Spurs officially rule out Kawhi for Game 1 vs. Warriors

The San Antonio Spurs announced that superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard is out for Game 1 of their series against the reigning champion Golden State Warriors due to "return from injury management."

The move isn't a shock, as Leonard's prolonged recovery from a quadriceps injury has been well documented. After a brief, nine-game stint mid-season, the two-time All-Star hasn't seen game action since Jan. 13.

That Leonard hasn't been ruled out of the series completely could be a sign the Spurs are taking a game-to-game approach hoping their game-changing two-way player can return to action at some point before the season's end.

For the Spurs' sake, the sooner Leonard returns, the better. The Warriors are all-too-familiar with impact injuries, as two-time MVP Stephen Curry has been ruled out for the first-round series while he nurses an MCL sprain suffered last month.