Kawhi wants out of San Antonio

[tlance]

Yeah, everything I'm reading is making it sound like this is all his camp's doing, mainly that fucking uncle of his, in an attempt to get the supermax and/or get Kawhi to not have that meeting with Pop. I'm really wondering how much of this is coming from Kawhi himself.

Don't do that.

This isn't on Kawhi's people. They probably had some influence to be sure. But the Spurs ridiculously mishandled this whole thing from the start.

Even if Kawhi was 100% healthy, the public jabs at him sealed their fate. They were completely unnecessary and it is those 1 sided attacks that have made it impossible to bridge the gap.

Pop is a great coach, but he really screwed up here. He couldn't help himself. Sometimes you just have to hold your tongue and be discreet. Pop was unwilling to do that.

 

[tlance]

You might be right. I just think it can be worked out as long as cooler heads can prevail.

What @TheKlaw posted about Kawhi's team not wanting him to meet with Pop and Timmy by himself isn't a good thing for the Spurs.

I don't know why you still think this.

I have been telling since about February that Kawhi is gone.

And if you were in Kawhi's shoes, my bet is it would take more than money to repair the broken trust. The problem is that both sides feel like the victim here, but the Spurs went way too far with the public attacks. Nothing they can do to fix that now.

 

[tlance]

Tony and Manu's comments about the situation didn't help any. I want Tony gone anyways, but what he said was a bit too far. I wouldn't be surprised if Kawhi does feel bettered after all the shade thrown at him by his own damn teammates.

Tony's comments aren't made without Pop's blessing.

You want to blame somebody, blame Pop.

 

[tlance]

SO the Celts are going to trade another draft pick, plus young players this time for another guy who might not be here past 2019?? This is a team that was 1 game from the Ship missing it's two best players.....and were gonna trade picks and young guys for dudes who don't want to be here long term? Nah....trade Kyrie, move up in the draft hopefully getting Big Al replacement when he leaves and hope Scary Terry continues to improve.

They weren't 1 game from the championship though.

They were 1 game from getting swept by the Warriors. Big difference.

 

[tlance]

I think It's the camp too, but the Spurs would of been fine had they not gone the tough love route on him during the season, and playoffs

This.

 

[tlance]

I keep seeing Boston floated by media members as the team that can give the best offer, and I agree in a vacuum, but if I'm Boston, I'm not sure I'd do it. Kawhi can enter free agency in 2019. Kyrie has already said he will test the market in 2019. That means I'm giving up good assets with the real possibility that two of my top guys leave next summer. There's no way I'd make any move if I'm Danny Ainge without making sure I can lock down at least one of those players long term.

Kyrie absolutely has to be in the deal.

 

[CreepCreep2014]

They weren't 1 game from the championship though.

They were 1 game from getting swept by the Warriors. Big difference.

Swept, not swept....they could have been there was my point. My other point was they did this missing their 2 best players. Not saying they would have beaten GS with Irving and Gordon, but might have taken one game.

 

[tlance]

Swept, not swept....they could have been there was my point. My other point was they did this missing their 2 best players. Not saying they would have beaten GS with Irving and Gordon, but might have taken one game.

Your post implies that the Celtics are close to GS when they have everybody. They really aren't. There is a vast canyon between the best teams in the West and the best in the East.

With a legit superstar like Kawhi, then they might actually be close.

 

[CreepCreep2014]

Your post implies that the Celtics are close to GS when they have everybody. They really aren't. There is a vast canyon between the best teams in the West and the best in the East.

With a legit superstar like Kawhi, then they might actually be close.

No, I'm not implying that....I am implying that they came within 1 win from getting to the Championship Finals without their 2 best players. Do I think they get swept with Irving and GH, no...I think they win 1 game.

 

[ManuForever]

Don't do that.

This isn't on Kawhi's people. They probably had some influence to be sure. But the Spurs ridiculously mishandled this whole thing from the start.

Even if Kawhi was 100% healthy, the public jabs at him sealed their fate. They were completely unnecessary and it is those 1 sided attacks that have made it impossible to bridge the gap.

Pop is a great coach, but he really screwed up here. He couldn't help himself. Sometimes you just have to hold your tongue and be discreet. Pop was unwilling to do that.

It's blame on both sides. I posted on Twitter soon after the news broke that I was sad the Spurs treated him the way they did. Spurs fans want Parker's head for this, that's guaranteed. I haven't seen a single one who wants him back.

