Rudy Gay's first season with the San Antonio Spurs was perhaps the most tumultuous in the organization's history in the last two decades. A plethora of injuries, a star's indecision, and an end of family tragedy with a quick postseason exit in the first round.
The Kawhi Leonard saga dominated headlines throughout the season, ranging from his impending return to the dark mystery of his sudden leave to get shut down until he gets a second opinion on what the Spurs called “quad tendinopathy.”
Yet Gay isn't shocked that the media circus made its round through San Antonio, an organization known for keeping things in-house and out of others' mouths.
“Do I think it was blown out of proportion? Maybe,” Gay told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. “But, I mean, when you have a team that is expected to compete for a championship, of course the media is going to be there and read into everything. I understand the media [side of things], but I definitely think it was blown out of proportion.”
Hardly anyone has delved into questioning the Spurs' integrity or veracity as a respected franchise, but the constant void of Leonard made it impossible not to pry and figure out what was really wrong with him.
An ESPN investigation by Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright revealed that Leonard's camp and the organization had differing points of view on his diagnosis, which started a now-tiff between Leonard's management team and the franchise, which could play a pivotal part in his upcoming max extension.
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