Dear Kawhi, Just Stay with the Clippers

So if the reports are true, that the Clippers arranged to pay Kawhi an extra $40mil(!) - another salary basically - even though he didn't have to do jackshit to earn that money, then I have two questions.  Number one, why would a player want to walk away from a sweet situation like that?  And number two, after making such an investment, why would the organization want him to go?

If or when punishments are handed down, I hope the NBA isn't too hard on Kawhi, in terms of like suspending him and shit.  Funny how you don't hear the NBPA releasing statements related to this case.  Maybe in circumventing his salary or whatever, Leonard gypped them out of a cut.

Also at this point, what I'm actually hoping is that he just stays with the Clippers.  That'll teach him a lesson.  And I mean, if the goal is parity, trading Kawhi and in the process making the Raptors really good while LAC gets even worse isn't the way to achieve it.

Of course, I can't see the future.  But what the Clippers are trying to do, in terms of roster construction, is kinda weird.  This is the curse of being too bad to be good yet too good to be bad.

Instead of fruitlessly trying to compete without Kawhi, they might as well go full rebuild and hope for the best.  Meanwhile, if they are forced to keep him, I mean the offseason is practically over.  But if Ballmer and co. still have money to spend, might as well go after DeRozan and Kuminga, i.e. the two best noncommitted free agents left.  And if the Clippers are reluctant to acquire them because of tax concerns, I mean obviously they know how to quote/unquote 'handle' those types of situations.

If Kawhi is eventually forced to stick around, then might as well put him in the best situation possible to win.  And you never know.  A full season with him as the undisputed alpha may pay off better than those failed superteam experiments of the last few years.

THE INDECISIONS

I don't know if it's just me, but starting with that whole Lebron fiasco, it feels like dudes are intentionally taking longer to make their decisions, deadass exercising their patience.  In the meantime, I can't write my predictions or rate the offseason because first of all, if DeRozan does land on a contender, chances are he's going to make a major impact.  And now that I think about it, it kinda surprises me that the Pistons haven't gotten in the conversation, but they seem to actually prefer chasing C-listers and shit.

I used to be really big Jonathan Kuminga, someone I viewed as having been underappreciated by the Warriors.  Now looking back, there's absolutely no reason Golden State shouldn't have kept him, because they need all the quality help they can get, and he's definitely better than any of the other non-star currently on their roster.

Also, it looks like a situation whereas Kuminga may never perform as well as he did on the team that drafted him.  Sometimes, it's like that.  A team needs a certain player just as much as a certain player needs a particular team.  Jonathan may not have been the future of the Warriors in and of himself, but then again, neither is Draymond, who just scored a major loyalty contract.  Oh well.  The current GSW braintrust may undervalue youth, but at least they treat a couple of proven dudes they drafted over a decade ago really well.

If Bradley Beal ends up on the Celtics or Heat and is actually healthy type shit, he'll also make a difference.  But I'm having a hard time picturing both him and PG13 on the floor at the same time, trying to play defense.  The best defense is a good offense?

THE FOOLISH KING

And then there's the ScapeGOAT who, I mean idk what else to say.  Lebron is about get paid, what, $9mil, while the Beard, a lesser player all things considered, is prolly going to end up with another $100mil-ish contract.

Westbrook, who stat-wise is better than 90% of the players in the NBA, doesn't have a contract.  Meanwhile his former partner in crime, KD, demands a max salary, even though he never accomplished anything Russ hasn't besides excelling on a team that was already poised to win without him.

But I'm not trying to minimize KD's accomplishments, because it's not like a superstar joining a contender always works.  And the results may not have been the same for the Warriors if, say, they had gotten Westbrook instead of Durant.  So I figure that Russ must really be that difficult to control, like they say, to have fallen off like this.

In the past, I was sorta like it's the coaching staffs' fault for not being able to reign him in.  But now, I sympathize with anyone who may be stuck with a subordinate - so to speak - who's an A-hole, if that is in fact the case.  But I don't necessarily believe that.  I believe that the ScapeGOAT may actually be too complete of a player, in and of himself, to play 5-on-5 basketball. 

But that said, the Kings are just about as ass-backwards as an organization can be.  For instance, even if it was the Bulls who gave LaVine that ridiculous contract, why would you be dumb enough to pick it up?  That shit was questionable from the time it was signed.  And if you don't believe me, dig through this blog and find what I postulated back then, that basically, Chicago gave Zach all of that money moreso for his marketability than productivity per se.  Meanwhile, those types of Haliburton gambles don't always pay off

Also, when have you ever heard of an organization putting their "future" in the hands of a rookie PG, who has yet to play an NBA game, that was drafted all the way down at #5?  I mean I'm not sleeping on dude, but come on.  Have we learned nothing from the faith put in the likes of Telfair and Scoot?  What about Fultz?  C'mon, dudes.

