Clippers will keep Kawhi Leonard out of practice during training camp

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — LA Clippers president Lawrence Frank said Tuesday that the swelling in Kawhi Leonard's right knee has gone down “significantly,” but the team plans to keep him out of practice during training camp. Frank also didn't commit to when Leonard would be ready for the regular season.

“I think the timing is going to basically depend on how his knee reacts to each step,” Frank said, “so nobody has a crystal ball.”

Clippers coach Ty Lue said there are no plans yet to include Crowe in any practice and that they will rely on guidance from the team's medical staff. Frank said the plan is for Crowe to work on strength training for his knee before returning.

“Our goal is to get him back to 100 percent so he can perform well not only this year, but for many years to come,” Frank said.

He added: “We're really just going to focus on strengthening and loading. I think we've learned some lessons. If you think about it, he desperately wanted to come back and play in the Dallas series, and within a game and a half, the swelling got to the point where it was impossible for him to handle, so we don't want to put ourselves in that position.”

Leonard's right knee has been a problem since the end of last season. Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. He returned in the playoffs to play in Games 2 and 3 against the Dallas Mavericks before missing the remaining three games of the Clippers' first-round loss.

Leonard is still experiencing some swelling even after a full summer. When he was held out during the postseason, Leonard said he was trying to minimize the swelling as much as possible, but it was troublesome and unexpected. Leonard, who was originally selected to be part of this summer's Olympic basketball team, was replaced by Celtics forward Derrick White during training camp, though Frank said it was not due to any setback in his knee.

“I know what it's like to want to do something and have your body not be right,” Team USA executive director Grant Hill said in July. “And I've experienced that personally. And so I applaud them for coming here and making the sacrifice, giving up their summer vacation and representing our country and playing for our program. … Ultimately, it just didn't work out.”

When Team USA assistant coach Lue was asked about the decision not to keep Leonard on the team, he smiled and said, “I don't remember.”