How The San Antonio Spurs Imploded With Kawhi Leonard

things are going very poorly in San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard has missed all but nine games this season Kawhi there's two words that have been used about him indifferent and selfish [Applause] [Music] from San Antonio [Music] thank you the story of Kawhi Leonard as a San Antonio Spur should serve as a warning to every NBA franchise that you can never get too comfortable in the spring of 2017 the Spurs had won 61 games with Leonard making the jump to an MVP candidate the team had been contending for years and Kauai was expected to carry the torch and continue the winning one year later he was missing a majority of the season with a quad injury that left many confused one year after that he was lifting up the championship trophy for a different team the Toronto Raptors so what happened how is it possible that an organization destined for Championship contending fell so quickly with their one Superstar player Leaving With No Remorse just a few years prior the team had won the 2014 Finals with a 22 year old Leonard taking the finals MVP everything seemed set in stone for another decade of Spurs dominance yet somewhere along the way it all crumbled the timetable for kawhi's injury slowly began growing as did the rift between him and the team and then a trade was requested many looked to this moment in the 2017 playoffs as the point of no going back but that doesn't explain the sudden distaste Kawhi had for the organization nowadays when Star players went out from their teams it's because of the losing or poor front office yet in the Kawhi Leonard situation none of that is relevant this story was different the once bright and sunny relationship between San Antonio and Leonard slowly worsened over time with fingers pointing in every direction looking for an explanation but why did the relationship fall so suddenly this is the real story about the rise and fall of Kawhi and San Antonio [Music] thank you [Music] this roller coaster of a Story begins in the 2011 off-season when Kauai was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th pick the Phoenix Suns didn't draft him because he sweated too much in his workouts and the Pacers didn't keep him because they believed he was a long-term project the Spurs ignored these criticisms and traded George Hill to acquire the young forward San Antonio was giving up short-term success to build their future an absolute steal of a trade that would reap the benefits the 2011-2012 season saw rookie Kawaii put up eight points a night mainly Off the Bench some viewed him as an unpolished young guy others noticed his defensive potential when the opportunity was given Leonard seized the moment one of his best games was his 24 point 10 rebound Knight with five steals against Portland this performance came without Tony Parker Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili The Rook showed that he'd have no problem stepping up when needed towards the end of the season Kawhi began turning it up to another notch becoming a more confident scorer and Defender his defensive ability was already of high quality so if he could gain a solid offensive game he'd be dangerous that was the mindset surrounding Leonard at the time with many thinking his future was bright he was in a winning culture surrounded by veterans who carried themselves with a hard-working mentality the 2012 playoffs soon arrived it was time for the Spurs to take a crack at the title any other mid first round pick on a stacked Championship Contender would be thrown on the bench yet this postseason saw Leonard starred every single game Leonard had a plus minus of 33 in the minutes he played shooting 45 percent from Beyond on three attempts per game not bad the chances of Kawhi reaching the finals in his rookie season fell short though as the Spurs lost in six to the upcoming Thunder in game 5 James Harden hit his step back three in kawaii's face a tough shot that was defended well but this dagger ultimately LED led to the undoing of San Antonio their season was over Kauai had impressed many in this short time but an extra jump in his offensive game was needed and it was coming the 2012-13 season was one of promising Improvement for the Spurs and Leonard himself San Antonio won 58 games and the 21 year old sophomore was a huge part of that Kawhi was now a consistent starter those 2012 playoffs proved he could hang with the best on the team his stats balanced from 7 to 12 points with two Steals and six rebounds a game Kawaii ceiling was still cloudy some thought he was nothing more than a solid role player others believed he could evolve into something much more the 2013 playoffs saw a bump in minutes he was now averaging 37 a game becoming the defensive anchor for a veteran Spurs team he put up 13 and a half points per game as his Squad steamrolled through the Western Conference Leonard got his Groove in the second round series versus Golden State and even hit clutch shots to knock off the dubs in game six this wasn't just some unknown name off the bench anymore Kawhi Leonard had established himself as a weapon for a contending