View Full Version : Kawhi Leonard plans to play for coach Gregg Popovich, Team USA in 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games
Uriel
03-07-2021, 06:26 PM
Kawhi Leonard (https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6450/kawhi-leonard) is planning to play for Gregg Popovich again and chase a gold medal.
Leonard said Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta that he is planning to compete with USA Basketball this summer at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics -- which would reunite him with Popovich.
Leonard spent his first seven seasons in the NBA with Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs (https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs), before moving on to the Toronto Raptors (https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/tor/toronto-raptors) and now the LA Clippers (https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/la-clippers). Popovich will serve as head coach at the Olympics for the first time.
"My plan is to go," Leonard said. He helped Popovich and the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship and was MVP of that season's NBA Finals.
The Olympics could be a potentially tight squeeze schedule-wise for Leonard. The Clippers will likely be one of the contenders to win the Western Conference finals and play in the NBA Finals -- which, if they go the full seven games, are currently scheduled to end on July 22.
The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23, and the U.S. plays its first game against France on July 25.
"If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time, then I'm going to play," Leonard said.
USA Basketball is expected to finalize a player pool of about 60 names -- many of them holdovers from the 44 announced as members of the pool last year, a group that includes Leonard -- in the not-too-distant future. From there, a team will be picked, and the current plan is to bring that group to Las Vegas around July 1 to begin training camp and a series of exhibition games against other national teams.
The U.S. staff, including managing director Jerry Colangelo, men's national team director Sean Ford, Popovich and assistant coaches Lloyd Pierce, Steve Kerr and Jay Wright have been talking for months about plans and contingencies -- including which players they might want to wait for even if their NBA clubs go deep into the playoffs.
Many top NBA players said entering the 2019-20 season that they were considering Olympic plans before the pandemic struck and the Olympics were pushed back a year.
"A lot of people were in for 2020, but just the pandemic pretty much killed everything," Leonard said.
https://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/31022927/kawhi-leonard-plans-play-coach-gregg-popovich-team-usa-2021-tokyo-olympic-games
N0 LyF3 ScRuB
03-07-2021, 06:48 PM
Dont play em a single minute , fuck em Pop ... this your chance for revenge
PrimeMinister
03-07-2021, 07:16 PM
Give his spot to Demar
lol,, pop will pick the players the thinks will win, but i could see Leonard backing out at the last minute citing "fatigue" Pop is the bigger dude and Leonard couldn't face him back round 2017. Leonard could have easily asked pop to fire the person who said the thing that uncle used to drive the wedge to get him out. They chose not to take the direct path, which led us here
exstatic
03-07-2021, 07:40 PM
He said he planned to playing the 2018 World Cup too, and came up with some excuse at the last minute. He’ll bail, and realistically, with his quad tendonosis, he should. He only has so many minutes left in that leg, and shouldn’t waste them playing internationally.
Dejounte
03-07-2021, 07:44 PM
Somehow this is giving dumb Spurs fans false hope that he'll return to the Spurs in the future.
Y'all need to stop worshiping this bum. It's borderline masochistic.
LeBowen
03-07-2021, 07:52 PM
Hopefully Pop has enough "nasty" left in him to cut Kawhi and say it's because of his quad injury.
Scumbag doesn't deserve to have an Olympic gold on his resume.
Robz4000
03-07-2021, 08:17 PM
He said he planned to playing the 2018 World Cup too, and came up with some excuse at the last minute. He’ll bail, and realistically, with his quad tendonosis, he should. He only has so many minutes left in that leg, and shouldn’t waste them playing internationally.
I hope he goes and his quad explodes tbh.
tonight...you
03-07-2021, 08:21 PM
Oh my gosh! Does this mean he wants to come ba... uh... I... nvm.
He's a bum!
koriwhat
03-07-2021, 08:30 PM
Dont play em a single minute , fuck em Pop ... this your chance for revenge
Give his spot to Demar
I hope he goes and his quad explodes tbh.
:tu :tu :tu
buttsR4rebounding
03-07-2021, 08:41 PM
Pop should hold him out citing “load management”.
