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Nice
After sliding to No. 15 pick, former San Diego State forward excels.
By Brian T. Smith
| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 1 hour ago • Updated 1 hour ago
San Antonio • Draft day was supposed to be special for Kawhi Leonard.
At one point, Leonard was told he could go as high as No. 5 overall in the 2011 lottery. At worst, he’d been advised he might drop to 16.
But as players such as Brigham Young University’s Jimmer Fredette went to Sacramento at No. 10 and ex-Colorado guard Alec Burks was selected by the Jazz at No. 12, all Leonard could do was wait.
Finally, Indiana picked him at 15 last June. But the future Pacer immediately became a Spur. Leonard was unexpectedly traded for well-liked San Antonio guard George Hill, and two strong seasons at San Diego State were quickly washed away by draft-day questions about what it felt like to be an overlooked first-round ’tweener dealing with an uncomfortable situation.
"I was just happy to get picked and be on a team," Leonard said
Keep reading: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/54...kawhi.html.csp
Nice
Another draft steal for Spurs
This is the team that picked two All-NBA folks at 28th and 57th. Getting the 15th draft pick is almost tantamount to cheating.
his salary atm is 1.7m
if the spurs make it to the finals, he stands to make 200k each home playoff game revenue sharing...im assuming home sellouts are around 2m.....dont think scrubs 13-15th on the bench get equal share as the main contributors....
^TDMVPDPOY per usual
AWESOME. Whatta' steal we got with Kawhi. Thanks for sharing.
^100%duncan... always making it unnecessarily difficult to scroll down
21,500 posts and I'm still waiting for one that doesn't suck
"...while his athleticism and basketball intelligence have allowed him to overcome a slightly undersized frame."
Undersized frame?
hmmm, also defined Kawhi as a "tweener." Must not have watched a lot of Spurs this season and assumed Kawhi spends a lot of time at the 4, then I could see the "undersized frame" comment. That was one of my biggest fears coming into this season, that Pop would play Kawhi too much as a small ball 4, but fortunately the coach of the year has wisely played him almost exclusively as a small forward, where, if anything, he may even be above average in size for the position.
He played some shooting guard when RJ was here.
He's really not big for a 3 compared to the Mettas and Lebrons.
I don't think the Jazz could have picked Kawhi even if they thought he'd be great. Utah picking Jimmer's arch enemy? Yeah, no, that wasn't happening.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/54...-game.html.csp
Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard is the series’ surprise after two games vs. Jazz
NBA » He has played beyond his years in San Antonio’s wins.
By Brian T. Smith
| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published May 02 2012 10:44 pm • Last Updated May 02 2012 11:57 pm
San Antonio • It’s hard to wow Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Sometimes it’s difficult to simply draw a smile.
But after watching his revamped San Antonio club destroy the Jazz 114-83 on Wednesday in Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series, Popovich took a moment to admire Kawhi Leonard.
The No. 15 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft played like a proven veteran during the Spurs’ blowout. He poured in 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting during the first half, drilling two 3-pointers and alternating with fellow starter Danny Green as San Antonio’s top player. Leonard then finished with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, totaling three 3s, three rebounds and two steals in just 24 minutes and 43 seconds.
It was the type of performance normally reserved for athletes with multiple years in the league and numerous postseason appearances. Wednesday marked only the second playoff game for the former San Diego State standout — the first was Sunday — and Popovich acknowledged the player who was traded for Spurs fan favorite George Hill is quickly turning into something special.
"Kawhi is someone who, I guess it’s fair to say, surprised us. Because you don’t really know when you draft someone. … In Kawhi’s case he’s absorbed information really well," Popovich said. "He performs his role, he plays defense, he runs down the floor, and he’s got a way about him where he’s not so anxious to show us that he has every move in the world. … He’s level-headed and takes things when they come."
Leonard has stolen from the Jazz.
Spurs veteran forward Stephen Jackson came off the bench to serve as the X-Factor in Game 1. But Leonard’s been the best overall non-star through two contests. He’s averaging 11.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting, while hitting 4 of 7 3s and pulling down 2.5 rebounds per game.
And he’s doing it all as a smooth, confident 20-year-old rookie.
"He blends in with everybody else. … He plays his role and a lot of rookies can’t do that, and he’s been really good at it," Popovich said.
I interpret it as Kawhi showing pop a lot of upside on his offensive game
We've been seeing it throughout the season and he's already added that step back j and it's pretty effective already
In other words he plays within himself the whole time never wanting to try and call his own number.
Hopefully he wont be rattled by the game 3 crowd. If they can survive the initial push they should be fine.
We have to get a contract extension with him soon. He is the future of the Spurs franchise.
What I love about Kawhi is that he's so silent and serious, letting his game do the talking. He never gets too high nor too low, and that's why he'll be a very good and perhaps great player for years to come.
just like another great player on our team
Kawhi is da future
Why now when you can get him on the cheap for another 3 years?
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...stoic-leonard/For Leonard’s teammates, who have come to regard the soft-spoken 20-year-old as the type of player who could make it stone-faced through a tickle fight, the moment was one that had to be seen to be believed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before,” Manu Ginobili said of Leonard’s grin. “Not for more than a second. Or a fourth of a second.”
Love this kid, he has great potential and his character has Spurs written all over him. Over time he will only get better.
Wow I never knew that.
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