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In 2013, after that win of the first match in Miami, Leonard stood in the Spurs' tight cloakroom, offering bland, brief responses to reporters wanting to know how he had held James to 18 points. In the vicinity, I watched with Buford and asked him if Leonard, only his second pro season, had shown nerves before the final.
"He does not say enough so that someone understands what he feels," Buford said. A laugh
The tease of yesterday is the torment of today. The Spurs never learned exactly what was going on in Leonard's head through their shared yet separate ordeal. Not even a post-season visit by Popovich to Leonard at his home in Southern California could restore the connection.
What remains of the relationship is the kind of residual chaos that makes N.B.A. the 24-hour narrative that goes from one show to another on the league partner networks
Leonard would have been unhappy at the thought of playing even a season in Toronto, which seems to be in the hope that a playoff race can persuade Leonard to drop the Los Angeles sun for Ontario snows.
DeRozan feels betrayed after nine years with the Raptors. He remains two years on his contract and a player option for a third. Who knows what the future brings now for him and the Spurs?
Holt, the owner, was involved in a high-profile split with his wife, Julianna, a Spurs co-executive director, although reports have indicated that there is no plans to sell the team. Popovich, 69, mourns his wife, Erin, who died in April. Buford was Popovich's boss, but it would not be shocking if his name started to be used for front office jobs.
Popovich still has LaMarcus Aldridge, another All-Star, and may well help DeRozan become a more confident leader in the Spurs system. After the two decades of sustained excellence of San Antonio, only a madman would declare the Spurs dead and buried even without Leonard.
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