Stump
03-07-2021, 09:23 PM
Give his spot to Demar
I know you say this sarcastically, but I hope it happens. I think there will be a lot of star players backing out of this Olympics, and would make a good opportunity for Demar to step in and win a championship.
tonight...you
03-07-2021, 09:30 PM
Give his spot to Demar
That would be perfect.
baseline bum
03-07-2021, 09:47 PM
Easy to say knowing there will be no olympics
Mr. Body
03-07-2021, 10:16 PM
Leonard is one of the biggest assholes in sports and the media never talks about it.
Ice009
03-07-2021, 10:33 PM
Is it projected that the Olympics aren't going to be on? I haven't followed it at all.
Larry O
03-07-2021, 10:35 PM
That bridge has been burned between PATFO and what's his face, a long time ago! Number Doo Doo ain't thinking about the Spurs organization, except for himself, and PATFO won't allow themselves to get burned again with his and his uncle's drama antics.
ducks
03-07-2021, 10:50 PM
Play him every second of every game
spurs10
03-07-2021, 11:36 PM
You think he could play in traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway instead?
TD 21
03-08-2021, 12:14 AM
Just wants to check another box to pretend his affluenza ass is more accomplished than he is. Showed little to no interest in giving the program the time of day in the past. Also, the arrogance to speak as if he's already on the team.
If the puke actually follows through, if I were Pop I'd tell Colanegelo and company that I'm not putting on an act and pretending, I'll resign if he's selected and they can clean up the PR mess.
gospursgojas
03-08-2021, 12:24 AM
Kawhi wants to be on Team USA which Pop happens to coach.
gambit1990
03-08-2021, 12:58 AM
one dead uncle away from kawhi coming back :cry
jk, cali is where it’s all. kawhi + KJ would be something though...
daslicer
03-08-2021, 02:15 AM
The key phrase by this clown "If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time, then I'm going to play," Leonard said
Which leaves the door open for him to not play in the Olympics. I actually hope he doesn't. I don't want to have to root against Team USA.
The key phrase by this clown "If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time, then I'm going to play," Leonard said
Which leaves the door open for him to not play in the Olympics. I actually hope he doesn't. I don't want to have to root against Team USA.
No shit. This is the equivalent of choosing Maybe when someone invites you to a Facebook event.
duncan2k5
03-08-2021, 10:50 AM
lol,, pop will pick the players the thinks will win, but i could see Leonard backing out at the last minute citing "fatigue" Pop is the bigger dude and Leonard couldn't face him back round 2017. Leonard could have easily asked pop to fire the person who said the thing that uncle used to drive the wedge to get him out. They chose not to take the direct path, which led us here
How do u know he didn't ask?
duncan2k5
03-08-2021, 10:51 AM
I know you say this sarcastically, but I hope it happens. I think there will be a lot of star players backing out of this Olympics, and would make a good opportunity for Demar to step in and win a championship.
Lol
duncan2k5
03-08-2021, 10:53 AM
Just wants to check another box to pretend his affluenza ass is more accomplished than he is. Showed little to no interest in giving the program the time of day in the past. Also, the arrogance to speak as if he's already on the team.
If the puke actually follows through, if I were Pop I'd tell Colanegelo and company that I'm not putting on an act and pretending, I'll resign if he's selected and they can clean up the PR mess.
Saying he plans to try out is talking as if he is already on the team? I know the education level is low in the US, but good lord
Collins21
03-08-2021, 11:18 AM
Saying he plans to try out is talking as if he is already on the team? I know the education level is low in the US, but good lord
Are you really comparing the U.S to St Croix lol?
MultiTroll
03-08-2021, 11:25 AM
Will Bam make Craigs team?
Ed Helicopter Jones
03-08-2021, 11:40 AM
He said he planned to playing the 2018 World Cup too, and came up with some excuse at the last minute. He’ll bail, and realistically, with his quad tendonosis, he should. He only has so many minutes left in that leg, and shouldn’t waste them playing internationally.
Exactly this. He already threw his usual disclaimer out there by saying "If I feel up to it and feel ready to go..." When does he ever feel "up to it"? He'll bail.
