Basketball

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Team Up With the Clippers

Published

5 months ago

July 5, 2019

We finally know what took Kawhi Leonard so long to make his decision.

While we all thought he was weighing out the option of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers or the Toronto Raptors, what he was really waiting on was a blockbuster trade.

Jerry West pulled the biggest rabbit out of his hat late Friday night, as he turned all the draft capital he has been stockpiling into Paul George, and in exchange, the top free agent on the market.

Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019

Leonard’s plan all along was to team up with George and the Clippers, so he implored PG13 to demand a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kawhi Leonard has been recruiting Paul George to find a way to get to the Clippers and LA pulled it off tonight: George goes to the Clippers with Leonard, and together they walk into Staples Center to go head-to-head with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019

After Leonard pushed George to find a way to get to the Clippers, Paul George approached the team and requested a trade, league sources tell ESPN. OKC was left with no choice and made the best out of a difficult situation, per sources.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019

After it was long assumed that George would be heading to L.A. in free agency last year, he refused meeting with any other teams, signing on to play alongside Russell Westbrook long-term.

Well now Westbrook has been left twice by an MVP-caliber teammate, after George decided that he wanted to be in his hometown after all.

Two superstar small forwards have now willingly left Russell Westbrook & OKC (George requested trade).
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) July 6, 2019

While Westbrook no longer has an All-Star to run with, the Thunder still got a massive package back in return.

The Clippers are sending the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps, league sources tell ESPN. Those picks go to OKC with Gallinari and SGA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019

For their roster next year, the Thunder get promising young point guard Shay Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran Danilo Gallinari.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 13.7 points and 3.2 assists in the playoffs this year, showing that he has a bright future in the NBA. The Thunder also get five first-round draft picks, giving them plenty of assets to build around Westbrook in the future.

Coming into this offseason, the Clippers were always seen as the front-runners to get Kawhi and another max player, but no one had that player being Paul George.

Rival NBA teams have been aware of the discontent of OKC's two stars: Paul George — and Russell Westbrook, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Leonard pushed the Clippers in recent days to deliver him a second star, and they did.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2019

Once they had the deal to acquire George, Leonard promptly signed a four-year, $142 million max contract with the Clippers.

This offseason the two biggest markets in the NBA, L.A. and New York, landed all of the top superstar free agents. The crazy part is that they went to the teams that have always been perceived as secondary in their market.

The Nets. The Clippers. They both finally landed their haymakers on big brother …
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 6, 2019

At least the Lakers are left with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as opposed to the roster that will be playing in Madison Square Garden.

One thing is clear after this blockbuster move tonight. The Staples Center is going to feature the best show in the sport next year, as this could be the start of one of the greatest crosstown rivalries in the history of sports.

Up Next

Danny Green Signs Two-Year $30 Million Deal with the Los Angeles Lakers

Don't Miss

Earthquake in Southern California Rattles Sports World

Click to comment

Basketball

Miami Heat Remain Undefeated at Home Behind Jimmy Butler’s Triple-Double Over the Wizards

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2019

Ryan Finkelstein

Last season, the Miami Heat missed the playoffs by just two games, finishing with a 39-43 record.

The biggest reason for their absence in the postseason was a bad record at home, as the Heat were under .500 with a 19-22 record. Miami hoped to change that this season and set out to win more games in their building.

So far so good for the Heat, as Friday night’s victory over the Washington Wizards improved their home record to a perfect 9-0 this season.

The HEAT's 9-0 record at AmericanAirlines Arena is the best start at home in franchise history.https://t.co/X60dvsSfCd
— Joseph Beguiristain (@JoeBeguiristain) December 7, 2019

Not only have the Heat improved on their home record from a year ago, but they are off to the best start at home in franchise history. A big reason for all that success is No. 22, as Jimmy Butler has been a breath of fresh air in Miami.

Butler gives the Heat their first real superstar since the Big Three era and he has quickly turned them into a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.

Friday night’s performance for Butler included a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the season.

