Where did it go wrong for Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs?
Once thought to be a perfect marriage between player and team, recent turmoil foreshadowed a sudden and bitter end for Leonard’s tenure in San Antonio.
June 18th, 2013. If you mention this date to a San Antonio Spurs fan, their facial expression would change within seconds and a memory of dismay would flash like a firework.
Basketball fans around the world know every single moment of the play and can even recite Mike Breen’s famous call: “James catches, puts up a three… won’t go… rebound Bosh… back out to Allen, his 3-pointer… BANG! Tie game with five seconds remaining!”
Miami Heat fans at the American Airlines Arena rose up in joy and awe as Ray Allen delivered one of the most clutch shots in NBA history. The arena was jam packed with screaming fans but on the far end of the bench, the Spurs looked dazed and confused. They were just a mere 5.2 seconds away from claiming their 5th NBA championship and their first in six seasons.
Tony Parker raced down to the end of the court in hopes of getting off a last-second game-winner but his fadeaway floater hit nothing but air. The damage was done mentally and physically. As in similar fashion like the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Spurs lost Game 6 in heartbreaking fashion and went on to lose Game 7 as well.
The series would go down as one of the greatest and most thrilling in the history of the NBA. For Spurs fans, they came away with questions and hypotheticals. What if Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili made all their free throws late in Game 6? What if Tim Duncan was in the game during the last defensive stop of the 4th quarter?
More importantly, could the Spurs dynasty begin to head downhill? The illustrious trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were all past their prime and not capable of producing All-Star type production anymore. And how could the team manage the emotions and sorrow from the 2013 Finals loss?
Amid all the doubt and uncertainty that hovered over the Spurs franchise for months, Kawhi Leonard rose up to the occasion and emerged as an unsung hero. Kawhi led the Spurs back to the NBA Finals in the following season and were matched up against Miami once again in one of the most anticipated rematches of all-time. In a fairytale ending, the Spurs absolutely demolished the Heat in five games in a series where San Antonio displayed exquisite and beautiful basketball play.
Memories of heartbreak were erased, and Spurs fans were hopeful that the team found their third generational talent in the Gregg Popovich era. The series was somewhat of a foreshadowing of what could become of the Spurs franchise in the near future — Popovich would orchestrate brilliant team basketball that revolves around Kawhi.
The series is remembered as a passing of the torch moment for Kawhi as it would jumpstart his unequivocal superstar rise. And it did so in more ways than one.
Over the years, Kawhi has emerged to be more than just a double-digit scorer and defensive specialist. His all-around game improved immensely to the point where his name was floated around in top five NBA players discussions. Kawhi was scoring at a high volume with high efficiency while also playing like one of the best defensive players that fans have ever seen. He was not just a third scoring option on a consistent playoff team anymore but rather a superstar in the making.
As a result, Kawhi earned the recognition of being called the face of the franchise for the Spurs. On and off the court, Kawhi resembled what it meant to play Spurs basketball and to be part of such a respectable organization. Even with the retirement of the team’s all-time best player in Tim Duncan and with both Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker receiving less minutes, Kawhi had the team on his back through the highs and lows.
But yesterday, the lows reached rock bottom with the Spurs trading away Kawhi to the Toronto Raptors.
The trade had become inevitable for weeks after what had culminated over the past 14 months. From the injury suffered at the hands — actually feet — of Zaza Pachulia to the alleged misdiagnosis of his injury, Kawhi and the Spurs front office had fallen out. Kawhi has isolated himself from the organization and the Spurs have had enough to the point where they entertained trade offers for him with several teams over the past month.
The Spurs and Kawhi had hoped that the team would effortlessly transition into the Leonard era but neither predicted that trade would eventually happen. Months ago, no one could have envisioned that it would climax to this point because regardless of what could occur, both Kawhi and the Spurs were a perfect fit for each other. Kawhi is known to be a quiet and straightforward player that allows his play on the court do the talking. On the other hand, the Spurs are the illustrious franchise that are the epitome for organizational class and pure professionalism.
This is what made this entire situation all but more perplexing. Kawhi and the Spurs were a flawless fit for each other. San Antonio is a small market team that brings less pressure for players but also brings some of the best fans in all of sports. The franchise holds a family and team friendly environment with one goal at hand — winning. San Antonio have traditionally kept a distance from the sagas and dramas that come with the sport and have focused on basketball.
For a soft-spoken and laid-back talent like Kawhi, he would like nothing more than to just go out and play basketball while ignoring the off-court issues that could come with it.
