Shots fired! Gregg Popovich doesn’t look like he’s gotten over Kawhi Leonard wanting out of San Antonio. Prior to the Spurs game against the Bucks on Saturday, Popovich was asked by the media how important Patty Mills’ leadership has been since the retirement of Manu Ginobili and trade of Kawhi Leonard. Classic Popovich did not hold back.
“Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn’t a leader or anything,” Popovich told reporters of Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. “Manu and Patty were the leaders. Kawhi’s talent will always be missed, but that leadership wasn’t his deal at that time. That may come as he progresses, but Manu and Patty filled that role last year, and LaMarcus [Aldridge] came a long way in that regard also.”
Popovich did later clarify and say that Kawhi was never a bad teammate but this was awesome. Screw Kawhi. Who would want him? Have you seen him laugh? Imagine what the guy is like in the locker room. I couldn’t imagine watching a scary movie with Kawhi. I would be worried that he was going to cut me. Did anyone else have their ears bleed after listening to this? There’s no way anyone with this laugh could be a leader except for some kind of cult leader.
The sad thing for Pop is that he made a terrible trade and got stuck with a cancer. The Spurs dealt Kawhi along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first round pick. DeRozan has played well with the Spurs but the floor spacing has been terrible with no three-point shooting threats. It’s still way too early to think about playoff implications but it’s clear that the Spurs aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon. Even with Gregg Popovich who is considered one of the best coaches in the sport.
