Buh Bye, Kawhi...
The moment finally came. Kawhi Leonard is no longer with the Toronto Raptors. He will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he'll be joined by the proverbial "second star" in Paul George, following a massive trade from the OKC Thunder.
Even though I had been bracing myself for Kawhi's possible departure for weeks (really, ever since we captured the title last month), the actual news of it still shook me.
This happened just about 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon my time, so 2 a.m. Saturday EST and 11 p.m. Friday in LA.
I was at a local library with the family. Nice and quiet, air conditioned with the temperature outside reaching above 36C. I was just reading some stuff on the Blue Jays when I got the ESPN alert.
My first reaction: "Okay, finally."
Next: "Well, at least he's not going to the Lakers."
Next: "Oh crap. What the hell are we going to do next season?"
And on and on.
I was kind of dozing off and the news jolted me awake. Then I spent the next two hours scrambling to find more details as they emerged, all the while trying to read to my daughter. I was a very distracted father.
I also felt bad for those NBA writers on the east coast, particularly in Toronto, having to work at that hour. Maybe a few of them were out having some adult beverages?
Anyway, this is my first entry since we won the championship. A few weeks have passed. A lot has happened across the NBA, but other than Marc Gasol exercising his player option to stick around for one more year, we hadn't done much in the way of acquiring pieces via trade or free agency.
Of course, we were all waiting to see what Kawhi was going to do as a free agent. Was he going to come back for a shot at defending the title with the same core? Was he going to leave for Los Angeles (Clippers? Lakers?) to be closer to home?
Some may say this was inevitable, that Kawhi was always going to leave us for greener pastures of Los Angeles, though that, to me, is just speaking with the benefit of hindsight. I am not one of those NBA "insiders" (though even those guys probably didn't have any idea where Kawhi was headed until the last minute) but I still think we stood a pretty good chance of retaining him, for whatever the duration of a contract he was willing to sign with us.
I was somewhat relieved that Kawhi finally made his decision. I wasn't really following all those rumors closely because it was mostly ex-players and "insiders" who get paid to talk running their mouths. My mindset was, I'll believe it when I see it, and it will happen when it happens. I didn't get excited just because Jalen Rose said there was a 99 percent chance that Kawhi was staying, or disappointed just because Kendrick Perkins said Kawhi was joining the Lakers.
Now that it has finally happened, losing Kawhi hurts on so many levels. Here's how I see it. It's like having a great girlfriend for a year. Let's say I just had the greatest time with her. But along the way, in the back of my mind, I kinda/sorta knew there was a chance she would dump me a year later so she could move closer to home. And it finally happened and she moved to another city to hook up with another guy. But that doesn't take away the awesome year I've had with her, and I am still grateful for what she meant to me. So I have no hard feelings and I want her to be happy.
(No, I am not speaking from experience... I think...)
So Kawhi's tenure in Toronto lasted but one season, but man, what a season it was. No doubt the best one of the franchise history, engineered by the singular best talent the team has ever had. For one unforgettable season, and particularly during the playoffs, Kawhi meant everything to our Raptors fans.
I can't speak for all the fans, but I am grateful for what Kawhi did for my team and I don't hold any grudges that he left for the Clippers.
(It would have crushed me more if Kawhi had signed with the Lakers, but more on that later.)
Pro sports are all business. Kawhi was a free agent and he had all the rights in the world to go wherever he pleased. Plus, having delivered that championship, Kawhi didn't owe anybody in Toronto anything. He did what Masai acquired him to do, and maybe even more. I don't know if a lot of people could confidently predict at this time last year that Kawhi would take the Raptors to the championship and galvanize the entire nation during the memorable playoff run.
For all that talk about the Lakers being in the mix, I didn't think Kawhi was going to go play second or third fiddle alongside Bron and AD. As quiet and introverted as he may be, Kawhi is still an alpha dog, I think. He won't want to take a backseat to anyone on his team. He's already proven he can elevate a team to a championship. He had nothing to gain by joining Bron and Davis for that "super team." If anything, he would only have been derided for that move (like KD was when he jumped ship to sign with the Warriors a couple years back), though the major difference was that KD was chasing a ring and Kawhi already has two (and two Finals MVP awards).
Plus, basketball-wise, I didn't think the Lakers made a lot of sense. Beyond LeBron and AD, there wasn't that much depth on the team. Barely enough bodies to put together a full NBA roster. The Clippers, as long as they could add another superstar/All-Star piece, had far more promise on the court.
I thought we had a strong chance of bringing Kawhi back because 1) it was mostly those entitled, insufferable Lakers fans with their false hopes talking BS and thinking something like, "C'mon, we're the freaking Lakers. Kawhi shouldn't even bother talking to other teams!" and 2) the Clippers didn't have any star left on the market that they could sign to pair with Kawhi.
KD was gone. Kyrie (though he was never coming to the Clippers anyway) was signed. All the other free agent stars were snatched up and some big pieces already got dealt. Never once did I imagine PG 13, who'd signed a four-year extension to stay with Russ and OKC in 2018, would request a trade.
