Popovich: Kawhi Was Not a Leader

[Spurs Homer]

So because Kawhi doesn’t act exactly like Tim, let’s go ahead and trade him? Pretty sure Kobe wasn’t the same kind of leader that Tim was but you didn’t see the Lakers trading him!

Spurs didn't WANT to trade him! Kawhi betrayed them and asked to go to the LAKERS FOR CHRISSAKES!

[JeffDuncan]

"A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic."

The Spurs are at war with Kawhi. The Spurs have always been at war with Kawhi.

[HWoodNixon]

Spurs didn't WANT to trade him! Kawhi betrayed them and asked to go to the LAKERS FOR CHRISSAKES!

The spurs could have swallowed their pride and signed him for the max! Give him the max, then sign or trade for another all star.

[Spurs Homer]

The spurs could have swallowed their pride and signed him for the max! Give him the max, then sign or trade for another all star.

I do not know if they

offered the max?
refused to offer the max?
were going to offer the max before kawhi tried to hold them for ransom?


I do not know -and

Kawhi still does NOT look 100% to me. He is not playing a full schedule and he can put up numbers - but I do not see the same explosiveness.

Is he still a good or maybe even great player? Maybe.

Is he a MAX player still?

I do not think so anymore.

[HWoodNixon]

I do not know if they

offered the max?
refused to offer the max?
were going to offer the max before kawhi tried to hold them for ransom?


I do not know -and

Kawhi still does NOT look 100% to me. He is not playing a full schedule and he can put up numbers - but I do not see the same explosiveness.

Is he still a good or maybe even great player? Maybe.

Is he a MAX player still?

I do not think so anymore.

Even if he isn’t a max player, the FO could have signed him for the max and find another talented player to compliment him and Aldridge. Luxury tax doesn’t matter—Holt can afford it! Not to mention, having more talent draws in more ticket sales and tv appearances. As they say, to make money you have to spend money.

[ECOV]

You don't need to be a circus loud mouth like Paddy Mills to lead a clown show like the one you see before your eyes.. Being a leader means leading by example. Duncan did it for his entire career. What did Kawhi not do on the court to help the Spurs win games?

Duncan did it off and on the court leading by example takes action and having "GREAT" communication... Lol clown show its called having the backs of your teammates something a leader does. You can have leadership aspects in your life without taking the full wheel. Being a great leader and being a great player are two different things luckly Timmy set the bar high for what it takes.

[Kurgan]

There's some truth to what he says but it does come off like damage control.

[loveforthegame]

Well these comments will surely sway teams from offering Leonard the max next summer.

[Clipper Nation]

Porker not a leader either.

Meanwhile, Manu was. Porker fluffers BTFO per par.

[Fusternino]

It is odd that Kawhi's advanced stats are way down. Right now Lowry, Valanciunas, and Siakam all have a better WS/48 than him and his DRPM was rather pedestrian when it was released.

[koriwhat]

Pop is 100% correct here - he is speaking truth here 100% regarding Kawhi.


Pop also spoke 100% truth about the piece of criminal who was placed there by Russia and is posing as president in the white house.

100% truth. I give Pop credit for that.



(still mad about taking Timmy out in 2013 - but that is another thread)

seek help for your TDS.

[daslicer]

So because Kawhi doesn’t act exactly like Tim, let’s go ahead and trade him? Pretty sure Kobe wasn’t the same kind of leader that Tim was but you didn’t see the Lakers trading him!

Kobe having a no trade clause prevented them from ever attempting to do it. Fisher was the leader of the Lakers.

[SAGirl]

Not really news but I prefer simple truths to all the covering up Pop did b4 the Kiwigate...

[Kobe'sAchilles]

So because Kawhi doesn’t act exactly like Tim, let’s go ahead and trade him? Pretty sure Kobe wasn’t the same kind of leader that Tim was but you didn’t see the Lakers trading him!

What exactly are you arguing here? This thread is about Kawhi and his lack of leadership skills. My comment was about the people saying that Kawhi is comparable to Tim as a leader. You want to talk about the Kawhi trade then there's a different thread for that.

[south side spur]

MAKE THAT TWO ing seasons, stop it, seriously you are embarrassing yourself. Kawhi is playing really well right now.

So you’re counting half a season with the Raptors as evidence for him being a leader for the Spurs? And I’M embarrassing myself? Sure

[TDMVPDPOY]

kawhi doesnt need to be leader, he needs to put ball into basket

why be vocal if you cant back it up?

[bic50]

One of the key things about the drama this year was Pop and RC saying Kawhi's relationship with them was the same as it's always been. This goes to show Kawhi never tried from year 1. Dude might be a nice teammate but he ain't a leader. Some of you claim it's because Pop never treated him with respect like he did with Timmy, but that kind of respect is earned and I think that's one of the lessons he tried to show Kawhi. But he failed that test miserably. Kawhi is not selfless in any sense of the word. Our rookie, Lonnie, is already doing things for the SA community that Kawhi never did. I think it's possible Kawhi becomes this later in his career, possibly when he's at a place he's happy (LA) , but he could have been something legendary...both on and off the court. This was what a HOF coach was trying to unlock in him but he backed down like a coward. I think while his team is doing well, they're missing one key element that our Spurs are building at the moment.... True unity led by real leaders who get along in DeMar and LMA. Even Dejounte, as much as he denies it, trashes on Kawhi on social media. Last night he posted on Instagram that he would never trade championships for fame and money. Last year, he posted about how games are to be played and not forfeited. Kawhi could play like MJ all he wants, but he will never bring a team together with his personality.

