Uncle Dennis Finally Talks! “They didn’t believe Kawhi couldn’t play and that caused a lack of trust"

[Cryptic Parable]

Well without more details this makes the Spurs look bad imo

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

This is Michael C Wright said in his podcast. Goes against what uncle Dennis is saying. Of course the Spurs were expecting kawhi to play when he keeps insisting that he will be back soon.

A week before that, Kawhi told those guys he was going to be back for that game.

And that didn’t happen. And that was the second or third time they had been told something like that and then it didn’t happen. So, they were frustrated.

Kawhi and his people were saying Kawhi is going to be back for this game. That doesn’t happen. He’ll be back for this game. And he’s telling the players, he’s telling R.C. and Pop this is when he’s going to be back. And every time, it was just sort of, ah, nope, pump fake that. And that’s what was happening, so they were getting frustrated about, too.

And that’s why you have the team meeting where they want to know like, “Hey dude. You said you were coming back this time. You said you were coming back this time. When are you coming back?” That’s what that was about.

I remember all this also. I remember at a certain point in the season Pop said to the media at a practice that Kawhi is most likely done for the year because he hasn’t even showed he can practice and that they try to bring people along slowly after practicing by doing 3on3 to 5on5 games. To get their conditioning together so they will not be getting minutes too fast.

Well the next day after Pop said Kawhi is most likely done for the year a report comes out to the media from someone in Kawhi’s camp saying he will play again this season. Smh. It was all so confusing like nobody was on the same page.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

I do think since some of the plugged in people on this site are being so vague that some semi racist or insensitive comments were made to Kawhi by higher ups (not Pop) within the Spurs organization which prompted Kawhi to want to leave.

I think Kawhi’s group is not trying to mud sling that much because then it becomes a big he said she said situation. I also think him and Aldridge really didn’t get along that well also. All this is pure speculation from me though.

But I know Kawhi didn’t like that he had to wait to get signed after his rookie deal. I remember reading there was grumbling about Kawhi group not being happy to wait a bit so the team could do some free agent signings.

[RC_Drunkford]

The mistrust surrounding the injury definitely played a prominent role; Uncle Dennis isn't lying about that. It's difficult to point to the exact piece of hay that broke the camel's back but this was up there.

However, the downfall was actually many years in the making. There are layers to it.

The reason I don't say more is that to do so, I'd have to name names. There are like four or five prominent people right in the middle of the drama that media members don't really mention -- or only mention peripherally. Even if I drop vague hints, it'd take ST about five minutes to guess the names.

Everyone I've emailed with regarding further details has come to the same conclusion: not worth the consequences. The people involved would deny it and there's a good chance of being blackballed.

That said, I know some of the ESPN decision makers are now weighing whether to divulge more. With the Raptors in the Finals, they know it'd be a huge story that could be worth the blowback. I'd say there's a 50/50 chance they'll publish it in the next week.

I totally understand that. I know there were rumblings after 2014 about his extension already. What I'm asking myself are some of those 4-5 people from outside of the organization? Was there some heavy tampering going on? Cause Nate Robinson was on ESPN at some point saying that if Kawhi goes to LA he'll get a massive "bag", probably an endorsement deal. And Kawhi switching his management definitely played into the situation going south.

I also remember somebody saying, I'm not sure if it was you, that Pop said something along the lines of "Kawhi's uncle is destroying everything" or something of that nature. The questions just pile up because Kawhi doesn't seem like trouble at all, so the assumption is always that people were in his ear a lot, influencing his decision making.

It seems like people forget to mention Jonathon Simmons and Dedmon. There were rumors that they were in his ear also, about him being too big to play for the Spurs. Rudy Gay also seemed extremely pissed, although I thought him and Kawhi had a decent relationship back from when he played for the Kings

Manu has every right to be mad at nephew sitting out since he lost body parts for the franchise, played injured in the playoffs, etc. I already thought he would feel a certain way about that. Kawhi's group constantly leaking dates that he will be back, him then not showing up only fueled that. There was one game where he came back to sit behind the bench after media reported that he's never at the games and it looked really awkward. Kawhi was clapping on the sidelines and Pop cracked a joke with him, but all of it seemed super fake.

I still think it all came down to playing through pain, like he did in these playoffs for Toronto. It never seemed like he was injured.