Well, I suppose Kawhi and PG are really tight, or that Kawhi did a great sales job to convince Paul to meet him in LA.
So PG 13 dumped Russ for Kawhi, Pat Bev, Lou and Co.
The Clippers sent SGA (Canadian kid!) and Gallo and a whole bunch of picks. I, for one, am all for trading picks to get proven talent. Drafts are crapshoots anyway, and it's hard enough to end up with NBA-ready talent unless you're picking high.
And why the hell not, if you're the Clippers. Kawhi and PG are two of the best two-way players in the NBA. George is coming off his best season, in which he finished 3rd in the MVP voting and made both the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, while setting career highs in scoring average, rebounds and steals. He's 29, a year older than Kawhi, and both are in their prime years.
What more can I say about Kawhi? George is better than any teammate Kawhi had in Toronto, and the surrounding pieces are pretty solid, too. I can totally understand if Kawhi got tired of having to carry the load on a Raptors team and he decided he wanted a more established side kick
It's just that the playoff path in the West is going to be insanely tough.
With healthy Bron and AD, the Lakers, with or without supporting case, will be a force. I like what the Jazz did in the offseason to get Conley, Bogdanovic and Ed Davis, among other pieces. The Nuggets are going to be good after some playoff experience this year. No team with Steph and Draymond Green is ever out of it. The Rockets still have Harden. Etc, etc.
But back to my Raptors...
It's going to be weird to raise the banner and hand out the rings at the start of next season without the best player from that championship run. We're supposed to visit the parliament in Ottawa (instead of the White House) during the offseason for photo-ops with the prime minister, but I suppose the Finals MVP won't be there.
Oh, by the way, we've also lost Danny Green, to the Lakers, no less. But kinda like when Green got traded to the Raptors last year, people will forget that Green's signing with the Lakers ever happened and they will only realize that once the new season starts. "Wait, why is that guy in the Lakers uniform??"
As for where the Raptors will go from here, without 2/5 of the starting lineup from the championship team, well, that's for another day. I won't put it past Masai to do something pretty insanely creative later this summer.
For me, now is the time to celebrate Kawhi's accomplishment in his one season with the Raptors and wish him all the best.
The NBA schedule won't be out until August. Obviously, the Clippers' visit to Toronto will be appointment viewing. (They play us in Toronto once a year, I think.) I don't want to hear any boos when Kawhi returns. Some people may still boo him but hopefully it'll be drowned out by cheers.
The Fun Guy deserves that.
Even though I had been bracing myself for Kawhi's possible departure for weeks (really, ever since we captured the title last month), the actual news of it still shook me.
This happened just about 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon my time, so 2 a.m. Saturday EST and 11 p.m. Friday in LA.
I was at a local library with the family. Nice and quiet, air conditioned with the temperature outside reaching above 36C. I was just reading some stuff on the Blue Jays when I got the ESPN alert.
My first reaction: "Okay, finally."
Next: "Well, at least he's not going to the Lakers."
Next: "Oh crap. What the hell are we going to do next season?"
And on and on.
I was kind of dozing off and the news jolted me awake. Then I spent the next two hours scrambling to find more details as they emerged, all the while trying to read to my daughter. I was a very distracted father.
I also felt bad for those NBA writers on the east coast, particularly in Toronto, having to work at that hour. Maybe a few of them were out having some adult beverages?
Anyway, this is my first entry since we won the championship. A few weeks have passed. A lot has happened across the NBA, but other than Marc Gasol exercising his player option to stick around for one more year, we hadn't done much in the way of acquiring pieces via trade or free agency.
Of course, we were all waiting to see what Kawhi was going to do as a free agent. Was he going to come back for a shot at defending the title with the same core? Was he going to leave for Los Angeles (Clippers? Lakers?) to be closer to home?
Some may say this was inevitable, that Kawhi was always going to leave us for greener pastures of Los Angeles, though that, to me, is just speaking with the benefit of hindsight. I am not one of those NBA "insiders" (though even those guys probably didn't have any idea where Kawhi was headed until the last minute) but I still think we stood a pretty good chance of retaining him, for whatever the duration of a contract he was willing to sign with us.
I was somewhat relieved that Kawhi finally made his decision. I wasn't really following all those rumors closely because it was mostly ex-players and "insiders" who get paid to talk running their mouths. My mindset was, I'll believe it when I see it, and it will happen when it happens. I didn't get excited just because Jalen Rose said there was a 99 percent chance that Kawhi was staying, or disappointed just because Kendrick Perkins said Kawhi was joining the Lakers.
Now that it has finally happened, losing Kawhi hurts on so many levels. Here's how I see it. It's like having a great girlfriend for a year. Let's say I just had the greatest time with her. But along the way, in the back of my mind, I kinda/sorta knew there was a chance she would dump me a year later so she could move closer to home. And it finally happened and she moved to another city to hook up with another guy. But that doesn't take away the awesome year I've had with her, and I am still grateful for what she meant to me. So I have no hard feelings and I want her to be happy.
