THEE OFFICIAL 2019-2020 NBA OFFSEASON THREAD: VICTORY LAP

[king j]

Wavy watching too much first things fiirst

 

[antidope]

This over analysis of Kawhi Leonard was NEVER a thing until he put on the Clippers jersey. Whether it's the "large market" even though I've seen a lot of "Clippers don't matter" rhetoric, the fact that he's the main threat to Bron now, or, because he's the poster child for load management, all of a sudden everything Kawhi Leonard does is under a microscope.

For my money, for better or worse, point 2 is the biggest reason for this. Wavy has a point. He did this all season long in Toronto and nary a word was said.

We also gotta stop referring to it as Load Management, that's not what is going on here. This is a not healthy guy who needs the rest. Load Management is healthy players not playing. Kawhi Leonard isn't healthy.

 

[Cashflow]

I’ve always been in the Dame > RUSS camp. I’m just saying bruh wants to be treated like one of the best players in the league (and he is) but doesn’t get ANY criticism cause he plays in Portland. Nobody says anything bad about dude.

I swear it seems y'all like to be dishonest for the sake of being dishonest.

All last spring and summer, Dame Lilliard got killed for getting swept by the KD-less Warriors after holding the lead at half time in all 4 games.

I remember the memes. My personal favorite was Dame looking at his wrist and the apple watch showing the Dead Battery

 

[antidope]

I get him feeling under appreciated though. Sometimes you gotta tell the world until they figure it out. Me and antidope been telling y’all for years he was better than Westbrook and it took him dismantling him for a lot of people to see it. Like even dude Mal from the budden podcast was like “I thought he was better than you because he averaged a triple double.” It’s those guys dame been crying about.

Dame Lillard needs to scowl more. That's what real alphas do.

 

[tay1]

. This is a not healthy guy who needs the rest.

Aka load management

 

[HIM]

If he's injured he shouldn't be playing period. Hurt players play all the time. He's just got total control in that organization to do what the hell he wants.

interesting you say this now because when you thought he was heading to the Lakers you were all about load managing.

Kawhi, Bron and AD will all be able to load manage quite effectively. Just 2 of them on the floor every night will be enough to win 90% of the games. 60 games for each and we'll have the best record in the league.

A lot of y’all were using the ability to load manage as a selling point for the Lakers getting Kawhi. Now y’all wanna act offended

 

[antidope]

Aka load management

That can be your interpretation of what load management is, but it isn't mine. If Kawhi Leonard was 100%? Sure. Do I think he is? Nope.

 

[wavycrocket]

I feel you. It’s just not prevalent in hoop convos I have. That **** is only jokes for twitter and sports talk radio. I come here cause I think y’all are better than that but then I get hit with the “YOULL NEVER GUESS WHAT DUMB **** THIS GUY SAID ABOUT _____”. Like bruh these dudes get paid to say dumb controversial **** and drive engagement. Who the **** cares what they say or think.

But those thoughts end up seeping into real dialogue, because people consume them . Like, smarter people know what it is. Others don’t. And too often in real life...and in the mediums that get the most traction...these silly lil narratives become the talking points...and take on a life of its own. And come to define ****, that’s not it when you take a step back. So I don’t think it’s fair to say **** like...Kawhi not signing with the Lakers, playing in LA and being considered the best player in the game by some...over the most popular nba player who for some reason...the media insist on him alone having that “title” (which we know means ALOT to him)....are reasons for some dislike that gets thrown his way.

But y’all will call it a conspiracy. Even tho it’s well reasoned. We won’t agree. That’s cool.

 

[sohi 23]

This over analysis of Kawhi Leonard was NEVER a thing until he put on the Clippers jersey. Whether it's the "large market" even though I've seen a lot of "Clippers don't matter" rhetoric, the fact that he's the main threat to Bron now, or, because he's the poster child for load management, all of a sudden everything Kawhi Leonard does is under a microscope.

