I don't put him above Jordan, but I disagree that the Lakers move hurts his legacy anymore than it was by moving to Mia and then back to Cle. Going to Houston would have brought more rings, but more shade for how he did it. IF he resurrects the Lakers, I think it benefits his legacy in the long run.
The Miami superfriends move and an ESPN-televised decision to burn his draft team hurt his legacy, I think. At least going to LA is shocking because I think 3rd seed in the West is their ceiling.
https://sports.yahoo.com/report-markelle-fultz-76ers-terry-130007674.html. - I guess Philly and Boston are on their ways out of pursuing.
lulz, Woj and Shams with in-sync disagreeing takes. As @Deuce said, that's got to be different GMs manipulating the two into creating a story to help SAS, LA teams or other teams. "The Lakers have a more appealing potential package to offer the Spurs for Leonard, but have been reluctant to meet San Antonio's demands." -- Woj Podcast Regardless whether Kawhi is as willing to sign with LAC as LAL, there really is no reason for either to trade for him this year after GSW got Cousins...They will both have the capspace to get him outright. Any leverage SAS might have between those two is that the winner in trade gets Kawhi's Bird Rights for the next contract.
I think that when Lebrons career is over memory of the off-court stuff will fade rapidly and dramatically.
Right. As Magic, I'm sitting here with Ingram and two 1st year players. Why the hell would I trade away potential, not really knowing which one will become the best player, much less best fit with Lebron, when I *should* know that there is zero chance to win a title this year, if I make that trade, given the Cousins situation. Best route to title is punting this year, and getting Kawhi for free, and hoping Lebron doesn't lose a step. Pops has very little leverage here, now that PG13 stayed in OKC. Only leverage is to spin Shams into saying LAC has is a legitimate threat, but even then, Pops can really only trade for the value of Kawhi's Bird Rights, which should be the only value LAC and LAL see in the deal. Pops best trade might be Irving for Kawhi, straight up....haha...with Kyrie having a PO next summer.
If no one is going to give up any decent package and Kawhi is rumored to threaten sitting out the season, why not just get win now players in SA for him? Pops system has proven to be a winning one despite what most would think is a lack of talent. Just give him to the Rockets for EGO, RYNO, 2 1sts and rights to Sergio Lull and Gentile, Pop! You can convince Sergio to come to the NBA and that's a 60 win Spurs season for ya! I do agree with what the Lakers are doing. I'll never say punting the season with a 34 year old LeBron is smart because despite his freak of nature ability to stay healthy, at this age, anything can happen - ala Kobe achilles. I just see the risk being worth it to keep their young talent and just adding Kawhi next offseason. At that point, you've learned how much of a fit the young players are with LeBron and see another year of progress. If not a good fit, you can sign Kawhi and trade the younger players for another established star or 2. It reminds me of the Knicks mistake of trading all their assets for Melo when they could have waited for the offseason knowing Melo wanted to be in NY anyway. I disagree with the Sixers and Celtics strategy. You know you're not getting him next offseason, so take shot at winning it all next year. It's not like Fultz or Brown are going to be the key to a championship in the next 4 or 5 years even IMO. 1 year Kawhi rental for Boston should be a 100% risk to take when you've got the East to yourself. I could see Philadelphia's reluctance knowing they still have some development to go, but Boston is ready for the risk. Honestly, all the Lakers young players, Fultz, or Brown all look like good high level role players to me. Ceiling of a lower tier all stars once or twice in their careers. Think Lowry/Derozon type of players. Not franchise players IMO. Tatum is the only one I see with the true superstar potential as I see him in the mold of a Kawhi type of player.
Spurs best trade probably is Kawhi to the 76ers for Covington+Saric+Rights to Bolden+2021 Unprotected Miami 1st. (assuming Ingram, Jaylen Brown and Fultz are off the table) Send him East and get the best prospects/ liquid picks that you can.
I don't. It was already 10 years ago and it was a major unprecedented spectacle. He's made a habit of making a spectacle out of all of his contract decisions (intentionally) and I think he'll be remembered for that.
Magic will be there to back up LeBron's dumb GM demands. Esp if magic is making his own dumb moves I think the ground rule is that Bron doesn't trash or question the Faker name, but other than that, he's Kobe status
You mean the Sixers and Celtics *reported* strategy of pulling out.. They ain't pulling out. They just know that Pops is screwed by PG13\Cousins\Warriors, because the Lakers are pulling out\punting. So, maybe Sixers and Celtics have dropped their offers down to taking no phone calls....as prelude to playing hardball with the Spurs and bending Pops over for 30cents to the dollar. Pops' strategy of playing hard to get before July 1st severely backfired on him, and that was a huge mistake. Pops took a risk and screwed up, again. His best Boston/Philly offers went out the door the moment PG13 stayed, imso, and certainly when Cousins did.
Spurs Feel Turning Point Of Relationship With Kawhi Leonard Was August 2017 China Trip ESPN's Michael C. Wright outlined in detail on the Back To Back Podcast how Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs' relationship became fractured over the past year to the point where he's requested a trade. "The Spurs were in the dark for most of the season," said Wright. "Like some of the things that were happening were crazy. "I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m going to say it because Kawhi is about to be out of there I think. There was a point during his rehab process in New York that some of the Spurs brass went out to see him in New York. As soon as those guys arrived to the building, Kawhi’s people grabbed him and sequestered him to another part of the building. And so the Spurs' people couldn’t even see him. "These are the types of things that are going on that people don't know about." The Spurs handed over direction of Leonard's rehab on August 8, 2017. Leonard felt like the exercsises the Spurs were having him do were making him hurt even more. Leonard had multiple opinions on his thight. Leonard then went to China for a promotional tour about a week later. "When he went away to China, the Spurs couldn't get him on the phone. They could not get in touch with him. The thing is when the Spurs have something like that, a guy go on a league sanctioned trip abroad, they're going to send their security people. They're going to send their PR people to be with that player. They couldn't even get in touch with him. "If you talk to people within that organization, they'll tell you that was the turning point in the relationship when he went off to China and they could not get in touch with him. Everything changed after that." Wright said the Spurs still aren't 100 percent sure how they want to handle the situation. "Even right now, as we speak, the Spurs still don't know what they want to do with him." Kawhi Leonard's Preference Between Lakers, Clippers Remains Disputed The preferred destination of Kawhi Leonard remains one of the most hotly contested subjects amongst well-regarded members of the media. Shams Charania reported on The Herd on Tuesday that the Clippers remained in the picture for Leonard following the arrival of LeBron James with the Lakers. In a podcast on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that Leonard now finds the Clippers less appealing with James joining the Lakers as he wouldn't want to play for the less glamorous franchise in Los Angeles with the game's biggest star on the Lakers. Michael C. Wright went in the opposite direction on Thursday to indicate that Leonard now prefers the Clippers over the Lakers. "The Lakers are not Kawhi's preferred destination anymore," said Wright on the Back to Back Podcast. "He wants to go to the Clippers. He doesn't want to go be second fiddle to LeBron. That's what I was told and I was told by somebody who would know. "Right now, the Clippers are where he wants to go. "I talk to people within the Spurs organization and they're like 'Yeah, he wants to go to the Clippers but their assets are (expletive) at this point.' "I almost think there probably is going to be a dark horse team that nobody expected to come in and pull off that trade for Kawhi." Wright added that once James went to the Lakers, it was reported that Leonard was open to re-signing with the 76ers if he's traded there.
Antonio's demands." -- Woj Podcast Regardless whether Kawhi is as willing to sign with LAC as LAL, there really is no reason for either to trade for him this year after GSW got Cousins...They will both have the capspace to get him outright. Any leverage SAS might have between those two is that the winner in trade gets Kawhi's Bird Rights for the next contract. [/QUOTE] You really think the Lakers are pulling out because the Warriors added a player coming off a major injury that may not even fit the Warriors? There is a real possibility that Cousins in never the same. Also, how did waiting for the player to be a free agent work for the Lakers with Paul George ? I’m not being snarky, I am genuinely curious.
Reading this I wonder..Is Kawhi really a robot? What does it mean "his people grabbed him and put him in another part of the building". This is crazy.
