Adrian Wojnarowski: How Kawhi Leonard revived the Spurs' fading dynasty

[spursparker9]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-kawhi-leonard-revived-the-spurs--fading-dynasty-081409439.html

Nice read on Kawhi.

How he trained on his own without Chip in the lockout period and why he was dropped to 15th in the draft.

[dg7md]

Fantastic read... Kawhi has really stepped up and had taken a leap forward in his potential NBA all-star status. He was the biggest factor on the floor last night.

[smaka]

Gotta love Kawhi's work ethics!

Also, Chip is one very very important guy for Spurs franchise. :toast

[Gervin44Silas13]

Scary part hes young still....

[will_spurs]

Kawhi's performance in Game 3 puts the final nail in the "this was an even trade" coffin.

[shorttotry]

Kawhi for FMVP

[mudyez]

in that regard:

http://grantland.com/features/the-shot-doctor/

Project III: The Prospect

[smaka]

Speaking of Chip...

476722966810886144
476723456650670081

[superbigtime]

Love Kawhi. Had goosebumps reading that article.

[elbamba]

Great read. I would say that Green, Tiago and Diaw allowed the Spurs this second run. Tiago has been great the last two years during the regular season to allow us to rest Tim and keep his numbers down without hurting our defense. This year you also have to credit incredible performance from Mills and for the most part Marco. Its too hard to pin the team's success to one player. Each player fits perfectly like a different piece of a puzzle.

[TE]

He was the reason we won last night...completely made up for a relatively off performance from the big three.

[Mr. Body]

Great read. I would say that Green, Tiago and Diaw allowed the Spurs this second run. Tiago has been great the last two years during the regular season to allow us to rest Tim and keep his numbers down without hurting our defense. This year you also have to credit incredible performance from Mills and for the most part Marco. Its too hard to pin the team's success to one player. Each player fits perfectly like a different piece of a puzzle.

Pop retooled the team around Parker and made it an offensive-oriented team. We also lost our stud defenders. So we became an exceptional offensive team that couldn't stop anybody.

You're right, with Splitter, Green and Kawhi we have the stud defenders we've needed to climb back up.

[baseline bum]

let's not start sucking each others' dicks just yet

Yeah, it's great to have two down, but the hardest two still remain.

[xtremesteven33]

Great read. You can just see Pop trying to motivate Kawhi to take his game to the next level. Its hard for Kawhi because hes not that type of player. Hes not used to carrying the offense for a long period of time. The Heat will adjust and scheme better defensively against Leonard. How will he respond is where great players separate themselves from the rest. Will Leonard just choose to lay back once the defense goes against him more or will he fight to figure it out?

I want to see more of Kawhi in the post. Lebron is emptying his tank every game so wear him out.

[Capt Bringdown]

High praise. Is it deserved?

If Leonard plays and contributes at a high level, I don't see how we can be stopped. That much is 100% for sure.

[T Park]

Chip England might be the most important FA the SPurs have had since Parker and Duncan.

He's that important.

[Budkin]

let's not start sucking each others' dicks just yet

Seriously. I'm still not convinced the basketball gods don't hate us still. They could be setting us up for more heartbreak.

[Budkin]

Chip England might be the most important FA the SPurs have had since Parker and Duncan.

He's that important.

This. Please RC do NOT let him leave.

[J_Paco]

High praise. Is it deserved?

If Leonard plays and contributes at a high level, I don't see how we can be stopped. That much is 100% for sure.

Exactly, the acquisitions of Splitter, Green, Diaw and Mills (for this particular season) have also helped extend this incredible 16+ year run. Kawhi is the third best player on the team and obviously has the highest ceiling, but you can't discount what those other four men have meant for this team too. And as much as I love Kawhi, he has still a was to go before he deserves the title of being called a "star," IMO.

[Chinook]

James Anderson is pretty much the MVP of all this. His broken foot in 2011 forced the Spurs to realize they needed an actual small-forward and not a two-guard behind Jefferson. That led to the Leonard trade. Then, Anderson had the good sense to not recover quickly enough so that the Spurs would be forced to give Green minutes the following season.

