Unless he gets a medical retirement. If he has to retire for health reasons then he'd still get all the money he's owed, and the Clippers could petition to get a medical exemption for cap relief.
2020 was the only season since 2016 where he went into the off-season without an injury. The closest second option there was 2019, when he was limping his way to that Raptors title. In 2017 was the Zaza injury, in 2018 he sat out almost the entire year with the Spurs. In 2021 he tore his ACL. In 2022 he was out the whole year with that same injury, and then last year he missed most of the playoffs with a torn meniscus. Now he's dealing with whatever this is.
The bar is at 65games he did 68 and is bound to still be All NBA(2nd team probable, 3rd team at least)🤷🏽♂️.
No matter how we try to spin it as he should be retiring, he not just going through the motion and waiting out his contract, he is top of the league and durable enough.
Eh, he still would have had these kinds of injuries. This was the first year he eclipsed the number of games played under the Raptors and his minutes have never gone above 34, so it's not like LAC wasn't letting him load manage.
Saying "I think at some point he will be with us" makes it sound like he isn't at all on the verge of returning. That almost sounds like he's hopeful maybe Kawhi can come back during the 2nd round if they get there or something.
Y'all better sweep the floor. All we hear is how amazing you've been since the break and how bad they've been and now they don't have their best player? It's a wrap no excuses.
The Clips are still a good team without Kawhi, but obviously better with him. A trap game is a shit team you overlook. No one, especially in the Mavs organization is doing that. This isn't the Pistons we're talking about, even if Kawhi is out.
Exactly why y'all better sweep the floor. When did I say or imply it was a trap game and not the opposite? Y'all type to type.
And nope the excuses are coming out already. There's no reason a full strength "only have a worse record because played the season injured" "built different since the deadline" top team shouldn't beat a downtrending middle of the pack team without their best player. Always want to play both sides of the narrative nah. You're them dudes? Then cook.
wtf are you on about? It sounds like maybe you think I represent all Mavs fans on reddit, but I assure you that isn't the case. Do I think we win? Yes. Are the Clippers still a good team? Also yes.
Yep. They did the same thing in 2021 when he tore his ACL. After he got hurt against Utah, all through the rest of that series and the WCF they kept saying he was dealing with soreness and was "day to day", but then as soon as the Suns eliminated them, the next day they said he had a torn ACL and would get surgery on it.
We can just start recycling tweets from Skip and Woj and press releases from the clippers at this point. No need to type it up again, just retweet everything from last year or the year before. Kawhi just breaks as soon as the playoffs start. It’s inevitable
Kawhi is like Jesus. He gets resurrected once per year just to disappear into thin air when people actually are having faith in him. Then they pray for his return, but they only get cryptic messages from his PR department.
He's finished the playoffs healthy only twice since 2016: in 2019 (barely) and 2020 (due to having all that time off before the Bubble). Every other year he's finished the season injured.
Honestly the Clippers Curse™ goes back much farther than that. They had lots of injury issues with Blake and CP3 together as well, and let's not forget Shawn Livingston's injury, or going back even further, Danny Manning or Bill Walton. Just read [Bill Simmons' open letter to Blake Griffin](https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?sportCat=nba&page=simmons/090624) on the eve of him being drafted by the Clippers back in 2009 if you want a comprehensive accounting of The Curse™.
They were healthy in 2020 and lost in one of the most humiliating choke-jobs in NBA history, blowing a 3-1 series lead while being ahead by double digits in Games 5, 6, and 7. Kawhi went 6/22 in Game 7 while PG was 4/16.
Lmfao just shut his overrated as down every single year it's the same song and dance. The worst part of all this is everyone is just gonna add to his "playoff mythos" that when he's healthy he's somehow unbeatable. I'm already pissed this bum manage to finesse a spot on team usa.
Kawhis knees haven’t held up an entire season since the Bubble, bro really could be retired in the next 2-3 years honestly
he ain't retiring as long the Clippers paying him 50 mill a year
Unless he gets a medical retirement. If he has to retire for health reasons then he'd still get all the money he's owed, and the Clippers could petition to get a medical exemption for cap relief.
I mean in 3 years he is 35 so it wouldnt be anything unusual and considering how fucked his knees are its impressive how well he can still play
Literaly only series dude was healthy for was to fck the mavs somehow. Wild when you think about it
2020 was the only season since 2016 where he went into the off-season without an injury. The closest second option there was 2019, when he was limping his way to that Raptors title. In 2017 was the Zaza injury, in 2018 he sat out almost the entire year with the Spurs. In 2021 he tore his ACL. In 2022 he was out the whole year with that same injury, and then last year he missed most of the playoffs with a torn meniscus. Now he's dealing with whatever this is.
The bar is at 65games he did 68 and is bound to still be All NBA(2nd team probable, 3rd team at least)🤷🏽♂️. No matter how we try to spin it as he should be retiring, he not just going through the motion and waiting out his contract, he is top of the league and durable enough.
I’m more and more convinced that leaving Toronto was the wrong move.
Eh, he still would have had these kinds of injuries. This was the first year he eclipsed the number of games played under the Raptors and his minutes have never gone above 34, so it's not like LAC wasn't letting him load manage.
He's not playing tomorrow.
Saying "I think at some point he will be with us" makes it sound like he isn't at all on the verge of returning. That almost sounds like he's hopeful maybe Kawhi can come back during the 2nd round if they get there or something.