Manu took very subtle jabs and so did Pop. This entire franchise has been a wreck off the court the last two seasons. First Aldridge wants a trade and now Kawhi. Yeah he smoothed it out with LaMarcus but you now have two straight off-seasons of guys wanting out of the franchise. I love Pop and will forever declare him the GOAT, but this falls on his shoulders.

When I said I blame Kawhi's camp for this, I meant I blamed them for their handling of the situation as well. Uncle Dennis has been in Kawhi's ear all season and while it's true that it wouldn't have been as bad without the Spurs and their comments, Uncle Dennis just poured gas on the fire.

I am not looking forward to seeing where this ends up. There's the slightest sliver of hope that Kawhi and Pop and whoever else can sit down and work this out, since they did want the supermax, but in my mind, he's already out the door.

 

[Raw_Bee808]

 

[ManuForever]

That's not a "fan."

We don't claim whoever that is. Man ain't even gone yet and he hasn't done anything wrong.

 

[tlance]

No, I'm not implying that....I am implying that they came within 1 win from getting to the Championship Finals without their 2 best players. Do I think they get swept with Irving and GH, no...I think they win 1 game.

Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.

It sounded to me like you didn't want the Celtics to deal for Kawhi because "they were within a game of the Finals without Kyrie and Hayward".

While they will almost surely be the favorite to get to the Finals next year, Kawhi would give them a chance to win the series, not just a game, and I don't think the current roster really does.

 

[BigKen]

Kyrie absolutely has to be in the deal.

The Celtics tried to deal for Kawhi back in February. The Celtics lost the Eastern Finals in 7 but had both Kyrie and Haywood on the bench. If both had been playing, I think they would have given the Warriors a run to possibly 7 and might have won the Finals.

As far as dealing for Kawhi is concerned, no team is going to trade for him and see him walk in 2019, that's just plain stupid. So you can forget that argument. If Ainge makes the deal, the Spurs will get Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and the 2019 Sacramento pick that Boston has in their pocket. If the Spurs want Kyrie, that's all they'll they'll get. If Kawhi refuses to a contract extension, it won't get done.

As far as LBJ, PG and Kawhi all going to LA, Magic has to be a magic act. He's got a couple of Albatross contracts that he absolutely has to get rid of and those are only 2 years old. They were given during the 2016 Cap Boom when teams were signing everyone to mega contracts figuring they had money to burn. If Magic can pull it off, he'll have a team that can challenge the Warriors but will absolutely nothing left in the pot if injuries or anything else happens.

 

[tlance]

The Celtics tried to deal for Kawhi back in February. The Celtics lost the Eastern Finals in 7 but had both Kyrie and Haywood on the bench. If both had been playing, I think they would have given the Warriors a run to possibly 7 and might have won the Finals.

As far as dealing for Kawhi is concerned, no team is going to trade for him and see him walk in 2019, that's just plain stupid. So you can forget that argument. If Ainge makes the deal, the Spurs will get Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and the 2019 Sacramento pick that Boston has in their pocket. If the Spurs want Kyrie, that's all they'll they'll get. If Kawhi refuses to a contract extension, it won't get done.

As far as LBJ, PG and Kawhi all going to LA, Magic has to be a magic act. He's got a couple of Albatross contracts that he absolutely has to get rid of and those are only 2 years old. They were given during the 2016 Cap Boom when teams were signing everyone to mega contracts figuring they had money to burn. If Magic can pull it off, he'll have a team that can challenge the Warriors but will absolutely nothing left in the pot if injuries or anything else happens.

So much wrong here.

First off, it is a huge assumption to think Boston can beat GS with Kyrie and Hayward. Both are good players. Boston is better with them. But neither is the type of superstar capable of elevating a team. Boston probably loses in 5 with both. GS simply has a far superior roster, and that isn't a knock on the Celtics.

Second, your proposed deal does not fit under the cap.

3rd, Kyrie is not nearly as good as Kawhi, has his own injury risk that may be more worrisome than Kawhi's and is also a free agent in 2019. Boston has to add something to him.

Lastly, the Lakers absolutely can land all 3, but only if Ainge gets cheap and fails to offer a reasonable package. The Celtics can trump anything LA can offer if they want to. Kyrie is not a better return a potential Laker package. Kyrie + Brown or the Kings' pick? Now you might be in business.

 

[tlance]

The Celtics tried to deal for Kawhi back in February. The Celtics lost the Eastern Finals in 7 but had both Kyrie and Haywood on the bench. If both had been playing, I think they would have given the Warriors a run to possibly 7 and might have won the Finals.

