fitzfarm wrote:The fact San Antonio has said KL wants out has down graded what teams are willing to offer. Why on earth would a team give San Antonio anything of value for KL they know he wants out and he’s a expiring contract. Knowing KL is leaving regardless of a trade or not a low ball offer is all SA will get . I’d offer Mudiay and our 2nd round pick. We know we have a shot at him next year regardless. I’d wait, even next year with KL we are a lottery team. Laugh at SA and say we will wait till he hits FA . There is no reason to offer anything of value for KL
Baseline points
A) Leonard never filed with the NBAPA regarding any issue with his medical care and his injury and any conflict with the Spurs as a franchise regarding his medical care and recovery. There is no incentive NOT to do this, as if Leonard did suffer a catastrophic injury, a good chunk of his salary is covered by insurance ( the way Chris Bosh's current payout from the Heat is covered in a large way by insurance) But you are only covered if you follow protocols outlining the franchises duty, your duty as a player and member of the NBAPA and the leagues duty to oversee the health of its players.
If there was as true dispute to Leonards health and the Spurs role in it, the NBAPA would already be involved, and they would file with the league administration to use an approved medical panel to determine Leonard's health. Part of this is fallout from the new "Chris Bosh Rule" and much of that rule wasn't just about Chris Bosh, but also how Tracy McGrady held the Rockets hostage during the Yao Ming/McGrady Rockets era.
The Spurs have no incentive in place to jerk Leonard around regarding his health. To do so would destroy their reputation, face league sanction and incur massive legal liability.
B) If you do not accrue "service time", at some level during a NBA calendar year, your control will "toll" Meaning your contract status stays the same until you do accrue said service time. Suspensions put a hold on service time. Leonard is not going to report to the Spurs next season. He's burned bridges and if he didn't file with the NBAPA, it means he can't legitimately show any actionable cause against the Spurs regarding his health care. He shows up and plays, it outs him for dogging it. He doesn't show up, they suspend him until he does, and if it's long enough, his contract "tolls" and he remains a Spur next year as well. It opens up in public he's dogging it and/or he's suspended, he's endorsement poison. If he wanted a huge shoe deal, he won't get it that way.
C) The league administration takes none too kindly to teams jerking around on players health. This is a larger labor issue in play. They also don't take kindly to players who are healthy but refuse to play to manipulate the current system. Those networks that pay BILLIONS to broadcast NBA games want those elite players on TV and on the court to push ratings. Leonard pushes this too far, what will happen is every game moving forward, every ref will turn his back on him. Want to watch a fourth string power forward clothesline Leonard, then kick him in the head on the ground, then have the refs just walk the other way? The brands have no interest in getting into the middle of all that, so any player dumb enough to push this too far will be in brand Siberia.
Dogging it on the court is one thing. Being a coach killer or a diva is another. Messing with the NBAs BOTTOM LINE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE LEAGUE.
Leonard is going to get traded. He's going to have to agree to an extension with some team who wants to trade for him. Every team? No. But he can't deny them all. Otherwise he'd have to report to the Spurs next season.
The NBAPA and the owners are not going to want to drag out the Leonard issue to the point where it starts breeding issues that will rise up during the next labor war after this current CBA expires.
If you believe the Spurs have no leverage, that's not true. Not even close. Leonard has to be off that roster during the offseason at some point. The Spurs so far have shown massive restraint. If Leonard wants to engage in a full blown PR war, they can simply start releasing things to the press via "sources" It could be true, it could be false, it could rumor, in any case, Leonard could be run over in the court of public opinion in a matter of weeks.
What Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, is doing is purely amateurish. He doesn't understand league politics and it shows here. It makes no sense for the Spurs to "mismanage" Leonard's health. None. There is no functional reason to do so. The league is set up and the NBAPA is set up exactly so no team can actually do so. The rules were changed so no one can do so. There were problem three or four ways to get Leonard to the Lakers and Dennis Robertson apparently chose the dumbest possible option.
Dejounte Murray is a Klutch Sports client. That is another problem the Spurs are going to have to deal with very soon. The reports are saying the Lakers and Clippers to try stave off future tampering claims. Leonard is under current contract with the Spurs. Clear tampering is going on. The league will turn it's head if the marketing is good for them, but this is going to push the borderline too hard.
If you watched HBO's Entourage, a young movie star is managed by his "best friend" Eric. Who was also very young and only had experience managing a SBarro in a mall. This kind of ridiculous happy horse**** i what you get when you have dudes like Rich Paul and Jay Z and Maverick Carter and Dennis Robertson involved in professional sports. If it looks stupid, it's not the Spurs, it's just some narcissist and his not so bright uncle pushing buttons they don't understand.
6/16/2018 1:09 PM