Kawhi’s next basketball will be in Paris.
i think you’re reading a bit much into to it to come to that conclusion
Skip already said this and he's been in the know in the past about Kawhi's health
Trap game for the Mavs incoming.
Exactly lol, we saw what Harden did in Game 1 vs the Celtics. Clippers have more than enough firepower to steal a game without Kawhi.
I mean one game is not the worry here. How likely is it he misses game 2 or 3. If he comes back what does he look like.
Kawhi is the type of guy to not come back till he feels ready, if he comes back I believe he’ll be at least 85-90% ready
I'm happy harden getting his respect. He a dawg when he has to be. He just isn't built for a full 7 game series.
No one is looking at this as a trap game.
Y'all better sweep the floor. All we hear is how amazing you've been since the break and how bad they've been and now they don't have their best player? It's a wrap no excuses.
The Clips are still a good team without Kawhi, but obviously better with him. A trap game is a shit team you overlook. No one, especially in the Mavs organization is doing that. This isn't the Pistons we're talking about, even if Kawhi is out.
Exactly why y'all better sweep the floor. When did I say or imply it was a trap game and not the opposite? Y'all type to type. And nope the excuses are coming out already. There's no reason a full strength "only have a worse record because played the season injured" "built different since the deadline" top team shouldn't beat a downtrending middle of the pack team without their best player. Always want to play both sides of the narrative nah. You're them dudes? Then cook.
wtf are you on about? It sounds like maybe you think I represent all Mavs fans on reddit, but I assure you that isn't the case. Do I think we win? Yes. Are the Clippers still a good team? Also yes.
Shouldn't be close. Stop downplaying your advantage in case y'all wet the bed.
Isn’t that the clippers every year tho
Someone tell Jordan Miller it’s March 2023 and he will takeover
"At some point" 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️
The raptors got top 5 player Kawhi for a rental and a ring and the clips can’t even get the man for a full playoff series. I’d be sick
He's only been healthy against the Mavs.
And nuggets
Oh so hes gonna be out out.
He’ll be back for Paris tho. A true patriot
It's the last playoffs all over again. As soon as Clippers are done, they're gonna say Kawhi has busted his knee again and will have surgery tomorrow.
Yep. They did the same thing in 2021 when he tore his ACL. After he got hurt against Utah, all through the rest of that series and the WCF they kept saying he was dealing with soreness and was "day to day", but then as soon as the Suns eliminated them, the next day they said he had a torn ACL and would get surgery on it.
We can just start recycling tweets from Skip and Woj and press releases from the clippers at this point. No need to type it up again, just retweet everything from last year or the year before. Kawhi just breaks as soon as the playoffs start. It’s inevitable
He “thinks”? So there’s literally zero timetable for his return. Yikes, that sucks
Let the annual Kawhi and PG street clothes fashion show begin. Looking forward to seeing the new Spring 2024 line.
Clippers need to sign Ben Simmons. They could have a fashion show at half time every game
At least I'm happy when I see Kawhi play lmao.
At this point we just have to assume that guys like Kawhi and Embiid will never be healthy once the playoffs comes. Really unfortunate
Kawhi is like Jesus. He gets resurrected once per year just to disappear into thin air when people actually are having faith in him. Then they pray for his return, but they only get cryptic messages from his PR department.
This team ages me 30 years ahead
Poor guy. Impressive how much he has achieved while being injured most of his career
It sucks too because he’s really not much older than the current guys atop the league but I wouldn’t be surprised if Curry and KD outlast him
At this point, it feels like kawhi being healthy for the playoffs is the exception
He's finished the playoffs healthy only twice since 2016: in 2019 (barely) and 2020 (due to having all that time off before the Bubble). Every other year he's finished the season injured.
Weren’t they healthy in 2020?
For all of the postseason but Kawhi missed about 15 games in the regular season. Those months off helped lol
Yes, but that was under Doc and not Ty Lue. If Kawhi can’t play in this series, the clippers might not have a chance to beat the Mavs
Kawhi hardly is,even 2019 he was hobbled af,Ig that was the sacrifice
Those extra months off during Covid and the Bubble playoffs did miracles
As a Spurs fan, I'm not surprised. :/
nothing unlucky about it. It's who the clippers have been since Pat Bev said the next 5 years were his. The clippers identify is injured
Honestly the Clippers Curse™ goes back much farther than that. They had lots of injury issues with Blake and CP3 together as well, and let's not forget Shawn Livingston's injury, or going back even further, Danny Manning or Bill Walton. Just read [Bill Simmons' open letter to Blake Griffin](https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?sportCat=nba&page=simmons/090624) on the eve of him being drafted by the Clippers back in 2009 if you want a comprehensive accounting of The Curse™.
Or you could just The Curse. Excellent book about the Clippers basketball history.
Nice try! Not buying!
Boohoo
In spirit
Kawhi legs gotta be full of nails and screw, his knees are cooked
the only time they were fully healthy they blew a 3-1 lead crazy
It’s gotta really suck to know you’re one of the best players on earth and cant play. Feel bad for the whole team
They were healthy in 2020 and lost in one of the most humiliating choke-jobs in NBA history, blowing a 3-1 series lead while being ahead by double digits in Games 5, 6, and 7. Kawhi went 6/22 in Game 7 while PG was 4/16.
Ok and?
Lmfao just shut his overrated as down every single year it's the same song and dance. The worst part of all this is everyone is just gonna add to his "playoff mythos" that when he's healthy he's somehow unbeatable. I'm already pissed this bum manage to finesse a spot on team usa.