Smh

[bic50]

I do not know if they

offered the max?
refused to offer the max?
were going to offer the max before kawhi tried to hold them for ransom?


I do not know -and

Kawhi still does NOT look 100% to me. He is not playing a full schedule and he can put up numbers - but I do not see the same explosiveness.

Is he still a good or maybe even great player? Maybe.

Is he a MAX player still?

I do not think so anymore.

delusional

[HWoodNixon]

What exactly are you arguing here? This thread is about Kawhi and his lack of leadership skills. My comment was about the people saying that Kawhi is comparable to Tim as a leader. You want to talk about the Kawhi trade then there's a different thread for that.

What this thread implies is that somehow Kawhi’s lack of vocal leadership skills outweighs what he brings to the table as the best two way player in the game. Pop felt the need to comment on Kawhi’s leadership ability, which to me implies that it was a big reason to not have him on the team.

[bic50]

No, you moron. He was the team's best player and only elite perimeter threat. And the team was far from dominant, too dependent on Leonard to create offense and play elite defense.

Now, he's on a team that better blends with him on defense, so he can "take plays off" and allows him to shot to his heart's content.

We'll see if that leads to success in April, May and June (I doubt it, TBH).

And he isn't a leader in any sense of the word. A leader doesn't lie to his teammates about coming back and then change his (last minute), a leader roots on his teammates behind the bench and most of all a leader doesn't sabotage an entire season just to satisfy their selfish needs.

He has led a lot of you gullible idiots to sniff his balls, wipes ass and defend him at every waking second, though. So, yeah, he's a "leader" in that sense.

Delusional and salty

[bic50]

It’s amazing how Kawhi can be viewed as a leader even compared to Duncan by some fanboys in this thread. This is the same guy who choked in 2013. Same guy who “held LeBron down” in 2014 but somehow LeBron should’ve won Finals MVP. Same guy who got emasculated in 2015 by the Clippers and then shrunk in 2016 to Durant and OKC. He got abused that series fanboys.

So he has ONE great season in 2017 and all of a sudden he’s MJ. ONE ing season. You Kawhi apologists are embarrassing yourselves. As if MJ would let a swollen ankle hold him out of the CONFERENCE FINALS. Hilarious

That’s not a leader fanboys. You worship him...great. I’m actually rooting for Toronto this year. The Spurs need that late first rounder. So at least for this season Go Raptors.

Honestly, I have no ill will towards Kawhi. He helped the Spurs win a le. He shouldn’t be booed. I was more disheartened when he was traded. But I wish him well except against the Spurs.

But enough with trying to justify his leadership abilities jokers. They’re non existent. He’s not MJ or Duncan idiots. Leaders are there for their teammates through success and adversity. They don’t go into hiding. They don’t let a players only meeting become public. They don’t let the media run with narratives and then mumble through an interview where he lied. Liberals will never get it. Leaders are not victims of their cir stances.

Fanboys calling others fansboys. Todays Spurs fans

[Kobe'sAchilles]

What this thread implies is that somehow Kawhi’s lack of vocal leadership skills outweighs what he brings to the table as the best two way player in the game. Pop felt the need to comment on Kawhi’s leadership ability, which to me implies that it was a big reason to not have him on the team.

To me, having to pay him $43 million a year outweighed what he brought to the team. Especially for a player who refuses to play hurt. Kobe always played. Even with a sideways pinky. he sunk the two free throws after sustaining the injury in my avatar. Kobe and Kawhi are not comparable either.

[bic50]

Yeah I don't think this was any surprise. And at all the idiots who compare him to Duncan, just stop. Turn in your fan card and admit you never saw Duncan play. Tim was at EVERY single game he missed in street clothes. He was cheering like crazy on the sidelines and he would high five and rub players heads in celebration for the way they played (in street clothes). He was the first one in the building and the last one out. He allowed himself to be yelled at and treated like by Pop in front of others bc it was for the good of the team. He high fived every player before they headed to the locker room and made it a point to be the last one in the locker room. In fact, it was said that the Spurs expected Kawhi to be like Duncan but Kawhi wasn't anything like Duncan personality wise. So Duncan 2k5 take Tim Duncan out of your name. YWGI turn in your fan card and go complain about another team. Pop spoke the truth. He is a Spur and Kawhi isn't one. You want to be a player fan then go ahead but this is Spurstalk s, support this Spurs team or GTFO

This is some weird fandom here

[bic50]

To me, having to pay him $43 million a year outweighed what he brought to the team. Especially for a player who refuses to play hurt. Kobe always played. Even with a sideways pinky. he sunk the two free throws after sustaining the injury in my avatar. Kobe and Kawhi are not comparable either.

What did he bring to the team?

[bic50]

Sorry, but Kyle Lowry is driving that bus. Toronto has blown out their opponents when Kawhi sits.

Kawhi is their best player