The Kawhi Leonard-Paul George Experiment Was a Failure

[@ClaytonCrowley]

Man, this guy really sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I bet he'd never do something as stupid as buying a Paul George Clippers jersey. That would be so stupid

[@Neku109]

I knew this sounded familiar...

[@blanetamez532]

Dam bro… just dam 🥲

[@jaycesims8380]

This guy is what basketball content is all about. 👏🏽

[@PaulMaree]

Nah bro, he probably also owns a Harden Clippers jersey.

[@Blitzkreeg21]

Glad to see you contributing to Bleacher Report now. For the longest time you were far and away the best researcher and presenter in NBA youtube, laying out the data and telling a meaningful story with it. You deserve all the success

[@mojomogul]

This narration has just the right amount of spite in it, you know this guy's a Clippers fan 😂

[@daveczarnik6017]

He literally says that he is in the intro.

[@christopherd.3291]

@@daveczarnik6017That’s a fact. Ppl care more about Bronny James than the Clippers. One thing I’ll say is they both sorry 😂

[@thenorthface3023]

@christopherd.3291 rent free

[@urbaindelva7869]

​​@@christopherd.3291Except Bronny has time to figure it out.

[@DevinGibbs-cg7yb]

@@urbaindelva7869 and so do the clippers. They have been trying to figure it out for their entire history

[@DreamFearless]

*No first round picks until 2030* sounds more like a sentence from a judge than a team development strategy. 😂

[@koreypaul6698]

😭😭

[@istanprincecharlesteamcami1026]

lmao nailed it

[@eddiecaballero9514]

😂

[@primeraespada_01]

Gavel hit the nail in the coffin 😂

[@nicksirju8717]

Fact: Kawhi has won more playoff series with his 1 year with the Raptors than this 5 years with the Clippers. Raptors: 4 Clippers: 3

[@I.am_Groot]

Fact: Kawhi took more max money for less result since becoming a Clipper than any other baller

[@Willworld.]

Damn this is crazy!!

[@ckthegreat100]

He should never have left

[@nikclaus2372]

Nah it’s only 2, PG won the series against the Jazz he was already injured in Game 4 of WCSF.

[@parrot11]

The Raps medical staff was top notch the season he was there. Idk what the Clippers were thinking not having something comparable when they signed Kawhi. I don't feel bad for them. They tampered the whole season.

[@The1PhillyPhil]

LOL he called the Sixers the clippers of the East

[@jamesbeachem2003]

Because it's true.

[@dariusbrooks21]

@@jamesbeachem2003 couldn't disagree more. 6ers are much better ran franchise than the Clippers, come on now.

[@_Mista_X]

@@dariusbrooks21aye, will they get out the second round this year?

[@dariusbrooks21]

@@_Mista_X I can’t call it 😅

[@thekidfromcleveland3944]

​@dariusbrooks21 bro they took Ben Simmons. Stop playing. That front office is our level of incompetent

[@ConnorMiller417]

This will go down as one of the biggest failures in NBA history. The fact the clippers gave away SGA, 5 first round picks, and two first rounder swaps just to get PG just makes them look worse. The have no first round picks until 2030 and are stuck with Kawhi and Harden. The Clippers can’t get out of their own way.

[@alphamalementality7105]

It will only be a failure if he wins a championship. If not then he will just be another high scoring, overhyped, NBA star that could never get over the hump like PG 💯

[@I.am_Groot]

Facts but they really gave all that up thinking Kawhi was still the man. I fault him more than PG and you right Harden isn't much at this point either. Clippers fans cannot catch a break

[@koopakid03]

Wouldn't say the biggest I'd still put that Nets team w KD Kyrie Harden above this duo

[@jadenArmstrong750]

@@koopakid03 Not really... many channels and analyst were saying that Kawhi and PG were going to be the new ver of Jordan and Pippen😐 Ofc I'm denying that the Nets team was also a failure but if you've seen what Sean Marks has done to fix the Nets they basically got back their future with those KD and Mikael trades so they're stirring on a good future ahead of them with this rebuild and can draft High end talent through the draft. The clippers on other hand well... as Clayton just said they don't have their future til 2030

[@brianduru3753]

In fairness, they gave up all that to get PG AND Kawhi. Kawhi wasn't going to come without PG so their hands were kind of tied. So while yes they did give up all that for PG, it was sort of a package deal for him and Kawhi. But you still make that deal everytime though. It didn't pan out, but if you had a chance to get Kawhi in 2019, you had to pounce on it. He was a top 3 player back then.

[@vulcanraven9701]

The Clippers duo played the exact same position/playstyle, lacked chemistry, both guys are made of glass, and the team mortgaged all their assets & future for next decade just to pair them together. And people still wonder how they could possibly have failed.

