Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The 7 Stages of Kawhi Grief

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #61
    Spill the tea

    Comment


    • #62
      Nilanka wrote: View Post
      I feel like I can separate the monumental work Kawhi put in this season (capped off by a championship), with the decision to leave town.

      I love the former, but hate the latter.

      What really stings is that the Toronto Raptors organization, the city, and the country as a whole, put their best foot forward. We showed Kawhi everything.....and I mean everything this city has to offer.....and it still wasn't good enough. I don't care that LA is home....this still stings.
      But you have to admit that even from a pure basketball standpoint, our best foot forward actually wasn't good enough. We still don't have a legit second star on the level of the guys Kawhi was recruiting. Lowry and Gasol being afraid to shoot in the playoffs didn't help at all. And Fred & Norm sucking badly early the in playoffs also didn't help. Pascal was the only bright spot, and even he was up & down, but is still a few years away from being elite (hopefully). And then there were Ibaka and Green who were supposed to be solid vets. They were wildly inconsistent.

      Kawhi really was the difference to being a championship contender, and he knew it. Unless the franchise could get another legit difference maker... why come back?

      Comment


      • #63
        golden wrote: View Post

        But you have to admit that even from a pure basketball standpoint, our best foot forward actually wasn't good enough. We still don't have a legit second star on the level of the guys Kawhi was recruiting. Lowry and Gasol being afraid to shoot in the playoffs didn't help at all. And Fred & Norm sucking badly early the in playoffs also didn't help. Pascal was the only bright spot, and even he was up & down, but is still a few years away from being elite (hopefully). And then there were Ibaka and Green who were supposed to be solid vets. They were wildly inconsistent.

        Kawhi really was the difference to being a championship contender, and he knew it. Unless the franchise could get another legit difference maker... why come back?
        Toronto's basketball footprint was just fine. Raps had (and have) tons of cap space next season to go whale hunting via trade. As for Kawhi being the difference to being a championship contender, well, this will always be the case anywhere he goes. You think the Clippers are winning it all without Kawhi? They'd be a playoff team hoping to win a round without him, even with George. Just like Toronto.

        Kawhi didn't want to be in Toronto. It's really that simple. He never wanted to come but he was injured, his reputation was in tatters and he was looking for redemption in a contract year. Toronto nursed him back to health, rehabilitated his reputation and got him paid. In exchange, he helped them get a title. It was a good deal for all involved.

        Comment


        • #64
          I'm reasonably sure the Clips aren't winning it all with Kawhi either, unless they've got something special up their sleeve with the RMLE. I.e. they have a chance, but nowhere close to the likelihood that the Warriors have enjoyed these last few years. These Clips are just another elite team.

          I'm also pretty sure the idea of Kawhi not wanting to come to Toronto at all was WAY overblown.
          Last edited by SkywalkerAC; Mon Jul 8, 2019, 06:11 PM.

          Comment


          • #65
            golden wrote: View Post

            But you have to admit that even from a pure basketball standpoint, our best foot forward actually wasn't good enough. We still don't have a legit second star on the level of the guys Kawhi was recruiting. Lowry and Gasol being afraid to shoot in the playoffs didn't help at all. And Fred & Norm sucking badly early the in playoffs also didn't help. Pascal was the only bright spot, and even he was up & down, but is still a few years away from being elite (hopefully). And then there were Ibaka and Green who were supposed to be solid vets. They were wildly inconsistent.

            Kawhi really was the difference to being a championship contender, and he knew it. Unless the franchise could get another legit difference maker... why come back?
            Which is what I've been saying for weeks. The Raps were fortunate (not lucky) to win the chip, had a lot of things go right for them like rim bounces and Embiid being on his death bed and it wasn't likely to happen again even keeping the roster together. (I think Kawhi wanted changes and I believe Masai would have made larger tweaks than most would have imagined but not wholesale changes).

            I still think there will be changes made in-season that will surprise

            Comment


            • #66
              golden wrote: View Post

              But you have to admit that even from a pure basketball standpoint, our best foot forward actually wasn't good enough. We still don't have a legit second star on the level of the guys Kawhi was recruiting. Lowry and Gasol being afraid to shoot in the playoffs didn't help at all. And Fred & Norm sucking badly early the in playoffs also didn't help. Pascal was the only bright spot, and even he was up & down, but is still a few years away from being elite (hopefully). And then there were Ibaka and Green who were supposed to be solid vets. They were wildly inconsistent.

              Kawhi really was the difference to being a championship contender, and he knew it. Unless the franchise could get another legit difference maker... why come back?
              Despite all that, I still think a well-balanced Raptors roster has a much easier path to the finals, than any team in the crowded west. The west will be a bloodbath.

