Bursting the Bubble

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

Over the past few years, Los Angeles Clippers Forward Kawhi Leonard has created a basketball resume that has thrust him into being considered one of the best in the NBA. Rightfully so, he is a back to back defensive player of the year and has been named an NBA finals MVP for two different teams. The awards along with his dominance in the playoffs have led some to state he’s now the best player in the league. Ousting LeBron James, who is universally considered the best player in the world for over ten years straight. 

In the words of ESPN college game day commentator Lee Corso, not so fast! 

The epic second round collapse Kawhi and the Los Angeles Clippers suffered at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, is not the only mark against why Kawhi should not (and never should have been) compared to LeBron James as the games best. 

Here’s why.

Even more so than Tim Duncan, the NBA has never seen a superstar as removed from the media and spotlight, as well as his own teams like Kawhi Leonard. He has a global platform to use and doesn’t use it for anything. Not even to promote the game of basketball. He says nothing and we know nothing about him. But that should not count against him for anything basketball related. It does take into account being the best overall. However, to be the best, you must have an on and off-court presence. 

For example…. 

Simply look at the press conferences post the loss to Denver after game 7. Head coach Doc Rivers had true words to say, even Lou “lemon pepper Lou” Williams (a nonstarter for the Clippers) had more substantial words to say. Kawhi, barley nothing. He’s the best player for his team, yet had the fewest words to say about their epic loss to a team after being up 3 – 1. 

Now let’s take a look at the NBA Finals MVP in which he rightfully won. The following is to not discredit his accomplishments, rather to put them in their respective place amongst the greatest. In this case, specifically against LeBron James.

Kawhi’s first finals MVP, the 2014 NBA finals. 

In a revenge series with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 Kawhi won the finals MVP. The Spurs had lost a seven-game series classic against the Miami Heat in 2013. In the 2014 Finals, LeBron dropped 28 PPG (points per game) against Kawhi’s defense. The highest PPG total for either team. No other Miami Heat player outside Dwayne Wade averaged more than 15 PPG. Simply put, LeBron was the only Heat player that showed up to that finals. The Spurs on the other hand had four players drop at least 15 PPG in the series. Kawhi won MVP for he was the best amongst a team that played some of the best overall team basketball to date in the NBA finals history. Thus the real reason he won MVP, not cause he “locked down” LeBron James.

Kawhi’s second NBA final MVP, the 2019 NBA finals. 

In 2019… in a LeBron-less Eastern Conference (he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason), Kawhi forced a trade from the San Antonio Spurs and ended up on a “one player away” team in Toronto (the Toronto Raptors had the best record in the Eastern Conference the year before). He won against a hurt Golden State Warriors squad (if Kevin Durrant or Thompson weren’t hurt, GS would have won), whereas the Raptors had everyone healthy and ready to go. Once again, Kwahi just happened to be the best all-around player on a very good, well-coached, and healthy team. 

The here and now. 

Now in the same conference, LeBron took a less talented and older Lakers team to the number one seed over Kawhi and the Clippers, and has beaten the Clippers in their last two outings… before the shutdown and once in the post-shutdown NBA bubble. 

Kawhi’s hand-picked superteam Clippers team had to go six games against the Dallas Mavericks. A team that only had one great healthy player in Luka Doncic. Only to advance and lose after being up 3-1 with a loaded Clippers squad against the Denver Nuggets. 

LeBron wouldn’t be allowed back in the country if that were to happen to him. LeBron losing in the second round with a handpicked team!? It would have ruined his legacy. 

So… a claw (Kawhi’s nickname due to his defense) may be good in a little dogfight, but I’ll take a King for the long haul! 

Can’t Get On My Level

by with No Comment Sports

My business mentor once said, “leverage is the most important thing anyone can have.” He would go onto to explain that leverage, or influence, is the only element that makes things happen. 

He wasn’t lying. Think about it… 

Leverage or influence is power over another, and this isn’t necessarily right or wrong; but it’s simply needed to make things happen. 

