2018 Off-Season Thread

[DamnYanks2]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

SA should let Kawhi just sit on the bench for another season. This guy is as soft as they come and a joke.

Why the hell would anybody want to team up with him? His heart ain't in this anymore. Seems rather obvious.

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[Rockie_Fresh88]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Kawhi probably hasn’t expressed any of these things lol .

[Trapper700]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Is the fact that the sports agency which represents Kawhi (of which he is the only client) put his mom and uncle on their payroll normal? That this is his "camp" frequently cited in reports makes it all seem really sketchy.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

This is why I keep taking issue with this Spurs have no leverage thing. The Spurs have ALL the leverage. They don't have to trade Kawhi to where he wants to go and as we get further into the season especially now that LeBron has helped them out by leaving the eastern conference what's to stop some team like Milwaukee from thinking they're a piece away from getting through the LeBronless-East and getting him at the trade deadline and kissing his *** enough that he gets the respect and love of teammates/organization that he's looking for and signing an extension? What if Ben Simmons goes down in January while the Sixers are rolling in first place in the conference?

Man king we got different concepts of what having leverage means if you think hoping for guys to get hurt or something means they got leverage

It ain't leverage if you gotta rely on what if scenarios

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread



Damn dude


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[The 24th Letter]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I fullý believe Wojo is getting all these 'scoops' directly from Kawhis camp.

I think the worst case scenario for them is that this rolls into the regular season and they have to face this head on without hiding behind reports..

I dont want to seem naive about the situation, but a lot of this just doesnt seem like it would be driven by Kawhi....just the communication aspect of it (or lack thereof)..

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[Boltman]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

The Lakers definitely should not wait.

This is the exact thinking that let PG slip through your fingers. Dont a assume that Kawhi is hellbent on going to the Lakers. Before you know it, he is re-signing with the team that traded for him, or the Clippers because he doesnt want to play with LeBron.

Get him now, young players be damned.

Absolutely not.

In fact hell no. If the same thing happens along the PG route than so be it. Young players be dammed my ***.

[Boltman]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Dunno if this was posted in one of our NBA threads or not but interesting. Not sure where this would go. If it's been mentioned already feel free to remove it.

It's on reddit (thread comments link below). I also pasted the op comments (mrilly).

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comment...me_by_multiple

Short clip of that story

The 3 main beat writers (Dave McMenamin-ESPN, Joe Vardon-Cleveland.com, and Jason Lloyd-The Athletic) that covered the Cavs over the past 4 years just did a podcast together, giving an inside look at the Cavs team and the relationships between the players.

A lot of interesting notes from the podcast:

• Vardon and McMenamin were notified by LeBron's camp (or maybe the Cavs camp. They were vague on this) on Thursday, before lebron opted out, that the Lakers decision was pretty much a done deal.

• Immediately after the 2016 Championship, someone important in LeBron's camp told Vardon that LeBron's next plan was to go to the Lakers to 'play with his friends' (Vardon believes the 'friends' part meant the banana boat)

• Kyrie never made strong relationships within the Cavs organization/FO, both before and while LeBron was in CLE. Kyrie didn't like Mike Brown because Larry Hughes, a client of Kyrie's agent, already had a bad relationship with Brown. There was also serious debate within the Cavs to choose Dion Waiters over Kyrie at one point.

• Kyrie didn't like Lue very much, especially after Ty Lue told the media that "players need to put their brands aside", meaning Love and Kyrie need to stop worrying about endorsements and trust LeBron to lead the team. Ty Lue admitted to Dave McMenamin that Kyrie has treated him like a stranger since day 1 and that it is 'impossible to break through to him'. (which may have been why Kyrie made those remarks this year about coaching styles)

• Kyrie did not appreciate LeBron questions directed at him. McMenamin was writing a story about LeBron's improved 3 point shot but Kyrie was annoyed when he approached him about any noticeable changes in LeBron's technique. The media also made a deal about LeBron wearing the "I can't breathe" shirts, despite Kyrie being the one to wear it first. All 3 reporters believe this clearly bothered Kyrie.