Pretty much, if Anderson stays healthy, he'd be the starting three now, George Hill would be the starting two, and Duncan would be retired with only four Finals appearances. Thank goodness James was looking out for us.

[Spur|n|Austin]

James Anderson is pretty much the MVP of all this. His broken foot in 2011 forced the Spurs to realize they needed an actual small-forward and not a two-guard behind Jefferson. That led to the Leonard trade. Then, Anderson had the good sense to not recover quickly enough so that the Spurs would be forced to give Green minutes the following season.

Pretty much, if Anderson stays healthy, he'd be the starting three now, George Hill would be the starting two, and Duncan would be retired with only four Finals appearances. Thank goodness James was looking out for us.

James Anderson, 2014 Finals MVP

http://spursworld.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/anderson.jpg

[timtonymanu]

James Anderson is pretty much the MVP of all this. His broken foot in 2011 forced the Spurs to realize they needed an actual small-forward and not a two-guard behind Jefferson. That led to the Leonard trade. Then, Anderson had the good sense to not recover quickly enough so that the Spurs would be forced to give Green minutes the following season.

Pretty much, if Anderson stays healthy, he'd be the starting three now, George Hill would be the starting two, and Duncan would be retired with only four Finals appearances. Thank goodness James was looking out for us.

Interesting way to look at it. I remember being a fan of James Anderson and hated that it didn't work out. Obviously, Kawhi/Danny is a huge upgrade.

[spursparker9]

James Anderson, 2014 Finals MVP

http://spursworld.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/anderson.jpg

:lol

[spursparker9]

Trade Beli for Anderson !

[UZER]

Trade Beli for Anderson !

I cringe when beli is on the floor defensively. I wish pop wouldn't play him. But once again, he hit a huge momentum stopping 3, just like he did in game 6 against okc.

[Darius McCrary]

let's not start sucking each others' dicks just yet
It's almost Jaggon season

[Mugen]

:lol This was still my first memory of Leonard tbh


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGJW9w6_A_I

[Chinook]

:lol This was still my first memory of Leonard tbh


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGJW9w6_A_I

That marked the last time Rudy Gay got the best of Leonard.

[spurraider21]

if they did the 2011 draft, Leonard goes no further than #2 overall...

1) Kyrie Irving
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Chalder Parsons
4) Nikola Vucevic
5) Klay Thompson
6) Reggie Jackson
7) Jonas Valanciunas
8) Markieff Morris

i really have no idea where to rank parsons or thompson, so i just put them somewhere

[ceperez]

if they did the 2011 draft, Leonard goes no further than #2 overall...

1) Kyrie Irving
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Chalder Parsons
4) Nikola Vucevic
5) Klay Thompson
6) Reggie Jackson
7) Jonas Valanciunas
8) Markieff Morris

i really have no idea where to rank parsons or thompson, so i just put them somewhere


Why the hell did the Spurs miss drafting Chandler Parsons?

[Ice009]

Gotta love Kawhi's work ethics!

Also, Chip is one very very important guy for Spurs franchise. :toast

No offense to Chip, but I still don't understand why they haven't worked on a consistent 3 point shot for Tony Parker. I thought that he would have had that in his arsenal 3 or more years ago. I've been saying it quite a bit this season, the last couple of months especially, but I still think a consistent 3 point shot would really add to TP's game. When playing against certain teams with great shot blockers, those inside shots and even mid-range shots are hard to come by. A 3 point shot would really open things up for him. I want him taking some shots from outside when teams bottle up the inside, or when everyone else is covered.

[KL2]

I don't know how he'll fare in game 4, he needed to play extended minutes this year with the big 3 off the court or as the #1 option, in the heat of the game when the focus is on him, when shit is about to hit the fan, Pop failed to do so. He shouldn't have to be experiencing this type of stuff in the Finals, who knows if he can even produce next game should the defense focus on shutting him down.

