On September 22, Beijing time, the Los Angeles derby this summer is not as good as it should be, the Lakers needless to say, almost equal to zero reinforcement, although the Clippers introduced Jones Jr., Dunn, Batum and other players, but they lost All-Star forward Paul George in vain, and on the whole, the competitiveness of the Clippers in the new season has become weaker.
To make matters worse, the Clippers' core Leonard's physical condition is a mystery, and there is even bad news. Recently, Xiaoka's Chinese agent "Barbecue Sister" suddenly updated its news today. "Barbecue Sister" wrote: "There may be bad news, get a vaccination first, and wait for the Clippers media day to see if there will be any improvements."
Although it is not said what the bad news is, it is not difficult to guess that the most worrying thing for the Clippers is Leonard's physical condition, and the worst possibility is that Leonard will be reimbursed for the season. Leonard was supposed to play in the Olympics this summer, but after a little exercise on the field, he withdrew from the Dream Team due to injury.
Not to mention the reliability of the information, Leonard's career resume is worrying enough. Leonard has played only once in the playoffs since joining the Clippers in 2019, and last season was supposed to be his healthiest season, without frequent load management, missing just six of 74 games and earning him a three-year, $153 million contract extension. Who would have thought that the playoffs would suddenly erupt with injuries and only play a symbolic game, resulting in the Clippers losing to the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
There's no denying the ability of the small card, two championships, two best defensive players, but you can't help the team with a max salary contract, which no one can stand, let alone Clippers owner Ballmer. Ballmer is not short of money, but people want results, and this summer gave George a dismissal, and he will not get used to Leonard.
Recently, Lowe talked about the Clippers in the new season on the live show "NBA Today", Lowe said: "As far as I know, if the Clippers don't do well in the middle of the season, Ballmer may have to reshuffle the team. I mean, it's not a good sign for Leonard, he's going to get out of there. ”
Let's go to TM's load management, Ballmer can't bear it anymore, and it's long overdue to correct Harden.
In fact, there was a deal involving Leonard this offseason, according to American media reports, the Clippers and the Rockets discussed a Leonard trade, the Rockets hope to introduce a star like Leonard who can affect the outcome to lead the team to the playoffs, and they intended to send 3 first-round picks in exchange for Bridges in the middle of last season. While the Rocket-Clippers deal failed to get through, it's clear that Ballmer has gradually lost patience with Leonard.
In fact, considering Leonard's age and injury history, the Clippers should indeed re-establish the core of the team, and pair Harden with suitable role players, who still have the ability to guarantee the playoffs.