Spurs team the 2013 finals versus the heat is one that is forgotten among fans when looking back on kawhi's Career many point to the infamous Miss free throw in game six but failed to realize how impactful the claw was in the series Leonard averaged 19 points per game in the last three games of the finals showing off his offensive potential that had been growing the team came very very close to winning it all on game six but Kawhi and Ginobili missed two huge free throws a haunting moment had Leonard made the first free throw the Spurs certainly would have won it all instead this series ended in heartbreak as Ray Allen sunk a corner three to tie it and LeBron put it away in game seven the second straight year of disappointment a massive chance that the title was squandered with the fingers pointed at number two the 2013 offseason was one of hard work for the young player the Spurs needed to make a comeback and show the league that they weren't done just yet 2013-14 showed just that San Antonio was even better than the prior year winning 62 games Leonard took another jump averaging 13 a game and earning a second Team all defense appearance this was the year where he truly got his name out there Kawhi was now recognized as one of the better young players in the league fans fell in love with his take no prisoner's attitude and his Stone Cold expression that remained at all times nevertheless there were still some people who were skeptical of number two when looking at Leonard and his continuous Improvement fans could only think of that missed free throw in the 2013 finals that moment left a bad taste in their mouth and it was up to Kauai to show his doubters that he was capable of performing at the highest level this opportunity came in the form of the 2014 playoffs where he averaged 14 points 7 rebounds with two steals a game in the second round series versus Portland he averaged 17 Again including a closeout game five where he had 22 with five steals Kawhi wasn't just promising on the defensive end he was quickly becoming Elite with the Spurs often assigning him to guard the opposing team's best player in the following round versus the Thunder Kawhi came up huge in multiple different instances for his team in game one he had dazzling layups and clutch steals to give his team the dub in game six with the Spurs of 3-2 Leonard opened up with the poster slam Kawhi was asked to guard Russell Westbrook and he held the guard to just 34 field goal shooting and 16 three-point shooting still despite the lockdown defense the Spurs saw themselves up by just one point with 47 seconds left in transition Reggie Jackson found Westbrook with a layup opportunity as he went up none other than the claw himself stripped Russ of the ball of huge defensive play that saved the game for the Spurs San Antonio had done it they'd Advanced to the NBA finals with a chance to get revenge on the Miami Heat The 2014 Finals were one of pure Redemption for not only the Spurs but Kawhi Leonard Kawhi had a breakout party averaging 18 a game on 61 field goal shooting and 58 from downtown game one saw the future Superstar hit a clutch 3 to seal the win and game three was a 29 Point performance on just 13 shots Leonard's defense on LeBron James was also of note he held the king to just eight points with seven turnovers in the last 40 minutes of game three game four was a blowout as Kawaii threw down dunks to help his team go up 3-1 the Spurs were in the driver's seat but as they harshly learned the previous finals they could not take their foot off the gas game 5 of The 2014 Finals was the third straight blowout the Spurs outscored the heat 82-58 to the the final three quarters to win the championship kawhi's defense on LeBron was once again a positive you couldn't stop him but Leonard certainly contained LBJ there were no easy buckets the defense was exciting but the offense was even more outstanding number two had 22-10 to close out Miami A fitting end for the rising star the finals MVP was handed to none other than Kawhi Leonard himself she had achieved Redemption from The Nightmare 2013 finals one of the youngest winners of the Award in NBA history this Milestone was a much deserved Achievement First storybook Championship run Kawhi may have had one of the most prized awards at every NBA superstar desired but he was still far from reaching his potential the 2014-15 season was a major leap Leonard became a career high 16 points per game scorer with 2.3 steals a night this season saw him make a first team all defense appearance Center in the defensive player of the year award the success may have been coming for the claw but for the Spurs the team finished at just the sixth seed with 55 wins that's right a record that would have placed them at the number two seed in the East only gave them the stick spot in the west a matchup with the Clippers took place in the 2015 playoffs with LA just barely winning in seven games to knock off the defending champs Kawhi certainly showed up he averaged 20 a game but it wasn't enough the Spurs needed more the 2015 offseason brought a whole lot more in the form of LaMarcus Aldridge a star big man who would