New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

Kawhi's one-liner to recruit Ibaka.


When asked how Leonard tried to convince him to sign with the Clippers, Ibaka said the star kept his pitch succinct:

"Hey, what's up? Are you coming or no?"

Kawhi recruited @sergeibaka to the Clippers in the most Kawhi way possible

 

[Steve Williams]

Kawhi's one-liner to recruit Ibaka.


When asked how Leonard tried to convince him to sign with the Clippers, Ibaka said the star kept his pitch succinct:

I find it sad rather than funny as it shows to me. that Kawhi just isn't a friendly personable individual. He has trouble putting more than 4 words in any sentence. If he ever developed some sort of persona where with every word he states, it leaves the listener with a fuzzy feeling his stardom would be far greater than Giannis and LeBron taken together. He has exceptional basketball skills but he has no people skills. You can see his discomfort when interviewed post game

 

[jadis]

I find it sad rather than funny as it shows to me. that Kawhi just isn't a friendly personable individual. He has trouble putting more than 4 words in any sentence. If he ever developed some sort of persona where with every word he states, it leaves the listener with a fuzzy feeling his stardom would be far greater than Giannis and LeBron taken together. He has exceptional basketball skills but he has no people skills. You can see his discomfort when interviewed post game

The good thing is that Ibaka was his former team mate in Toronto so maybe they understand each other. So , maybe the point guard they need trade for is van Vleet. I remember the Raptors were all over him after he made the last second shot, and I think he did give out some positive response.

 

[rblnr]

It was called Doc Rivers, plain and simple. You guys know that for the past 2-3 seasons my comments every day were the Clippers need to find a new coach. I'll be interested to see how Doc does in Philadelphia because frankly I feel he ain't the coach he was in years gone by. He needs to give up coaching and find a job upstairs in management......but IIRC Ballmer didn't feel that role for him and hired Franks who did a good job. Expectations are going to be high in Philadelphia and I don't believe he can deliver

Steve -- can you elaborate a bit on thoughts on how Doc isn't the coach he was?

 

[Steve Williams]

Doc is a seasoned coach who only wants to coach a veteran championship team. He has no tone to develop rookies and plays favorites. This plus allowing Kawhi his wishes of adhering to days off fir LM. Simply put you just don’t win championships with that mentality. I have nothing against him. Rather I feel his coaching techniques are old school and not in keeping with how the league is changing

 

[rblnr]

Loud and clear. I def think Stevens has done a better job with the current Cs than Doc would have

 

[Steve Williams]

As an aside and FWIW I have the exact same feeling for D’Antoni who gave up his HC position with the Rockets and the word was he was headed to Phila. Bottom line he’s now an assistant coach for a HC who he coached in Phoenix. He overthought his worth.

 

[MikeHorns]

As an aside and FAIW I have the exact same feeling for D’Antoni who gave up his HC position with the Rockets and the word was he was headed to Phila. Bottom line he’s now an assistant coach for a HC who he coached in Phoenix. He overthought his worth.

As I mentioned earlier, now that Morey is calling the shots in Philly, if Doc is anything less than successful(Eastern finalist?), I believe D'antoni will be back with his old boss.

 

[MikeHorns]

According to Dwight Howard, the Lakers never officially offer him a contract.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...returning-los-angeles-lakers-misunderstanding

He must not be as well-liked in the locker room as he portrayed to be, because his on-court performance was exceptional.

 

[jadis]

Stumbled into this article on Load Management.
Nov. 6, 2019

In my recollection, Toronto Raptors 'quietly' practiced LM for Kawhi after trading for him. I've read that that kind of 'therapy' was effective for him and true enough, they won the title with such practice. Not many people were screaming at it and Uncle Dennis brought it to the negotiating table with the Clippers. The GM of the Clippers, Frank Lawrence, and the rest of the Clippers management apparently agreed to LM as a condition to get Kawhi. Imo, Doc as the coach has to implement it as it was what was agreed upon, as with the case of the Raptors, and Nick Nurse was the coach and implementor. It worked for the Raptors. And upon searching for more info, I found out , with this article, that the league actually approved the LM of Kawhi as a Clipper. So it goes way up to the top. And so it goes.