But I know Kawhi didn’t like that he had to wait to get signed after his rookie deal. I remember reading there was grumbling about Kawhi group not being happy to wait a bit so the team could do some free agent signings.

They were kind of mad in 2014 that he had to wait another year to get the max, but to be fair when Jalen Rose announced on ESPN that Kawhi wants out, the major point was that they can't attract any major free agents. So why you mad then when they had you wait 1 year to actually get one who would want to come over?

[RC_Drunkford]

Shame on the front office for dropping the ball on the best player since Jordan.

Tim Duncan is the best player after Jordan

[San Antonio Slayer]

did the Raptors offer any front office job to the uncle?

[BillMc]

Tim Duncan is the best player after Jordan

Yep

[Harry Callahan]

I do think since some of the plugged in people on this site are being so vague that some semi racist or insensitive comments were made to Kawhi by higher ups (not Pop) within the Spurs organization which prompted Kawhi to want to leave.

I think Kawhi’s group is not trying to mud sling that much because then it becomes a big he said she said situation. I also think him and Aldridge really didn’t get along that well also. All this is pure speculation from me though.

But I know Kawhi didn’t like that he had to wait to get signed after his rookie deal. I remember reading there was grumbling about Kawhi group not being happy to wait a bit so the team could do some free agent signings.

People keep talking about the Spurs not attracting Free Agents. SA got the BIGGEST ONE in LMA after the 14-15 Season. LMA came on board after Nephew could not dominate matt stinkin barnes in the 2015 playoffs.

Perhaps the people are in the Spurs Organization - perhaps not. Perhaps the people are in "the Group". Perhaps the people are in the NBA office in New York. I don't know.

I would not trust what Dennis Robertson says - they guy comes off as a creepy flake. He's been trolling for some kind of NBA job or marketing job that pays more for three or four years. Let's not forget Impact Sports allegedly refused to pay the full 4% commission to Brad Elfus to this day. Impact Sports was supporting various family members of KLs for five years already (Uncle included) per the Elfus lawsuit docs.

Spurs management has been so tight lipped all these years because they don't trust the media anyway right? Leaked information seemed to permeate from the group last year as much as anything - the stuff about providing return dates time after time after time and then not coming back would probably be from Spurs sources. Impact Sports and the Uncle had been planning and poisoning the water since early 2016 - the ink had barely dried on the $95MM max contract nephew had signed and Brad Elfus got fired by Impact Sports. Just look at all the surrogates in the ESPN and Fox Sports arenas backing the "Spurs are mean" mantra. Most of them are former players or people with ties to Nephew's Uncle and his current agent (Cris Carter is at the top of that list - his football agent is #2's current agent).

I don't see how getting blackballed by either group would be a horrible problem now. Especially the Spurs. Harming the Spurs would seem to be a good thing for the West Coast East Coast media. They have already been significantly damages anyway and will not be a serious contender for awhile.

Getting blackballed by sources in the NBA office would be a problem. Getting blackballed by sources in LeBron James sphere of influence would be a BIG problem - he has his tentacles everywhere.

I think the cat will come out of the bag after Leonard signs a contract next month at the latest. ESPN would not have any issues destroying the Spurs Organization - they would have done it already if they have the goods. ESPN is all about protecting players, getting them to go to either coast, and pushing the Social Justice Warrior things. I'm tired of all the secrecy and rumors floating around. Timvp indicates that decision is in process right now. They may need to do it quickly because that series will probably go about 5 games. One man shows do not beat Golden State.

[cutewizard]

Manu is a Spur and Kawhi is a ...Manu played hurt/injured most of his career...so did Timmy...so did Tp...Kawhi had enough rehab and if he wanted to he could have shut it down for the year...the option was on the table ...but he and his group were stringing the Spurs along the entire year...and for players like Manu that has to be frustrating... we as fans were frustrated

This. Agree.

[cutewizard]

Bottomline is

Curry >>>>>>>> kawhi

[Twisted_Dawg]

The max contract that Kawhi signed with San Antonio, did the Spurs initially offer less than the max, and then finally offered the max during negotiations? I thought I recalled something like that, but then again so much has been written about Kawhi things have gotten confusing.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

People keep talking about the Spurs not attracting Free Agents. SA got the BIGGEST ONE in LMA after the 14-15 Season. LMA came on board after Nephew could not dominate matt stinkin barnes in the 2015 playoffs.