be a great piece to the team Leonard was then re-signed on a five-year 90 million Max contract deal a worthy bag for the defensive stud the 2015-16 season was a chance for the Spurs to redeem themselves and they did just that the team won 67 games the most wins by any Spurs team ever and one of the best records in NBA history this was also the year that the Golden State Warrior is 173 games so San Antonio had to settle for the second seed what gave the Spurs the advantage was Kawhi Leonard who finally became 20 points per game scorer at the age of 24. he remained an elite Defender and shot a career high 44 from downtown earning his first All-Star appearance there were no questions anymore number two was not only the leader of this team but the best player by a wide margin there were many who believed he never reached that All-Star level that he was just a flash in the pan with an undeserved Finals MVP throughout it all Kawhi continued to put his head down and work he knew what he was capable of the greatest moment of the Season had to be the Spurs Eight Point Victory versus Golden State at home where they held the Warriors to a season low in points a 40-1 record at home was a scary sight for any opposing team and the Spurs came into the 2016 playoffs Ready for War the battle began against the Memphis Grizzlies a team that had given the spur there's plenty of trouble over the years San Antonio lived up to their Mighty record with a dominant round one Victory sweeping the Grizzlies all four games saw the Spurs win by a fair amount with Kauai continuing to play like an All-Star throughout the real challenge came in the form of the Oklahoma City Thunder in round two and the Spurs opened up with Excellence game one was a 32-point victory at home Kawhi and Aldridge combined for 63 points total game two was the squandered opportunity at home the Spurs lost on a controversial inbounds play many believe this should have been called an offensive foul but even then the Spurs still had a possession to go in front but they failed to execute and lost a heartbreaker that tied the series at one and game three was a chance to swing the momentum back in their favor San Antonio did just that playing well in crunch time and winning by four they had a 2-1 lead with home court advantage to their side the Western Conference Finals seemed more than achievable what followed was a complete and utter disaster the Spurs lost the next three games to drop the series San Antonio had a four point lead in the fourth quarter of game four but the Thunder went on a 34-16 run to finish game five at home saw the Spurs lead by double digits yet San Antonio played poorly down the stretch to lose game six was all Kevin Durant who had 37 points and the Spurs had been knocked out by the hungry OKC Thunder what many forget about this series is that Kawhi Leonard didn't meet the expectations that were set he shot 44 from the field and 17 percent from downtown in the final three games and was out dueled by KD a miserable ending to a season that could have ended in another trophy but instead this 67 win Spurs team is forgotten the Spurs were favored by many to make a deep playoff run but fell very short of that goal in concerning fashion the team wasn't getting any younger and with Kevin Durant taking his talents to Golden States the West wasn't becoming any easier the ceiling for the 2016-17 season was now dependent on Kawhi Leonard if the Spurs wanted any chance of going the distance they needed their players to step up Kawhi certainly did just that becoming an MVP candidate and climbing into one of the best players in the league this season was a thrill from the very beginning San Antonio opened up destroying the Warriors in Oracle Arena Jonathan Simmons was the star of this game a little-known bench player came out of nowhere with Chase down blocks and poster dunks this gave fans a bit of Hope the Warriors may have been stacked but you can never count out the experience of Greg Popovich and the Spurs system the team opened up with the 36-9 record as Kawhi Leonard put up career averages of 25 points per game those numbers don't do a good enough Job showing how dominant the claw was this season he was a two-way Superstar a silent killer that still produced highlights every night one of his best moments was against the Houston Rockets where Leonard first rose up for a clutch three that left his teammates on the bench astonished then just a few seconds later the fellow Superstar James Harden Barrel to the rim there to meet him was none other than the claw himself crushing the ball against the glass an iconic block this was the peak of the Kawhi Leonard era in San Antonio he was just 25 years old and has slowly risen to the face of a legendary franchise NBA fans were sick to their stomachs the Spurs had already been dominant for decades and now they had another budding Superstar to their collection that's not all the Spurs still had an all-time head coach in Greg Popovich a veteran star on Lamarcus Aldridge and a core that had plenty of depth if they just kept doing what they were doing the future of even more winning seemed Crystal Clear San Antonio