Exactly this. He already threw his usual disclaimer out there by saying "If I feel up to it and feel ready to go..." When does he ever feel "up to it"? He'll bail.
Why would he address it either way if he didn't intend to play?
He doesn't give a damn about his reputation or the media. (I live in LA and he's talked about less now than when he was with the Spurs.)
He's probably being (relatively) honest this time.
exstatic
03-09-2021, 12:15 PM
Why would he address it either way if he didn't intend to play?
He doesn't give a damn about his reputation or the media. (I live in LA and he's talked about less now than when he was with the Spurs.)
He's probably being (relatively) honest this time.
I’m guessing someone asked him a question, and rather than not answer, he threw out a highly qualified ambiguous one.
EricB
03-10-2021, 11:24 PM
Leonard is one of the biggest assholes in sports and the media never talks about it.
its amazing how still to this day, the stories of how it went down are out there and the nba media still just is like “meh no clue what happened, meh he’s so awesome ohmahgerd”
KaiRMD1
03-10-2021, 11:33 PM
He says "if I feel up to it". He ain't gonna play
MultiTroll
03-10-2021, 11:36 PM
its amazing how still to this day, the stories of how it went down are out there and the nba media still just is like “meh no clue what happened, meh he’s so awesome ohmahgerd”
From what site owner revealed he put it at 50 Spurs 50 Kwa
You don't want that 50 Spurs coming out ever, do you?
TheGreatYacht
03-10-2021, 11:41 PM
Should get his jersey hung by the Spurs just for this. He’s really gonna help save the old never-was’ career when he didn’t have to. Hero
daslicer
03-11-2021, 05:32 PM
From what site owner revealed he put it at 50 Spurs 50 Kwa
You don't want that 50 Spurs coming out ever, do you?
From what I have heard Brian Wright who was the Spurs assistant GM at the time called him a pussy for sitting out. Kawhi took offense and asked the Spurs to get rid of Wright but the Spurs refused. That's where the spurs get 50 percent of the blame for not silencing Wright but still what Kawhi did was bush league.
Uriel
03-11-2021, 06:49 PM
From what I have heard Brian Wright who was the Spurs assistant GM at the time called him a pussy for sitting out. Kawhi took offense and asked the Spurs to get rid of Wright but the Spurs refused. That's where the spurs get 50 percent of the blame for not silencing Wright but still what Kawhi did was bush league.
:wow
Here's my take on the story ...
From what I understand (and I'm not saying this is fact, just what I was told), Kawhi got his feelings hurt because someone in the organization (not a player, not Pop) said in not-so-kind words that he was being a wimp about the injury. Kawhi wasn't that riled up about it, but was offended. Mentioned it to his Uncle, and Kawhi's group then got Kawhi really riled up about it (saying he was being disrespected, not appreciated, Spurs were too controlling, Kawhi wasn't having input on player signings, etc.) Side note: I believe that Kawhi really only cares about playing basketball, but he trusts his advisors completely, when maybe they are just looking out for their own best interest not necessarily his.
At that point, anything the Spurs did or said to Kawhi was met with resistance by the group and blown out of proportion by the media. (For example, when Tony talked about Kawhi's injury, that was actually a comment in support of Kawhi -- go watch the video again. "Worse" things were said by other players privately, but none of them were trying to slight Kawhi - they were just confused/frustrated by the lack of communication. Kawhi was just trying to rehab and had turned over most communication to his group.) Kawhi was never pissed off at any of his teammates or even really with Pop. He thought he was physically not able to play at that point, and he had become convinced that the grass was greener elsewhere. And he was right... he just won a Championship.
I think that communication could have been a lot better on both sides, and I think Kawhi could have done a lot more to improve that communication. I also think he could have played more than those 9 games, and if he really couldn't, he should have been sitting behind the bench in support of his teammates. But I'm not one of the many doctors he consulted, so what do I know?
Do I think he will stay in Toronto? Probably not. He's probably very happy there (especially right now), but again, "coming home" to California is a big appeal to him and the group.
Disclaimer: There's more to the story but this is the beginning of it, and timvp has some insight on that info that he may or may not ever share.
