There's Even More Drama Surrounding Kawhi Leonard And Team USA After Lawrence Frank Says That The Clippers Actually Wanted Him To Play

Stephen Gosling. Getty Images.

If you thought after last week we were done with the drama surrounding Team USA and Kawhi Leonard's roster spot, I'm afraid we may actually just be getting started. Last week it was all about Kawhi withdrawing and Team USA deciding to fill his spot with NBA Champion Derrick White over NBA Champion/ECF MVP/Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. If you remember at the time, this was Team USA's statement about Kawhi's withdrawal

It seemed like at the time that maybe something wasn't quite right with his knee and everyone from Team USA and the Clippers decided it was in their best interest to replace him so he could focus on being right for the season. That's not a crazy idea given Kawhi's health history and importance to the Clippers entering a pretty important season.

Well, here we are in a new week and it doesn't seem as though things are that cut and dry. Someone's lying or at the very least stretching the truth. Maybe that's Team USA, maybe that's Shams who had the initial report, maybe that's the Clippers. All you have to do is listen to Lawrence Frank today and all of a sudden there's a bit of a different picture being painted

Go back and read that statement again. That part about Team USA and the Clippers coming together and deciding he shouldn't play seems a little fishy considering the man who runs the Clippers is on camera saying he and the organization wanted him to play. Sounds more like this was maybe a Steve Kerr/Grant Hill issue. Maybe they didn't want to deal with Kawhi's load management? Maybe they initially gave him the roster spot because of his status in the league and everything he's accomplished and didn't actually want him for this team? 

Or, after losing Paul George in free agency is this the Clippers simply trying to save face? Maybe Kawhi really wanted to play and Team USA wanted him to play, but the Clippers didn't. Well, instead of creating a situation where Kawhi is pissed at LA they flip the script and say how much they actually wanted him to be a part of the Olympics and how it's bullshit he's not. They know how much slander Kawhi is going to get for not being there and all the injury bullshit, so this is their way of doing their part to publicly save face and help change the narrative around Kawhi's absence.

Or, just like what it feels like with Jaylen Brown, was this Nike at work too? 

All I know is, it felt weird at the time when Shams dropped that bomb and things have only gotten weirder since. The Jaylen Brown fiasco, now the Clippers are saying things on record that immediately go against the official statement from Team USA, it doesn't quite add up.

Advertisement

Someone's lying, and it's only a matter of time before everything comes out. What went really went into the Kawhi decision, why Jaylen wasn't selected, all of it.