Now it is most certainly common for teams to have a fallout with players. It happens in every sport where both the team and player eventually come to terms on a departure. Just last year, Kyrie Irving was traded to Boston with one of the reasons being his disliking towards where the Cavaliers were heading as a franchise. But for all of this to happen to the Spurs is unlike them considering the personnel that they have throughout the team — of course, starting and ending with Gregg Popovich. He notoriously prevented Tim Duncan from joining the Orlando Magic back in the 2000 free agency period as Duncan ended up staying for 16 more seasons with San Antonio.
As said best by former Spurs player and now Clippers broadcaster Bruce Bowen, Popovich was the different maker in Duncan staying in what was a rather unexpected way.
“One thing Gregg Popovich didn’t do was screw it up with Tim Duncan,” Bowen said during a Clippers-Suns game last season. “I remember when Tim was a free agent, he was thinking about going to Orlando when Doc was there. … When Tim went out to meet with Orlando, he asked, ‘can family come on the flights to some games?’ From what I understand, Doc said no, and that’s when he lost Tim Duncan.”
Popovich was also able to convince LaMarcus Aldridge to stay after he requested a trade amid feeling dissatisfied with the team. Any former player of Popovich would very likely point out that he is the type of coach that connected with the player first and then worked to develop and grow them starting with the fundamentals of their position. Popovich has rarely had a personal issue with any person and as any coach strives to do, he looks to get the very best out of their players.
Now when thoroughly examining where it went wrong between Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs, it is difficult to pinpoint the main reason since the entire saga has transpired through the media. Kawhi had not said a word about the situation ever since the start of the playoffs while Popovich and a couple of Spurs players have sparsely offered their thoughts on the situation.
Through it all, the media has played the role of messenger between the two as reports and leaks have molded the narrative for each side to the point where it is unknown who is truly to blame for this mess. Could it be Kawhi for not being there for his teammates late in the season and then for isolating himself from the team? Or is it the Spurs’ fault for the reported misdiagnosis of his injury, Tony Parker’s comments where he stated that his injury was worse and for the pressure to have Kawhi play in the playoffs even though he was rehabbing?
From the Spurs’ standpoint, they had a small glimmer of hope that everything would go back to normal and Kawhi would fully commit to the Spurs. One option could have been if both sides came together to acknowledge their differences and decide to stick together in the long run. Kawhi and the Spurs could have looked to the situation between New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick as motivation. Over the past couple of years, neither Brady and Belichick have seen eye-to-eye on many situations but have put their differences aside with the goal being simply to win.
But unfortunately, so much has transpired over the past couple of months to the point where it would be difficult to even see the two moving on from the dilemma. Even if the Spurs kept Kawhi, there would be no point in having a disgruntled player around who was contemplating sitting out the entire season. It would tarnish the Spurs’ season and for Kawhi, result in major consequences regarding his contract and reputation.
Only one thing is evidently clear: neither side was content with how it played out and now they are both hopeful to completely move on from the mess.
For the Spurs, it is just the beginning of an end of a dynasty. Kawhi is gone. Tim Duncan retired. Tony Parker is in Charlotte. Manu Ginobili is contemplating retirement.
As the Spurs now begin to move into the post-Kawhi era, they will now be relying on DeMar DeRozan to lead the team. DeRozan is arguably one of the top pure scorers that the NBA has today but his struggles with his 3-point shot and playoff performance have prevented him from truly taking the next step into superstardom.
The Spurs window to contend might be down to just two or three more seasons. DeRozan and Aldridge each have three years remaining on their contract while Popovich could be retiring after coaching Team USA at the 2020 Olympics.
In the years that Popovich has left with the team, it will be important to begin looking for an eventual successor to be the next head coach and also develop the next core of players that will lead the Spurs in the upcoming seasons. A complete rebuild with major franchise-altering decisions is just on the horizon for the Spurs — something their fans have not dealt with in over 20 years. As the Spurs begin to move into the next era, they must not lose their true identity of building talents from the draft and sticking to a tough, defensive-minded team.
From Kawhi’s perspective, he will have no choice but to stick it out for a year with the Raptors. If he becomes committed and dedicated to playing like his old self, then the Raptors will be a major threat to the Eastern Conference favorites Celtics and 76ers next season. From there, Kawhi will have the ability to control his future when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the 2019 off-season.
Now how he will eventually be remembered for his time with San Antonio is conflicting. Leonard had the opportunity to sign the super max contract deal with the Spurs and lead them into the next era but he was not interested at all. Kawhi was beloved by not just Spurs fans but by basketball fans around the world. His play on the court is emblematic of what it means to play like a superstar. He was the catalyst for the Spurs’ brilliant team basketball play. And who can forget his NBA Finals MVP in 2014. But what has transpired over the past couple of months has left a taste of betrayal for Spurs fans.
As the old saying goes, you either die a hero or live long enough to be a villain.