Perhaps the people are in the Spurs Organization - perhaps not. Perhaps the people are in "the Group". Perhaps the people are in the NBA office in New York. I don't know.

I would not trust what Dennis Robertson says - they guy comes off as a creepy flake. He's been trolling for some kind of NBA job or marketing job that pays more for three or four years. Let's not forget Impact Sports allegedly refused to pay the full 4% commission to Brad Elfus to this day. Impact Sports was supporting various family members of KLs for five years already (Uncle included) per the Elfus lawsuit docs.

Spurs management has been so tight lipped all these years because they don't trust the media anyway right? Leaked information seemed to permeate from the group last year as much as anything - the stuff about providing return dates time after time after time and then not coming back would probably be from Spurs sources. Impact Sports and the Uncle had been planning and poisoning the water since early 2016 - the ink had barely dried on the $95MM max contract nephew had signed and Brad Elfus got fired by Impact Sports. Just look at all the surrogates in the ESPN and Fox Sports arenas backing the "Spurs are mean" mantra. Most of them are former players or people with ties to Nephew's Uncle and his current agent (Cris Carter is at the top of that list - his football agent is #2's current agent).

I don't see how getting blackballed by either group would be a horrible problem now. Especially the Spurs. Harming the Spurs would seem to be a good thing for the West Coast East Coast media. They have already been significantly damages anyway and will not be a serious contender for awhile.

Getting blackballed by sources in the NBA office would be a problem. Getting blackballed by sources in LeBron James sphere of influence would be a BIG problem - he has his tentacles everywhere.

I think the cat will come out of the bag after Leonard signs a contract next month at the latest. ESPN would not have any issues destroying the Spurs Organization - they would have done it already if they have the goods. ESPN is all about protecting players, getting them to go to either coast, and pushing the Social Justice Warrior things. I'm tired of all the secrecy and rumors floating around. Timvp indicates that decision is in process right now. They may need to do it quickly because that series will probably go about 5 games. One man shows do not beat Golden State.

Your comments didn’t really touch on my theory at all so why did you quote it? Lmao.

It’s hard to prove if something wildly inappropriate was said to somebody without others being present or it not being recorded. I’m pretty sure neither the NBA, Kawhi, or the Spurs would want to go through a huge publicly drawn out he said she said situation so that is why neither side is talking about it. It would go against everything this league stands for if it’s some crazy racist, phobic, sexist that was said. The last thing the league would want is info that one of the model franchises was ran this way. Especially after the Donald Sterling situation.

That’s the only reason I could truly see why certain posters are being super vague with their information. Talking about contracts and faking injuries isn’t something that could get people fired or blackballed like timvp and mospur are saying about the info they have.

Honestly If it’s some racist, phobic, or sexist stuff I would be seriously disappointed and would have to reconsider being a fan of this team if this is the case. Hopefully it isn’t that serious of a situation but I have a bad feeling it is.

[Dejounte]

Your comments didn’t really touch on my theory at all so why did you quote it? Lmao.

It’s hard to prove if something wildly inappropriate was said to somebody without others being present or it not being recorded. I’m pretty sure neither the NBA, Kawhi, or the Spurs would want to go through a huge publicly drawn out he said she said situation so that is why neither side is talking about it. It would go against everything this league stands for if it’s some crazy racist, phobic, sexist that was said. The last thing the league would want is info that one of the model franchises was ran this way. Especially after the Donald Sterling situation.

That’s the only reason I could truly see why certain posters are being super vague with their information. Talking about contracts and faking injuries isn’t something that could get people fired or blackballed like timvp and mospur are saying about the info they have.

Honestly If it’s some racist, phobic, or sexist stuff I would be seriously disappointed and would have to reconsider being a fan of this team if this is the case. Hopefully it isn’t that serious of a situation but I have a bad feeling it is.

