Our mistake was believing Kawhi Leonard was Tim Duncan

[K...]

Getting back on track, as for the Kawhi/Timmy leadership comparisons, they're pretty unfair to Kawhi, tbh. Timmy was one of the greatest leaders and teammates in sports history. He was always a great teammate, then slowly morphed into a leader. By 2002-2003, the Spurs were his team in every sense, and he really started to embrace that "big brother" role. As many posters here already mentioned, Timmy's emotional intelligence was off the charts, and he's always been a genuinely great guy who cared about his teammates. Kawhi, up to this point, has become a go-to guy on the court, but hasn't shown any signs of being a great teammate or leader.

The only reason why people have made the comparison is because both are quiet gym rats...at least quiet with the media. The similarities end there.

closer to kobe tbqh. which isn't bad. Pop always respected kobe. But kobes do what what kobes do.

[Marcus Bryant]

Leonard is getting bad advice. Even not wanting to be in SA long term, the way this has been handled by him and his side can only raise doubts in the minds of people who can give him a supermax contract.

As for comparison to Duncan, he was the team's best player.

[YGWHI]

2. Tim sat down face to face with Pop to discuss things like a professional.

Just for the record, Tim was there with his agent, his wife and a friend.

I wonder how it would have ended if Pop told Tim that "his group" wasn't allowed to the meeting...

I heard something about a plane and his family before...

[RD2191]

Just for the record, Tim was there with his agent, his wife and a friend.

I wonder how it would have ended if Pop told Tim that "his group" wasn't allowed to the meeting...

I heard something about a plane and his family before...

Go easy on these bums

[DPG21920]

Just for the record, Tim was there with his agent, his wife and a friend.

I wonder how it would have ended if Pop told Tim that "his group" wasn't allowed to the meeting...

I heard something about a plane and his family before...

Luckily for all Tim is not Kawhi nor was his group in control of Tim

[YGWHI]

There's not a lot of ball movement through him.

Sadly you couldn't see the Kawhi I saw in 2017 playoffs. He was passing the ball and creating for others so well that I thought it would be the next step in his evolution

He does not want to be a leader. Not everyone wants to be the face of the franchise

I doubt he didn't want to be the leader or face of franchise. He waited many years to become "the guy" but with the older leaders still on the locker room who knows if he really felt like this was his team.

Without the supermax, I guess he realized it was time to move on.

[YGWHI]

Luckily for all Tim is not Kawhi nor was his group in control of Tim

Well, it was Tim's group who convinced him to stay... We were so lucky that a group was in control of our franchise player that time.

[K...]

It's pretty rare a team leader just passively elevates to leadership, by it's very definition you have to do leading. If he deferred to Parker/, Manu do be it, that's his choice. He hasn't exactly taken Murray or Kyle under his wings. Sounds like he's a Durant. Wants to be the man, but only if it's easy

[DPG21920]

Well, it was Tim's group who convinced him to stay... We were so lucky that a group was in control of our franchise player that time.

Wrong

[tholdren]

Sadly you couldn't see the Kawhi I saw in 2017 playoffs. He was passing the ball and creating for others so well that I thought it would be the next step in his evolution


I doubt he didn't want to be the leader or face of franchise. He waited many years to become "the guy" but with the older leaders still on the locker room who knows if he really felt like this was his team.

Without the supermax, I guess he realized it was time to move on.

No he wasnt. Hes the anti creator. Hes carmelo on offense.

[dbreiden83080]

To the OG posters, was Spurstalk around when Timmy almost went to Orlando? What was the reaction then?

It was a totally different media cycle in general back then. Twitter didn’t exist people were not reporting on every little constant rumor or story in the sports realm every five minutes. And all Tim did was sit down with them and hear their pitch. He didn’t sit out an entire season basically faking an injury and then demand a trade.

[dbreiden83080]

I keep seeing this spouted as some defense of Kawhi and a few things:

1. Tim didn’t leave.

2. Tim sat down face to face with Pop to discuss things like a professional.

3. No one is mad at a free agent trying to look at their options; they are mad with snake behavior behind the scenes and creating locker room issues.

Exactly I don’t understand how some Spurs fans many years later have tried to spin this as some sort of problem or issue they took with Tim. He was a free agent and he explored his options. He handled everything like a man and totally professionally. He didn’t anybody over. And ultimately he stayed put. What Leonard has done this year was and remains complete and total bull .