🚨Triple-Double Alert 🚨@JimmyButler has just notched his 2nd triple-double in just 3 nights!

He has 28 points, 11 assists & 10 rebounds with 1:04 left in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/HW6clDNqOY
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 7, 2019

Butler had his first triple double in a Heat uniform on Tuesday, when he led his team to an overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors. Butler outscored the Raptors 8-2 in that overtime period, giving Toronto their first home loss of the season.

While Butler has been great whenever he is on the floor, the biggest asset he brings to Miami is his ability to close games.

Here’s Jimmy Butler draining the clutch three and saying “I’M A BAD MOTHERF***ER” pic.twitter.com/ajOtRBMlyP
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) December 7, 2019

The Miami Heat moved to 16-6 with their win over the Wizards and are currently slated for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Whether they can continue to win at that clip is yet to be determined but two things have become clear. The Heat have found an identity behind Butler’s play and no one should want to travel to Miami right now.

Basketball

Bucks Dismantle the Clippers in Potential Finals Preview to Extend Winning Streak

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2019

Ryan Finkelstein

While the Los Angeles Lakers will certainly have something to say about it, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding a potential matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Finals.

Milwaukee has been pacing the Eastern Conference all season behind the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, after finishing last year with an NBA-best 60-22 record.

Meanwhile the Clippers have a very deep roster full of stout defenders and a duo of two-way superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

With all that being said, there was a lot of anticipation going into Friday night’s game between these two powerhouses, but the result did not quite live up to the hype.

Bucks blowing out the Clippers pic.twitter.com/WlXvtxkCYO
— Allen Sliwa (@LakersTalkESPN) December 7, 2019

The final score ended up being 119-91, as the Bucks just steamrolled the Clippers with ease on their home floor.

OH. MY. GIANNIS.

Might not be another player that can make this a poster. pic.twitter.com/4o0IvsaCO1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 7, 2019

Giannis led the Bucks with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, needing to play just 26 minutes of work before sitting down with the win in hand.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 1st player with four straight 25-point games while playing fewer than 30 minutes in each (since minutes were first tracked in 1951-52).

(h/t @EliasSports ) pic.twitter.com/RRg0oRJ9wH
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 7, 2019

This game was special for Giannis for a whole different reason, as it was his 25th birthday. There is probably no better president than a blowout victory against a difficult opponent.

Especially when you are extending your team’s winning streak to an NBA-best 14 games.

one more time

🥳🥳🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIANNIS 🥳🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/sHpqeuEAcH
— FOX Sports Wisconsin (@fswisconsin) December 7, 2019

This is actually not the first time that these two teams have squared off this year, as they met very early in the season.

In that game both teams entered with a 5-2 record, but the Bucks went home with the victory, beating the Clippers in a close game in the Staples Center.

With Friday’s win, that concludes the season series between these two teams. If the Bucks and Clippers are to meet again, it would have to be in the NBA Finals.

Basketball

Trail Blazers’ Rodney Hood Out for the Season with Torn Achilles Tendon

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2019

Ryan Finkelstein

Rodney Hood has been a very solid player for the Portland Trail Blazers this year, starting 21 games at the small forward position.

Hood has provided Portland with exactly what you want for a team with a high volume scoring backcourt, as a great three-and-D wing. Hood was shooting a career-best 49% from three-point range.

Unfortunately Hood’s season just came to a screeching halt, as 27-year-old exited Friday night’s game with what turned out to be a torn Achilles tendon.

Rodney Hood leaves game with left leg injury pic.twitter.com/Opm8Htvrqe
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) December 7, 2019

Hood went to the locker room following the injury and it was later diagnosed as the worst case scenario for any NBA player.

Portland’s Rodney Hood has suffered a torn left Achilles tendon.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 7, 2019

Hood will now miss the remainder of this season and could miss a significant portion of next season as well, as he recovers from this injury.

Luckily, he does have a player option worth just over $6 million for next season, so Hood will still have a home while he rehabs from this devastating injury.

Hopefully Hood can make a full recovery and enjoy a long career in the NBA.