entered the 2017 playoffs with 61 wins and earned the second seed as they face the Memphis Grizzlies in round one Kawhi continued his regular season dominance into the postseason averaging 31 points per game in the six game Series game 4 was his best performance he put up 43 points with a barrage of clutch shots yet it came in a loss the Spurs closed out in game six with kawhi's 29 Points and they were on their way to round two the Houston Rockets came next an MVP duel between Kauai and Hardin was set to take place on a huge stage the two sides both split the first four games to set up a game five in San Antonio that the Spurs won in dramatic fashion Danny Green got an and one Manu Ginobili blocked Hardin and the Spurs were up three games to two game six was a win and the Spurs had Advanced to the Western Conference Finals in a huge serious Victory a dominant closeout win at that Kawhi must have put on a show wait a second it turns out that number two had an ankle injury in game five that would sideline him for the next game Leonard was set to return in on three but this minor rolled angle was something to keep in mind the Golden State Warriors were the only team that stood in front of the NBA finals and it wasn't going to be easy they were a 67 win team that was led by Steph Curry and Kevin Durant with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green surrounding them not a bad Squad by any means but there were still some Believers in the Spurs Greg Popovich could outcoach any opposing team and if Kawhi turned it on to another level there was a chance to victory in San Antonio game 1 took place in Oracle Arena and the Spurs immediately began cooking up a blowout that's right San Antonio opens up with a 25-point lead against the super team Warriors Kawhi Leonard was cooking LaMarcus Aldridge was dominating the post everything was smooth sailing for the silver and black then with the Spurs up by 21 Leonard rose up for a routine mid-range jump shot and a foul was called nothing was thought of it at first until the camera pan to an injured Kauai writhing in pain on the floor further replays showed that Zaza pachulia caused the injury by sliding his foot underneath Leonard's intentional or not it didn't matter the Superstar player for San Antonio was out for the rest of the series The Spurs couldn't even get a game one Victory to calm their nerves the Dynamo Warriors offense storm back and won in just a split second San Antonio went from an eager team looking to upset to now a demotivated squad without their Superstar the next three games were blowout Saul and Golden State's favor and the Spurs were eliminated in sweeping fashion a disastrous end that left many questions lingering throughout the Spurs organization some questioned if the Spurs should keep the same team or make a big trade others wondered if a championship run was even possible against the now two-time Champion Warriors all of those ideas were questioned yet the most important issue and all of this remained unaddressed as the weeks passed by what seemed to be a minor injury for Kawhi Leonard slowly evolved into something much worse one month before the 2017-18 season began the Spurs announced that Kauai would miss the preseason recovering from a sore quad a new injury had come into the equation the ankles seemed to be fine but now a quad problem would take the headlines regarding number two it wasn't taken as seriously at first fans simply brushed it off and hoped he would be back soon then the season arrived and Kauai was nowhere to be found Greg Popovich saying the star wouldn't be available for the season opener those once casual feelings soon turned to worrisome how could it be that he was still not ready to play it was complete radio silence for the next two months until suddenly Popovich announced Leonard would be back in a December game against the Mavericks this confused many as this news came out of nowhere but Spectators went along with it as Kawaii scored 13 points in his return he continued to play on a minute's restriction throughout December and January in a January 5th game against the Phoenix Suns Leonard injured his shoulder and missed another few games he returned in one matchup against the Nuggets everything seemed to be finally getting back in order for the former Finals MVP then disaster struck on January 17 2018 the Spurs announced Kawhi would be sidelined indefinitely to continue Rehab on his right quad some questioned if he would ever return as the same player others wondered how this would affect his future with the Spurs organization the feeling of disappointment was emerging but there was still a level of confidence that eventually with time Kawhi would make his return as a Spur however as more and more discouraging news came out the confidence slowly dissolved headlines appeared about a possible Rift kawhi's rehab had been creating with the Spurs but those reports were denied by Leonard's team then in February of 2018 the San Antonio Spurs doctors reported that the claw was fully cleared to resume playing Joy spread around the basketball World finally we could see the two-way Superstar back in Action only