There was no better display of leverage than this past weekend when NBA free agent Kawhi Leonard, and reigning NBA Finals MVP, after much-anticipated wait and speculation, informed the Los Angeles Clippers that he would be there uniform for the next 4 seasons… but… not before bringing along five-time All-NBA team power forward Paul George. 

PG13, Playoff P, or just Paul George, prior to Kahwi’s demands was still a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the midst of a recently signed four-year 137 million dollar contract. 

So how on Earth did this happen then? 

Leverage. 

Something not even a top NFL QB like Tom Brady or Russell Wilson could demand. A demand that requires leverage, and frankly only possible in the NBA. Kawhi, a free agent who had NEVER been on a particular team and still NOT signed to said team, tells the team he will sign, but only if his boy comes along???? Yeah, that’s exactly what Kawhi did… and it worked. 

Brady or Wilson making that demand and seeing it come to fruition… not happening. 

And, that’s why NBA players, particularly top-end players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard, are the face of their league and the reason why the NBA brand continues to grow… because their players have leverage. The owners must split 50% of profits with their players, making NBA players and owners true partners, unlike the other major sports which have no such arrangement. 

Kawhi knew he had both the star power and leverage needed to make his demands, and more importantly, make sure his demands were met. 

You have to tip your hat to Kawhi and take note. When you have leverage, make sure you take advantage.  

Candy Corn Sports… What Happened to Baseball?

by with 9 Comments FeaturedSports

Possibly the most popular, unpopular thing in America is Baseball.

Every year around Halloween, polls are conducted on what’s America’s favorite candy to eat. Oddly, a frequent top choice is candy corn. Candy corn, in my anecdotal experience, is eaten only during Halloween, and after which, mysteriously is absent from the stores and consumption from people. Candy corn is also not a candy in which the masses draw too or crave. It’s not a very popular candy, yet during Halloween, it’s everywhere. You will never see a kid skipping down the street eating candy corn in July, not a chance. So how is it so popular? The same way baseball is popular, it’s ingrained into Americana, but not by choice, by circumstance. I’ll explain.

Circumstance.

Baseball by and large is played without much interruption from other sports. Baseball is synonymous with summer, which is the time of vacations and overall group activities. From work outings to student five dollar night, baseball is an excellent option for group outings on the cheap. For most, that’s about as good as it gets. Unless you’re 55 and a White male, which is the current average demographic for baseball. Football average age demographic is 47, and basketball… 37, basketball is also the second most popular sport in the world, but that’s for later.

Though baseball is still very much popular, it’s not very much liked. The Major League Baseball All-Star game is this week, and more news and attention has been dedicated to Lebron joining the Lakers and where disgruntled San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard might get traded. The sport has become candy corn. Something only good for the special moment – the more enjoyable venture takes precedence once the moment is gone. Just like candy corn is taken off shelves as soon as November 1st hits, baseball is put on the backburner to football as soon as the calendar hits September. The patriotic sport with the most history has largely taken a back seat to the more popular sports of football and basketball.

How did this happen?

  1. Baseball has not embraced the Latin culture of its Latin players.
  2. The pace and the length of the game is the slowest and longest ever in baseball history, aka boring.
  3. The biggest stars of baseball are virtual unknowns outside their respective markets.
  4. Baseball doesn’t even generate funny internet memes.
  5. Baseball is largely absent from talks on social media to the workplace water cooler.

But unlike candy corn, which is relevant for only its “once a year” glory, baseball still has the distinction of being the most successfully solely Black run enterprise in America… the Negro Leagues. Baseball is also a much safer sport than football, and as previously stated a much more cost appropriate sport than basketball to see live.

But with all that being said, baseball has a decision to make… either be candy corn and marked 3 bags for five dollars and liked only as a niche market, or become relevant again and be embraced. If not, all it will be is a place for sales professionals to have “team building” ventures, and while there, only buy expensive beer and talk about if Lebron can lead the Lakers to a championship.

America’s changing… is baseball in fear of being left behind?

Similar Read: A Peak Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests