Kawhat

My L.A. cousin loves basketball, especially the Clippers. He has season tickets and has been a very loyal fan. He must be ecstatic!

Yes! 

The Magic win the East!

I still would not count the Lake Show out. With LeBron and Davis, Kuzma’s game is going to fill that big three slot, the kid is going to rise, great young talent and he fits solidify in this slot. But Fuck the lakers, hahahhahahah

The thing about the clippers is their bench.  There may be other teams that can test their starting lineup every now and then but sweet Lou and foshizzle montrezl will eat them alive.  

Next year will be fun to watch....so many stories from the off season...lakers, sixers, brooklyn, clips, dubs, celts, etc.

Zang, you don't even mention the Jazz? According to the talking heads (most who never played), they are a serious contender with the changes they made.

Bringing in Conley and Bogdanovic supposedly was huge and with Mitchell, Gobert, and Ingles, could make for a helluva team. At least that's how they're spinning it locally and nationally.

I have very limited interest now but that will change come playoff time. Shaking my head with all this $$$ being thrown around. Amazing. How high will the fans go paying for tickets? 

Gotta hand it to the marketers for the NBA creating enough hype and fan interest to support both ticket sales and cable TV markets that grab that much cash to pay those salaries.   

well ain't this some real housewives shit?

all things considered, we did ok on what other pieces there were to pick up.

we shall see if the curse of the clippers is gone. FA's going to the clip ship. who woulda thunk?

Slick, I didn't purposefully leave the jazz out of it but I don't think they really have a shot.   Love me some Mitchell but his play is streaky and he's not going to lead them to the promise land...yet.   Hopefully he has a great season.   Do they have a bench?  That's what's going to separate some fo these teams.  

Never thought I'd see westbrook leave oklahoma but that looks about as good as done.   If he reunites with Harden in Houston would be interesting.  Can Harden and Westbrook coexist?   That would be a tough match up, but I still like to think Houston is too much of a head case to win.   

Turts, clips lakers will be a good time for everyone.   Lakers have picked up a few decent pieces.   They need a shooter, korver, westbrook, something to spread the floor.  

Casual basketball fan here.

I respect how Kawhi carries himself on and off the court- definitely refreshing in today's NBA.  Seems to have a small(er) ego than your run-of-the-mill NBA superstar.  I also respect how there were NO leaks anywhere.  Professional all around.  

I heard he was disappointed in Magic leaking and the Lakers paid the price.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/magic-johnson-leaks-reportedly-hurt...

From the story -

"All the information about Kawhi Leonard’s free agency process was as quiet as could be. Information was hard to come by, with most of the random rumors coming from unreliable sources. None of the typical credible reporters were providing information.

But there was one piece of information that came out, and it was the details of Magic Johnson’s conversation with Leonard and his manager, Uncle Dennis. Brad Turner reported several details on Spectrum SportsNet of Magic’s conversation with Leonard. Where else did that information come from if not through Magic? It’s obvious Johnson yapped.

Kawhi’s camp did not like that, just as was reported during the week.

Meanwhile, there was not one leak from the Clippers all along. Not one. They proved they were trustworthy, and they ended up with the biggest prize of all."

Google "Magic leak" with Kawhi's name in there and you'll see a few more choices.

>>>we shall see if the curse of the clippers is gone. FA's going to the clip ship. who woulda thunk<<<

Jerry West. Where he goes teams win.

Anyone competing against the Clippers should have started worrying as soon as West joined that organization.

I was really impressed with the Clippers in their playoff series against the Warriors this past season, and now they'll play monster defense and have real star power.

The league overall should be interesting next year, and basketball in LA should be REALLY interesting next year.

On it goes.

GW!!!!!

i know, lakers sold their soul to p. jackson and a few more rings. hard to see jerry working for your competitor.

I think Grizzlies fans might well say that West took over a dumpster fire and built them into their first playoff teams, and I believe West won Executive of the Year with Memphis.

And West's influence is all over the Warriors championship era. He WAS there when they drafted Klay and he was a big voice in that decision, despite the fact that at the time Thompson didn't fit the roster. He was also there when Harrison Barnes & Draymond were drafted the next year.

He voice was also involved in many of their free agent signings (Iguodala, Durant) and trades made, and NOT made (Klay for Love). Also by all reports he was seriously involved in coaching changes & hires.

Jerry West isn't a magic answer, but he always seems to be around when really good, really smart things start happening. Almost every great organization in any field has someone like Jerry West, either as the leader or as a trusted, proven advisor.

This says it all pretty well...

https://theathletic.com/1064989/2019/07/06/kawakami-kawhi-leonard-the-cl...

BTW, It's Klank, not Klang.

GW!!!!!

You can call him Klang, it's just that I was calling him Klank five years ago.

And IMO Klank has a better ring to it than Klang.

YMMV.

I prefer Klang....

Interesting article

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2844770-it-doesnt-matter-even-best-n...

>>>>>>

But the broader lesson here is a bit bleaker, drenched in existential angst: Sometimes, nothing you do actually matters. Nothing.

The Toronto Raptors did everything right—even winning a championship—and still lost Leonard.

The Golden State Warriors made three straight Finals with Durant, winning two titles...and lost him anyway.

The Boston Celtics surrounded Irving with veteran stars and bouncy young talent...and he coldly cut ties.

And the Oklahoma City Thunder—who were celebrating a new four-year contract with George last summer—just traded him at his request.

Leonard just became the first NBA superstar to leave his team immediately after winning a title. Durant departed just a year after being crowned Finals MVP. Jimmy Butler just left a contender in Philadelphia to join a non-contender in Miami—and for less money.

Warriors should be back in the hunt in 2 years when young Smailagic (Smile-a-geech) is ready to play at the NBA level.

Looks like the west is loading up on thug teams to lean on the warriors, get a bit more physical like Toronto just did.

i cannot wait for them to get back running and gunning and making them all look slow and like they are stuck in the 50’s again. Fuck KD, cannot wait to see that ball get passed around to find the open man, get back to seeing the best brand of basketball that has been played since the game was invented. 

dubs are done unless they get another star.   They will make playoffs for years to come but never win again without some help.  

I like me some KD but I hate irving.   So f kd for making that decision.   I think that team will go nowhere as well.   Irving is bad business.    

will "warrior fans" still watch or attend?

my boss has season seats...

had to pony up for a shot at the new arena.

he is not a gs fan...

People like basketball, the Warriors are the only act in town, the Bay Area has ALWAYS loved & supported the Warriors, and they aren't going to suck for a long time to come, so yes Turtle, the vast numbers of Warriors fans who have existed & supported the team through decades of thin & thinner will continue to support the team now and going forward.

As for this massively over-hyped leaving Oakland thing, unlike the Coliseum the new venue isn't in an industrial wasteland next to a ghetto, it's in the middle of a thriving urban center; it's going to be a cool place to go to events. It will be expensive, but despite popular narrative Warriors games have been seriously expensive for a long time, since before they became great.

The false narrative of "Oh, a family of four can't afford to go." will be popular around here for a while, but in truth they'll continue to sell out the venue with more or less the same fan demographics, and even if they're not competitive the venue itself will be a destination, people love basketball and they love the W's, so the region will continue to go to the games. 

>>>dubs are done unless they get another star<<<

That organization has shown themselves to be pretty smart/forward thinking & pretty ruthless, and unlike many/most sports organizations they're not just concerned with Butts-In-Seats so they won't be afraid to make risky, unpopular decisions. They're not going to dominate the league as they have the past five years and they may not make the finals or win championships, but even as they stand now they'll still have three of the four foundation pieces in their prime who did dominate the league for five years, so they're not likely to sink down into lottery land.

And no matter what they do short-term, 2021 is only two years away, when there will be LOTS of top-tier free agents on the market (including Kawhi again?). You can bet that they're already making plans for that.

It should be fun to watch, and that's what it's all about.

GW!!!!!

it was a good run buddy.

>>although they finally have a young center! Willie Cauley-Stein is a good pick up

Kings fans mostly hated Willie. Didn't play defense, didn't protect the rim, and zero consistency. Willie looked lost last year and there were legitimate questions about whether he even wanted to play basketball. Maybe new surroundings will help, but right now I would put him down as a solid off the bench center. 

How long will it take to walk from BART?

>>>How long will it take to walk from BART<<<

About ten minutes more than it takes to walk to a Giants game.

But if you can afford a ticket to a Warriors game you can afford an Uber ride from BART.

And Willie Cauley-Stein won't be playing for the Kings now, or starting for the Warriors, and apparently he's very good at the pick & roll, which is also what D'Angelo Russell excels at.

Funny how these things come together.

Honestly I have no real idea and shouldn't say who will be the starting five, maybe this new guy will be, plus the team isn't close to set yet so I suppose there's no sense in naming "starters" in July.

But Looney is the veteran on that team, a guy who also took a discount to stay (and who played in the finals with a broken collar bone) so it was my assumption that at leeast at the outset he gets the nod, and from what I'm hearing Cauley-Stein will match well with Russell, and whoever starts it doesn't sound like Russell & Steph will always be on the court together.

At this point I figure Looney to be the nominal starter, but then again, with the way this organization works there's not telling in early July what the team will look like six months from now or how Kerr will use his players.

And at least with the Warriors, and likely most good teams, it isn't about who starts, it's who finishes.

Houston will be trash while those two fight over who will have the ball in their hands the most.  Both of those guys have all the talent in the world but don't make other players around them better.  

Looks like the rooster finally came home to roost for Chris Paul.  The dude is known for being a punk and one of the most disliked players in the league. 

I'm jumping head first on that Clippers bandwagon.  It would be cool to see Doc to win another trophy. 

Westbrook Harden seems like a conflict of playing styles but maybe I'm wrong.  

I can't imagine Paul will stay very long and I'm sure there are plenty of suitors interested.  OKC might be able to swallow some of the contract too to make it more feasible and to save on the bigger load since they are in rebuild.   Lakers? 

so much drama this year

Word is that the Heat may be interested in Paul, not sure why

there is a lot on Paul’s contract and that would be one huge shit sandwich for OKC to eat, I don’t see it.

Paul would be a good floor coach for OKC with all the young players they may end up having, he may not want it though. With all the number 1 picks they acquired they could make something happen fast, but the moves would have to start around the all star break, when teams start giving up on making the playoffs

If there is a God in Heaven, OKC doesn't get a championship until Seattle gets a team again.

you can have the clippers.

Ballmer took all his Seattle money and bought the Clippers.   Where was he when Howard Schultz was selling the Sonics?

The league will probably expand before any franchises relocate.  The Key Arena (or whatever they're calling it now) is currently closed while it is being renovated for the new NHL tram's first season in 2020.  The new place should have the expanded luxury boxes that the NBA demanded when they allowed the Sonics move to go down.  At that point, bringing the NBA back to Seattle is a no-brainer.

Tram's?

>>>so much drama this year<<<

And the drama continues, as there is an under the radar but IMO very important competition going on right now for Andre Iguodala's services.

Memphis is shopping him and the Lakers, Rockets, Clippers, Mavericks & Denver are all looking to add him.

Where he ends up may not be headline news but Iguodala is a true champion, a true leader and at the end of the biggest games he is a real difference maker.

He's 36 and Memphis apparently wants a 1st round pick for him, but while he's not a front line star anymore, if he's healthy he is a guy who does a hundred little things well on & off the court, and he can make a contender a champion. He was a HUGE piece of the Warriors greatness and he'll be seriously missed in the BA.

LeBron & Davis? Kawhi & George? Westbrook & Harden? All excellent & flashy tandems, but Iggy could be the added piece that pushes one of them over the top.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Once the Warriors got D'Angelo Russell they had to lose Iguodala. On the surface it doesn't sound right, but Iggy is 36 and his contract is up after next year so the W's were likely going to lose him in a year anyway, while Russell gives them a young rising player who they can use now and have flexibility with later.

It was a risky move by the Warriors and it may not work out, but instead of nothing they got something pretty good for Durant, and IMO it's smart for the Warriors to be getting younger and looking down the line.

Still, there are lots of guys who can play as good as Iguodala can, but there aren't that many who can play that good when it matters most.

The Warriors are going to miss him.

^report is that Durant insisted the first round pick be included.  Otherwise he wouldn't participate in the sign and trade.

In reality it's more that they traded the (protected) first round pick and Iguodala for Russell. Durant was going to leave as a free agent but agreed to the sign-&-trade if the W's included the pick. Smart on his part to improve his new team, and IMO a smart if risky move by the Warriors to get some talented young (if expensive) value for Durant instead of getting nothing.

I think the Warriors looked at it that Iguodala is invaluable if you're playing for a championship, but Russell would be more valuable to them in the long run and they're likely not getting to the finals next year.

And yes, they had to lose Iggy because of the money, especially since they immediately signed Russell to a big contract. That's the real risk for GS, but if Russell plays really well for them next year there will be many teams interested in trading for him, or he could be a part of a different winning W's team and they keep him.

Without Durant, and without Thompson for a big part of next year there was going to be no one but Curry who could score points, and with the Warriors moving into their new Shangri-la there's no way they could simply tank the year, but they also had to be realistic in their goals. A 36-year-old Iggy wouldn't have been of much overall value to them in his final year and they needed to acquire someone who can score points and Russell can do that, so they made the tough decision to lose a VERY popular player.

It seems that the Warriors plan is to play the best they can next year, hope that Klay comes back quickly and well by February and they find a way into the playoffs, take their best shot to get as far as they can and then look to really re-tool after that, including a very tough decision on Draymond Green, who will be due for his own massive contract.

Since that draft pick is protected I think the Warriors feel like if they lose the pick that means they'll have played pretty well and gotten into the playoffs so the pick would be fairly low, and if they end up sucking next year they keep the lottery pick.

It's hard to see favorite players leave, but I like that the Warriors aren't afraid to make unpopular decisions, and I like that they always seem to have a plan. Not all plans work out, but at least they're staying aggressive.

GW!!!!!