Ever read Alexandre Dumas? He's not a part of the Big 3 but in the end he'll be the one who matters most (Remember D'Artagnan...)
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Ever read Alexandre Dumas? He's not a part of the Big 3 but in the end he'll be the one who matters most (Remember D'Artagnan...)
Manu is no longer a big anything and hasnt been in years
This is how important is Leonard to the Spurs.
The Big Three moniker is as much of a marketing tool as anything, tbqh.
Oh man I liked the other picture...:(
This is easily the most egregiously misleading stat surrounding the team this season. When Kawhi went down, the Spurs were already missing Green and Ginobili at the wings and Splitter, forcing Pop to play Beli and De Colo huge minutes while also starting the likes of Brown and Jeffers. That led to the Spurs having a horrible 3-4 stretch. As soon as Green and came back (and Tiago and Manu a little bit after), the Spurs went on a 6-3 RRT, including two games where Pop conceded by resting the Big Three. Other two losses (I think the record is actually 9-9) were the Rockets game at the end of the season and an OKC game Kawhi missed after getting his wisdom teeth removed. In that game, Green defended Durant as well as anyone did the whole season (held him under 25 points), and the team was in it until the end.
It's not that Leonard isn't important to the Spurs. He's essential to titles hopes. But I hate people using record to determine his value. It's just disingenuous.
The big 3 all proved they could be a first banana or at least 1b. Kawhi is not there yet and may never be.
The problem with these kinds of statistics is that Kawhi is often playing with the starters, and especially with Tony and Timmy. I don't think it's any surprise that when the Spurs' two best players are on the floor, the Spurs play better. In addition, when Kawhi is off the floor, it usually means the bench is on the floor. I don't think it's any surprise that the bench is obviously of a lower talent level and will have a lower rating.
That's always been the problem with +/- statistics. That doesn't mean they're useless statistics, but there's a lot more going on than just one player on the floor making an impact.
Quote:
He would smother people on defense. He would knock down open 3s and never take any other kind of shot from the perimeter. He’d have a midrange game, too. He’d be quick enough to get to the rim whenever he wants — sometimes using the insane Tony Parker spin move that renders everyone helpless — and strong enough to score against anyone when he gets there.
He would be rangy enough to play two or three positions if you needed. He would be disciplined and never force anything. He would have octopus arms and catcher’s mitt hands and giant gnarled feet. He would show absolutely no emotion at any point, ever, and have no discernible personality. Personality is for comedians and car salesmen. Personality doesn’t win basketball games.
He would be 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, the default height for any random NBA player. He would have cornrows, another default option in the system. He would have “played college basketball” somewhere like San Diego State; just recognizable enough to sound believable to outsiders, but just random enough to explain why nobody really remembers him.
Kawhi Leonard: The Sum of All Fears-The Perfect Spur from GrantlandQuote:
Then one day you would look up and see him dominating the NBA playoffs.
Crashing the boards and finishing down low like Tim Duncan; playing the passing lanes like Parker, and then screaming down fast breaks for layups; nailing a few of those jumpers that Manu Ginobili used to hit. All the while, playing the kind of relentless defense that won the Spurs four titles, never showing a hint of fatigue. A little bit of everything, but never enough to attract too much attention.
Then you would understand: He’s the perfect Spur. Twenty years of field research finally realized. That’s when it would all make sense.
Kawhi Leonard is a basketball drone who was invented in a laboratory by Gregg Popovich. You will never convince me otherwise.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nb...spurs-thunder/