MartinToVaught wrote:Interesting that Stein says Kawhi wants another top-flight star to come here with him, but doesn't say it necessarily has to be Butler. It might just be that Jimmy is the backup plan in case KD is truly set on New York.
Of course Kawhi could stay in Toronto. In fact, if I'm him, I sign the 5-year deal with the understanding that after we defend our title for a year or two or three, Toronto will trade me to the team of my choice whenever I decide the time is right for me to go back home.
The Raptors will agree. They have to. There's a gun their head.
So Kawhi might be coming to the meeting to tell us that. And to the Lakers at that meeting too. Who knows their situation in a year or three?
[One thing is, he's betting Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson will still be around and Rob Pelinka won't, LOL.
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But like Lou Will said, even though it's nice, Canada still feels like playing overseas. Which also means, Kawhi might say enough. I'm sick of the road. 8 years, 2 titles, nothing left to prove. I want to go home NOW. In which case, I've probably already decided on the Clippers. The Lakers org is a mess, and I'm just not feeling the Bron-AD thing. There's no team there! No culture, no vibe.
The Clips have the best owner, they got Jerry West, and Doc Rivers is THE players' coach in the NBA. And they already love me. It's gonna be a no-BS trip. In fact, unlike the Lakers, there's zero pressure. With Bron, anything less than the Larry is a failure. If I get the Clippers to the conference finals I'm already a hero.
LAKERS: Who needs the noise?
CLIPPERS: What's not to like?
So the only real pressure is getting this done quick so the Clips can grab the best other FA we can get. So I go into the Clippers meeting and lay my cards on the table.
Anyway, that's my Lee Jenkins take. In the end, it's all touchy-feely. The human thing.
