Paul George inked a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers over the offseason. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith bemoaned the player’s time in California, claiming that this meant his time with the LA Clippers was coming to an end. And what he had to say won’t make the newly acquired 76ers happy.
Smith was not going to remain silent for even a moment. He called George’s tenure with the Clippers a “colossal failure” from the start.
Stephen A. Smith explains how Kawhi Leonard “blackmailed” the team into geting Paul George
Stephen quite unbashedly blasts Kawhi Leonard and gives in detail how Kawhi Leonard was a disaster for everyone. He said,
“I think the way it [George and Leonard’s time with the Clippers] ended, punctuated how big of a colossal failure it was… He [Leonard] basically blackmailed the Los Angeles Clippers. He said, ‘You want me? I need you to trade the farm, do all of this to get Paul George. Otherwise, I’m going to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. That’s what he did.”
Stephen A. went on to point out that the club didn’t do well in the West and didn’t even make it to the NBA Finals once during the “Kawhi-PG” era. He said,
“Not only do you not get to a NBA Finals, not only do you just get to one conference finals, not only did you go to that Western Conference Finals without Kawhi Leonard, who had got hurt the series before against Utah, but on top of that, Kawhi Leonard is perpetually injured, end up missing 60% of your playoff games, he doesn’t do a damn thing to promote the franchise or the market…”
.@stephenasmith says the PG-13-Kawhi era in Los Angeles was a “colossal failure.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/Fmgcx1IEQl
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 1, 2024
Smith continued by pointing out how absurd it was that the LA Clippers extended him twice, in spite of his history of injuries. He ultimately held the LA Clippers more responsible than anybody else for the length of time they allowed this to go and for not receiving anything in exchange for Paul George.
It’s hard to disagree with Stephen A. Smith, even though at first his remarks appear harsh. Not many teams have underperformed in this era of the Clippers as much as they have.
