Ty Lue’s Blunt Message To Kawhi Leonard About Next Clippers Season
Ty Lue’s Blunt Message To Kawhi Leonard About Next Clippers Season
The Los Angeles Clippers have been a massive disappointment throughout the entirety of the Kawhi Leonard Era.
When Leonard first arrived in L.A., the hope was that he would be able to bring his trademark championship pedigree to an organization that desperately needed it.
Maybe he would win another title, maybe he wouldn’t – but at least the Clippers would be respectable.
In the years since, the organization has proven to be one of the league’s biggest disappointments. Leonard, specifically, has been unable to stay healthy with any sort of consistency.
And while he is still something of an unintentionally funny and kooky personality, as evidenced by his recent wardrobe choice to a teammate’s wedding, his underwhelming on-the-court impact is beginning to get difficult to ignore.
Last season the hope was that the team could rest him throughout the regular season and have him healthy for the playoffs. He ended playing sparingly in the regular season, as planned – but then got hurt almost immediately after the playoffs commenced.
This week Clippers head coach Ty Lue appeared on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast and gave his thoughts on the concept of ‘Load Management’ as it pertains to his team’s biggest stars.
As far as Lue is concerned, Leonard and Paul George need to get healthy and participate in the NBA’s regular season just like everyone else.
“But one thing I told Kawhi and PG this summer: we do gotta approach the regular season a different way… like let’s be serious about it… ‘Cause it matters,” he said.
“Who you get matched up with. Having home-court advantage. Not fighting the last 10 games of the season so we won’t be in the Play-In [Tournament]. So now you can get rest… So, they both understood that as well.”
Lue’s more stern approach as it pertains to the regular season stems from how challenging the last few years have been.
“It’s been tough,” Lue said. “It’s been frustrating… because we feel like we have the potential to win a championship. We have all the pieces. All the right pieces. And we have two great stars… two-way players but not a headache… you can go to those guys and ask them to do anything, and they’ll do it.”
The Clippers had their fair share of locker room drama last year. Leonard, specifically, was responsible for a decent chunk of it.
That’s one way to dress to Chiefs training camp. https://t.co/g9RcZWss3W
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 29, 2023
Next season things need to change.
L.A. needs to step up and start living up to some of the promise that, on paper, the roster possesses.
Will 2023-24 mark the year Lue can get Leonard and George on the same page? Will it mark the year the Clippers finally challenge for that ever-elusive NBA title? 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.