one thing Kauai wasn't even in San Antonio he was in New York getting second opinions on the injury not exactly the most encouraging news to hear her but maybe Kauai needed a bit of quick reassurance before going back on the court well a week later Greg Popovich said he'd be surprised if Leonard had all returned this season as these constant rumors and polarizing headlines continued to come out and even bigger fish in the pond began emerging the 2019 off-season was one where Kauai was a free agent with how things were going now the question of whether or not he'd return was unanswered throughout all of this the Spurs as a team remained locked and loaded on the court they were a handful of games over 500 and had real chances of contending if their Superstar returned late March was when things really began getting messy Tony Parker held a team meeting with the sole purpose of trying to convince Kauai to return for the playoffs when that failed Parker then told reporters that he also had the same injury as Leonard's and his was 100 times worse both sides of the coin were upset in Leonard's mind the Spurs hadn't been doing in enough to support him and his injury and he was simply preserving his career in the Spurs mind Kawaii should have been on the court weeks ago and since he wasn't they were beginning to get frustrated Greg Popovich echoed this annoyance by telling reporters that it was up to Kawhi and his group on when he'd be returning Dennis Robertson kawaii's uncle and someone very close to him shot back and said that the Spurs didn't believe his injury was real as this was happening more and more rumors began swirling on Leonard's interest in playing in La the message was clear number two wouldn't be back anytime soon he was out for the entirety of the season the 2018 playoffs saw the seven-seeded Spurs being knocked out by none other than the Golden State Warriors this early exit left many Spurs fans feeling upset a season that could have easily been one of contention and winning was wasted despite all of this the Spurs still wanted the claw to return and offered him a five-year Max extension just as quickly as this deal was handed out Leonard demanded a trade from the Spurs not shocking but still seeing the words Kawaii request trade is something that seemed incomprehensible not too long ago just one season beforehand in 2017 there weren't many who expected the claw to depart from San Antonio the situation and team around him appeared to be perfect for those who did believe he would eventually go elsewhere nobody thought it would end like this on July 18 2018 the Spurs packaged Kawhi Leonard in a deal that landed DeMar DeRozan and more a fair enough trade at the time it was difficult to fully understand kawhi's trade value as we all know this deal went down as an all-time win for the Raptors Leonard LED them to the championship and secured his second ring DeMar DeRozan was left in San Antonio and eventually he left three years later the tale of Kawhi Leonard as a Spur sends a message that every NBA franchise should listen to you can never get comfortable and there is no store story that is more fitting to the saying than the one that unfolded in San Antonio in 2014 the team destroyed the Miami Heat and got revenge winning the championship Kawhi Leonard was next up on the throne to guide San Antonio to another Dynasty and this certainly started out that way his stats improved every season his defense became outstanding and the Spurs kept getting closer and closer to winning once again then in 2017 in the peak of kauai's career one corner jump shot against the Warriors in game one decided his fate she would never again play at an elite level for the Spurs and sat out for the next 12 months Leonard went from beloved by Spurs fans hailed as the Next Great Hall of Famer to now known as nothing more than number two three years removed from this situation and the consensus opinion surrounding it is still mixed some fans support his decision to sit out despite being cleared as there's been many times where teams have sacrificed the player's health and destroyed their careers on the other side there are many who are critical of Kauai saying him sitting out was unneeded and that he should have listened to the organization they believe him refusing to play sets a dangerous president for the future of the NBA if a player is unhappy in their situation they can just claim injury and sit out at one point Kawaii seemed destined to be a spur for Life by the end of his tenure he left feeling betrayed and disgusted at the way his injury was handled those same negative feelings can be expressed by San Antonio which makes the ending to this conflict even more agonizing no matter which side you blame in this situation Kawhi leaving the Spurs set the franchise back years and prematurely end in an era that still had a lot of winning in store and that is a tragic implosion unlike any other foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: dylandoesbasketball

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Id: WK5TLa6PM7M

Length: 27min 12sec (1632 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 03 2022