(No, I am not speaking from experience... I think...)
So Kawhi's tenure in Toronto lasted but one season, but man, what a season it was. No doubt the best one of the franchise history, engineered by the singular best talent the team has ever had. For one unforgettable season, and particularly during the playoffs, Kawhi meant everything to our Raptors fans.
I can't speak for all the fans, but I am grateful for what Kawhi did for my team and I don't hold any grudges that he left for the Clippers.
(It would have crushed me more if Kawhi had signed with the Lakers, but more on that later.)
Pro sports are all business. Kawhi was a free agent and he had all the rights in the world to go wherever he pleased. Plus, having delivered that championship, Kawhi didn't owe anybody in Toronto anything. He did what Masai acquired him to do, and maybe even more. I don't know if a lot of people could confidently predict at this time last year that Kawhi would take the Raptors to the championship and galvanize the entire nation during the memorable playoff run.
For all that talk about the Lakers being in the mix, I didn't think Kawhi was going to go play second or third fiddle alongside Bron and AD. As quiet and introverted as he may be, Kawhi is still an alpha dog, I think. He won't want to take a backseat to anyone on his team. He's already proven he can elevate a team to a championship. He had nothing to gain by joining Bron and Davis for that "super team." If anything, he would only have been derided for that move (like KD was when he jumped ship to sign with the Warriors a couple years back), though the major difference was that KD was chasing a ring and Kawhi already has two (and two Finals MVP awards).
Plus, basketball-wise, I didn't think the Lakers made a lot of sense. Beyond LeBron and AD, there wasn't that much depth on the team. Barely enough bodies to put together a full NBA roster. The Clippers, as long as they could add another superstar/All-Star piece, had far more promise on the court.
I thought we had a strong chance of bringing Kawhi back because 1) it was mostly those entitled, insufferable Lakers fans with their false hopes talking BS and thinking something like, "C'mon, we're the freaking Lakers. Kawhi shouldn't even bother talking to other teams!" and 2) the Clippers didn't have any star left on the market that they could sign to pair with Kawhi.
KD was gone. Kyrie (though he was never coming to the Clippers anyway) was signed. All the other free agent stars were snatched up and some big pieces already got dealt. Never once did I imagine PG 13, who'd signed a four-year extension to stay with Russ and OKC in 2018, would request a trade.
Well, I suppose Kawhi and PG are really tight, or that Kawhi did a great sales job to convince Paul to meet him in LA.
So PG 13 dumped Russ for Kawhi, Pat Bev, Lou and Co.
The Clippers sent SGA (Canadian kid!) and Gallo and a whole bunch of picks. I, for one, am all for trading picks to get proven talent. Drafts are crapshoots anyway, and it's hard enough to end up with NBA-ready talent unless you're picking high.
And why the hell not, if you're the Clippers. Kawhi and PG are two of the best two-way players in the NBA. George is coming off his best season, in which he finished 3rd in the MVP voting and made both the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, while setting career highs in scoring average, rebounds and steals. He's 29, a year older than Kawhi, and both are in their prime years.
What more can I say about Kawhi? George is better than any teammate Kawhi had in Toronto, and the surrounding pieces are pretty solid, too. I can totally understand if Kawhi got tired of having to carry the load on a Raptors team and he decided he wanted a more established side kick
It's just that the playoff path in the West is going to be insanely tough.
With healthy Bron and AD, the Lakers, with or without supporting case, will be a force. I like what the Jazz did in the offseason to get Conley, Bogdanovic and Ed Davis, among other pieces. The Nuggets are going to be good after some playoff experience this year. No team with Steph and Draymond Green is ever out of it. The Rockets still have Harden. Etc, etc.
But back to my Raptors...
It's going to be weird to raise the banner and hand out the rings at the start of next season without the best player from that championship run. We're supposed to visit the parliament in Ottawa (instead of the White House) during the offseason for photo-ops with the prime minister, but I suppose the Finals MVP won't be there.
Oh, by the way, we've also lost Danny Green, to the Lakers, no less. But kinda like when Green got traded to the Raptors last year, people will forget that Green's signing with the Lakers ever happened and they will only realize that once the new season starts. "Wait, why is that guy in the Lakers uniform??"
As for where the Raptors will go from here, without 2/5 of the starting lineup from the championship team, well, that's for another day. I won't put it past Masai to do something pretty insanely creative later this summer.
For me, now is the time to celebrate Kawhi's accomplishment in his one season with the Raptors and wish him all the best.
The NBA schedule won't be out until August. Obviously, the Clippers' visit to Toronto will be appointment viewing. (They play us in Toronto once a year, I think.) I don't want to hear any boos when Kawhi returns. Some people may still boo him but hopefully it'll be drowned out by cheers.
The Fun Guy deserves that.
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