The Los Angeles Clippers lost their fifth straight game over the weekend, this time falling to a Memphis Grizzlies squad that was 1-8 coming into the outing.
L.A. is still winless since the front office’s decision to acquire James Harden – and the players involved seem to be growing tired of the nonstop defeats.
Kawhi Leonard, specifically, melted down during the Memphis loss.
Things reached a boiling point in the third quarter of the game, when all of the frustration bubbling within Leonard from the past few days finally came out.
“Leonard is growing increasingly frustrated out there and took a while to come back to the bench following the timeout,” NBA insider Justin Russo noted.
“Leonard and Ivica Zubac had an interaction on the floor and then on the bench, both pointing to places.”
The incident was serious enough that even Paul George felt the need to address it after the game.
“That goes with anything, that’s nothing to look into,” he said.
“We should be frustrated. We’re not winning games and we’re trying to figure out, and at times. We’re all brothers in this locker room, and at times a message has to be delivered and we got to figure out how to get over the hump.
“So, that’s all it is. That’s healthy. That incident is healthy for us. I wouldn’t look too much into that.”
While George’s positively is great, the fact remains that Harden has been terrible with the Clippers. With him on the bench, the team is +24. When he plays? An eye-popping -67. That is less than ideal.
Even head coach Ty Lue acknowledges that something must change. He has already publicly called Harden out for being out of shape.
Leonard, meanwhile, has made his opinion on the Harden acquisition clear.
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Obviously the season is still young and things can change on a dime. But at the moment, Harden has been a disaster.
Will Leonard, Harden and the Clippers find a way to co-exist and actually win some games as the season chugs along? Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