NBA approves Clippers’ plan to sit Kawhi Leonard as part of load management​

"The NBA prohibits teams from resting otherwise healthy players for high-profile, nationally televised games, at risk of a fine starting at $100,000. The Clippers haven’t be fined and are compliant with that policy because they listed the reason for Leonard’s absence not as “rest,” but “load management” of a knee, which falls under the category of injury or illness."​

NBA approves Clippers' plan to sit Kawhi Leonard as part of load management

The NBA says Clippers star Kawhi Leonard isn't healthy enough to play on consecutive nights, approving the team's plan to sit the forward Wednesday night against the Bucks.

www.latimes.com

 

[Steve Williams]

So the league approved him but no one else. Go figure.

 

[Steve Williams]

According to Dwight Howard, the Lakers never officially offer him a contract.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...returning-los-angeles-lakers-misunderstanding

He must not be as well-liked in the locker room as he portrayed to be, because his on-court performance was exceptional.

I agree. I couldn't stand him in his first stint with the Lakers but this year he was an integral force indeed

 

[jadis]

Glad to read some good signs re the Clippers team. Even with Doc out, I'm still rooting for them for a chance a redemption. My only question if these 2 'smaller' duo can beat the 2 bigger duo of the Lakers. George is motivated, he wants to retire as a Clipper. As to the Terminator, he needs a reboot to T2 status. ​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track​

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.

www.nba.com

 

[Steve Williams]

Glad to read some good signs re the Clippers team. Even with Doc out, I'm still rooting for them for a chance a redemption. My only question if these 2 'smaller' duo can beat the 2 bigger duo of the Lakers. George is motivated, he wants to retire as a Clipper. As to the Terminator, he needs a reboot to T2 status. ​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track​

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.

www.nba.com

I just read that earlier. Well I hope they are motivated because on paper they are a great team. I'm interested in whether Lue can motivate the Terminator.

A shortened season with always the possibility of the virus gaining its way into teams' locker rooms is concerning but I believe there is going to be a lot more competition which will make for exciting watching

 

[Steve Williams]

The first two televised games of the season are a great start
Nets vs Bucks

Clipps vs Lakers

I'm counting the days.

 

[Steve Williams]

all of the "what ifs" spelled out. A good read for what to expect.....

NBA 2020-21 season explainer: Schedule, COVID-19 protocols, playoff format and big questions​

How will the NBA season actually work? What we know and don't know about 2020-21

What happens when a player tests positive for COVID-19? Is there an All-Star break? We're tackling the biggest questions facing the new season.

www.espn.com

 

[jadis]

This is going to be a tough one for the league to grind through.

Trail Blazers first to close facility due to COVID-19 positives after group workouts open​

Trail Blazers first to close facility due to COVID-19 positives after group workouts open

Group workouts could begin on Sunday.

us.yahoo.com

 

[Steve Williams]

This is going to be a tough one for the league to grind through.

Trail Blazers first to close facility due to COVID-19 positives after group workouts open​

Trail Blazers first to close facility due to COVID-19 positives after group workouts open

Group workouts could begin on Sunday.

us.yahoo.com

I saw that yesterday and thought this is going to be a very tough season for all teams. It is inevitable. The players by virtue of age fall low down on the tier as to when they qualify for the vaccine. The question will be how many of the 72 games will be played. So far they say they will postpone and reschedule rather than cancel

The Warriors were planning to play to a 50% filled arena and that was vetoed. Bottom line is no games will be played in front of the fans other than television.

Did I read that the finals will be played under the bubble or did I dream that?

 

[rblnr]

I hope it works, but the season strikes me as nearly impossible to pull off. Both college and pro football are struggling w/only one game a week.

On another note, I've seen a few predictions of Andrew Wiggins winning the most improved award. He's certainly underachieved to this point.

 

[MikeHorns]

Glad to read some good signs re the Clippers team. Even with Doc out, I'm still rooting for them for a chance a redemption. My only question if these 2 'smaller' duo can beat the 2 bigger duo of the Lakers. George is motivated, he wants to retire as a Clipper. As to the Terminator, he needs a reboot to T2 status. ​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track​

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.​

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George motivated to get Clippers back on track

LA's shocking collapse against Denver led to the unexpected firing of Doc Rivers and an offseason reckoning for its two stars.

www.nba.com

Funny how everyone says the right thing before the season starts.

"I'm in the best shape of my career!"
"Injuries are behind me!"
"I'm mentally and physically ready!"
"I love this organization!"
"I love this team!"
"I love my coaches!"
"I love this mix of teammates!"
"I'm super motivated!"
"We got the blueprint for winning basketball!"
"We are definitely going to the playoffs!"
"We can "definitely" win the championship(this one's for Steve )!"

Feel free to add.