Phreak50 wrote:Watched the game back in full and Leonard is clearly never going to reach the great levels of Kobe, Jordan etc in terms of scoring at will. The main reason? He can't get to the rack. He doesn't have anywhere near the leap and athleticism to just jump over guys, not just with dunks but even layups.
Don't get me wrong, his mid range game is one of the best for sure but he looked timid and a bit lost at times tonight when driving.
I don't like how he has the sulking we all did as kids when we got blocked either. A dozen times this year I've seen clean blocks and he stops and asks the ref for a foul.
I have to give it to him, he has stepped up to a level no one (no one ever that is) expected on offense but he is struggling in the clutch, launching WAY too many threes, looking Melo-type-selfish on iso plays and it all makes me feel worse when Aldridge plays like trash and we lose.
If Aldridge was the player we were supposed to be getting then there'd be no problem, Leonard would be the best second/sometimes first option you could want but he isn't good enough (few are) to lead a team when there is no 2nd star stepping up.
Such a frustrating year and yet again a deceiving record. People always say we coast and just try to gel during the regular season and others are saying LMA will go beast mode come playoff time but with this team I just can't see an extra gear. The sole glimmer of hope compared to last year is that as long as the rest of the team is playing well, we (for the first time in a long time) now have a guy you can just throw the ball to and ask for a basket or foul shots in Leonard but he can't do that for 48 minutes (and shouldn't be asked to).
To continue with the over-reactions after a loss... I have to wonder how much fault rests on Pop here as well.
Why isn't he tough on Aldridge? For two years in a row Aldridge is the only guy that you never see get screamed at. He is clearly overweight, look disinterested and is playing like crap and nothing, no death stares, no 'scary Pop' lectures, nothing.
And unless Pop is preparing for those cold droughts and wanting to give Kawhi as much experience with iso/hero ball as possible, he should also take some blame for allowing so much selfish play and running almost nothing for Aldridge.
Ugh, I just want this season to end.
I know you're frustrated and that's coloring your Kawhi criticism, but come on man, he was epic yesterday (minus the three point shooting).
Kawhi is yet again going to lead us to a 60+ win season. Kobe and Jordan didn't win every game, and they certainly didn't get 60 wins every year. It's impossible to win when the rest of the team shoots 31% from the floor, and yet if Kawhi had hit a few more threes, we could have anyway, which is incredible. Anyway, the loss wasn't on him. The Spurs let Kawhi down tonight, not the other way around.
Agreed on all your LMA points. Dude is not what this team needs, and at times I wonder if the bizarre starting lineup woes are due to his attitude. I'd be perfectly fine getting rid of him for absolutely nothing and giving all his minutes to Bertans/Dedmon/Lee, as at least they show consistent effort.
We have a freaking bright future, I'm not bummed at this season at all. No one stands a chance of beating GSW this year. Look at this way, other teams have to lose 60+ games hoping to get lucky enough for a top pick, and then need another round of luck for that pick to pan out. We get solid players and pseudo-contend at the same time, no one else in the NBA gets to do that.
“Let's say TPE is a big hole, Ryan Anderson is a "power plug Dick" ($21 million a year). All you have to do is use the Dick to plug in. Great trade and great deal! This is called "perfect fit" in the nba.”