The Isaiah story), but most athletes try to play through crazy injuries. Even if the injury was fully disclosed to him, does Isaiah really sit out like he said he would? Easier to say you would sit years later after your career was never the same.

[FultzNationRISE]

He can do whatever he wants.

Play, dont play, who cares.

He's still gonna make $250,000,000.

Nobody here's ever gonna come close to that.

Just sit there and watch him throw the ball around. Or if he decides he doesnt feel like doing it for a while, watch someone else do it.

Just sit there and watch. Dont worry about what Kawhi's doing.

Thanks.

[Real Men Wear Green]

He did the right thing for himself. He clearly can't take a normal workload. That sucked for the Spurs and is sucks for the Clippers but he got hurt playing for the Spurs and the Clippers really should have known what they're getting into. So while no he isn't worth his contract and hasn't been since he left Toronto he should be taking as much time off as he can.

[Axe]

@hbk dimwit

[JohnMax]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Thomas_(basketball)

Isaiah Thomas suffered an injury in a March 15, 2017 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and missed the following two games.

On August 22, 2017, Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NBA_draft

The draft lottery took place during the playoffs on May 16, 2017. The 53–29 Boston Celtics, who were also the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and reached the Eastern Conference Finals at the time of the NBA draft lottery, won the #1 pick with pick swapping rights thanks to a previous trade with the Brooklyn Nets, who had the worst record the previous season.

The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Jayson Tatum was selected 3rd overall by the Boston Celtics.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I'm pretty sure Tatum getting drafted had nothing to do with Thomas.

[JohnMax]

A lot of weird stuff happened around Tatum.

Isaiah got hurt the season before he got drafted.
Hawyard broke his leg in his first game with Tatum.
Celtics do better in playoffs with Tatum than they do with Kyrie.

It's almost like God is saying Tatum is the chosen one and that he's going to clear the deck for him. So he got rid of Isaiah, Hayward, and Kyrie.

[imdaman99]

Well the Celtics did another loyal player dirty so of course these players gotta look out for themselves

[Real Men Wear Green]

A lot of weird stuff happened around Tatum.

Isaiah got hurt the season before he got drafted.
Hawyard broke his leg in his first game with Tatum.
Celtics do better in playoffs with Tatum than they do with Kyrie.

It's almost like God is saying Tatum is the chosen one and that he's going to clear the deck for him. So he got rid of Isaiah, Hayward, and Kyrie.

One more weird thing happened around Tatum: your post.

[Spurs m8]

No

He hired criminal uncle Dennis as his agent and then literally refused to play so he could go back to LA.

Dennis wanted him in LA and got him there...then karma tore his body apart....suck shit...tear another ACL...crim

[bison]

No

He hired criminal uncle Dennis as his agent and then literally refused to play so he could go back to LA.

Dennis wanted him in LA and got him there...then karma tore his body apart....suck shit...tear another ACL...crim

Kahwi is a f*cling weasel. Backstabbing moron. Could have had an all time great career in San Antonio. Instead wanted to be a ghetto moron in LA and now will finish his career in a wheelchair. I hate spurs and clippers so this is funny to me, but damn brother you don’t deserve that shit. Makes me think of what lebron did to my lakers. Feels like god is testing us sometimes

[bdonovan]

Yes.

He experienced a version of what Isaiah did. Strongly believe that the doctors that do player injury analysis should be employed by the league, not the team because the latter have too much bias to tell the player to play.

Look at the contrition Bob Myers had when they told KD to play and he injured himself further. SA had none of that decency; only commandeering the sports press to bash Kawhi to the fanbase. Despicable.

[Xiao Yao You]

Yes.

He experienced a version of what Isaiah did. Strongly believe that the doctors that do player injury analysis should be employed by the league, not the team because the latter have too much bias to tell the player to play.

Look at the contrition Bob Myers had when they told KD to play and he injured himself further. SA had none of that decency; only commandeering the sports press to bash Kawhi to the fanbase. Despicable.

the league might want a star to play more than the teams who have 100's of millions invested in the players

[Real Men Wear Green]

Yes.

He experienced a version of what Isaiah did. Strongly believe that the doctors that do player injury analysis should be employed by the league, not the team because the latter have too much bias to tell the player to play.

Look at the contrition Bob Myers had when they told KD to play and he injured himself further. SA had none of that decency; only commandeering the sports press to bash Kawhi to the fanbase. Despicable.

Being employed by the team and the league are the same thing. The players would need the authority to fire the doctor. Which they may or may not have in not sure.

[Stephonit]

Yes Kawhi was right to prioritize his health and make decisions he was comfortable with regarding it. Team doctors have an inherent conflict of interest.

The popular view on this I think should side with the player much more than it usually does. Simply ask yourselves how much money are you willing to accept to be saddled with a chronic injury for the rest of your life?

[Xiao Yao You]

Spurs were the team that started load management so I can't imagine they were pushing Kawai if they thought it would effect his health long term

[Real Men Wear Green]

Spurs were the team that started load management so I can't imagine they were pushing Kawai if they thought it would effect his health long term

I don't know what their doctors were telling him and the team but the years have proven that playing basketball is bad for his health. This is not just load management, the Clippers are basically trying to calculate how many games they can get out of him before he gets shut down for the season. And they can't get it right. If he is just concerned with his health he should retire. But he wants to get those checks and may also be hoping to get another ring so the farce continues. The Spurs just wanted to do what the Clippers have been doing.

Which completely hasn't worked, but the way.

[julizaver]

Seems to me teams don't always disclose and explain what the real diagnosis is:

Given the past years he was wright to sit out games. Initially took a lot of blame, but now media and fans should apologized him. Very sad that injuries cut short his prime years. And I can tell you that Clippers (and also the Spurs vs GSW in 2017 WCF could have a different and surprised result) would have reach far more if not for Kawhi's injuries. They've got a stacked team with two-star players considered among the best two-way player.