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Los Angeles Clippers star, Kawhi Leonard sat out in yet another nationally televised basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, due to load management, knee. This caused a lot of mixed emotions as fans were eager to watch last season’s NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard go up against reigning NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Doris Burke, NBA Sports Analyst was horrified about this decision and unleashed her thoughts against the two-time finals MVP.
Doris Burke’s Thoughts
“Kawhi not playing to me is ridiculous at this point,” Burke said Wednesday on ESPN’s GET UP. “I don’t understand it. He is a great player. He is compelling to watch. If you’ve watched any of his games he’s been absolutely brilliant in the fourth quarter and won them a ton of games. And the Clippers obviously have a responsibility to Kawhi and to winning and long term.”
Per Alex Galbraith of COMPLEX, Burke followed those statements saying that if this continues to happen the NBA will have a “long-term problem.” She also said that she was disappointed for her colleagues and fans who were in attendance of the game.
It comes to no surprise that this decision picked up some heat, especially in a matchup like tonight’s. It is crucial for teams to look out for their key players and allow for rest when needed. Though some may say that Leonard is fine, he has suffered major quad injury in the past. If this wasn’t taken into consideration, there’s a chance that Kawhi could miss playoffs due to irresponsible decisions to not sit out.
Opposing Views
There are a lot of people in alliance with Doris Burke. Their point is certainly valid in that people pay quite a bit of money to see these high intensity games. Others disagree with Burke and support Kawhi’s and the league’s decision.
Per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Leonard did not play due to, “injury/illness, load management (knee),” according to the NBA’s injury report. According to COMPLEX, “Kawhi Leonard is not a healthy player under the league’s resting policy, and, as such, is listed as managing a knee injury in the LA Clippers injury report,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.
Some analysts chimed in on the conversation in support of the Klaw. They noted that Kawhi has suffered chronic pain that plagued a portion of his NBA career. If one does not babysit their injuries, a possible setback on already made progress is possible.
Kevin O’Connor clapped back at those not in support of Kawhi’s decision tweeting that, “Maybe Kawhi, the person dealing with the issue, and his actual doctors know better than we do.”
Sports Analyst, Skip Bayless also joined the conversation. He too had a savvy remark. On he and Shannon Sharpe’s talk show Undisputed, Bayless said “He [Leonard] will be fresh in June while LeBron is beating his chest about beating the Bulls.”
Last year due to load management, the Klaw was able to lead the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA Finals appearance. In hopes of repeating those results in back-to-back seasons, the Los Angeles Clippers are echoing those efforts.
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