[News] Clippers Paying Kawhi Under the Table
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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What a crazy random happenstance!
Padrino
All-Star
There's a lot of weird in this story. And obviously the Clippers' potential circumvention of the cap is the headline here. But I just don't know what to make of Kawhi Leonard himself. Most NBA players of his caliber have no problem speaking for themselves. Kawhi, on the other hand, has never really made himself approachable or accessible. Not to the fans, to the league, or even to the franchises who pay his salary. The man is so damn taciturn that it's nearly impossible to know how much agency he's had throughout his career. Everything's always been filtered through "his team", so much so that nearly every time his name gets brought up, it's in association with a controversy or cover-up of some kind, despite the fact that he's got, like, the least confrontational personality in the entire NBA.
I personally don't mind a professional athlete who leads a very private life. I honestly respect those who possess a proper filter in an age of oversharing and speaking without thinking. But I just don't think Kawhi's done himself any favors by letting everyone else in his life fill his personality vacuum, especially since bad actors like Uncle Dennis are putting Kawhi's reputation in danger. It's also very odd that a player who's spent much of his career earning DNP's due to injury is at the center of this particular scandal. I've always loved Kawhi's game. Hell, I wanted the Kings to draft him that year. But he just doesn't seem worth the trouble, nor has he seemed worth the trouble for some time now.
I personally don't mind a professional athlete who leads a very private life. I honestly respect those who possess a proper filter in an age of oversharing and speaking without thinking. But I just don't think Kawhi's done himself any favors by letting everyone else in his life fill his personality vacuum, especially since bad actors like Uncle Dennis are putting Kawhi's reputation in danger. It's also very odd that a player who's spent much of his career earning DNP's due to injury is at the center of this particular scandal. I've always loved Kawhi's game. Hell, I wanted the Kings to draft him that year. But he just doesn't seem worth the trouble, nor has he seemed worth the trouble for some time now.
KainLear
Starter
I'm sure Steve just didn't truly understand the rules.What? Adam Silver didn't take any action?!? Say it ain't so!
KainLear
Starter
Neither did Kawhi.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Cuban when interviewed by Pablo Torre was implying that the NBA league office has oversight over new sponsership deals, so a little strange that Silver is claiming to never have heard of them.
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whitechocolate
Bench
I don't think people care. The rich and powerful breaking rules without consequences is normalized. And this is pretty meh compared to so many things I could list.
coolhandluke
Starter
Money routed by Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong to Kawhi via Aspiration. Uncle Dennis is a tough customer.
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I've been stewing on this for a week and I gotta ask... based on what?
Lots of accomplishments by Stern but he grew the game. He stabilized the NBA and grew it domestically but also the growth internationally may be his biggest achievement. That’s just the tip…..so much more.
Silver has basically managed what Stern put in place, and to be fair to Silver, Silver has grown the game in some international markets like China. But Stern really put things in place and Silver is managing it for better or worse.
If you think he’s doing a better job than Stern I would wonder where in todays game/ league he’s doing it better.
Silver has basically managed what Stern put in place, and to be fair to Silver, Silver has grown the game in some international markets like China. But Stern really put things in place and Silver is managing it for better or worse.
If you think he’s doing a better job than Stern I would wonder where in todays game/ league he’s doing it better.
I feel like you're giving Stern all the credit here for work that began under Larry O'Brien's administration, but that may be splitting hairs. The NBA did grow substantially internationally under Stern's administration but, again, that feels to me like giving Stern credit for Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming and LeBron James existing.
The Dream Team and the resultant growth of international interest did happen under Stern's watch. But so did:
- The draconian dress code.
- The Tim Donaghy scandal.
- Gifting the gd lakers two championships in the form of the Pau Gasol trade.
- Allowing Clay Bennett to steal the Supersonics from Seattle.
- One-and-done.
- Allowed Donald Sterling to cook for thirty years.
- Two player lockouts.
I'm not prepared to say that Silver is doing a better job. I'm not even a hundred percent sure that he's doing as good a job. But the notion that he's <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Stern is taking it way too far, in my Personal Record Book™. It's less to do with a vote of confidence for Adam Silver, and more to do with "David Stern wasn't all that." Like Stern was a great commissioner, if your idea of a great commissioner is somebody who "kept the players in their place," but he was kind of just a guy otherwise. Pretty much in the right place at the right time, and that's all.
In your personal record book, that’s what your take is. You can go thru and commish I bet and come up with a hit list. But I’ll stick with Stern being >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Silver
If you were hoping for me or someone to say something like Stern keeping players in their place as opposed to Silver doing whatever the heck he’s doing, naw, not biting on that.
I mean, it's clear that you believe that. And maybe it's true. But it's definitely true for David Stern. I know that Stern let Sterling cook the whole time, and Silver got him out the paint on, basically, his first day on the job, so that's automatically points in his favor, in my book.
This Kawhi Leonard stuff is still playing out. Silver has commented on the initial reports but has not, to my knowledge, commented on any of the new information. If he doubles down on no punishment for the Clippers, then I'll have to reconsider my opinion. Until then, ain't a damned thing that's happened under Silver's watch that has ever made me go, "Man, I wish Stern was still in charge!" The "good ol' days" weren't all that good, to me.
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