Congrats to both. Well deserved. For long stretches really just the two of them were consistently making an impact.
Apo that might work I just figured it is easier to find a guy that can fill it up on offense than it is to find someone that can give us what KL can on defense. There are lots of scorers in the NBA but there aren't many could ever defend at the level that KL can.
Congrats to both. Well deserved. For long stretches really just the two of them were consistently making an impact.
Parker got one vote!
And who would have thought going into this year it would be Lillard on a depleted Portland team instead of Unibrow getting the All NBA spot and getting the Rose Rule bump.
This. Congrats to Kawhi! Outside of that, what the happened to the center position? DeAndre Jordan first team all NBA?
Leonard is a great player and have exceeded all my expectations. I was hesitant to call him a top 10 player at the start of this season but he's definitely that now, maybe at #4 or #5. But let's not get carried away. If Durant and Leonard swapped teams, the Spurs would be the ones playing the Warriors right now. Durant is still a top 3 player and guarded Leonard very well when he needed to, forcing Leonard to shoot low percentage fade away jumpers over a 7 footer.
The voters took into account team records. OKC were up and down in the regular season (still, they won 55 games, which is pretty good).
Second round exit
People always say that, but they never follow it up with who'd be replacing said player. They act as if the hole would remain blank or be filled by run of the mill backups. In reality, it would probably be something like a league average starter, with the remaining money potentially redistributed elsewhere.
The depth fell apart down the stretch, but it was good in the first half - two thirds of the season. Even when it fell off, great players have done more with less.
I don't blame Leonard or Aldridge, but in a year and half as the undisputed best player, Leonard has yet to have the kind of offensive performance a player of his magnitude should have, when they really need it.
Kawhi is already one of the most efficient scorers in the league. You wont find a better scorer than him unless its durant. Theres a lot of scorers in the league but very few are efficient.
The spurs already have one of the top 5 perinter defenders in the league in Danny Green so the easier progression is to go the Kobe-Jordan route and have him defend the best guys occasionally only.
KL is the best defender in the league but its painfully evident he was more important offensively. You dont try to downgrade to 50-40-90 scorer who scores 21 in 32 minutes. Thats re ed.
The Spurs just need a rollman and a Pg that can penetrate and defend. And hope that Tony can provide 11ppg of the bench.
I called it before the post-season started.
Mental fatigue and Physical fatigue is his biggest weakness. He starts falling once he hits the 33 minute marknor something and his game deteriorates. Hes not used to playing hugh level basketball more than that.
I do think there's something to that, but I also think he's not the same level of offensive player as the top player(s) on the other contenders. As efficient as he is, he's not as explosive a scorer as them and he's light years behind as a play maker.
This is why, if they're to win a championship in the Leonard-Aldridge era, it's still going to have to be on defense and somewhat by committee on offense.
Sadly, you aren't smart enough to realize that being #2 in MVP race or making 1st team doesn't mean he's the 2nd best player in the league.
Those are REGULAR SEASON awards/accolades and Kawhi had a better regular season than Durant and other SF/PFs.
Like many others posted in this thread, neither Curry is the MVP now, in the playoffs.
Despite not making it to the WCF kawhi must feel on top of the world right now. He's accomplished so much in the NBA already and he's only 24. Got maxed out, 2x DPOY, all-star, now All-NBA first team. On top of that he's going to be a father soon. Life must be good.
It's hard to gauge his scoring explosivnees because for one he never gets the opportunity to do so.
More importantly, I pointed out before the post season that this team was offensively challenged. We havent even seen kawhi on a pick and roll situation.
Ill conceded that kawhi usually defers in moments where the spurs have a good lead or when one of Parker or Aldridge are getting shots.
Another important thing to note is that explosive scoring for n SF that never handles the ball safe in moment of desepratetion (game 6 okc) etc is going tl have difficulties "taking over"
Durant, Lebron or all the top SF/SG in the league are either the main ballhandler or the second.
We saw a few Kawhi-LMA pick and rolls in the regular season and they looked really good.
It's not a matters of Kawhi's ball handling skills or court vision, he has improved at it and he's good enough to play it, but it's an issue of roles.
If Kawhi runs the pick and roll with LMA what's Parker's role? In the corner? Should be, but we know that Pop, neither Parker, are ready to do it.
I'm sure Kawhi would be willing to give up his first team all NBA for the chance to take his team out of first or second round.
They roll like once every 20 games that doesnt count. They need a big that is comitted to rolling.
No one has even bothered to talked about pops stupidness not to run a lot of kawhi pick and pops or rolls in regular season because he sure as used it a lot when the spurs got desperate.
Popovich coddles him too much. Give Kawhi more minutes next year and he'll make a serious case for MVP and DPOY. And then he'll truly be primed to become a superstar.
They're probably mad Russell didn't win MVP over curry.
Agree. On other hand, they also need a big fast enough to set screens for shooters.
Sure, Warriors screens are ilegal, but Pop doesn't run plays for our shooters with our big men setting screens like the way the Dubs do. Part of Spurs' low 3P% in playoffs was for that, Pop never gave them a chance to get those looks.
By live up to you mean what? He played well in the playoffs, he just didn't play at the championship immortal level we reserve for some of the legends. He is no doubt a great player and if healthy will be for years to come. He never has to win another ring in the next 10 years for me. Just keep playing as hard as he is. He goes down as an all time Spur..
My truth detector just blew up.
He was shooting and defending ugly the whole season and expected what? 1st/2nd team?
Talking about salty es...Thank God we traded this guy.
Does the think hes better than Durant or Green
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)