Ice009
03-11-2021, 08:10 PM
Darn Daslicer, I didn't remember any of that. Great memory and also great find Uriel to backup what Daslicer said.
Fucking Brian Wright has screwed this team over with a ton of bad decisions. I don't see how he still has a job.
I doubt that Kawhi wanted out based on some nonpublic comment by a Spurs underling. He wanted out because it was part of a bigger plan.
Ice009
03-11-2021, 08:19 PM
I doubt that Kawhi wanted out based on some nonpublic comment by a Spurs underling. He wanted out because it was part of a bigger plan.
The actual comment might not have been the total reason, but it might have been the thing that started it all. Either way, that clown Brian Wright should have kept his mouth shut, and IMO, should have been fired.
daslicer
03-11-2021, 08:27 PM
Darn Daslicer, I didn't remember any of that. Great memory and also great find Uriel to backup what Daslicer said.
Fucking Brian Wright has screwed this team over with a ton of bad decisions. I don't see how he still has a job.
Wright shouldn't have said what he said but Kawhi was going to leave regardless. From what I have heard Wright had this moment around December of 2017 or January of 2018. Wright got fed up with Kawhi playing games with the Spurs and called him out. He should have been smarter and not said anything so Kawhi didn't have the leverage to make the Spurs look bad from a PR point of view.
Wright shouldn't have said what he said but Kawhi was going to leave regardless. From what I have heard Wright had this moment around December of 2017 or January of 2018. Wright got fed up with Kawhi playing games with the Spurs and called him out. He should have been smarter and not said anything so Kawhi didn't have the leverage to make the Spurs look bad from a PR point of view.
I just don't see Kawhi being motivated (touchy feely) by some comment. He's a bit too reptilian.
daslicer
03-11-2021, 08:35 PM
The actual comment might not have been the total reason, but it might have been the thing that started it all. Either way, that clown Brian Wright should have kept his mouth shut, and IMO, should have been fired.
It wasn't the thing that started it all. Uncle Dennis had been poking the Spurs for years with his bs shenanigans but the Spurs were always smart not to bite. It was going to eventually end ugly. Wright lost his cool and snapped. Even if he kept his cool Kawhi is still leaving since Kawhi's uncle wanted LA.
daslicer
03-11-2021, 08:36 PM
I just don't see Kawhi being motivated (touchy feely) by some comment. He's a bit too reptilian.
I agree 100 percent. Kawhi was leaving regardless of what Wright said. Just that it sucked to see the Spurs lose the PR battle. I felt if Wright didn't say what he did the Spurs could have fought Kawhi more successfully in the media war.
exstatic
03-11-2021, 08:46 PM
Fuck Kawhi.
Ice009
03-11-2021, 09:21 PM
Wright shouldn't have said what he said but Kawhi was going to leave regardless. From what I have heard Wright had this moment around December of 2017 or January of 2018. Wright got fed up with Kawhi playing games with the Spurs and called him out. He should have been smarter and not said anything so Kawhi didn't have the leverage to make the Spurs look bad from a PR point of view.
Alright, again, jumping the gun on my part. I didn't know the timeline. I thought he said it much, much earlier and then Kawhi's people started to use it against him and the Spurs organization for not firing him. Do you think it would have made any difference to Kawhi if they fired Wright? I think it may have shown him that they won't tolerate someone taking a shot at their star player, but I don't know. Bringing this stuff up just gets me mad again and it makes me think not clearly.
daslicer
03-11-2021, 09:29 PM
Alright, again, jumping the gun on my part. I didn't know the timeline. I thought he said it much, much earlier and then Kawhi's people started to use it against him and the Spurs organization for not firing him. Do you think it would have made any difference to Kawhi if they fired Wright? I think it may have shown him that they won't tolerate someone taking a shot at their star player, but I don't know. Bringing this stuff up just gets me mad again and it makes me think not clearly.
It would have made zero difference if they fired Wright. Kawhi is Uncle Dennis' puppet. Dennis wanted Kawhi to have the same type of brand that Lebron James has and didn't feel Kawhi could achieve it in SA and thus wanted him to go to LA for endorsement deals.
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