As far as dealing for Kawhi is concerned, no team is going to trade for him and see him walk in 2019, that's just plain stupid. So you can forget that argument. If Ainge makes the deal, the Spurs will get Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and the 2019 Sacramento pick that Boston has in their pocket. If the Spurs want Kyrie, that's all they'll they'll get. If Kawhi refuses to a contract extension, it won't get done.

As far as LBJ, PG and Kawhi all going to LA, Magic has to be a magic act. He's got a couple of Albatross contracts that he absolutely has to get rid of and those are only 2 years old. They were given during the 2016 Cap Boom when teams were signing everyone to mega contracts figuring they had money to burn. If Magic can pull it off, he'll have a team that can challenge the Warriors but will absolutely nothing left in the pot if injuries or anything else happens.

Also, things have changed for the Spurs since February. Kawhi has gone from nearly untradeable to must trade. Huge difference.

 

[Heatles84]

You’ll be fine. You have Pop.

You still need talent. In the end, Pop always had a top 10 player on his roster with the success he's had the last twenty years. If they trade Kawhi, that's not the case going forward. We saw what the Spurs were like without him (Kawhi) this year - first round sweep.

 

[BigKen]

First off, it is a huge assumption to think Boston can beat GS with Kyrie and Hayward. Both are good players. Boston is better with them. But neither is the type of superstar capable of elevating a team. Boston probably loses in 5 with both. GS simply has a far superior roster, and that isn't a knock on the Celtics.

The biggest difference is that the Celtics play defense, something the Cavs just don't understand. The Celtics don't rely on one guy to elevate the team, they elevate as a team.

3rd, Kyrie is not nearly as good as Kawhi, has his own injury risk that may be more worrisome than Kawhi's and is also a free agent in 2019. Boston has to add something to him.

3rd, Kyrie is not nearly as good as Kawhi, has his own injury risk that may be more worrisome than Kawhi's and is also a free agent in 2019. Boston has to add something to him.

Also, things have changed for the Spurs since February. Kawhi has gone from nearly untradeable to must trade. Huge difference.

What can the Lakers offer the Spurs that would be so great that the Spurs could not turn it down? Second, Kawhi is not a "Must Trade". The Spurs do not HAVE to trade him. Finally, the Spurs don't have to trade him to the Lakers or the Celtics, they can trade his ass to Brooklyn or even Philadelphia. Philly would be more than willing to give up a ransom for him, especially if they can snag LBJ.

It's NOT a two team race.

 

[Heatles84]

The Celtics tried to deal for Kawhi back in February. The Celtics lost the Eastern Finals in 7 but had both Kyrie and Haywood on the bench. If both had been playing, I think they would have given the Warriors a run to possibly 7 and might have won the Finals.

As far as dealing for Kawhi is concerned, no team is going to trade for him and see him walk in 2019, that's just plain stupid. So you can forget that argument. If Ainge makes the deal, the Spurs will get Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and the 2019 Sacramento pick that Boston has in their pocket. If the Spurs want Kyrie, that's all they'll they'll get. If Kawhi refuses to a contract extension, it won't get done.

As far as LBJ, PG and Kawhi all going to LA, Magic has to be a magic act. He's got a couple of Albatross contracts that he absolutely has to get rid of and those are only 2 years old. They were given during the 2016 Cap Boom when teams were signing everyone to mega contracts figuring they had money to burn. If Magic can pull it off, he'll have a team that can challenge the Warriors but will absolutely nothing left in the pot if injuries or anything else happens.

Even with Kyrie and Hayward you were not going to take the Warriors 7 games in the Finals. Let alone actually win it. Take the homer goggles off now.

 

[Heatles84]

The biggest difference is that the Celtics play defense, something the Cavs just don't understand. The Celtics don't rely on one guy to elevate the team, they elevate as a team.


What can the Lakers offer the Spurs that would be so great that the Spurs could not turn it down? Second, Kawhi is not a "Must Trade". The Spurs do not HAVE to trade him. Finally, the Spurs don't have to trade him to the Lakers or the Celtics, they can trade his ass to Brooklyn or even Philadelphia. Philly would be more than willing to give up a ransom for him, especially if they can snag LBJ.

It's NOT a two team race.

The Celtics do play defense, but in the end, you were beat by Lebron. What are you going to do against 4 other all stars? The same team you lost to in 7 games, got dominated in the Finals.

The Spurs don't have to take the Lakers offer. This is very reminiscent of the Paul George situation. Hell, the Spurs don't have to trade Kawhi at all. But do you want Kawhi to leave for nothing? Or do you want to trade him and potentially get future assets for him? The latter is where Boston could come in because they have far more of the latter than the Lakers have. Philly is also not going to land Kawhi in a trade and Lebron in free agency.