Leonard the ball stopper

[cd021]

It's possible. But I think it had more to do with team basketball rather than just Leonard.

it was definitely Diaw that helped Leonard go off in games 3-5. Splitter and Duncan, together, kills the spacing. Just having Diaw draw his man out 15-18 feet makes a world of difference. Not to mention his passing. The Spurs slaughtered Miami when Diaw was on the floor. The Spurs bench did a great job of extending leads with Mills-Manu-Diaw and Splitter all having great series and played well together.

[Brazil]

How is the teams leading scorer just a defensive guy?

OP is kinda right, Kawhi has been attacking often when he gets the ball. I do think he's also being a willing passer when the pass is there to be made though. Better than the alternative of sitting in the corner since our Big Two need all the help they can get shouldering the load bc a certain PG has been MIA all season. He can be erratic at times but I think hes shown enough flashes to where you just have to live with the errors and allow him to grow...I think he has the ability to dominate the large majority of SFs in the post and eventually should be used as point forward as well.

not sure you are capable anymore to post anything on the spurs not mentioning a certain PG

On the point tho, I think Kawhi like Durant is not a "natural" but he will work on his playmaking and his assists... Durant started his 4 / 5 first years with less than 3 per game, he is now around 5.
Defense are now much more focused on stopping him on the O end... it's gonna create a lot of opportunities for his team mates. He has to learn recognize those and give the ball. He is a fast learner so I'm not worried it will come soon not necessarily this year tho.

[tmtcsc]

I appreciate Kawhi being more aggressive and vocal. Any time you can have a player draw double-teams or make the offense unpredictable / difficult to defend, it helps the team. - Except in the case of forced shots. If he gets to the point where the defense starts to concentrate on him, I have no doubt he will find an open teammate for an easy bucket or 3 pointer.

[Brazil]

I'm giving Hoops credit... He successfully went under Harlem skin

[wildchild]

I'm giving Hoops credit... He successfully went under Harlem skin

We all know Hoops is constantly wrong about everything, the league, the teams, the players...it's not necessary to remember every one of Hoops' bad takes like Harlem does.

Handled correctly, a negative post is a great opportunity to draw attention to another point you want to talk. So the best response is no response and find the other side of the same comment, that's the smart game.

Plus, guys shouldn't react in the heat of the moment, don't return the fire, just take a breather, because Hoops will make himself look bad sooner or later, he has done a magnificent job of doing that all these years.

[dabom]

We all know Hoops is constantly wrong about everything, the league, the teams, the players...it's not necessary to remember every one of Hoops' bad takes like Harlem does.

Handled correctly, a negative post is a great opportunity to draw attention to another point you want to talk. So the best response is no response and find the other side of the same comment, that's the smart game.

Plus, guys shouldn't react in the heat of the moment, don't return the fire, just take a breather, because Hoops will make himself look bad sooner or later, he has done a magnificent job of doing that all these years.

Hoops is seriously bad at everything including his player analysis. Dude has zero credibility at this point.

[Hoops Czar]

it was definitely Diaw that helped Leonard go off in games 3-5. Splitter and Duncan, together, kills the spacing. Just having Diaw draw his man out 15-18 feet makes a world of difference. Not to mention his passing. The Spurs slaughtered Miami when Diaw was on the floor. The Spurs bench did a great job of extending leads with Mills-Manu-Diaw and Splitter all having great series and played well together.

Well, like Marion, Leonard needs a lot of open court and less traffic jams.. With Diaw in the lineup, the Spurs can get out in transition more and that's where Leonard is at his best. He's been relatively quiet in the half court game this year mainly because he's shooting such a poor % from the field. Many will say he can't penetrate with Duncan and Splitter sharing the same air space. I think that's a lot of hogwash. The only thing it does is prevents Kiwi from grabbing offensive rebounds and putbacks. He's had ample opportunity to penetrate this year with Duncan and Diaw on the floor, and the most typical result is a couple of dribbles, a kick out or a forced 15-footer. The only time I've seen him successfully penetrate to the rim is through a screen set by Duncan/Diaw/Bonner or a complete bust in coverage. His half court mainly consists of standing in the corner, waiting for the pass by a penetrating guard, a complete and egregious misuse of talent.

If the Spurs want to maximize Leonard's full potential, they are going to have to change their entire offensive philosophy going forward.

[Hoops Czar]

We all know Hoops is constantly wrong about everything, the league, the teams, the players...it's not necessary to remember every one of Hoops' bad takes like Harlem does.

