sc8581 wrote:I believe the first conversation I had when coming to this forum was about a Leonard/Monroe swap, pretty sure I won that argument now lol.
Surely, this isn't your first time being on the right side of a discussion? This seems like an amazingly gratuitous post. I'm not going to do the research to try and figure out what point it is in this long discussion that you're feeling particularly vindicated about. My recollection is that most folks were saying KL is a fine player and likely won't be traded. It's best not to keep score as we're all right and wrong at different times, but to use the forum for discussion and sharing information.
Right now KL is the hot item. However, I'd urge some restraint on the part of his fans (of which I am one). He finished last season as a 13 pt 6 reb 2 asst player. Kawhi bumped his 49% overall FG% to 52% last year, and is a career .37* 3 pt shooter. In this year's finals he shot an overall 61% and 58% from 3. It might be premature to consider this the "new normal." I think he's going to have a fine career but lets not get carried away. Joe Dumars feel in love with Ben Gordon after an impressive playoff series, and we know how that worked out. Kawhi seems to have a great attitude and tools, and I wish the kid well.
Something I find amusing is how Greg Monroe went from team foundation to hopelessly mediocre almost overnight. We'll find out soon enough what he's "worth." Likely, it will be a pretty large number, because 16 and 10 young big men with good character are usually highly valued in the NBA, even when they have obvious weaknesses in their games. Monroe's future may not be with the Pistons, but it still looks pretty bright to me. What happens is what SVG was hired to sort out.