Stephen A Smith Suggests That Kawhi Leonard Should Be On The List Of The Worst Superstars The Game Of Basketball Has Ever Seen
Alex Slitz. Getty Images.I know, it seems crazy that Stephen A would go on national television and say some outrageous shit. It's all part of the game in media in today's world, and nobody does it better. That's why Stephen A is Stephen A and ESPN pays him the big bucks.
Even knowing that, what we got today in regards to Kawhi Leonard might take the cake when it comes to Stephen A hot takes
Listen, I think anyone who follows the NBA is aware that Kawhi is one of the founding fathers of today's approach to load management. That's an issue that no matter what the league tries, it will never go away. Stars are going to sit. It sucks for the teams, it sucks for fans, and it sucks for the league, but that's life nowadays.
If you listen to that rant, I'm just not sure what Stephen A is trying to say. One minute he's talking about how his injuries are legit, and then in the next breath he's killing Kawhi for missing time and not being available. So right off the bat, that part of his rant didn't make too much sense. To then support his claim even further, now Kawhi's demeanor is an issue? Because he keeps to himself and just shows up to play basketball, that makes him one of the worst superstars in the NBA has ever seen?
I'm pretty sure his demeanor didn't change when he was on the court and winning Finals MVPs for the Spurs and Raptors, and to me if you have to go with "Kawhi is a quiet guy who keeps to himself" as one of your reasonings for a rant like this, you've already lost.
My question would be, who else is on that list? Is Kevin Durant one of the worst superstars the league has ever seen? Not only has he not been available, but how has his behavior/choices been over the last year? How about Kyrie Irving? Anthony Davis? To me this almost feels like it's personal or something. That there's some sort of beef between Kawhi's camp and Stephen A, because the whole thing is very confusing.
If Kawhi wasn't hurt, he plays. If he plays, the Clippers probably win last night and there's no rant. He's suddenly not the worst superstar of all time. So if you're saying you think he's really hurt and that stuff is real, well then nothing else matters right? He even says this has nothing to do with his talent, so it all boils down to his personality apparently. Again, very odd.
Is the Kawhi/PG13 run in LA disappointing given what has happened to them in terms of injury luck? Of course. But that's not exaclty things those players can control. As we're seeing, even if you're cautious, shit can still happen. That doesn't make someone the worst superstar of all time. Hopefully, Kawhi is back for Game 4 or 5 and we still get a long series.
Speaking of this series, it sure as shit looks like Devin Booker is ready to roll
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For those wondering, Booker is at 36.3/2.7/5.0 on 60/41% splits and KD is at 26.7/7.0/7.0 while shooting 51% from the floor. They haven't even really gotten that strong of play from CP3 yet and it hasn't mattered much. Just give Booker the ball and get out of this dude's way. He's been awesome.
I guess that's to be expected when the Clippers can't throw Kawhi/George at these high caliber wings, and who knows if they'll get the chance to at any point for the rest of this series.
But that Stephen A take?