If it was something racist, phobic, or racist-- i believe Pop would have retired already. Especially if it was from a higher up, or anyone in the org that matters. If Kawhi heard it from a lower employee, that employee would have been fired by now. Now, if it WAS someone from higher up and theyre trying to cover it up, you would think Pop would show some sort of shame on camera. But not a hint of that was there. I dont think theres anything to your theory given these cases. I really think it was Kawhi and his group being delusional and having an inferiority complex of "me against them" at ude. That one quote by Kawhi of "people tend to agree with this organization more than they would if it was from me" or something along those lines is very telling... I think the Spurs were simply not trying to cater to a group of divas and were sticking to their principles because it means protecting two decades of class vs letting some superstar waltz in and do what they want while not showing an ounce of leadership. Its also very telling that RC Buford would not mention Kawhi at all during the draft combine when he was talking about how Pop is willing to play young players (He mentioned Cory Joseph) if theyre solid. Its as if he has removed Kawhi completely from his memory bank. It is astonishing... If there was a rift, you have to think RC was involved in that somehow with his refusal to say his name. And I think RC stood up against Kawhi and his group on whatever happened.

On a productive standpoint, this debacle caused them to change their culture a bit. For the first time in history of Spurs, they are hiring a full time photographer this offseason to show off their players to the media more. Isnt that kind of odd for a team thats always avoided attention and spotlight? This leads me to believe that it really was Kawhi seeking fame that caused him to leave and theyre trying to avoid the same situation again if another superstar rises up.

[CGD]

This is some serious imagine cleaning going on. Not saying spurs weren’t at fault at some level, but it’s amusing that they’re whitewashing some of the madeness that went on last year.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

If it was something racist, phobic, or racist-- i believe Pop would have retired already. Especially if it was from a higher up, or anyone in the org that matters. If Kawhi heard it from a lower employee, that employee would have been fired by now. Now, if it WAS someone from higher up and theyre trying to cover it up, you would think Pop would show some sort of shame on camera. But not a hint of that was there. I dont think theres anything to your theory given these cases. I really think it was Kawhi and his group being delusional and having an inferiority complex of "me against them" at ude. That one quote by Kawhi of "people tend to agree with this organization more than they would if it was from me" or something along those lines is very telling... I think the Spurs were simply not trying to cater to a group of divas and were sticking to their principles because it means protecting two decades of class vs letting some superstar waltz in and do what they want while not showing an ounce of leadership. Its also very telling that RC Buford would not mention Kawhi at all during the draft combine when he was talking about how Pop is willing to play young players (He mentioned Cory Joseph) if theyre solid. Its as if he has removed Kawhi completely from his memory bank. It is astonishing... If there was a rift, you have to think RC was involved in that somehow with his refusal to say his name. And I think RC stood up against Kawhi and his group on whatever happened.

On a productive standpoint, this debacle caused them to change their culture a bit. For the first time in history of Spurs, they are hiring a full time photographer this offseason to show off their players to the media more. Isnt that kind of odd for a team thats always avoided attention and spotlight? This leads me to believe that it really was Kawhi seeking fame that caused him to leave and theyre trying to avoid the same situation again if another superstar rises up.

What you said makes a lot of sense but it isn’t anything that can get people who speak on it blackballed or make the organization look bad like what timvp stated in this thread. He is making it seem like it’s something more nefarious that happened and it involves important people. I know I’m thinking the worse possible situation and hopefully I’m overreacting and it isn’t that serious.

I just wish the the insiders would just say what happened. Don’t post any names at all just state what happened to assist in the ulative issues that caused Kawhi to want to leave.

[Harry Callahan]

Robertson is a bad guy. Period. There is nothing humble about him and he is riding the meal ticket. He has been dredging up crap for more than three years via his work at Impact Sports.

A little clarity would be nice for once. Important U.S. government secrets are less protected by the media than the condition of KL's legs.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Nothing new here. This is the most plausible alibi if you just want to get the out of the Spurs - they followed the story to the teeth

[TheChillFactor]

Ayo Kawhi. Tim, Pop, Manu, Tony, David, they are all legends, brought us championships over 20 years. This mfer on all of them with what he did.

He's a and in retrospect I'm happy he helped get our guys one last le. him and his uncle. I wish that Compton driveby would have gotten Uncle Dennis too.

[Keepin' it real]

Honestly If it’s some racist, phobic, or sexist stuff I would be seriously disappointed and would have to reconsider being a fan of this team if this is the case. Hopefully it isn’t that serious of a situation but I have a bad feeling it is.

Snowflake alert!

Grow a pair.

[Dejounte]

What you said makes a lot of sense but it isn’t anything that can get people who speak on it blackballed or make the organization look bad like what timvp stated in this thread. He is making it seem like it’s something more nefarious that happened and it involves important people. I know I’m thinking the worse possible situation and hopefully I’m overreacting and it isn’t that serious.

