LA Clippers: The lost five years
BASKETBALL SLEUTH
WITH the latest news released about Kawhi Leonard missing the preseason while undergoing knee rehab, one has to wonder if the LA Clippers are the biggest losers of the past half-decade.
Sure, the Clippers did make the playoffs four out of five times in the Kawhi Leonard era, but that was not the expectation. When the Clippers made the coup of the decade offseason move of trading for Paul George in order to sign Kawhi Leonard, that was a masterclass of front office savvy.
Not even the master of NBA breaking news, Adrian Wojnarowski, had an inkling of what the Clippers were pulling. All the speculation pointed toward an invincible Laker dynasty which could have boasted of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard, or Paul George.
Kawhi and PG were the players known to have given the best challenges to LeBron, and the idea that one of them would join forces with him, along with the league's quintessential big man at the time in Davis, would give him a beeline to the Larry O'Brien trophy.
In what was seen as a hard slap on the face for Laker fans, since the supposed last member of their "dynasty" actually hooked up with the other son of California, joining forces to defeat LeBron — the usurper of LA.
Side note: Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are Southern California natives. While both gained fame for middle USA teams (San Antonio and Indiana), both expressed a desire to go West, back to their home state. That's why they were linked to the Lakers.
'The next five years are mine'
This is a quote from Patrick Beverley in 2019. He said this to Steph Curry, of all people. Beverley stated that Curry dominated the last five years with the Golden State Warriors. With Kawhi and PG, Beverley was arrogantly certain they would be the team to dominate the next five years.
It's been five years since 2019, as the Clippers enter the 6th season of the Kawhi Leonard era. Paul George has since left, and the price that the Clippers paid for him are now monumental losses. They gave five first-round picks (including two pick swaps) and Shai Gilegous-Alexander.
SGA was third in Most Valuable Player voting last season, a feat neither Kawhi nor PG has achieved. OKC also used a Clipper pick to draft Jalen Williams, now a stalwart of the Thunder.
Now that Kawhi Leonard is still injured, this should be a cautionary tale for team owners who want too much, too soon. Mortgaging their future for two superstars is a high risk, high reward move. Only a title can justify it. The Lakers got away on their first try, and it has been downhill since. But they did not come out empty-handed.
Kawhi is still the king, and he will continue to be spoiled rotten. Recently, he frankly stated that he didn't notice any standouts on the Clippers new additions, which were Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Mo Bamba. It's unlikely Kawhi will be a motivational speaker, or a leader on the court. He'll just be a highly skilled, talented player — when he's healthy. That's a big "when."
Bitter rivals
The most entertaining rivalry in Philippine basketball in the past month was the DLSU vs UP finals rematch in UAAP Season 87. Pardon the PBA and their exciting playoff series, but the bad blood between the two college juggernauts has extended off the court.
One notable point in the rivalry was the head-to-head battle between La Salle's Mike Phillips and UP's Quentin Millora-Brown. The two are tough, rebounding demons, and their battles are epic to watch.
It's a delight to see Phillips going toe-to-toe against Millora-Brown, who is a Division 1 veteran, who has battled NBA players. Phillips is about 3 inches shorter, but he seems unbothered by the disadvantage in height and experience.
So far, the Archers have shot down the Fighting Maroons again, but expect a more intense second-round matchup against the new premier college rivalry.