Again, I'm not sleeping of Darius Acuff. But I mean yeah, generally speaking, I can't say off the top of my head I ever seen the media bigup a #5 pick like this, regardless of position.  That's how bad everyone wants Sacramento to finally take a step forward or at least look like they know what they're doing.

SMH @ Toronto Raptors

There's this article recently posted on MTO News titled "James Harden Paid Gang Member to Extort Adrian Broner".  MediaTakeOut is this gossipy, psuedo-journalism site, replete with intentionally-misleading headlines, that seems to get most of its information from social media.  They often write in a way which gives the impression that they're afraid of potentially facing a lawsuit.  For instance, their articles regularly feature misspelled words, poor editing or are sometimes downright confusing.

So as far as I can gather, the above post doesn't contain any actual reports or allegations pointing to Harden having extorted Broner (besides the headline).  Rather, it focuses on this idea that all celebrities who venture into a certain part of Los Angeles are extorted by gangbangers who demand "protection" money.

And on that note, let me chime something that I find pretty interesting.  Law enforcement is ubiquitous in the United States, besides citizens being under ever-increasing levels of surveillance, and that's especially true in big cities like Los Angeles.  Yet somehow, street gangs are able to perpetuate and proliferate.  But I guess that's a discussion for another blog.

SLICING THE NBA PIE

The reason I'm bringing that whole story up is because, reading that article had me once again thinking that there's there's no way these NBA players are making as much money as their contracts stipulate.  In other words, besides gangsters, there a whole bunch of other unsavory characters, if you will, that making millions of dollars attract.  And I would further speculate that the cut of some of those characters, i.e. the more formalized payments, are actually written into the contracts.

A quick Google search reveals that NBA players, on average, actually take home about 50% of their salary.  This is after taxes of course, besides paying "NBA escrow fees", agents and a "jock tax", whatever TF that is.

As far as those escrow fees go, if I'm reading correctly, it's a 10% cut that the league takes to ensure that the owners also profit or whatever, and players may get some of it back (tho refunds aren't common).  But that said, considering that, according to Google, a superstar's contract usually averages about 50 pages(!), then yeah, I think other parties may be written in there someway somehow, even if under those aforementioned categories.

"GENERATIONAL WEALTH"

These days, you hear the media talking alot about "generational wealth" in relation to NBA players, and they imply that, in order to pass down earnings to future generations, you have to make something like $100mil.  That's bullshit.

To most people in the world, even a million dollars - or perhaps even as low as 100k - may be considered "generational wealth", because ultimately, when you find yourself with surplus, it's not about how much extra you have but how you use it.  If you look at some of the greatest tycoons in American history, i.e. those who have built up "generational wealth", many, if not most of them, started from nothing.  They began as lackeys of the same companies or industries that they later went on to dominate.

And that's why some dudes can even make $100mil+ over their career and still end up broke.  Dudes on vet min. contracts are making "generational wealth", so long as they don't blow it on frivolous shit which, all things considered, they probably will.

KAWHI & BALLMER'S "ASPIRATIONS"

Or another way of looking at it is that virtually all money in the NBA is big money.  And all of this yappng is ultimately bringing us to Kawhi Leonard.

If I'm reading these allegations correctly, besides the gazillion dollars he's already making through his standard contract, the Clippers paid him roughly $30mil extra(!) through an endorsement deal with a third party (Aspiration) even though, according to said deal, Kawhi doesn't actually have to endorse anything.  If true, that's a pretty clever way to get extra funds to a player.  And again, Steve Ballmer is one of the greatest businessmen of 21st century America.  So you have to believe he's getting a cut of that $30mil also, besides perhaps other parties.

And then, in comes the Raptors.  If Phoenix was the surprise team of the West, then Toronto was that of the East.  This franchise is like a dumping ground for players the Knicks no longer want, and like they never, ever ever ever score an A-list free agent signing.  Yet and still, they were able to take the Cavs to seven games and, imo, even tho they lost were the better or at least more promising team.

This organization, despite its territorial shortcomings, is known to overachieve from time to time.  And that's why I said, at the conclusion of last season, they were just a player away from being contenders.  I was thinking more along the lines of a formidable big, but if you need a quality C yet can't score one, Kawhi is definitely the next option.  And that's not the mention the established history he already has with the Raptors.

