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A former LA Clippers strength and conditioning coach who says he was hired in
2019 as part of a yearslong campaign to recruit Kawhi Leonard has sued the
team and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, alleging wrongful
termination in part for raising concerns about the management of Leonard's
health and injuries.

一名聲稱為了2019年非法招募Kawhi Leonard而被聘用的前快艇體能教練對快艇籃球事務總
裁Lawrence Frank發起針對快艇錯誤終止Kawhi Leonard的傷病負載管理的控告。

The lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, was filed Thursday in Los
Angeles County by attorneys representing Randy Shelton, who joined the
Clippers on July 1, 2019, as a strength and conditioning coach after serving
in a similar role at San Diego State, where he worked with Leonard before he
joined the San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 NBA draft.



Shelton said he was part of a multiyear effort to recruit Leonard that "leapt
well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution" with respect to potential
tampering violations.

He is seeking "significant" but unspecified damages at trial, his attorneys
told ESPN.

The Clippers issued a statement denying the allegations.

他參與了一項對Kawhi Leonard長達多年的招募，而這項行動"遠遠超出了NBA規定的範圍"
，涉及可能的非法招募行為。

他的律師告訴ESPN，他在審判中尋求"可觀但未具體說明"的賠償。

快艇隊則發表聲明否認這些指控。

"Mr. Shelton's claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We
honored Mr. Shelton's employment contract and paid him in full," the team
said. "This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on
accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false."

Through a spokesperson, the NBA said it was unaware of the lawsuit.

快艇表示:"Shelton先生的指控已經被調查過並被證實毫無根據。我們履行了與他的合約並
完整給付了他的薪水。這個控訴是遲來的敲詐計畫而他清楚這些是虛假的指控。"

NBA發言人則表示，NBA對這起訴訟並不知情。

In the lawsuit, Shelton said the Clippers first contacted him in 2017 after
Leonard, who was then under contract with the Spurs, suffered a severe ankle
injury in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals against the Golden
State Warriors.

That injury ended Leonard's postseason, and he missed the first 27 games of
the next season with a right quadriceps injury. Leonard's injury and
subsequent rehab created a rift with the Spurs, leading him to seek a second
opinion outside of the organization.

在訴狀中，Shelton聲明快艇在2017年Kawhi Leonard還在馬刺並在對陣勇士西區決賽第一
戰受到嚴重腳踝傷勢後接觸了他。



Beginning in 2017, while Leonard remained under contract with the Spurs,
Shelton said a Clippers executive contacted him to seek "private health
information" about Leonard and expressed the need for "discretion." The two
sides spoke approximately 15 times on the phone and had at least seven
meetings, according to the lawsuit, as the Clippers sought to learn more
about Leonard's contractual obligations with the Spurs and his medical
situation.

In June 2018, Spurs president R.C. Buford acknowledged that the team was
willing to "explore all of our options" as Leonard had grown disgruntled with
the franchise.



在2018年6月，馬刺總裁R.C. Buford告知所有隊伍因為他們與Leonard之間的不合而願意"
尋求任何選項"。

The Clippers were one of the teams that sought to acquire Leonard, but
ultimately he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in July 2018 and brought the
franchise its first title in 2019. Leonard became an unrestricted free agent
after that season.

In his conversations, Shelton said the Clippers executive "discussed bringing
Shelton into the Clippers' organization as a strength and conditioning coach,
given the personal relationship and trust that Leonard had in Shelton."

快艇是想要追求Leonard的球隊之一，然而最終在2018年7月Leonard被交易至多倫多暴龍並
帶給了該隊第一座冠軍。Leonard也在隨後變成了非限制自由球員。

Shelton在他的對話中說快艇管理層"討論了因為他與Leonard個人與信任的關係，將作為體
能教練雇用到快艇。"

After Leonard left San Diego State, Shelton said he was hired by Leonard to
help him prepare for the NBA and that they maintained a relationship through
2017 as Leonard's stardom rose with the Spurs, where he won a title in 2014,
earning Finals MVP honors.

Shelton alleges that the Clippers' recruiting efforts were in "disregard for
the NBA's prohibitions on tampering." Article 35 of the NBA's constitution
prohibits teams from "directly or indirectly" attempting to entice players
under contract with one team to join a different team.

在Leonard離開聖地牙哥州大後，Shelton說他被Leonard所雇用來幫助他準備NBA且他們在
2017年之前在Leonard的聲名鵲起時都與馬刺維持了良好的關係。

Shelton控訴快艇的招募努力"無視了NBA禁止違規招募的規定"NBA憲章的第35條NBA禁止球
隊"直接或間接"嘗試招募有合約的球員。

Shelton said he was "promised a bright future with the Clippers" and that at
the time he "had a thriving business in San Diego" and a "respected position
with San Diego State."

Clippers personnel attended many of Leonard's games in Toronto during the
2018-19 season, and the team was fined $50,000 by the NBA in May 2019 for
then-Clippers coach Doc Rivers' public comments that compared Leonard to
Michael Jordan.