• Lloyd approached Lebron at the start of this past season and told him that 'you and Kyrie hid the poor status of the relationship very well the past few years' and LeBron agreed (although Lloyd could not reveal the exact quote)

• Kyrie and his camp considered leaving after the championship but decided otherwise. Kyrie's father wanted a bigger role in the organization and did not appreciate LeBron's friend, Randy Mims, having a position within the organization.

• A big reason why Kyrie wanted out of CLE last year is because he felt the team was built to support LeBron's strengths, and if LeBron left, Kyrie would only be left with those parts that benefitted LeBron's game. Kyrie also told FO that he would opt for surgery if they didn't trade him last year.

• The flat earth drama really bothered Kyrie. Didn't like that he was receiving attention now instead of about more serious topics (political and social) like Lebron

• LeBron and Love's relationship was rocky in the very first year because Love came to camp out of shape.

• Kyrie did not talk to any of his teammates between last years Indiana and Toronto series. Not even during practices.

• The most dejected the reporters have ever seen LeBron after a game was after Game 6 Finals in 2015. Lebron sat at his locker for about an hour with a towel over his head. The second most dejected was after Game 1 this year. After winning two Game 7's, hitting 2 buzzer beaters, beating higher seeds, with a new team and without Kyrie, scoring 51 points against the Warriors, all the air went out of him.

• LeBron did not just hit the whiteboard once. He bashed at it several times.

• The JR Smith soup throwing story is one of ESPN'S top 10 stories of the year. They believe the thing that started the drama may have just been simple teasing or a shooting competition that escalated

• Wade played a major role in the mid-season team meeting. Cavs felt like locker room was irreparable after that and was a reason he was shipped back to Miami

• LeBron would always talk to McMenamin about LA (Hotspots and restaurants), as Dave used to cover the Lakers. Lloyd joked with LeBron throughout the year about him leaving after this season but LeBron genuinely seemed unsure of his decision

• Cavs had two players on their radar during the draft. Trae Young, who Gilbert wanted, and Sexton who most of the organization wanted. They had considered Porter until his medical records came out.

• They all believe that after hearing Klay's post-Game 4 remarks about basketball being a "man's game" and that LeBron must have "gotten his feelings hurt", LeBron's demeanor shifted entirely and was the turning point of the 2016 Finals. Lebron was in a good mood during shootaround that morning until he heard about those comments. I recommend everyone to watch LeBron's reaction if you haven't seen It.

I'm sure I missed some stuff but its worth listening to if you get time

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Sounds like Kyrie might have actually been a bit of a cancer. I always gave him the benefit of the doubt.


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[23]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I guess "his group" and "his camp" is the new "his posse" now.....with less outrage.



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[dubcity]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Really gotta read on IG about how IT is gonna be a key player for someone, and acting like what he did 2 years ago is still who he is? **** off with that.

[3304Life]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

The IT we got was worse than any variant of IT I’ve seen in this league. Even in Phoenix and Sacramento he was still very capable of scoring 20-30 a night. In Cleveland, he was terrible.

[TheShizNo1]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Sounds like Kyrie might have actually been a bit of a cancer. I always gave him the benefit of the doubt.


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That's what you got out of that? Lol

Sounded like he got tired of being in the shadow and not being taken seriously.

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[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

That's what you got out of that? Lol

Sounded like he got tired of being in the shadow and not being taken seriously.

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And therefor was a cancer....

He was treated like he was the number 2 guy, which he was. Sounds like he didn’t like management, didn’t like Lue, didn’t like Mike Brown, got whiny and didn’t talk to his teammates for weeks, etc.

How could he ever expect to be a leader and not “be in the shadow” with that type of attitude? He’s likely going to be in the shadow again very soon and to me it’s no surprise he’s popped up in Boston trade rumors.


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[The 24th Letter]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

That was a great listen.

I think cancer is bit much- I dont feel this came off as him infecting the locker room with his attitude. He clearly has a strong personality to contend with though. (Like many other superstars)

Kyrie has always rubbed me as your introspective, sensitive, "wont talk to anyone for weeks because hes aligning his chakra" type of guy, lol



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