[@PeanutButterAndJellyBros]

The fact that clippers still wants kawhi is just laughable now. They know he's gonna be at the bench again with the rest of the team playing without him.

[@I.am_Groot]

PBJ all day!! You got facts. When they signed Kawhi to this last extension I just smh

[@akirosakuragi9279]

He was healthy for Olympics tho😬💀

[@I.am_Groot]

@UCcH1099Tbp9fdX2OqIuzu2Q What level of healthy? Should Team USA accept the Kawhi 'maybe I play today maybe not?' flip a coin and wish that the Clips put up with? Dude is not playing. He should not be playing. Until he can earn them Clips paychecks the Olympics are a no

[@johnnycash8567]

Yeah let him walk away and be a lottery team when u don’t own your picks. That sounds really smart

[@Sage_Hashish]

@@akirosakuragi9279He already pulled out of the Olympics

[@ZaneSmithMusic]

👏🏾 Very well put together video on the Clippers! 🍿🎥🎬

[@AdanBean]

This was a work of art. No notes.

[@superemesean5907]

Stf up you couldn’t offer any notes if you tried

[@PacmanBrunner]

llllss he curried uuu

[@createdsoicancomment2833]

My man picked the Clippers on purpose...LMFAO... PS. the Tatum and Brown tandem are everything Paul George and Kahwi were supposed to be,

[@Modeek6]

Had it not been for that title they won this year, brown and tatum was on the verge of being broken up too.

[@jonathanreyes5036]

Kawhi George and Paul Leonard

[@IK-yb5rn]

thank you

[@meursault6289]

Lob city era is even better than Kawhi-PG era

[@cdgates1]

Lob City never got past the 2nd round

[@lalaelfa5036]

I like this video. My favorite part of this video is labeling the sixers as clippers of the east. 😂 Hilarious but true.

[@collinsodhiambo3116]

So sad When this trade happened I expected 5 years down the line these guys would have had atleast 2 chips together

[@TrevorPhilips]

less of a failure and more of an accident failure only in the sense they gambled on injury-prone players

[@philiplee1769]

I dont know who this is but this was a gem to watch and listen to. Kudos to you if you read this

[@madhops100550]

"Promising potential franchise cornerstone" I think overstates Shai after year 1. He had a good rookie year, but definitely took a big jump between years 1 and 2. Great video though, loved the reshowing of "The Shot" by Kawhi against the 76ers.

[@gabrielasuncion1598]

Is that clayton crowley i hear?? The best story teller in youtube??

[@PaulMaree]

Clayton bringing class and insight to BR again.

[@adrianborja8261]

Damn, Clayton going to bleacher report is amazing

[@joelmilten]

Yah, I had no idea he was a Clippers fan. Ouch.

[@lmcgjr.4032]

Very well done, the truth doesn’t always hurt.

[@awc6007]

5:09 “If blowing a playoff series were a five course meal he would be Gordon Ramsay” LMAO love you Clayton, that was a crazy bar about playoff Harden.

[@heigherheights21]

Hating ass bar

[@danbobway5656]

Not really, it’s a casuals take

[@M-Cherian]

This is what a true fan sounds like - hopelessly devoted, despite all signs pointing elsewhere. I hear you. Even when it hurts, you still root for them. Great video mate.

[@BballAllStar33]

No knock on the Bucks/Suns because that was a great finals. But should have been Nets/Clippers in 2021. Both teams were dominating when playoff time came around. But just got injured. Especially that one play by Joe Ingles injuring Kawhi 🚮 that’s where 💩 went south

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Hahaha great nothing

[@mugetsu_15]

tbf russ was being used as a spot-up shooter when he's never been a good 3pt shooter in the first place. he is a POINT GUARD and they used him like fucking pj tucker lmaooo

[@Exclusive-gl1eb]

RUSS the goat of shooting 🧱

[@L0NNYKINS]

it feels illegal to be this early

[@bigdollabill7426]

Clips should trade everyone 😂😂😂😂

[@SoCalClip]

As a Clipper fan for over +20 year this video was put together very well. The pain and suffering this franchise has gone thru has eventually made me become numb to all the Ls and disappointment.

[@Royaltrueorange345]

Congrats Clayton!

[@jojijoestar7233]

Today I found out Clayton Crowley is a Clippers fan

[@joelmilten]

Same!

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Sterling wasn’t the worst owner, made racist remarks sure but as an owner I’d say MJ was worse.

