NBA notebook: Spurs teammates try convincing Leonard to return?
Manu Ginobili's comment this week that injured All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard isn't returning to the San Antonio Spurs lineup this season appears to have been based on more than just a gut feeling.
The Spurs held a players-only meeting Saturday imploring Leonard to resume playing to help the team's bid for a playoff spot, according to a report Thursday from ESPN, citing league sources, but the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year apparently was not swayed by what reportedly was a tense and emotional dialogue.
According to the report, players expressed frustration over both the effect of his absence on the Spurs' record and the longer-term implications for Leonard and the franchise. Eighth-year Spurs guard Danny Green disputed the ESPN story on social media Thursday, tweeting "Couldn't be anymore incorrect lol."
Leonard, 26, is eligible for a contract extension this summer or free agency in 2019, creating a perception that he is not willing to risk injury with so much money on the line.
--Anfernee Simons is entering the NBA draft after one season at IMG Academy, he told ESPN.
Simons, who is 19 and one year removed from high school, meets the NBA draft requirements in place and is not required to attend college for one year because of his enrollment at IMG in Bradenton, Fla.
Simons is listed by IMG at 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, and was coveted out of high school for his shooting range and quickness. Simons committed to play at Louisville. Rick Pitino was fired last October, and interim head coach Scott Padgett will not return.
--Registering 32 points and 30 rebounds in one game wasn't enough for Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard to avoid a suspension.
The league handed down a one-game ban without pay to Howard after he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter of Charlotte's win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Howard served his suspension when the Hornets faced the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended without pay for an additional game.
--Chicago Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken left wrist, the team announced. An MRI exam showed that Blakeney sustained a non-displaced fracture of the scaphoid bone.
Blakeney was injured during Monday's game against the New York Knicks. The injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain and Blakeney played Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, scoring six points on 3-of-9 shooting and adding three rebounds and three assists.
Blakeney, a rookie out of LSU, averaged 7.9 points in 19 games for the Bulls.
--Field Level Media