I just wish the the insiders would just say what happened. Don’t post any names at all just state what happened to assist in the ulative issues that caused Kawhi to want to leave.

I just now read timvps post.

"Years in the making" has probably something to do with the Spurs slow to give the reins to Kawhi and him always being in the big 3s shadow.

What probably offended Kawhi is some high executive probably said Kawhi wasnt on their level (yet)

The 4-5 people involved are probably the big 3 themselves saying Kawhi isnt ready. Or that hes an introvert. Or that he has no leadership. Some well known thing that Kawhi and his group probably couldnt accept.

Bottomline, i think pride was the main cause in all these things. This is my theory now.

As far as being blackballed...i think he was just referring to himself(timvp) and not actually people in the Spurs.
timvp, can you give me a little sign if im getting any of this right?

[weebo]

This is Michael C Wright said in his podcast. Goes against what uncle Dennis is saying. Of course the Spurs were expecting kawhi to play when he keeps insisting that he will be back soon.

A week before that, Kawhi told those guys he was going to be back for that game.

And that didn’t happen. And that was the second or third time they had been told something like that and then it didn’t happen. So, they were frustrated.

Kawhi and his people were saying Kawhi is going to be back for this game. That doesn’t happen. He’ll be back for this game. And he’s telling the players, he’s telling R.C. and Pop this is when he’s going to be back. And every time, it was just sort of, ah, nope, pump fake that. And that’s what was happening, so they were getting frustrated about, too.

And that’s why you have the team meeting where they want to know like, “Hey dude. You said you were coming back this time. You said you were coming back this time. When are you coming back?” That’s what that was about.

This is what I meant...all year long we kept getting these damn time tables for his return only to hear that Kawhi was still having pain...not sure if I remember correctly but somewhere around March or April Pop wanted him shut down for the year so the team could get on with it... not have to wait on Kawhi...but he's group kept setting dates for his return...it was at that point where they had the players only meeting...they guys on the team wanted to know if he was in or out...and there's nothing wrong with that...the Spurs could have handled things better (after all not everyone has the same commitment to the city and the Spurs like TD and Manu) but to excuse Kawhi and his group of any wrongdoing is just bias hatred for the Spurs organization

[RC_Drunkford]

I'd definitely advise people to go back and listen to the back 2 back podcast again

https://backtobackpod.libsyn.com/ner...chael-c-wright


Michael C. Wright gives a lot of insider info here:

- Uncle Dennis' demands were RIDICULOUS and UNREALISTIC and the stories that occured with him in the mix are CRAZY and UNBELIEVABLE. So nothing common, just real LaVar Ball , if not worse (like hiding from Spurs staff, walking to the ASG through Mardi Gras, etc.)

- He says the relationship went south when Kawhi went to China and the Spurs lost connection to him. They weren't able to reach him anymore. This makes me think that that's probably the point where Uncle Dennis realized how big of a star Kawhi is and came up with the plan to get him to a bigger market

- He says the original thigh contusion stems from March 2016 against the Heat. Kawhi missed 3 games and came back playing looking healthy. I doubt that that was a misdiagnosis that had an effect on his quad 2 years later

- Says Spurs couldn't even find out if their rehab process worked cause they handed over the rehab process to Kawhi's team

- Spurs went out of their way handing over the rehab process to his team and should NOT have done it in hindsight. They gave his team an inch and they took off and went a mile. It's also absolutely not common for an organization to do something like that

- Spurs shielded Kawhi from media and Pop saying "him and his group" was due to Pop really not knowing ANYTHING about how Kawhi's rehab went. Those narratives are just being used as excuses to get out by Kawhi's camp

- Kawhi's team kept announcing dates publicly and to the Spurs on when he will be back. The last one was the home game against NOLA which was also the day of the TEAM PICTURE. So certainly a hoax and just some bull to piss the Spurs off even further which then caused the team meeting

- Spurs still wanted to fix the relationship but couldn't get to Kawhi

- Even when he said he wants to be traded they still wanted to keep him

- They asked for the world in trade talks


So all in all I can't really see anything they could've done different. Maybe not handing over the rehab process to Kawhi's team could've prevented all of this, but that's a long shot. They did everything they could do to keep him

[Amuseddaysleeper]

did the Raptors offer any front office job to the uncle?

