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LakerTom (Publisher)
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@stevekylerNBA Why does the @LAClippers get a pass trading Blake Griffin after 6 months, after promising to hang his jersey and buttering him as the new Obama, Gandhi MLK, Einstien etc. How do free agents feel about this deception?
— TheKing23 (@rodzamag) June 26, 2019
NBA4ever, and 
LakerTom (Publisher) 8:03 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Seriously, this is how Balmer and crew treat their supposed “franchise” player? Smacks of the same callous cold heartless approach of Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics towards Isaiah Thomas or the San Antonio Spurs attitude towards Kawhi Leonard’s controversial quad injury. Everybody always seems to forget how the Clippers intentionally lied and misrepresented their intentions to Blake, hanging his jersey in Staples, and then calculatingly dumping him to the Pistons as soon as he was eligible to be traded. When it comes down to choosing his next franchise, I don’t see a sensitive guy like Kawhi Leonard trusting Balmer and crew. Take off the sheep’s clothing and the Clippers are still the same old Clippers.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 9:58 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Not sure it’s all that much better than how we treated Russell or Ball, both were talked up as future all-Laker, jersey on-the-wall, faces of the franchise (OK, maybe more Ball than Russ) but that ship sailed right quick. It’s a business and sometimes you have to make business decisions that are best for your future.
Feels nothing like how those teams you listed treated players in regards to injury. Not to me, anyhow. That’s a whole other sphere of reality. Trading your aging star players for future building blocks is just smart NBA basketball. All teams do it. Rushing an injured player back and not endorsing their second opinions is just flat wrong. Two very different things.
LakerTom (Publisher) 10:24 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
There’s a big difference between trading three young players on rookie contracts for a top five superstar and trading the player whom you just signed to a super max deal six months ago after hanging his jersey in the rafters and telling him he was the franchise player in what amounts to a salary dump to get rid of him. Don’t know why you can’t see the difference in that.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 10:49 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Yes, there is. Just as big a difference between trading a franchise player and giving bad medical advice. Two very different topics that you equate above. I disagree with that characterization is all. Not saying that the Clippers didn’t sell Blake a slight line of BS, they did and Ballmer’s explanation was a weak one. But nothing they did should be equated with giving bad medical advice that could derail a players career.
LakerTom (Publisher) 12:14 PM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
The issue is whether you can trust the management of the team to be fair and truthful whether it’s with how they handle major injuries or how honest they’re going to be when it comes to dealing with your contract, your future, or possible trades.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 12:37 PM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
I don’t see a franchise moving players on any kind of contract as an issue. That’s the norm for literally every NBA franchise when things don’t work out as planned. I’m sure Leonard’s people will do their due diligence on all the team’s medical staff and practices prior to him signing anywhere. it’s not like we’re the leaders of the pack in that department.
NBA4ever 10:38 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Not remotely the same Jamie. Blake deserved to go where he wanted to go after all he had done to revive that franchise. He chose to stay with the Clippers and live in Los Angeles… then he’s done dirty, even worst it was calculated.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 10:53 AM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
I disagree with this, too. Just because a player has the right to make a choice in free agency doesn’t take the team’s right to trade him away. That makes literally zero sense.
I’m not disagreeing that the move was on the cold side but the idea that the Clippers ‘owed’ Blake anything more than the money he was being paid and facilities the team provided is wrong. Same way Anthony Davis demanding a trade isn’t wrong on his part, people have to make the moves that they can to improve their chances of success in life and anyone who thinks that they wouldn’t do the same is kidding themselves. Just my 2 bits.
NBA4ever 12:18 PM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Of course, everything you said is correct. The point I think Tom is making and why it matters; What makes Kawhi who ultimately makes the choice to play in Los Angeles over Toronto think they won’t do it to him if necessary? He’s making that choice most likely because that’s what his wife and family want. We know how loyal the Lakers are to their stars, at least we have that going for us.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 12:59 PM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
They will. It’s how teams move on. When the Wizards shop John Wall are they doing him a disservice because he’s injured? No, they’re trying to improve so the team can win. Blake, CP3 and DeAndre along with the merry cast of misfits wasn’t getting it done. That team has been dissolved. CP3 asked out, was that a disservice to the Clippers? DeAndre Jordan flip-flopped on the Mavs, was he a jerk? No, all of the above are within league rules. A player has 6 days in the moratorium period between the handshake deal and inking the real contract to back out. DeAndre Jordan did that and whatever people think about is inconsequential: them’s the rules. Same with the Blake trade. Same with CP3 asking out, if anything blame the Blake trade on that. Ballmer didn’t nuke Lob City, Chris Paul did. Again, Ballmer’s PR on it was devoid of both empathy and credit for all Blake had done.
But to equate bad medical advice with a team’s right to trade a player is not a comparison I see as a viable one. We’re talking about 2 different worlds. All the speculation around Kawhi and how the Spurs treated him medically or Durant and the Achilles and the Golden State doctors is just that: speculation. Are we to assume that because Tony Parker came back OK and Steph Curry’s ankles have improved that either team has the best staff or do we assume that because Kawhi didn’t feel healthy enough to play and also pressure or that GS cleared Durant to play that they are scheming evil owners?
I say neither. Is there anything more important than a doctor/patient relationship? Outside of friends and family, probably not. Kawhi felt that he had to move on from the Spurs and still to this day speaks highly of them. He doesn’t have to, he could say whatever he wants he chooses to not denigrate them. Durant’s tale will have to wait, he didn’t seek a second opinion, went with the GS medical opinion and here he is.
Jamie Sweet (Local Ne'er-Do-Well) 1:07 PM on June 26, 2019 Permalink
Also, Tom didn’t once mention another trade of a franchise player, he just jumped to the medical controversies and equated that with why Kawhi won’t choose the Clippers because he’s trying to will him to the Lakers when he’s most likely to stay in Toronto for all the reasons we’re talking about: he ahs trust with management and ownership, they have the best sports medicine professional in the game, they can offer him the most money if he signs a 1 + 1.
There are ample examples of a team trading ill-fitting players after signing big contracts. But that’s not the same as the Celtics pushing IT to play when he was due to be an unrestricted free agent or Durant and his Achilles potentially opting out of his player option.