Handled correctly, a negative post is a great opportunity to draw attention to another point you want to talk. So the best response is no response and find the other side of the same comment, that's the smart game.

Plus, guys shouldn't react in the heat of the moment, don't return the fire, just take a breather, because Hoops will make himself look bad sooner or later, he has done a magnificent job of doing that all these years.

Are you still wearing the same wet, soggy pampers from the last time I schooled your ass? You have to get on with your life my man. Take a look in the mirror, let out a scream or two then, go back to living because life is too short.

[Hoops Czar]

I'm giving Hoops credit... He successfully went under Harlem skin

That's my schtick, don't wear it out. Where there's a Harlem, you'll find a Hoops.

[KL2]

Hoops reminds me of Wimp Lo from Kung pow, he thinks losing is winning...

[dabom]

[FuzzyLumpkins]

We all know Hoops is constantly wrong about everything, the league, the teams, the players...it's not necessary to remember every one of Hoops' bad takes like Harlem does.

Handled correctly, a negative post is a great opportunity to draw attention to another point you want to talk. So the best response is no response and find the other side of the same comment, that's the smart game.

Plus, guys shouldn't react in the heat of the moment, don't return the fire, just take a breather, because Hoops will make himself look bad sooner or later, he has done a magnificent job of doing that all these years.

Hoops Czar used to post all the time with another ninny Texas 2 Step. Whatever happened to that guy?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Kawhi never became consistently aggressive on offense until game 3 of the finals. Prior to that he would have games where they would feed him the ball but he always deferred.

He's bought in now. Keep in mind that at the beginning of the year his team mates didn't react to his post ups and gtfo of the paint. Now Baynes, Splitter, and Duncan rotate to the high post. He isn't a complete black hole in hte post either. He will pass it down the baseline or kick it out when he sees the double team.

Off the dribble he does have bit of blinders though. Spurs have a system on how players move off or penetration and he needs to see it better. He has improved his shot and ball handling and his career assist trajectory has been a steady climb. Only 23.5 years old and working with an elite player development staff, I like his chances.

If he can become a playmaker off the dribble he will be completely dynamic and likely dominating offensively.

[wildchild]

Are you still wearing the same wet, soggy pampers from the last time I schooled your ass?

You definitely have a rare concept of how to win and who wins an argument.

IIRC "the last time" I was talking about how Leonard changes everything on this team, about how vital he is to win...so there isn't a really dispute as to the winner. You figured wrong, again.

If there is a true winner in any thread about Kawhi, you're certainly not that guy.

You have to get on with your life my man. Take a look in the mirror, let out a scream or two then, go back to living because life is too short

That was a very kind gesture and a nice tip. Thanks man!
I appreciate it but you shouldn't worry about my life. I'm a happy man...and a lucky guy.
Like here, on ST.
I played -in good company of course, the best guys I can trust- all my money on Kawhi Leonard dark horse years ago.
We were betting against you/the haters/the critics, and we all know what happens when someone bets on an unknown horse and he wins the race....

[TheGreatYacht]

We've really been struggling against garbage teams lately. OP was up to something, tbh. Ball movement over <45fg% KawhISO's

[hater]

Kawhi is one of the most overrated Spurs in recent times

[TheGreatYacht]

Pop finally recognized that KawhISO's aren't the solution and benched him in the 4th quarter for Cory Joseph. Worked out great, tbh.

[loveforthegame]

Too bad we didn't still have Hill instead.

Maybe Pop should just keep Leonard on the bench and see how that works out.

[Hoops Czar]

Can't blame Pop for wanting to win.

[loveforthegame]

Hope Pop tries that against the Clippers on Saturday.

Bet it would work against the Warriors, OKC, and some of the other top teams too.

[apalisoc_9]

Hope Pop tries that against the Clippers on Saturday.

Bet it would work against the Warriors, OKC, and some of the other top teams too.

[TheGreatYacht]

Anybody else noticed he's been ballhogging a lot more the last few games? Grabs rebound, brings the ball up the court and ignores Parker in the corner. Dismisses Duncan in the post, calls for a screen and his jumper.

We won it all last season with great ball movement, and unselfishness... is this going to be a problem long term, tbh?

Dont worry anymore EN, he's retired

[ElNono]

this thread

[dabom]

ElNono with the bads on this thread. I'm pretty sure I tossed it up to mile trolling.

[TheGreatYacht]

this thread

A lot of truth nukes, tbh