For all the wanna-be GMs here, pay attention to Pop's quote:
"If you're going to get something good, you're going to have to give up something good."
So please, no more the "trade Bonner/Blair/Jefferson for (insert name of star player)" posts.
Seems like the front office learned something after getting burnt with Batum.....
Stay ultra quiet, don't let other teams know who you are targeting.
For all the wanna-be GMs here, pay attention to Pop's quote:
"If you're going to get something good, you're going to have to give up something good."
So please, no more the "trade Bonner/Blair/Jefferson for (insert name of star player)" posts.
He was substantially better than the rotting corpse of Finley.
Pop himself declared before the series started something to the effect that "these playoffs are not for him".
That's what I'm hoping. But people were hoping the same with Hill.
Yes but the regular season already gave a hint that Finley would get the preference. He started in almost all the games (77) and averaged 28.8 mpg during the regular season, whereas Hill started very few games (7) and averaged only 16.5 mpg.
This season the distribution of minutes between RJ (24.3), Kawhi (23.1) and Green (23) is a lot more balanced (almost perfectly balanced actually) and Kawhi has already started 16 games (44% of games) while Manu was injured.
We also know that Kawhi is being groomed as the next Bowen and he is already getting the tough assignments, defending the opposing team's best player on a nightly basis.
Hill's and Kawhi's situations aren't comparable at all.
Nice article...apparently a nice kid.
The thing that sticks out to me more than anything...is Pop and how really savvy he can be.
Then I see some of his coaching moves and it makes me wanna tear my hair out....how can a brilliant mind....make such brilliant moves....
only to be followed by some baffling ones....
(Splitter/Blair/Bonner/Scola/Mahinmi....etc.)
Looking on the bright side....
maybe...just maybe...he hasn't quite gone senile yet.
^ +1 - Kawhi's already a lock for regular playoff rotation minutes.
Wow...really good read. Seems like every news outlet except the home town one gets good information about the Spurs and their players.
To be honest, this was from Kawhi's hometown. We might get better articles on NBA players born in SA.
Maybe the best part of the article was the inside look at how the Spurs go about choosing and drafting a player they want.
I mean, how many teams would draft a player without the coach ever going to see him or talk to him or have anyone from the FO talk to him or his agent.
This was a monumental trade up in the draft to get Leonard while giving up a popular and proven young player--and doing it the way they did shows a great deal of trust and confidence between the Spurs coaches, owner, brain trust in the FO, and scouts.
My hat is off to CIA Pop and his operatives.![]()
“The Spurs are all about defense,” says San Antonio veteran forward Richard Jefferson, who worked out with Leonard in San Diego over the summer and has become something of a mentor to him.![]()
Good to read, thanks. Hope he stays serious but gets some fun too.
Great read, thanks! I really like Kawhi, he seems to have a great head on his shoulders and is only focused on getting better. Excited to see how he devlops, I think he's here for the long haul.
What I want to know is, what part of San Antonio do I have to be in to drive a few minutes and be surrounded by Texas countryside? San Antonio is over 460 square miles according to a link I found. I live in the I10/410 area and for complete countryside to appear I have to pass Boerne which is over 30 minutes away (I work in Boerne). Must be talking about south side.
Kawhi is probably my favorite Spurs player at this point. I'm looking forward to seeing his improvement in the future. We need this kid to be better than Bruce Bowen in a few years since we're gonna be without Timmy and Manu. And Kawhi, you're rich.. Give me the Malibu and go buy a Range Rover lol.
At draft day I was almost sure that Spurs want to trade up and pick Klay Thompson. But Spurs made they magic trick and land Leonard.
Oops. Not sure where I saw that 24.3 figure. Anyway it's still in the same ballpark, which was my point.
Maybe, but you also have to take into consideration that Leonard's minutes are inflated cuz of Manu being out so long.
Thanks for the link! Very interesting; really enjoyed reading it.
Loved the article but RJ as the mentor? you kiddin' me? that's why he didnt get amnestied from what it looks like![]()
Wonderful article.
Hard not to root for him and be a fan of his.
theres an article on realgm about him
spurs were interested him from get go, not doing workouts fearing the other teams knew what the spurs were targeting in the draft...
Given all the pre-draft secrecy, the ironic thing is had we known only his personality, and not necessarily his penchant for defense, how could we think that the Spurs were not going to draft him?
Kawhi with a nice game against the knicks today. Kawhi is slowly but surely improving every single day.
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