I think the Fakers would struggle with injuries, not struggle to win but that is just me, with or without Leonard.
He’s had a whole year to decide if he wants to go back to the Raptors. He knows exactly where he’s going.
People can believe all they want, the fact that the Raptors are not putting anything out there tells me they're actually confidently in the lead still.
Prove it. People say this is true, but I have yet to see anyone who can prove it in any way. The fact that I have been hearing this same argument in some form since the late 80s tells you probably just how outdated that argument is today...in a connected world....for a global sport. I would argue that seeing Canada grow as a legit basketball watching country is far more important to the NBA's growth than Boston or LA or NY fielding good teams - in the age of the internet, we don't have to watch games that are physically close to media hubs - a youtuber in Des Moines, Iowa can aggregate as many eyeballs as an 80s Knicks game did. The world has moved on - whether that is with or without you is entirely up to you.
I think Kawhi is delaying to extract more concessions out of the Lakers. Like they have to hire a full medical team out of their own pocket for him. They have to hire some of his family members. Etc.
Basketball and lifestyle point to the Lakers. He's from there and can play off of Lebron and AD when necessary. He doesn't need to be the man. I couldn't blame him for going there, I just hate the impact it would have on competitive balance. He doesn't even have unfinished business in Toronto. He already brought them a championship. The only unfinished business there would be defending his title. Maybe he has loyalty and will stick around because they believed in him and supported him with load management. That's just wishful thinking on my part though.
Lakers "insiders" have been running their mouths off, and it looks Kawhi doesn't appreciate rumours. Hopefully he will realise that Lakers and clown circus go hand in hand. The other teams don't even have whispers leaking.
This is the only reason I want Kawhi to go to the Lakers is so that when Houston loses, they can say "Well we lost to the Lakers." At the end of the day, the Rockets need to change something. I don't know what it is. They have one of the best players in the NBA & right now, they're struggling to look like a championship team. - Richard Jefferson No team who plays the way they play will never win a championship. It's not me who said it. It was Kobe Bryant. - Mike Greenberg
