Rob Parker - Kawhi Leonard is a Non-Factor You Can't Count On

Kawhi Leonard is fine, I said it before, I'll say it again, the average timeout was a torn ACL. Rob is between 8 and 12 months old. Kawhi Leonard is now 15 months post ACL surgery and they are playing his fifth game right now. he played two and Rob didn't play the last game it wasn't consecutive he won't play this game it wasn't consecutive so even when he played against Rob, I mean, Kawhi only plays 42 minutes all year, so what? Did you do it with this? I mean, it's a little disconcerting to be honest. I think Kawaii Chris has become a non-

factor

, something you can't

count

on when he came to Los Angeles.

Chris, people were talking about him how he was the best player in the league at that level if they had won that bubble championship that the Lakers won and added the best team, everyone now the guy chose the Clippers that year Chris, you remember it well because then that would have been Kawhi with three championships and winning consecutively in franchises that had never won anything, our friend Colin Cowherd Rob, which seemed crazy to me no matter how much I liked it. Kawhi was saying he could be one of the five greatest players of all time, but that, but they had won that champion, but that's where he was on Christmas, no, I know, I'm just saying, but, but, where was he as far as at the statue level and stature in the league, people are like Kawaii is the guy, are you kidding me, what can he do? moment of truth what and now we don't know what he's playing it's always oh no oh Kawaii uh well everything when you mention Kawhi now Chris is if he stays healthy that's his name now if he stays healthy that's his name Kawaii is his second first name first name and Leonard is his last name if Kawhi Leonard stays healthy that's where we are.

It's amazing to me how someone has fallen and I don't blame them Chris, if you get hurt you're injured right, we don't blame people. from getting injured, but man, this has derailed his career, this has been demoted to where we thought of him, it's going to be hard to think of him at that level again because he's a part-time player, maybe he could've, should've, should've been the kind of player not now, he is and now. Look, he officially made the team's top 75, which I think was legit, he should have done it and he'll be a Hall of Famer, but I think you're saying that in the future, at least at this point, he might know that We'll see if he starts playing regularly, but did Rick Bucher ever mention this in the last hour?

Rob Willie, it may be on the table that Kawhi Leonard will never be what he used to be, that's very much on the table and Rob, look, listen to this in Toronto. It's since he left San Antonio and I remember San Antonio only played nine games last year in Toronto. Rob only played 60 that year. Remember that yes, he managed the entire season and then he led it to the championship and then he goes to the Clippers. Ride plays 57 games and that was the lockout year. His first year there he played 57 games. I don't know how many exactly the Clippers played, but you know that was the year they all, yes, played. 72. and he played 57, so that's not terrible, but the next year Robbie played 52 of 82. then he missed the entire season last year and now he's played two of five, this is what I'm going to say and this is what I want your opinion. about Rob, I do Tai Lou now.

I don't know if he's protecting Kawhi or if this is the truth, but he said Kawhi wants to play. He even went as far as to say, look, he can be mad at us all he wants, but we are. do what's best for him and the team, so that's what Ty Lewis says, but I really think Rob says the Clippers and Kawhi have this just like he did in the first game against the Lakers, but he sits out the first quarter and a half and then you can. playing pretty much full time from that point on, I think on a macro level that's how they're looking at this season.

I think they're like, look, let's make sure Kawhi is in rhythm, play with them enough to acclimate to his teammates, you know, they know how to play with them, obviously we ensure a birth in the playoffs and I think at the end of season they want to increase his minutes, get him into that 35 minute range for the playoffs and I think they're looking at It's like if we can get him healthy for the playoffs then we'd be fine, no, which to me is after 15 months after a Anterior cruciate ligament. I hate seeing that and this is what I'm going to tell you, Rob, and it's right where I want it.

I want your opinion if that's the plan and I understand that it is a plan in some ways, but if that's the plan and it takes Kawhi Leonard to play maybe 37 games or whatever and then he comes and plays full time in the playoffs and it takes him to a championship that I don't think will happen, but let's say he was a foreigner if he wants a ring, but Rob, I don't like that and I don't like the precedent it could set. I'm going to say this. and I'm going to defend the Clippers from one point of view, Chris, they have to feel like they don't want this window with Kawaii to go away and they don't get anything and they feel like they have John Wall, they put this team together, their roster.

I like your template. I have a good coach and I think they want to give this one chance and we need this guy to be healthy to give us that chance and I think that's why they're willing to do this, Chris, because what year is this for? Kawhi has three or four. I don't think he will be the fourth with them, but he has next season with 45.6 million and then next season I think he is a player up, yes, a player option, so he has two more, yes, but it is becoming old. After this one, you know, I'm just saying they're trying to say we want to try to win one and maybe that's why they're willing to do it.

Yeah, I'm not mad at that strategy. What I'm saying is Rob, I don't know, because we already see in several of the sports that the teams are just and maybe you see it more in basketball than anything else, Rob, but the teams are just like the playoffs, right? No matter what happens in the regular season, it's all about the playoffs and I'd hate to see that precedent set where a guy barely plays in the regular season and then he's in the playoffs and everything's going to be pensioned off like, I think , part. Rob is part of the fight, part of the battle to win a championship is overcoming burnout, it's the marathon, not a sprint, you know, what I mean is staying healthy and I'd hate to see it, yeah, I remember that a few years ago .

I feel like it was talked about a little bit, I think maybe someone, some people jokingly wrote it off, like you could get Michael Jordan to just play 50 games and then have him for the playoffs, you know, because as you get older, you know, yeah, but we, someone just can't take that guy, remember when Michael came back at the end, he didn't play most of the year, Chris came back for the playoffs, it was again when he came back for baseball, right, but I'm just saying but people thought he said no, no, but people thought, "He'll be fine to go," he wasn't fine, so I think if if this look if this is if you do this because you have to do it, then it's what which is right, but if you do it because you're out of caution, like the guy can play but you're just going to leave him out until the playoffs, I don't like that, because you always talk about the fans and no.

I just don't know, it's cheap, it's everything, you know, I get it, it was like what I said about uh Zion, remember when no one wanted me to play in college? Remember I said if he's healthy he should play well. Remember. that, oh, that's it, you should never play another game, go to the NBA, the kid is like 20 years old, you don't want to play, come on, I wasn't into that, yeah, this is a somewhat advanced version of that, ya you know, um. just having a healthy guy for the playoffs. I just don't like that, it doesn't seem like it, it's a business too, you owe it to the fans to put out the best product, no you're not lowering their prices, no they never will.

Not that, so if the do is healthy enough to play then he plays with them if he isn't. I'm fine with that, right? No one is telling you to force someone out like me. I remember we were against it when Anthony Davis came out, Chris because Charles Barkley called it street clothes, right, and all we knew was that he was hurt, you remember, and he felt pressured to get dressed that night, you remember, and they could barely go out and warm up, let's play low, no, you're right.