HOUSTON -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he'll speak to Kawhi Leonard on Tuesday when the team returns home following its 109-93 loss to the Houston Rockets. It's expected the club could gain some clarity about the star forward's potential return to the lineup.
"I'll see Kawhi [Tuesday]," Popovich said. "We'll see how he's feeling, and see how ready he is, and see how ready I think he is. And we'll go from there."
The team reportedly had targeted a home matchup on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans as the date for Leonard's potential return, but Leonard will not play Thursday, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday and confirmed by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
The Spurs (37-30) have lost 11 of their past 14 games and fell to the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings with Monday's loss.
Popovich was asked on Saturday about the report of Leonard's return, and said, "Well good for them. I'm glad they're reporting that. I don't know what they reported. I don't hear. I don't worry about reports."
Leonard's pending return date hasn't changed, and is barring a setback from a right quad injury, sources told ESPN. Leonard said last week he planned to return "soon" from the injury, which has kept him out for all but nine games this season.
A two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Leonard played in those nine games after missing the season's first 27, but returned to the sideline after playing against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 13.
Leonard said he has been riding a stationary bike and participating in 3-on-3 drills to simulate the physical contact of games, but he has done so with Spurs staff members, not teammates.
Leonard admitted that the only way to work himself into proper cardiovascular condition is to actually play in games.