Shelton聲稱他被"承諾會在快艇有光明的未來"並當時他"在聖地牙哥有一個不錯的事業"並
在"聖地牙哥州大擁有備受尊敬的職業"。

快艇的人員2018-19賽季出席了許多Leonard在多倫多的比賽，而且球隊也在2019年5月因為
當時快艇的總教練公開將Leonard與Michael Jordan做比較而被罰了5萬美元。

After the Clippers signed Leonard in July 2019, Frank said during an
introductory news conference, "We never had a conversation with Kawhi or with
any of his people. We always felt by doing it out in front that we were being
very, very transparent. We know the rules. We follow the rules. With how
[Clippers owner Steve Ballmer] does business, his integrity is No. 1. We are
always going to be above the line."

But on or around February 2019, Shelton said he met in San Diego with Frank,
who "personally assured" him that he would have a role on the team's strength
and conditioning staff if Leonard joined the Clippers. Shelton said he met
with the Clippers again during the Raptors' playoff run regarding Leonard's
willingness to join the team.





The Clippers hired Shelton in July 2019. Soon after joining the team, Shelton
said his role was diminished, that he was excluded from meetings and that
information about Leonard's health was withheld from him.

Leonard suffered an ACL tear in his right knee in the second round of the
2021 playoffs, underwent surgery in July 2021 and sat out the 2021-22 NBA
season.

Shelton said the recovery target for Leonard, who "has suffered numerous
injuries previously," should have been 730 days, but the Clippers considered
that timeline "unacceptable."

快艇在2019年7月雇用了Shelton。在他加入了快艇後，Shelton聲明的他角色就被削減了，
他被球隊的會議排除也不被告知任何Leonard相關的健康資訊。

Leonard在2021年季後賽第二輪遭遇了右膝ACL撕裂並在2021年7月進行了手術21-22賽季報
銷。

Shelton說Leonard的復健期"因為他的傷病史"而應該是730天，但快艇認為這個時間線"無
法接受"。

He said that in an August 2022 meeting with members of the Clippers' medical
team, it was agreed that the team would apply load management principles for
Leonard, restrict him from playing in back-to-backs and limit his minutes as
he recovered.

Leonard returned to action in October 2022, 16 months after the injury, but
complained of swelling and inflammation after two games. Leonard missed 12
games in the first two weeks of the season with knee issues then, Shelton
said, suffered two ruptured ligaments in his right ankle on Nov. 21, 2022,
costing him six more games early in the season.

他說2022年8月他與快艇的醫療團隊開會時，他們同意Leonard應該要進行負載管理，限制
他出賽B2B並限制他的時間使其恢復。



Later that season, Leonard tore his right meniscus in a playoff series
against the Phoenix Suns. After that injury, Shelton said he wrote a
complaint to Frank about his diminished role and how the team had managed
Leonard's health. In it, he said he noted that the "mishandling of Kawhi
Leonard's injury and return-to-play protocol has been mind-blowing" and that
"the disregard for his recovery process is unacceptable." Shelton also said
the Clippers had placed more of an emphasis on Leonard's productivity than
his recovery.



The following day, Frank responded, stating, "We take your concerns very
seriously and will promptly move forward with an investigation."

隔天，Frank回應並聲明"我們會認真對待你的憂慮並啟動一項調查。"

Shelton said his allegations were found to be unsubstantiated and that Frank
terminated him without cause in July 2023. He said he was not compensated for
wages owed, including expenses and reimbursements.

"We hope that our client's lawsuit will serve as a wakeup call to the
Clippers organization that their players are not just dollar values but are
humans requiring proper -- and not hastened -- health and recovery treatment
for the careers and lives afterwards," John David, one of Shelton's
attorneys, wrote in a statement to ESPN.

Shelton說他的指控被認為毫無根據且Frank在2023年7月毫無理由的開除了他。他說他沒有
被支付支欠的薪水，其中還包含了一些費用與報銷。



Shelton's attorneys also said their client would cooperate with any
investigation into the Clippers' conduct.

Last season, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games -- his most since
2016-17 -- and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals
while earning his sixth All-Star nod.

Shelton的律師也聲稱他們的客戶願意與針對快艇行為的任何調查合作。

上一季，Leonard出戰了68場例行賽--他16-17賽季之後最多的一季--並場均23.7分6.1籃板
3.6助攻1.6抄截並拿下了生涯第6次明星隊。

But his health has remained an issue.

Leonard has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in
2019, and he remains sidelined indefinitely to start this season while
rehabbing inflammation in his right knee.

然而他的健康仍然是個問題。

Leonard在2019年加入快艇後在他可能出戰的435場比賽中缺席了179場，目前仍因為他右膝
的發炎復健而無限期缺戰今年的開季。

心得:

吃瓜看戲囉

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※ 作者: EZ78 2024-10-25 05:52:30
※ 文章代碼(AID): #1d6i6WFi (NBA)
※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1729806752.A.3EC.html