Kawhi Leonard has returned to the United States after a couple of weeks training with Team USA, as the U.S. men’s national team decided he wasn’t completely recovered from the injury that made him miss the Clippers‘ last games of the past campaign in April. This is why Derrick White was called to replace him and has already landed in Abu Dhabi.
The L.A. team’s president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank attended the press this Monday and revealed he was “very disappointed” with USA Basketball’s decision to release their All-Star player from the Olympic roster.
When the U.S. men’s national executive announced the news in a statement last week, they implied that this was a joint decision made with the Clippers, and that letting him go was beneficial for both parties. However, Frank assured that Kawhi hadn’t suffered any setbacks with his surgically repaired knee.
Lawrence Frank said it was Team USA’s decision for Kawhi Leonard to not compete in the Olympics.
Frank was very disappointed in the decision, and thought Kawhi looked great. pic.twitter.com/8FT9feL73i
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 15, 2024
“No, it was USAB’s call and I was quite frankly very disappointed with the decision,” he explained. “Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there the first two practices, he looked very good. Was a full participant in everything that they did.”
Nevertheless, Lawrence did admit he wasn’t there in person to see Leonard at training camp. “I wasn’t there for the third practice where ultimately that was the point where they decided to go in a different direction [last Wednesday],” he admitted. “I expressed to them I really wish that they would’ve given Kawhi more time.”
Frank wasn’t willing to get into it when he was asked if the athlete underwent any kind of treatment on his knee before Team USA’s camp. “I’m not going to get into the specifics of kind of what’s been happening,” said the Clippers executive. “All I’ll tell you is that he spent a great deal of time getting ready for this. He had a really solid progression. He looked good in the practices.”
Kawhi had shared that his injury had no inflammation before the USA Basketball camp, and that his knee was at a “neutral” state. “He wouldn’t be out there and we wouldn’t put him out there if we weren’t confident that he’d be able to go through the entire Olympic experience,” Frank added. “Now I get it from USAB’s perspective, no one has a crystal ball.”
Grant Hill explained why sending Kawhi home was in the “best interest” of the U.S. men’s national team, as well as the Clippers’ next season
Letting Leonard go wasn’t an easy decision, as he’d showed a lot of promise and improvement during his first week training with Team USA. However, it still seemed as he wasn’t entirely recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Clippers‘ final games of the season in April, and USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill made the final call.
“We just felt that we had to pivot, and not to get into the particulars in terms of what went into the decision, but we just felt it was in our best interest, but also in the Clippers’ and Kawhi’s best interest, to move into a different direction,” he told the press last week. “We tried. I think we all tried, and we gave it a valiant effort, and unfortunately, we have to move forward.”
According to the former player, he explained why this would eventually be the best solution for both the squad’s gold-medal aspirations, as well as his future with the Los Angeles franchise. “We did. Ultimately, he was sent home, but we were in conversation with the Clippers on that,” Hill revealed.
“He wanted to be here like all these guys want to be here,” he continued. “And we don’t take that lightly at all. It speaks to the program and the opportunity. Personally speaking, I know what it’s like to want to do something and your body is just not right.”
