San Antonio Spurs’ superstar Kawhi Leonard severing ties with the organization would be a dream come true for the Golden State Warriors.
Make no mistake about it; what’s happening down in San Antonio does not have a direct impact on the Warriors (right now). But, one can’t help but assess the possible implications of this situation.
Between the revolving door that is Golden State’s starting lineup, which has trotted out 20+ different iterations so far this season thanks to injuries, and the end goal of making a fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals in June, the Dubs and general manager Bob Myers have bigger fish to fry.
However, you can’t tell me that upon the reading the latest news out of the Spurs’ camp that Myers wasn’t sitting somewhere with his Emperor Palpatine hood on, whispering, “Good, good.” (Shout out to my Star Wars fans by the way).
On March 22, ESPN reported that Leonard and his teammates had a “players-only” meeting, addressing his health and his impending return for the team’s playoff push. The report was distributed by the NBA’s version of Benita Butrell, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which normally makes whatever he’s reporting instant fact….unless you ask Spurs’ guard Danny Green.
Green immediately took to Twitter and had this to say:
Couldn’t be anymore incorrect lol https://t.co/xo4yVyOvn2
— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) March 22, 2018
If history has shown us anything about “players-only” meetings (see Cleveland and Washington) and the news that trickles out of them, these types of heart-to-heart talks don’t always mean anything good. Oftentimes, poor team chemistry is cited as the biggest concern and that brings out the rampant speculation, courtesy of the “talking heads”. Cue the video of First Take’s Max Kellerman sharing his very interesting and possibly controversial opinion from that same day:
Man…that was some statement, am I right? So, with all of that being said, you may still be wondering what all of this has to do with future of the Warriors?
Well, let’s think back to last season’s now infamous Game 1 matchup between the Warriors and Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs were up 76-55 in the third quarter when the moment occurred between Leonard and Zaza “My Left Foot” Pachulia that resulted in Leonard getting hurt and missing the rest of that series. The Warriors went on to win that game and then win the series in a sweep.
Many, including former Warriors’ consultant Jerry West , felt that if Leonard had not gotten hurt the Spurs would have the won the game. Some even said at the time that with Leonard’s play and Coach Gregg Popovich’s coaching prowes, they may have won the series. Regardless, the history books will forever say: ”2017 NBA Champion, Golden State Warriors.”
The impact of the Leonard-Pop tandem has been somewhat of a thorn in the Warriors’ side over the last seven seasons since Leonard entered the NBA, resulting in a 12-6 regular season record against GSW and a 4-3 record in the playoffs. A possible split could result in two scenarios that I think would be worth paying attention to for both Warrior fans and the organization alike.