But the reason I'm shaking my head is because, how long has this Aspiration shit been going on now?  But you see that as soon as the offseason transaction period began, the Clippers and Raptors tried to strike that deal quick quick quick.

What they didn't realize, or perhaps what they were trying to circumvent is that Silver and co. are really clamping down, the way I see it, on players' earnings.  That's what all this "tax apron" shit is leading to, in clearly visible terms, not contenders having trim down as much as players being paid less.  And in terms of all of this Aspiration stuff, i.e. organizations finding ways to pay players formally yet off-the-books at the same time, there's probably going to be a lot more of that going on now that dudes are systematically being paid less than their worth.  Previously, I was one of those people who viewed NBA players as being overpaid.  But now, knowing they only take home half of their salaries, I understand better.

So more specifically, the reason all of this funny - in a dark humor kinda way - is because the Raptors, all things considered, took sort of an unethical action.  It appears that they thought they could take Kawhi - shadiness and all - without having to face any of the consequences themselves.

Upon realizing that they would have to, they put the deal on hold, perhaps indefinitely, considering that the league is refusing to release a definitive timeline for the end of their investigation.  That's not necessarily the bad part because no, you shouldn't pay for any wrongdoing you weren't directly a part of(?).

But what does suck is that somehow, this whole drama has led to Toronto doing jackshit this entire offseason.  That isn't ideal, since they didn't even get past the First Round, while some of their competitors have upgraded.  So yeah, it does kinda look like they tried to beat the system but are slated to take a loss instead.

CONCLUSION

If things continue as is and if they league doesn't punish them too hard, this may actually good news for the Clippers, you know, keeping Leonard.  And that's another reason why they look guilty because, looking at their roster without Kawhi, like why would they trade away the only established star on the team, i.e. their clearly-best player?  Not only would this iteration of the Clippers likely suck (even more) without Kawhi but furthermore, it'd be really difficult for them to get national TV time (i.e. sell tickets) with this cast.  It looks sorta like a sell-fast-because-the-product-is-defective type of the scenario, with the buyer also trying to take advantage of that fact.

Parity Achieved?

Incepting is a fine art.  On one hand, you want to subtlety influence thoughts.  But in doing so, there's the high possibility of what's being relayed not being understood in full or stretched.

Let me give you an idea of what I mean.  I was the first writer, at least that I know of, who was like wait a minute, the Lakers did not have an "A+" offseason.  Right after that post, I noticed the mainstream media began embracing that idea.  But I wasn't like criticizing LAL's roster per se.

Walker Kessler, as it currently stands, is far from an "A-list center", at least in terms of production (tho he's now like a celebrity).  But at least he holds more promise for the franchise than Ayton did.

Or let me say if I were dissing anybody, it wasn't Luka or Kessler or Reaves but rather the braintrust.  Dudes have been striking out for years now.  And even in my last post, when I implied that Doncic is in a worse position (in terms of potentially winning championship) now than he was with the Mavs, let me point out that offensively, he's by far the most-versatile PG in the league.  So the logic would sorta be that yeah, go out there and get him the best 5 you can afford and then fill out the middle, sorta like the Knicks have done, since wings are more or less in abundance these days.

I'm sure I even said this before, that one of the many major mistakes the Lakers have made of late was last year, they should have traded Lebron, not AD, for Luka.  They're fucked up because now, the mythic Lakers' mystique that made the best of the best want to play for the franchise is no longer there.

Being LAL, you're not even supposed to be out there chasing centers type shit.  They rather should want to play for you.  And Wemby just signed like a five-year extension, I'm pretty sure fully guaranteed, so who knows when or if Los Angeles will get the best C in the NBA again.

This is something else I noticed recently.  I was the first writer, at least that I know of, who was like yeah, if Lebron wants to win a championship with one of the teams on his shortlist, the Sixers are the best option.  Then, the mainstream picked up on that also.  Prior to making that statement, they were just as much, if not moreso, advocating the likes of the Nuggets, Heat or Cavs in terms of LBJ bringing home another trophy.

Then when he finally made his decision, I was like, big fun but still, not a guaranteed championship.  After posting that, now the mainstream is questioning 'his fit' in Philly.  But prior to making that statement, it seemed that they were all for it and super excited.

