Aldridge: Kawhi “has to do what’s best for him”

And that’s all he has to say about that.

After last night’s valiant effort against the Warriors, LaMarcus Aldridge was happy to rehash how he mended fences with Gregg Popovich over the summer, appreciated the praise being throw his way, and was even willing to discuss what a grind this season has been.

“It’s tough,” Aldridge said of the circumstances of this season. “We’re depending on guys who really aren’t offensive guys, and I think that showed tonight. We have guys who really don’t score, and teams are exposing that and trying to make those guys score. … But every guy in the locker room has grinded, and tried to get better, and you’ve got to consider that.”

However, when asked for his take the Kawhi Leonard situation, he made it clear that was a boundary he didn’t want to cross.

“I have no comment,” he said as he walked away. “He has to do what’s best for him. That’s it. Nice to see you.”

It’s understandable that he doesn’t want to delve into that topic. As a player who has only just repaired his reputation himself, one would expect him to not want to comment on another’s situation, especially if they expect to continue being All-Star teammates.

Still, just days after Pop started referring the media to “Kawhi’s group” for any questions regarding his status, you can add Aldridge to the growing group of Spurs who are tired of answering questions for or about Leonard, or the bare minimum don’t want to be caught up in the situation.

At this point, with Leonard confirmed out for the season, it might be fair for the media to just let the remaining players focus on the task at hand instead of making them answer for a player who isn’t there and has pretty clearly failed to communicate on all fronts. It’s the least amount of reprieve they can provide.

Source: Pounding The Rock