The debauchery organized in Clippers throughout the 2019/20 season culminated in a defeat in the playoffs organized in the Florida bubble against the Nuggets who were leading 3-1 in the series. The signings of Kawhi Leonard y Paul George in the previous summer they were placed at the head of the favorites to win the NBA, but expectations were diluted to end with a very murky final moments. ‘Doc’ Rivers, the coach who tried to lead them to glory, was fired days after the failure. Of everything that happened inside that dressing room was revealed by Jovan Buha in The Athletic it is what gives a measure of the dependence they had and will continue to have on their main stars.
Leonard and George carried in an indivisible package although one came from the Raptors and the other came from the Thunder. The two have formed an external couple with a lot of danger for their rivals but who have not connected as they should when push comes to shove. Doncic made them suffer and the Nuggets led by Murray and Jokic finished off them. The agreement that the two players signed with the Clippers in 2019 to agree to join them included some preferences, more than usual, so that they felt in their sauce, which is why the relationship with colleagues has been altered on more than one occasion during the year and for which an adequate degree of chemistry was not reached to overcome rivals.
According to this information, it is not only that it was accepted that Leonard lives in San Diego and that this makes him arrive late on some scheduled flights. There is more requests that have been satisfied and that they have put him on the target. For example … That the two of you are the only ones with security and private coaches with a contract. That the two have power over the team’s schedule, believing part of the squad that Leonard came to cancel training on his own. That both have the power to choose when to play, not only to delete matches but to choose the moments on the court itself. That the two of them let almost an hour pass until they spoke to the press after the games, leaving the responsibility first to the others. Those are some, but The one that most scared not only the other players but also officials of the franchise with other positions was Kawhi Leonard’s pre-match routine, since it used premises of the Staples Center that are essential for more people; on many occasions he would do his exercises with the trainers in the locker room for the female Clippers staff, which he prevented from using the bathroom or changing clothes.
“What are you going to do with this? It’s Kawhi”they say from the environment. “How are you ever going to build a strong team with this shit in between? We were doomed from the start, Kawhi wants very special treatment”they say from within the team.
Now all the weight falls on Tyronn Read, the new man in charge of the bench. He is a figure close to the players and who already has the experience of treating someone like LeBron James and taking him to the top.
In this filtration also stands out the role of Paul George In all this. Leonard, a person who has won the NBA and has been MVP of the Finals with two different teams, these concessions are allowed, but it is not understood that he is put at the same level of preference because his achievements do not reach at the height.
The clash has also been strong between other colleagues as a result of this. Above all, with the block before these arrivals and the new one created. In 2018/19 a good team was achieved in which Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams o Montrezl Harrell, the latter already out, laid stones to build an idyllic setting that Leonard and George would end up in. With the new structure they have lost power. Another player, Marcus Morris, gained a lot of weight in the locker room in the bubble despite having landed in the market this year, throwing off players -like Ivica Zubac– that they were not willing to be corrected so vehemently by someone newcomer.
The two players this reveal is targeting, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, may exit their contracts in 2021, at the same time, putting in check a project for which the franchise, with the owner (Steve Ballmer) at the helm, he has bet a lot.
