NBA Rumors: Latest Injury Updates On Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, And Kawhi Leonard

There is no question that the 82-game NBA regular season is a grind. Some players opt to rest for certain periods to remain fresh for a deep playoff run, while others are forced to be sidelined because of injuries. One has to wonder what its implications are as the season heads into a critical trading period. Here are some updates on Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard.

No More Rose In Cleveland?

ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin and Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rose has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the Cavaliers to “evaluate his future in the NBA.” Apparently, his recent ankle injury is said to have taken a mental toll on the former league MVP.

Rose, who won the award in 2011 before his host of other leg and knee injuries, has missed the last seven games for the Cavs due to a sprained left ankle. He has been sidelined in 11 of Cleveland’s 18 games this season, and the report noted that he has grown increasingly frustrated about being injured all the time.

One source said that Rose, who is currently averaging 14.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 26.9 minutes per game for the Cavs, is “tired of being hurt” and that the injuries are “taking a toll on him mentally.”

The Cavaliers are reportedly unsure whether Rose will come back or not, as he has recently not communicated with anyone in the team. There are many rumors of a possible retirement, but the Cavs franchise does not want to speculate, including head coach Tyronn Lue.

“Take as long as he wants to take, and we wish him well and we want him back,” said Lue in an interview with Cleveland reporters, per the Chicago Tribune.

It was not the first time that Rose left his squad in the middle of the regular season. Last year, he missed a game with his former team, the New York Knicks, without permission, citing “family reasons.” He was given a fine and also had to publicly apologize for what happened.

This time, though, the Cavs gave Rose, who only turned 29-years-old in October, the green light to walk away for a time and to contemplate.

Durant Out Against Bulls With Sprained Ankle

Durant, another former league MVP, is reportedly unavailable in the Golden State Warriors game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night because of a sprained left ankle. Bleacher Report noted that “durability has been a recent concern for Durant” even though he has missed only two of the Warriors’ 18 games so far this season.

The 2014 NBA MVP has been injury riddled in the past three seasons, playing only 27 games in 2014-2015 when he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder, then missing 10 games the following season. Last year, his first with Golden State, Durant missed 20 games due to a grade 2 MCL sprain.

Durant has been having problems with his ankle in recent weeks, as he missed the team’s 118-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 19. However, he played through it in a hard-fought 108-91 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sporting News reported that aside from Durant, Warriors forward Draymond Green is also sitting out the Bulls game to rest.

No Progress On Kawhi Leonard Injury?

Leonard has not played a single game for the San Antonio Spurs this season because of a chronic leg injury. The official diagnosis is a right quadriceps chronic tendinopathy, which causes “pain surrounding a tendon that’s become overloaded due to overuse,” according to Yahoo! Sports.

It was a similar injury that teammate Tony Parker had suffered during the last postseason. Parker is now cleared to play and could feature soon for head coach Gregg Popovich.

In an ESPN interview, Popovich admitted that he has “never” come across an injury like what Leonard has right now. And to have Leonard and Parker have it at the same time is “really strange” for the five-time NBA champion coach.

“What’s really strange is that (point guard) Tony (Parker) has the same injury, but even worse. They had to go operate on his quad tendon and put it back together or whatever they did to it. So to have two guys, that’s pretty incredible. I had never seen it before those guys.”

Popovich offered no timetable for Leonard’s potential return, as the Spurs continue to compete in the tough Western Conference. San Antonio is currently fourth in the conference standings with an 11-7 record, tied with the surprise third-place team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[Featured Image by Rob Carr/Getty Images]