NBA: Pop:”I’d be surprised if Kawhi came back.”

Bad news for the San Antonio Spurs: Superstar Kawhi Leonard might miss the rest of the season. Coach Gregg Popovich gave a less than hopeful forecast on Wednesday.

“I’d be surprised if he came back this season,”Popovich said after the team training. Leonard received medical clearance in December, as ESPN reports. However, as he was in too much pain during his short comeback (9 games), Leonard decided to take himself out of circulation.

“We only have X games this season and he’s still not ready,”Popovich said,”If he gets to that point it would be pretty late in the season, and then it’s not an easy decision – how late to bring someone back. That’s why I just want to be honest and think logically. I’d be surprised if he came back this year.”

Leonard continues to work on a complicated quadriceps injury, the extent of which seems to have been misjudged time and again, and over the All-Star Weekend Leonard ESPN spent a total of 10 days in New York to get a second opinion from a specialist. According to reports, the relationship between player and franchise has been cracked by the whole affair.

The Spurs have so far had a 35-24 record without their best players and potential MVP candidates and are currently in third place in the East, even though they were in a crisis before the All-Star Break. Meanwhile, it looks like they have to compete for the playoffs without Leonard.

“We have to look ahead,”Popovich said,”The team has to realize that we have these people at our disposal and will play with them. Wish and hope does not help anyone. We must do the best for ourselves.”

Leonard, 26, had 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season and finished third in the MVP election.