Seriously, you can take every single NBA franchise and make a list of issues in the locker room, egos, fights and coaches budding heads with players who are then asked to leave / forced to sit out / traded OR quit by themselves / do not re-sign / take a leave of absence. Rockets have had plenty too, so not sure what they are trying to say here.
I kind of agree. Popovich has been heading that organization for 20+ years. A few bad apples in that span shouldn’t be a reflection on what he’s done with that franchise. With Kawhi, for the first time it is an apparent rift not with a role player but a star player. Personally, I think there is frustration among some veterans on the team with how Kawhi isn’t being completely open about what’s going on. And Kawhi, being very non-communicative, is not comfortable with explaining his position (a fully rational one: that he’d put his career first), so it’s led to a very awkward situation. I still believe they will patch this up in the offseason, when Popovich has time to reach out to him and isn’t consumed with coaching. Because of the type of person Kawhi is, it has to be Pop that makes the move.
Ugh, still hate that they traded Rodman for so little. They basically gift-wrapped the Bulls' second three-peat to them with that move.
Yes, this is very rare and it's definitely due to Kawhi's non-communication. There's probably a lot more to it than we know. I think it's either beyond repair or he's back next season playing his usual game.
I guess nobody remembers Rasho, Beno and Hedo. Pop tarred, feathered and ran them out of San Antonio.
Not sure about Hedo, but the other two have maintained good relationships with Popovich/Spurs, from what I have read.
Which in turn led to the Lakers dynasties which ****ed over our team in 2009 and the 2002 Kings. *******, that trade keeps paying its ugly dividends
I'm noticing a pattern here. 2015: Rockets overachieve in playoffs thanks to injuries/choking, ending with a sonning by the Warriors, the next year they completely implode after sky-high expectations, then limp to a low playoff seed and get put out of their misery by the Warriors. 2016: Blazers overachieve in playoffs thanks to injuries/choking, ending with a sonning by the Warriors, the next year they completely implode after sky-high expectations, then limp to a low playoff seed and get put out of their misery by the Warriors. 2017: Spurs overachieve in playoffs thanks to injuries/choking, ending with a sonning by the Warriors, the next year they completely implode after sky-high expectations, then limp to a low playoff seed and get put out of their misery by the Warriors.
Kyrie on the bench supporting the Celtics...Kawhi no where to be seen..whereabouts unknown..good teammate that guy
Fair or not, Kawhi has lost a lot of good will from fans and media. We don't even know what the issue is. It's kind of looking like the DMo saga. Totally abnormal and mystifying. Except that this is their franchise player.
To me it seems like the guy is just trying to do everything he can to get traded this summer, being more disliked by teammates, coaches and fans should help.
But why? That's the mystifying part. Why he suddenly wants out? Why does he alienate himself from the team? There was no sign of trouble before this injury.
