Toronto, San Antonio talking Kawhi-DeRozan Swap (UPDATE: Done deal)

that laugh is the kind that gets katy evacuated

 

I guess Kawhi is not a robot. Was Popovich muting Kawhi?!

 

Lmao at him saying "I'm a fun guy" within the tones of what seems like a funeral speach.

 

Until Media day, I had never heard Kawhi's voice. I have now heard him talk more in the last 2 days then at any point in his career in San Antonio.

Spurs really muted the players personalities.

Kind of refreshing to hear Kawhi now.

 

he must be a great personality in order for him to be able to do this to spurs...RESPECT

 

he does seem a lot more relaxed in some of the interviews I’ve seen

 

He seems mentally r****ded...

/Norm

 

That laugh is the opposite of ASMR

 

he sounds much like lebron

 

What a dumb question.

Media just doesn't know what to make of a quiet, hard-wording athlete who happens to be boring, too. If they want something juicy to print, story should return to asking Pops questions about how he absolutely blew it by catering to the whining star over the quiet franchise player.

 

If only someone recorded Les Alexander's Sinister Kawhi laugh!

 

Looks like now that Kawhi is freed from Pop and the Spurs (cult) regime....he is becoming more vocal. Danny Green would know since he was there with him in San Antonio.
cc @heypartner

 

This is what I suspected... Being among those old guys on the Spurs (Pop, Duncan, Manu, Tony) probably made it pretty awkward for a young guy like Kawhi to fit in and LEAD. He just couldn't relate to them, much less command respect from the 40 year olds with championship rings. When you add the fact that he's an introvert it makes it even worse. Raptors on the other hand, is a pretty young team with everything to prove, lots of guys in their 20s... It probably brings out the leader in Kawhi much more than ever before.

 

I think it's simpler than that. After the team forced him to do local HEB commercials, he realized if he never spoke again, the guys won't be able to pawn their Sponsor chores onto him.



And now that he's free from the embarrassing things small market sponsors make you do, he feels comfortable speaking again.

 

Here's hoping that next summer Kawhi takes the money and stays in Toronto.

 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24988629/zach-lowe-crazy-predictions-2018-19-nba-season

Kawhi Leonard (maybe) signs with the (maybe) Clippers

I have no inside information -- I am not on the Leonard camp text list -- but you can't write a predictions column without going out on a limb about him. The Paul George and Irving precedents bring optimism in Toronto. The Raptors are first-class. Toronto is an amazing city. The team has a real chance to make the Finals. If the young core takes another step, Leonard could see Toronto as a place to chase titles for the rest of his career.

But he might also need to see a long-term co-star. Is that Kyle Lowry at age 33?

If Leonard didn't care about the supermax in San Antonio, the fifth year only Toronto can offer him might not be much of an advantage. One injury changes that. That fifth year is massively important to some players in Leonard's age range. (Look at Butler.) A lot of them worry they won't make the same money in Year 5 as free agents in their early 30s. Others prioritize re-entering free agency after their 10th season -- that's July 2022 for Leonard -- when they become eligible for the largest possible contract.

That West Coast buzz was strong in June and July. If Toronto makes the Finals, let's give them a 60-40 shot at keeping Leonard. If they don't, the field gets a huge edge. If he bolts for L.A., the wager here is that he sets his own path instead of following LeBron. In the aggregate, that makes the official prediction Leonard is a Clipper next season.​

 

Weep Spurs fans.