Not saying I agree. @haralabob: Kawhi keeps on shutting down all these MVPs and quietly playing efficient offensive ball too. Maybe he’s the MVP
For what its worth, here are the top 10 players in RPM (ESPN's Real Plus/Minus stat) this season: Code: RK NAME TEAM GP MPG ORPM DRPM RPM WAR 1 James Harden, SG HOU 76 36.9 8.08 0.68 8.76 19.86 2 Stephen Curry, PG GS 76 32.8 7.42 1.26 8.68 17.80 3 Kawhi Leonard, SF SA 60 31.5 3.19 5.16 8.35 12.51 4 LeBron James, SF CLE 66 36.3 5.64 2.06 7.70 14.77 5 Chris Paul, PG LAC 79 34.9 6.89 0.48 7.37 16.71 6 Anthony Davis, PF NO 63 36.3 3.60 3.67 7.27 13.24 7 Russell Westbrook, PG OKC 63 34.2 7.30 -0.64 6.66 12.48 8 Khris Middleton, SG MIL 74 30.1 2.35 4.04 6.39 12.02 9 DeMarcus Cousins, C SAC 59 34.1 1.75 4.62 6.37 11.18 10 Draymond Green, SF GS 75 31.6 0.92 4.94 5.86 12.45
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>One of the better quotes I can ever remember from Parker, on striking balance with Leonard: <a href="http://t.co/7AzeVMoM0z">pic.twitter.com/7AzeVMoM0z</a></p>— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneySAEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/danmccarneySAEN/status/586007830458544128">April 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>That is called unselfishness, the mortar to everything the Spurs have built over these past 20 years.</p>— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneySAEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/danmccarneySAEN/status/586008172483088384">April 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So kawhi can shut 1 guy down, great. How do you deal with the rest of the 4 guys? The whole nature of a 3 pt shot is to provide spacing, a guy like Kawhi can't contain 2 guys who camp out at the 3 pt line, so if you assign Kawhi to 1 spot up shooter, who's gonna guard the other guy when Kawhi's man passes the ball? On the other hand a guy like Gobert can guard the entire paint pretty much by himself, this allows the PF or SF to switch and double team someone else. Sure Jameer Nelson by himself is a defensive sieve, but if he has Rashard Lewis helping him out then even if they both suck at least they make life a bit harder on someone like WB. This is why the Orlando team was one of the best defensive teams despite having Rashard, Hedo and Jameer playing significant minutes. On the other hand I've never heard of a great defensive team anchored by just one good individual defender and crappy big men. Rondo is considered a good defensive player, but the Celtics were crap defensively once KG and Perkins left. New Jersey had both Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace and still sucked defensively. Practically speaking it's also much cheaper to get defensive wing men than defensive big men that's why big men are more valuable. You can get a defender like Ariza for 7M, on the other hand a guy like Tyson Chandler cost Dallas 10M easy just to get. Put it into layman's terms I'd rather pay Roy Hibbert 20M than pay Tony Allen 20M because even though both are limited defensive guys Hibbert as a big man will just have a bigger impact.
already and will always be a defensive monster, kawhi will only improve his offensive game even as he gets older... he will have incredible "old mans game" future of the SF position along with giannis and KD
if duncan decides to retire anytime, I feel like kawhi is the kind of player pop would stick around for. sign a marquee FA that fits their system and they are instant contenders again
He was a guy that played defense as well as Kawhi, but you could hand him the ball and say go make something happen... and it would. He was good at every element of the game in his prime. He could shoot, lock down a player, get to the hoop, make the right pass... truly a great player. Made the top 50 all time list back when the NBA celebrated it's 50th birthday.
The Spurs are setting a flamethrower to the league and the only person who can shut them down is Pop. He's repeatedly sat Leonard the past few games before he could exceed his career-high of 26 points and pulled the same trick on Parker, icing him at 27 points. Maybe he's superstitious that the last time a Spur scored 30 --Parker against Cleveland-- they lost. So what gives, Pop? "It's because I'm a jerk," he joked. "I don't want them to get a big head. What do they have to get 30 for? Selfish."