For my money, for better or worse, point 2 is the biggest reason for this. Wavy has a point. He did this all season long in Toronto and nary a word was said.

We also gotta stop referring to it as Load Management, that's not what is going on here. This is a not healthy guy who needs the rest. Load Management is healthy players not playing. Kawhi Leonard isn't healthy.

Lmfao at y’all conspiracy theories. NOT EVERY ******* THING IN THE NBA IS SOME ANTI LEBRON OR LAKER CONSPIRACY.

You want to know what the difference is?

The Raptors admitted and outlined Leonard’s load management because it’s the ******* reason he was traded from the Spurs. They said before the season started: this is what we’re going to do all year.

The Clippers wouldn’t even admit he was injured. Whether Kawhi told them not to say anything or not. There is a CLEAR difference between how he was handled in Toronto and how he’s currently handled with the Clippers.

I promise you nobody would give a **** if they just said, “hey Kawhi is hurt and he’s gunna be hurt for the rest of his career. We’re working with him and his team to preserve his body and he’ll probably miss 20 or so games every year so that he can be fully healthy in the playoffs. Thanks.”

 

[MVP]

This over analysis of Kawhi Leonard was NEVER a thing until he put on the Clippers jersey. Whether it's the "large market" even though I've seen a lot of "Clippers don't matter" rhetoric, the fact that he's the main threat to Bron now, or, because he's the poster child for load management, all of a sudden everything Kawhi Leonard does is under a microscope.

For my money, for better or worse, point 2 is the biggest reason for this. Wavy has a point. He did this all season long in Toronto and nary a word was said.

We also gotta stop referring to it as Load Management, that's not what is going on here. This is a not healthy guy who needs the rest. Load Management is healthy players not playing. Kawhi Leonard isn't healthy.

Well when you get anointed best player in the world off a 3.5 week run, rules change. Expectations grow, comes with the territory. Again if the Clippers and Kawhi didn't portray him as something he wasn't doubt there'd be as much backlash.

 

[antidope]

Never said it's a conspiracy. Just calling it how I see it. I for one couldn't care less how it goes down, or who says what, I just want to see people play basketball while prioritizing their health. The Clippers allow Kawhi to do that. That's all I need.

NBA players are not here solely for my amusement.

 

[addict4sneakers]

THEY don’t want to see a healthy Kawhi Leonard in the playoffs

stay woke

 

[wavycrocket]

Well when you get anointed best player in the world off a 3.5 week run, rules change. Expectations grow, comes with the territory. Again if the Clippers and Kawhi didn't portray him as something he wasn't doubt there'd be as much backlash.

sohi 23 like I said....it’s a “thing”. You see this sentiment a lot.

But, “conspiracy’s”.

 

[MVP]

sohi 23 like I said....it’s a “thing”. You see this sentiment a lot.

But, “conspiracy’s”.

KD was BITW until his injury what does that have to do with a conspiracy against Bron? You stay reaching.

 

[sohi 23]

sohi 23 like I said....it’s a “thing”. You see this sentiment a lot.

But, “conspiracy’s”.

there’s a difference between:
can he be the best player in the world if he misses 25% of the games vs The only reason people are dissing Kawhi is they want to big up Lebron or the Lakers somehow

 

[dacomeup]

Obviously not what I’m saying. But I’ve noticed LeBron fans paying a lot more attention to Kawhi struggles and “load management”. Like, I know some dudes that are big Bron fans....and they all the sudden be popping **** whenever Kawhi has a bad game or Clippers lose. These dudes aren’t even Laker fans . You’d see a post like....”Kawhi was 4/14, nobody is going to say anything about it tho”. Or some attack on how he can’t be the best player in the league based off of not having regular season mvp success or something. It’s weird. It’s a thing. Shannon sharpe, Nick Wright and The Klutch media do it etc. You can choose not to see it if you don’t want. We won’t agree on this.

It's more about hot take culture than "protecting LeBron".