So this is what I wanted to clarify.  Embiid, not Lebron, is the x-factor.  There is one thing I've been saying for like five years straight that the mainstream media never reiterated, sometimes I believe because they're too afraid or perhaps are disallowed from doing so.  LBJ absolutely sucks on defense.  He's an alltime great defensively, you know, when you go back to earlier in the century.  But now, relatively speaking, he's old AF.

They say that, when NBA players start to age, the first thing to go is their athleticism.  But with some players, except those who are really locked in on that end (like Draymond), the first thing to go is rather their defensive awareness.  Go and look at some of Kareem's games later in his career.

I spoke of this many times before, based on my own experiences and observations.  Once dudes start circling 40, you can't really count on them to play defense anymore, nor can you chastise them for not doing so, because you know, they're like elders and shit.

EASTERN TEAMS THAT CAN DEFEAT PHILLY

So the way I see it, there are currently two, maybe three teams (if the Raptors actually get Kawhi) in the East than can defeat Philly, even if the Sixers are at full strength.  First is the Knicks, and I say that with a grain of salt, because losing Mitchell Robinson was indeed a big loss.

You'll notice that the two teams that made the Finals last season, neither was dealing with major injuries.  So here's to hoping that NYK lucks out like that again.

In 2025, when Robinson was injured during the postseason, NYK got upset by the Pacers.  I don't know much about 'the dreaded second apron' and shit like that.  But maybe in this case, you know, after just winning a historic championship, Dolan shoulda just bit the bullet.

The Knicks entered the last couple of seasons with the most all-around talented starting lineup in the NBA, even moreso than OKC.  But now, presuming that Lebron will start and also with the addition of Brown, Philly is more talented offensively.

And here's further testament to just how great James is.  He's made the world more or less forget that, oh shit, Giannis just teamed up with Adebayo, instantly giving the Heat the most potent twin towers in the league and arguably even of the last 40 years, since Olajuwon teamed up with Samson.  Off the top of my head, there's only like three other teams I can think of, maybe four, that currently have viable twin towers.  But unlike the rest, Miami has two 7-footers who are basically wings.

Some years back, I predicted that the NBA will eventually get to the point where you have teams with like five Giannises, you know, like five Garnetts type shit.  The Heat right now are closest to fulfilling that prophecy.  And let's not forget that they have more of a winning culture than the Knicks or Sixers.  Old ass Pat Riley, who deadass coached the Showtime Lakers, is still in the game calling shots.  And they're one of the top three organizations not only in developing talent but getting it to mesh.

THE VALUE OF A GLUE GUY

And let's not forget the Cavs also.  They've been getting dogged a lot of late, and no one really believes in them, understandably so, since they've been one of the deepest teams for like three seasons now but never really achieved shit as a unit.  But that said, finally making to the ECF, they have experienced progress.  And despite losing Dean Wade and perhaps one or two peripheral dudes, it's not like these guys are scrubs.  They have two lock future HOFs, one in his prime - and potentially a third also.

What Cleveland needs is a glue guy at the 3 who can make all of these pieces click which, all things considered, is a formidable task.  And that's an interesting observation, because how many years now have the Cavs needed that 3?  But instead, they're out there trading for PGs and shit.

People sleep on the likes on Josh Hart (and Draymond).  He may never put up the type of stats that rationalize a max contract, but trust me, it's unlikely NYK would have won that championship without him.

When a team is overtalented yet not necessarily compatible, you usually need someone who can make it all click.  If the Cavs had Hart, they could win a championship.

Back when Lebron teamed up with D-Wade and Bosh, that player was Mario Chalmers, who never got his flowers.  When Shaq played with Kobe, the Lakers had a number of glue guys.  But those types that can actually facilitate championships, they're rare, perhaps because they don't get ample love.

You have a better chance making a name for yourself as a chuck than someone willing to sacrifice.  So besides Hart and Green, currently I can't even think of anyone else who Cleveland can slot in there to desired effect.  That's how awkward - for lack of a better word - their starting lineup is.

PARITY ACHIEVED?

Whether or not parity has already been achieved depends on your definition of the word, whether it means everyone being in the middle, or rather everyone potential champions.  We're about to enter a season, for the first time ever that I can think of, with like 10 contenders - at least three in the West (don't sleep on the Rockets) and perhaps even six or seven in the East (don't sleep on the Wizards either).  This should be interesting, you know, if the U.S. doesn't bake and become too hot to even play basketball inside.

AMENDMENT (27 JULY)

In terms of mentioning the best twin towers of the last 40 years, I forget to shoutout Duncan + Robinson.