I know Ujiri offered him something, nothing big, but uncle Dennis and Ujiri have a great relationship

[vavvi]

I'd definitely advise people to go back and listen to the back 2 back podcast again

https://backtobackpod.libsyn.com/ner...chael-c-wright


Michael C. Wright gives a lot of insider info here:

- Uncle Dennis' demands were RIDICULOUS and UNREALISTIC and the stories that occured with him in the mix are CRAZY and UNBELIEVABLE. So nothing common, just real LaVar Ball , if not worse (like hiding from Spurs staff, walking to the ASG through Mardi Gras, etc.)

- He says the relationship went south when Kawhi went to China and the Spurs lost connection to him. They weren't able to reach him anymore. This makes me think that that's probably the point where Uncle Dennis realized how big of a star Kawhi is and came up with the plan to get him to a bigger market

- He says the original thigh contusion stems from March 2016 against the Heat. Kawhi missed 3 games and came back playing looking healthy. I doubt that that was a misdiagnosis that had an effect on his quad 2 years later

- Says Spurs couldn't even find out if their rehab process worked cause they handed over the rehab process to Kawhi's team

- Spurs went out of their way handing over the rehab process to his team and should NOT have done it in hindsight. They gave his team an inch and they took off and went a mile. It's also absolutely not common for an organization to do something like that

- Spurs shielded Kawhi from media and Pop saying "him and his group" was due to Pop really not knowing ANYTHING about how Kawhi's rehab went. Those narratives are just being used as excuses to get out by Kawhi's camp

- Kawhi's team kept announcing dates publicly and to the Spurs on when he will be back. The last one was the home game against NOLA which was also the day of the TEAM PICTURE. So certainly a hoax and just some bull to piss the Spurs off even further which then caused the team meeting

- Spurs still wanted to fix the relationship but couldn't get to Kawhi

- Even when he said he wants to be traded they still wanted to keep him

- They asked for the world in trade talks


So all in all I can't really see anything they could've done different. Maybe not handing over the rehab process to Kawhi's team could've prevented all of this, but that's a long shot. They did everything they could do to keep him

This is how I'd like it to be.

[spursparker9]

I'd definitely advise people to go back and listen to the back 2 back podcast again

https://backtobackpod.libsyn.com/ner...chael-c-wright


Michael C. Wright gives a lot of insider info here:

- Uncle Dennis' demands were RIDICULOUS and UNREALISTIC and the stories that occured with him in the mix are CRAZY and UNBELIEVABLE. So nothing common, just real LaVar Ball , if not worse (like hiding from Spurs staff, walking to the ASG through Mardi Gras, etc.)

- He says the relationship went south when Kawhi went to China and the Spurs lost connection to him. They weren't able to reach him anymore. This makes me think that that's probably the point where Uncle Dennis realized how big of a star Kawhi is and came up with the plan to get him to a bigger market

- He says the original thigh contusion stems from March 2016 against the Heat. Kawhi missed 3 games and came back playing looking healthy. I doubt that that was a misdiagnosis that had an effect on his quad 2 years later

- Says Spurs couldn't even find out if their rehab process worked cause they handed over the rehab process to Kawhi's team

- Spurs went out of their way handing over the rehab process to his team and should NOT have done it in hindsight. They gave his team an inch and they took off and went a mile. It's also absolutely not common for an organization to do something like that

- Spurs shielded Kawhi from media and Pop saying "him and his group" was due to Pop really not knowing ANYTHING about how Kawhi's rehab went. Those narratives are just being used as excuses to get out by Kawhi's camp

- Kawhi's team kept announcing dates publicly and to the Spurs on when he will be back. The last one was the home game against NOLA which was also the day of the TEAM PICTURE. So certainly a hoax and just some bull to piss the Spurs off even further which then caused the team meeting

- Spurs still wanted to fix the relationship but couldn't get to Kawhi

- Even when he said he wants to be traded they still wanted to keep him

- They asked for the world in trade talks


So all in all I can't really see anything they could've done different. Maybe not handing over the rehab process to Kawhi's team could've prevented all of this, but that's a long shot. They did everything they could do to keep him

So in a nuts is:
1) Uncle Dennis for ing the whole stuff up
2) Nephew for being loyal to Uncle Dennis and not being his own man.

100% fault/blame is on Nephew and his uncle and his camp.

Pop, Front offices, Holt had did whatever they could and right by Nephew and still get ed by Nephew and his camp