 

[wavycrocket]

Never said it's a conspiracy. Just calling it how I see it. I for one couldn't care less how it goes down, or who says what, I just want to see people play basketball while prioritizing their health. The Clippers allow Kawhi to do that. That's all I need.

NBA players are not here solely for my amusement.

Exactly.

And The very same dudes that will tell you “regular season doesn’t matter”....Playoff __. All the sudden got big problems with owl Kawhi. “Can’t be the best” because he plays 65 regular season games....wahh waaah waaah”

It’s more noise. We see who is who when the time comes.

 

[dacomeup]

This over analysis of Kawhi Leonard was NEVER a thing until he put on the Clippers jersey.

We quickly forgetting about the whole saga with the Spurs? Should he play or should he not. This whole thing has been brewing since then.

 

[wavycrocket]

It's more about hot take culture than "protecting LeBron".

Whose the most popular NBA player that’s obsessed with controlling the narrative and actively staffing guys IN HOT TAKE CULTURE tho. And using “access” as a tool (windhorst says hi). And hyper focused on social media and what the topic is?

It’s what KD was talking about. But we see Kawhi getting that treatment now. It’s really interesting.

 

[sohi 23]

“harden needs to play better in the playoffs”

Damn there goes the media protecting Lebron again. We know you want him to win every MvP

“Giannis needs to shoot more threes”

There goes the media trying to diss Giannis again. They would never say something like that about Lebron.

“Kawhi misses a lot of regular season games I wonder how healthy he really is”

LOL MEDIA AT IT AGAIN. you’re only saying that because he’s threatening Lebron’s throne.

“Damn KD really went to the Warriors they’re gunna be impossible to beat now”

LOL LEBRON DID IT FIRST. Y’all just mad that now your golden boy won’t get any titles.

 

[MVP]

Nobody in the history of the sport has been given the title of 'BITW' while missing a quarter of the season before though. So why would Kiwi be the exception?

 

[wavycrocket]

“harden needs to play better in the playoffs”

Damn there goes the media protecting Lebron again. We know you want him to win every MvP

“Giannis needs to shoot more threes”

There goes the media trying to diss Giannis again. They would never say something like that about Lebron.

“Kawhi misses a lot of regular season games I wonder how healthy he really is”

LOL MEDIA AT IT AGAIN. you’re only saying that because he’s threatening Lebron’s throne.

“Damn KD really went to the Warriors they’re gunna be impossible to beat now”

LOL LEBRON DID IT FIRST. Y’all just mad that now your golden boy won’t get any titles.

Bro....are you drunk? You’re literally picking and making up arguments as you go along. Not once did I say players aren’t criticized.

Yall gotta stop with straw men. I peeped you did that earlier today...trying to argue that I acted like the game didn’t change versus the pace discussion. When that wasn’t the topic at hand. Please stick to what the topic was. If you disagree based on something I never said...fine. I’m ok with that.

But I’m tired of y’all just picking **** outta thin air...throwing lol emojis at it, and just running wit it. Not even what I was discussing. But COOK.

 

[antidope]

We quickly forgetting about the whole saga with the Spurs? Should he play or should he not. This whole thing has been brewing since then.

It honestly wasn't talked about all that often up until the players themselves started talking about it. That was my recollection of it and I was deep into it. I was on Kawhis side though so maybe I'm biased. You can't tell people how they feel

 

[atransta]

this thread today

 

[dacomeup]

Whose the most popular NBA player that’s obsessed with controlling the narrative and actively staffing guys IN HOT TAKE CULTURE tho. And using “access” as a tool (windhorst says hi). And hyper focused on social media and what the topic is?

It’s what KD was talking about. But we see Kawhi getting that treatment now. It’s really interesting.

ESPN literally created a whole show that got Skip Bayless rich on trashing LeBron. Calling him out at every moment, questioning every time he didn't make the selfish play instead of the right basketball play, etc. Today's media hot take culture was basically created around LeBron hot takes.

I can't speak to who LeBron is staffing and his obsessions and all that man. That is not my lane.