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No, no, and no.
I just re-watched finals game 5 today. At the end speeches, Stuart Scott said that Kawhi is the youngest finals MVP since Duncan in '99. Then I thought about how we've been searching for the heir apparent to Duncan for a few years now. Obviously, Leonard is the future face of the franchise. But could he be as good as a Gervin, Robinson or Duncan? Could rosters be built around him and win more championships after Duncan and Manu retire?
Or what about Parker re-signing, Leonard extending, Pop continuing to coach and the Spurs bringing in another big name FA? If the FO does it right, I think we can dominate for as long as the 60s Celtics did.
No, no, and no.
That remains to be seen. Cedric Maxwell was a Finals MVP too.
We haven't seen Leonard's ceiling. That's just a fact. Maybe he gets better than he was last year; maybe he's never that good again. Regardless, I think the real question is not so much whether Leonard ever gets showcased as legend-level talent, but whether he's able to continue imposing his will during important games against elite opponents with whatever supporting cast he has when the Duncan era is over. As far as I'm concerned, that's what you build a franchise on. Keep your Stockton-and-Malone superstars, if Kawhi can keep quiet and keep growing into a leadership role then the Spurs will keep on contending and he'll be a worthy heir to those that came before.
Calm down.
Leonard is benefitting greatly from a perfect system with a lot of capable components doing their job around him. I like the kid but if he was the pure focal point that teams focus on,,,,it may be a different story. I don't know if he has that caliber of talent that can be a franchise player,,,,truefully, I would say he doesn't.
Thread lol
Kawhi as a franchise player is still a of a stretch, considering there are maybe 9 franchise players in the league right now: say, Duncan, James, Wade, Durant, Bryant, Garnett, Paul, Howard, and Nowitzki. And of course only James, Durant, and Paul are at that level currently. Still, Kawhi is a of a lot better right now than Cedric Maxwell ever was.
Anthony Davis, Melo, Drummond, KG, Kevin Love, Curry, Cousins and Harden also countKawhi as a franchise player is still a of a stretch, considering there are maybe 9 franchise players in the league right now: say, Duncan, James, Wade, Durant, Bryant, Garnett, Paul, Howard, and Nowitzki. And of course only James, Durant, and Paul are at that level currently. Still, Kawhi is a of a lot better right now than Cedric Maxwell ever was.
Was Scottie Pippen a franchise player? Many would say no, and yet he is counted as one of the best 25 or so to ever play the game. I see Kawhi like this - he is an elite second option who disrupts the game defensively and can explode offensively, but shouldn't be the primary focus. He'll be much more effective if he's the second or third guy the other team has to worry about stopping, much like Scottie was.
What exactly do you mean by franchise player? If it's what is generally considered as a "franchise player" your list is ridiculous.
My definition of franchise player is someone who is a strong MVP candidate for a few years. Since Rose was a flash in the pan not likely to get back to that level I dind't include him.
Davis will probably get there, but he ain't there yet.
KG
Wade
Cousins
KG
Wade
Cousins
Kawhi was built for the game of basketball. KW gonna be running the league. Glad he's a spur.
He is their best player. But San Antonio is loaded.
Wade was the best guard in the league from 2006-2012KG
Wade
Cousins
Kobe was way better
So are we talking about all time or now?
There are very few rookies that can do something in the playoffs, and Kawhi was playing well in 2012. The last rookie that I remember playing that well in the playoffs was Wade.
Only time will tell. There is no guarantee Leonard will even still be here in 5 years.
*Dunan-> Manu & Tony-> Leonard
JIM!?!?
Um, lol? Obviously no. When the three you mentioned came into the NBA, they were pretty much already superstars. I don't think Leonard will ever finish top 5 in MVP, much less ever win one. He is more like prime Sean ****** level now, but with better potential.
Neither of them surpassed Duncan imo. Manu was better for one year, Parker was better for one year, neither was better last year and neither was Leonard.
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