Leonard denied load management and teamed up with George to compete for a championship in the new season
Originally compiled from: The Athletic
Written by Law Murray
原标题：Kawhi Leonard on new load management rules: ‘No league policy is helping me to play more games’
The Clippers' fifth media day in the "Leonard Era" is still filled with common themes about championship expectations, staying healthy and urgent.
The NBA announced last month that it would have a new player entry policy specifically for stars like Leonard who had been named to the All-Star or NBA All-NBA teams in his previous three seasons. Leonard has not been named to the All-Star or NBA All-NBA team since the 20-21 season due to various injury issues. When asked about the new policy, Leonard at first pretended to know nothing about it.
"What's that?" When asked for his thoughts on the new policy, Leonard said. "I don't really understand the policy. Are we just talking about load management? "
But when asked again about the NBA league's requirement that their top 50 stars play every game, Leonard offered a definitive answer about his health, while responding more poignantly to criticism he has suffered for attendance.
"I'm not the type of person who sits on the bench because of load management," said two-time FMVP winner Leonard.
Leonard missed the last three games of the playoffs last season due to a torn meniscus in his knee, so this media day is Leonard's first communication with the media since the end of April. Leonard missed 30 games during the regular season last season and was unable to play for the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL in the 2021 playoffs.
Before joining the Clippers in 2019, Leonard played 60 games with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19, never playing back-to-back. Leonard had been plagued by a quadriceps tendon lesion in his right leg at the time, which also led to just nine races in the 2017-18 season. Leonard also did not play back-to-back games in his first season with the Clippers in 2019-20.
"When I was with the Raptors, it was different, and I was recovering from an injury," Leonard said. "You have to know the details of the doctor. It's unreasonable for the league to now not approve of what I and the Raptors were doing at the time, because I was injured all year. "Leonard has always insisted that he is only willing to play when he is healthy and has permission to play. But Leonard also has a realistic view of whether he can play in every game in his 82-game season.
"If I can play, I'll give my best to win," Leonard said. "I train every day in the summer, just to play better in the game, not to sit on the bench and watch my teammates play. No league policy can help me play more. "
Leonard's physical recovery is enough to attend Clippers' training camp, meaning he has started training with the rest of the Clippers. Among them is Paul George, who has never returned after a sprained ankle in March – and that happened exactly about a month before the start of the playoffs.
George was in practice during the playoffs, but he didn't have a chance to return due to the Clippers' elimination against the Phoenix Suns. George was scheduled to return in the second round of the playoffs. But George said at the Clippers' media day that even if the Clippers make it to the second round, he won't have enough health to play the rest of the season.
"In hindsight, the reality is, I couldn't come back at all," George said. "I know I've returned to training. But even if we made it to the finals, I didn't have any chance of coming back. "
George disputed the Clippers' view that the Clippers weren't competitive enough last season when Leonard disputed the player's participation policy, something that Basketball Operations President Lawrence Frank and head coach Tyronn Lue believe needs to be improved this season. George said at Media Day 2022 that his championship window is closing, but the Clippers barely avoided the embarrassment of fighting for playoff tickets in the playoffs on the final day of the regular season last season.
I don't like to question us not taking the whole season seriously," George said. "I mean, we've always tried to approach the season. We do our best every night to win. We take training seriously and prepare for the game. Say we're loose this season? We put everything we could to succeed. ”
George acknowledged that the Clippers can't afford to leave any regrets and problems this season lest they be caught by the media again and question the Clippers' competitiveness for championships.
"Now, the key is to get all the details right," George said. "We can't take shortcuts. We have to work hard to win the title. I think it's closer to (Taryn. Lu) means. So I fully support it. I've been suggesting that we need more training. By the end of the season, we have to feel like we've done everything we can and have no regrets. ”
After this season, both Leonard and George have the potential to become free agents in 2024. Despite qualifying for a contract extension with the Clippers, Leonard is focused solely on winning championships.
"My goal every year is to try to win a championship," Leonard said Monday. "I don't pay attention to what the outside world says. Whatever happens, I don't pay attention. My focus is on the new season – winning the O'Brien Cup is like an aspiration every year. "