Kawhi to Balmer: "your team isn't good enough. If you don’t change it, I'm not comin"

[J Shuttlesworth]

“He said, ‘I want to play for you,’ and he pointed at me. He said, ‘Mr. Ballmer, I love the things you do and what you stand for, but your team is not good enough and if you don’t change your team, I’m not coming.’ ”

“We actually had a list of guys, which was a mistake, but we got lucky,” Rivers said. “We shouldn’t have had a list, because then he got to choose who he wanted to play with and the assumption was that we could get them. We didn’t know if we could get anybody. We just showed him guys that we thought would match him and when he saw Paul George’s name he said, ‘I want to play with him.

“We showed him everybody else and he didn’t want to hear it. He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2019-09-18/doc-rivers-hero-clippers-signed-kawhi-leonard-paul-george

[HBK_Kliq_2]

It should of been "your coach is not good enough. If you don't change it, I'm not playing for you"

Had to learn the hard way. Oh well, at least that loss sacrificed Doc's career.

Losing in 2nd round and firing Doc > losing in WCF and keeping Doc

it was worth it and all you did was sacrifice an asterisk bubble season.

[FireDavidKahn]

Kawhi inadvertently screwed the team by making the Flippers make one of the most lopsided trades in history.

[FKAri]

Why is this being made public?

[guy]

Can't really blame the team for this if that was his demands. At the time, he was rightfully considered the best player in the league, top 3 at worst, and even after a disappointing season, he's still probably in that top 3-4 range.

You can obviously blame Kawhi though for overvaluing PG too much and how the alternative was likely a better scenario for him.

[FireDavidKahn]

Can't really blame the team for this if that was his demands. At the time, he was rightfully considered the best player in the league, top 3 at worst, and even after a disappointing season, he's still probably in that top 3-4 range.

You can obviously blame Kawhi though for overvaluing PG too much and how the alternative was likely a better scenario for him.

Yep. The Flippers had to do it and I don't blame them...But at the same time it really did screw the team long term. The only way this doesn't become one of the worst trades in history is if they win multiple championships.

[pandiani17]

Why is this being made public?

Because it sells newspapers. People like drama. Anyway, I don't believe everything that is being made public about the Clippers, it is maybe journalists making stuff up. I seriously doubt Kawhi said this to Balmer, because the team was clearly good enough to win the chip.

[MaxPlayer]

Kawhi reminds me of MJ... as a talent evaluator.

[hold this L]

Kawhi LeaGM

[light]

“He said, ‘I want to play for you,’ and he pointed at me. He said, ‘Mr. Ballmer, I love the things you do and what you stand for, but your team is not good enough and if you don’t change your team, I’m not coming.’ ”

“We actually had a list of guys, which was a mistake, but we got lucky,” Rivers said. “We shouldn’t have had a list, because then he got to choose who he wanted to play with and the assumption was that we could get them. We didn’t know if we could get anybody. We just showed him guys that we thought would match him and when he saw Paul George’s name he said, ‘I want to play with him.

“We showed him everybody else and he didn’t want to hear it. He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2019-09-18/doc-rivers-hero-clippers-signed-kawhi-leonard-paul-george

My question from the start - Why was Paul George's name on that list?

That is the precise moment their experiment failed.

I shouted to anyone who would listen at the time about how big of a mistake that was and how the Clippers would regret it in the playoffs.

I think it's harder for people in the league to see that about him because they have a relationship with him either as a working relationship, an acquaintance or a friendship, so it's difficult for them to judge him objectively.

[Manny98]

Is Kawhi the most high matainence superstar ever?

Dude gets special VIP treatment for the team, has a talented roster around him, gets all the touches he wants on offense and it's still not enough :facepalm

[HBK_Kliq_2]

My question from the start - Why was Paul George's name on that list?

That is the precise moment their experiment failed.

I shouted to anyone who would listen at the time about how big of a mistake that was and how the Clippers would regret it in the playoffs.

I think it's harder for people in the league to see that about him because they have a relationship with him either as a working relationship, an acquaintance or a friendship, so it's difficult for them to judge him objectively.

It was George's 1st year with a new team. He struggled his 1st year with thunder as well. Besides, clippers at least make the WCF if you just bench Harrell.

[BurningHammer]

Kawhi inadvertently screwed the team by making the Flippers make one of the most lopsided trades in history.

Luckily, Raptors didn't fall for it (PG for Siakam, FVV and a lot of draft picks).

[Basketball r Us]

So is the next meeting with Mr. Balmer already scheduled ? This is the meeting for Kawhi to tell the owner....PG13 & Me ---- We need more help !!