Kawhi and Paul George’s Outrageous List Of Demands Destroyed Any Chance The Clippers Had Of Winning Last Year
No team disappointed this season quite like the Clippers. And according to a fucking NOVEL by Jovan Buha that just dropped on the Athletic, we now have a very clear idea of why that was.
In a story that shocked NO ONE with functioning eyeballs, it appears that Paul George and Kawhi were on their bullshit and were pampered to a level that turned every single other team member off to the point that they basically mutinied mid-way through the season. Players turning on one another. Passive micro-aggressions. Blow out arguments.
Oh, you want a list of some of these demands and the degrees of special treatment? According to the article:
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Leonard and George were the only players to have their own personal security guards and trainers.
Leonard and George had power over the team’s practice and travel schedule, leading teammates to believe Leonard canceled multiple practices.
Leonard was allowed to live in San Diego and commute from there, which often made him late for team flights.
Leonard and George typically didn’t speak to the media until at least 45 minutes after games concluded, under the guise of postgame treatment or workouts. This usually resulted in their teammates speaking with the media first, and for longer, essentially becoming the public voices of the team.
Teammates also believed that Leonard and George were able to pick and choose when they played. Not only did they sit out games entirely, but also at times they accepted or declined playing time in the moment.
Think about that. Star players get special treatment all the time, but can you even imagine Jordan canceling practice because he didn’t feel like a scrimmage? Or Kobe refusing crunch time minutes because he just didn’t feel like it?
Are you fucking kidding me?
Guess what. That’s just the beginning.
Before every Clippers game last season, the team’s training staff would honor Kawhi Leonard’s request and create a private space for his pregame routine.
The staffers would enter and take over that space for roughly 20 to 45 minutes, according to multiple team and league sources. On the road, there were occasions when the space they occupied was the female staffers’ locker room. That also happened sometimes before a doubleheader at Staples Center when the changing of the court limited the availability of the Los Angeles Kings’ locker room, where Leonard normally warmed up privately.
While there appeared to be no sexist intent, the visual of women staffers being unable to use their locker room to use the bathroom, to change clothes or to access their personal belongings while Leonard stretched did not go unnoticed. At least one player mentioned it to a confidant and at least one staffer complained about it to coworkers.
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Obviously, this did WONDERS for team chemistry. Why wouldn’t it? Who doesn’t want to go to war with a player who wants to be sequestered away from his teammates for the entire pregame period? As Buha noted, “the players never established the requisite chemistry, continuity or trust to win a championship in their first year together.” Oh you think?
And obviously, if it was just the two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP — the then-reigning Finals MVP, that would have been understandable. But add in Paul George? Playoff, excuse me Pandemic P? Mr. I’ve never won anything at any level but had a couple of good regular seasons and a 2k Cover?
Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. Here.
Then you add in the stress of COVID, being forced to spend inordinate amounts of time together in the bubble when you don’t actually like each other during the incredible stress of the playoffs… it was just a recipe for disaster.
The end results of all this turmoil and incredibly toxic chemistry that led to unceremonious dumping out in the playoffs were, predictably, Steve Ballmer going ballistic, trying to fire EVERYONE and of course the departure of Doc Rivers. You have to wonder if he was actually fired or whether he was like "nah, I'm good". After a two week search, the Clippers hired Ty Lue, in part because of his alleged ability not to play favorites (so much) with superstars.
We’ll see. Of all the A level players in the NBA, Playoff P and Kawhi may be two of the most difficult to manage under the BEST of circumstances.
Ya know, the strong passive-aggressive, and silent type.
With expectations even higher coming into 2021, and their dirty laundry now exposed to the wider world?
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The Clippers are going to be a must-watch train wreck this year. I don’t expect things to be much different -- leopards don’t change their spots overnight -- but I do expect Kawhi to take 6 minutes off during crunch time just because, and PG to disappear when the lights get bright.
Welcome to the 2021 NBA season. Shit’s already getting spicy.