[cjw]

if they did the 2011 draft, Leonard goes no further than #2 overall...

1) Kyrie Irving
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Chalder Parsons
4) Nikola Vucevic
5) Klay Thompson
6) Reggie Jackson
7) Jonas Valanciunas
8) Markieff Morris

i really have no idea where to rank parsons or thompson, so i just put them somewhere

I'd have bigs like Vucevic and Valanciunas going third and fourth (always drafted at a premium), with Klay ahead of Parsons. But probably the right eight guys.

[Old School 44]

1) Kyrie Irving
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Chalder Parsons
4) Nikola Vucevic
5) Klay Thompson
6) Reggie Jackson
7) Jonas Valanciunas
8) Markieff Morris



When all is said and done, Leonard will go down as the best player from this draft, even better than Irving, who imo is overrated. In order to win a title, you have to have a versatile defender that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of James, Durant, Westbrook, George, Lillard to name a few. I always say Kawhi is like a shutdown corner in football. He's not all the way there yet, but he seems to have the talent, work ethic and desire to get there.

[watertorture]

http://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/27vja9/kawhi_leonard_taking_a_fall_away_jump_shot/

[Johnny RIngo]

Why the hell did the Spurs miss drafting Chandler Parsons?

Almost every team missed him. Just like Ginobili. Or Marc Gasol. Or any other 2nd round player that ended up being good. Picking in the 2nd round is a crap shoot.

[spurraider21]

When all is said and done, Leonard will go down as the best player from this draft, even better than Irving, who imo is overrated. In order to win a title, you have to have a versatile defender that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of James, Durant, Westbrook, George, Lillard to name a few. I always say Kawhi is like a shutdown corner in football. He's not all the way there yet, but he seems to have the talent, work ethic and desire to get there.
you could very well be right about leonard making an case for #1, but realistically if a team is looking for a franchise guy, Kyrie is the guy at this moment from that bunch. i see it like the diaw/lee argument. diaw is so much of a better for for our team that it isn't even close, though most teams would take lee over diaw if they needed a starting 4

[timtonymanurich]

Kawhi is a member of the Jordan brand, no? What Jordan kicks is he wearing? This is as close as I can see:

http://www.finishline.com/store/product?A=2498&categoryId=cat301568&productId=prod745501

[pgardn]

Too much love.
He had a great game and the talent is there.
But can he string these performances together.
Again and again. Consistency is underrated.

Can he put a great game together after missing shots and making mistakes? Does he have enough confidence to?

[crc21209]

Kawhi is a member of the Jordan brand, no? What Jordan kicks is he wearing? This is as close as I can see:

http://www.finishline.com/store/product?A=2498&categoryId=cat301568&productId=prod745501

Yup, those are them. :tu Bought myself a pair of these about 2 weeks ago...

[Drom John]

By WS, 2011 draft
1) Kawhi Leonard
2) Kenneth Faried
3) Chandler Parsons
4) Isaiah Thomas
5) Kyrie Irving
6) Jimmy Butler
7) Klay Thompson
8) Tristan Thompson
9) Nicola Vucevic
10) Jonas Valanciunas
11) Kemba Walker
12) Markieff Morris
13) Reggie Jackson
14) Derrick Williams

[Mr. Body]

That's kind of a crap-ass draft and it's unsurprising players who were unsung are the ones paying out, like Parsons.

[DarrinS]

Too much love.
He had a great game and the talent is there.
But can he string these performances together.
Again and again. Consistency is underrated.

Can he put a great game together after missing shots and making mistakes? Does he have enough confidence to?



They don't have any set plays for him, which makes his game 3 even that much more impressive. He has to pick his spots and improvise.

[txstr1986]

Kawhi Leonard's huge NBA Finals Game 3 moments via Ralph Wiggum quotes: http://www.sbnation.com/2014/6/11/5800644/kawhi-leonards-huge-nba-finals-game-3-moments-via-ralph-wiggum-quotes

[TheGreatYacht]

Bump