              Comment


              • #67
                G__Deane wrote: View Post

                Which is what I've been saying for weeks. The Raps were fortunate (not lucky) to win the chip, had a lot of things go right for them like rim bounces and Embiid being on his death bed and it wasn't likely to happen again even keeping the roster together. (I think Kawhi wanted changes and I believe Masai would have made larger tweaks than most would have imagined but not wholesale changes).

                I still think there will be changes made in-season that will surprise
                I have no idea why Raptors fans are trying to diminish a championship. Raps beat the team with the best record in the league, the third best record in the league and Philly on their way to the title. The Bucks were at full strength. Embiid may have been sick but Lowry had a broken thumb, and Leonard and Siakam were both banged up that series. No one talks about the latter. The Warriors had lost one game without Durant in like 34 tries. Portland got swept by a Durant-less Warriors team and the Rockets lost at home to the same squad.

                Stop it with this garbage.

                Comment


                • #68
                  Nilanka wrote: View Post

                  Despite all that, I still think a well-balanced Raptors roster has a much easier path to the finals, than any team in the crowded west. The west will be a bloodbath.
                  Raps roster was pretty old, man (Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, Green). And even those old guys were expiring in 1 year. There was no real visibility to being great in the future and Kawhi only wanted to do a 4 or 5 year deal. That was why the Clippers signed Beverley and guaranteed Lou a year earlier. Kawhi forced them to do it.

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    slaw wrote: View Post

                    I have no idea why Raptors fans are trying to diminish a championship. Raps beat the team with the best record in the league, the third best record in the league and Philly on their way to the title. The Bucks were at full strength. Embiid may have been sick but Lowry had a broken thumb, and Leonard and Siakam were both banged up that series. No one talks about the latter. The Warriors had lost one game without Durant in like 34 tries. Portland got swept by a Durant-less Warriors team and the Rockets lost at home to the same squad.

                    Stop it with this garbage.
                    I think you're getting confused about the discussion going on here. We're talking about the roster going forward and the decision process that Kawhi (or another elite free agent) would have had when evaluating it. Nobody is diminishing our championship - we cherish that from here to eternity. A free agent, however, is looking at the future and the sustainability of championship level play. Based on both age and contract situations, that looks pretty murky. To state unequivocally that Kawhi was 100% going to LA, regardless of whether Masai could have pulled off a PG or Beal trade is presuming way too much about knowing the mind of Kawhi a la Chris Broussard, Jalen Rose, SAS and many others. That said, I do feel there was tampering from the Clippers all year long, although that's hard to prove.

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      golden wrote: View Post

                      Raps roster was pretty old, man (Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, Green). And even those old guys were expiring in 1 year. There was no real visibility to being great in the future and Kawhi only wanted to do a 4 or 5 year deal. That was why the Clippers signed Beverley and guaranteed Lou a year earlier. Kawhi forced them to do it.
                      Turns out Kawhi only wanted a 2 year deal....

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Nilanka wrote: View Post

                        Turns out Kawhi only wanted a 2 year deal....
                        Looks like he's matching it with PG and the veteran max. Will be interesting if the Clippers don't win a chip in the next 2 years. I wouldn't want to play poker against Kawhi.... dude is ruthless. And you can't say jack-shit about it, because he also delivers.

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          golden wrote: View Post

                          Looks like he's matching it with PG and the veteran max. Will be interesting if the Clippers don't win a chip in the next 2 years. I wouldn't want to play poker against Kawhi.... dude is ruthless. And you can't say jack-shit about it, because he also delivers.
                          ... or possibly change locker rooms down the hall when James possibly calls it a day. That should be fun.

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Final stage: Acceptance.

                            I'll never forget what Kawhi did for this franchise but in the end, he's just like every other athlete

                            https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/...aid-want-play/

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              I have nothing but respect for Kawhi, and what he accomplished this season. However, more than anything else I do not want to see him win a championship this season with the Clippers. I do not want the story to be that Kawhi can go anywhere and win. Raptors put a darn good team around him to win that title.

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Was Masai ever in on Paul George? OKC's price was really high.. but we had the capital. We had the picks that LAC had. We had some young talent too (like OG) and cap filler to make a trade work (like Serge on an expiring deal). If we "stole" George from OKC, would Kawhi have stayed? Or was he leaving anyway?

                                I'm comfortable with the decision Masai made, but I wonder if it was the right move. We could have built a bit of a dynasty here if we had PG, Kawhi and a big chunk of our core from last year.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X