Bruce Bowen rips Kawhi: 'There's nothing but excuses going on'

Former San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen didn't mince words when discussing Kawhi Leonard's role in the current saga between player and club, claiming "there's nothing but excuses going on," during a Thursday appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

Leonard has reportedly said he's ready to move on from San Antonio, preferably to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs, however, have been hesitant to jump into a deal in the hopes that they can repair the relationship and move forward with an extension. Bowen, for his part, isn't taking quite as favorable a view of the superstar.

"First, it was, 'Well I was misdiagnosed,'" Bowen said of Leonard, per ESPN. "Look here: You got $18 million this year, and you think that they're trying to rush you? You didn't play for the most part a full season this year. And you're the go-to guy, you're the franchise, and you want to say that they didn't have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me?"

It's been an arduous year for Leonard and the Spurs, as the two-time All-Star played in just nine games thanks to a quad injury. As the season went on, the 26-year-old was seemingly never forthcoming about his intentions with San Antonio, and reports suggested Leonard was disappointed with how the franchise handled his injury.

Bowen believes it was well within Leonard's power to smooth things over.

"Not one time has Kawhi come out and said anything to the effect of, 'You know what, hey, I really enjoy being in San Antonio.' Or, 'I can't stand what's going on here in San Antonio,'" Bowen said. "Not one time has he said anything."

Bowen played in San Antonio for eight seasons, winning three championships as the starting small forward in the middle of the Tim Duncan era. Leonard succeeded Bowen three seasons after the former All-NBA defender retired.