[@OSOJOSHO]

MJ was the MJ of bad owners

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Sterling was indeed and Jordan will never be a bad owner. Nice try trolll

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

​@@OSOJOSHOyou wish trolll

[@jimbojimbo6873]

@@nonamewillbegiven1217 you’re crazy, on the court performance wise Jordan has been GOAT all time bad

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

@@jimbojimbo6873 you're delusional hahaha

[@prod.snqwfall1347]

This video felt inevitable the day that PG hit the side of that backboard

[@giovanniharris1145]

Shout out to you your intro is the best😂

[@tosink]

As a Lakers fan, I love this. Fantastic work 😂

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Be quiet child

[@stevenonos5275]

When he finished the intro, I just felt.......ohhh, you poor soul😢🤧

[@Ralph9319]

They was tryna the 2 wing plan like Boston but the difference is Tatum and brown are iron men. They don’t get hurt and barely miss time so they got chemistry.

[@nothanks5264]

Kawhi. Literally all Kawhi’s fault. No way around it. Kawhi got everything he wanted from the Clippers until ownership lost faith in him.

[@andrewfanfan]

It really because of his injuries and the clippers are a overrated team

[@chapster2135]

Kawhi injuries is the reasons they play great together as a team but when kawhi was needed injury 😞

[@Jordan23659]

Keep getting them checks!!! - Jalen Rose

[@ryancraig8757]

Sad part is the clippers could be the thunder right now if they just didn't go for kawhi lol

[@I.am_Groot]

Facts. The Lakers could have had a similar run if they did not follow up the AD trade by emptying the chest of assets to get Westbrook. J Randle. B Lopez. Kuzma. J Hart. KCP. It was WIN NOW then they got that bubble ring and it wall went to sh!t

[@uriamudeltoro5075]

He did all of this with a level of deadpan, and powerful words of connotation.....😂 This is gold right here Signed, A REALISTIC Laker fan

[@Dav635]

Coming from a clippers fan ALL FACTS no bs

[@allclassallthetime4739]

PG seems like such a quiet man looking at him play but he's on radio talk shows everyday seemingly because he just enjoys it so much, that's an interesting contrast

[@rexarthur26]

I don't which hurts more for Clippers fans, making the playoffs and getting close or losing all season.

[@quinnwegner8727]

Bleacher report cool it I’m a clipper fan 😥

[@MrBubblecake]

If we’re being honest, Harden was basically playing by himself in the last two games of that Mavs series. The role players were doing nothing, and Paul George was bricking everything. That team was built around Kawhi and without him it all fell apart as it did his entire time with the clippers. Everyone knows harden isn’t consistent through a 7 games series, a 35 year old Harden was never supposed to lead them to the finals, he was supposed to be a playmaker and his scoring was supposed to be a 3rd option. If they had Kawhi’s defense and even like 20ppg from him throughout the series, I think clippers win in 7. Nobody talks about how bad Westbrook was in the playoffs for the clippers either because of his new bandwagon of fans that started defending him just to oppose the lakers/lebron, despite how “hard he tries” he had more turnovers than assists.

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Yawn

[@eliebechara3811]

This new era since that crazy 2019 offseason has proven that building through the Draft is the best option to win a championship (Bucks, Nuggets, Celtics). With that said, I'm pulling for the Timberwolves.

[@Indiana-r9b]

They are both SF, two all star playing same position together is not gonna work, don’t do that again. You see all the championship winners, all the players played in their most comfortable position, especially starting five.

[@paulwhiteii6321]

5:55 Harden gets his fingers stepped on

[@curtisharvey2405]

I've been saying it since the collapse in the bubble

[@deng3069]

Clayton Crowley gonna put B/R on his back, can’t wait to see more content from him on this channel🫡🫡🫡

[@papakimchitv674]

The Buffalo Braves became the Boston Celtics, the OG Boston Celtics became the San Diego Clippers. They traded everyone including coaches, staff, etc. then kept the history for some reason. So technically speaking, the Clippers FRANCHISE already has 13 championships.

[@urmanascrewed]

You can't just drop unexpected clips of spiders like that!

[@ClipShow4Life]

Everyone would have taken michael olowakandi number 1 that year ..he put up olajuwaun type college numbers....this guy is a fake fan and knows nothing

[@Marley11st]

when people bring up the SGA trade they never mention that when PG was traded, he had JUST finished 3rd in the MVP voting, Im not a Clippers fan AT ALL, but there need to be some context added to this "lopsided trade narrative" , was it a lot to give up to get PG yes, but it didn't look too bad at the time though, not to mention SGA also missed ALOT of time with Okc, and it took him 5 seasons to get to where he is now, literally half a decade and Okc were a bad team for most of that time and also were taking for couple seasons.

[@calebford6318]

Injuries are apart of basketball and no one can be blamed for them. Failure is not accurate. Unsuccessful fits better.

[@celery8315]

my man j kyle mann is on BR now

[@daveczarnik6017]

Everyone knew it would

[@crypto40]

The funniest thing about the whole thing is they resigned kawhi when PG was there more for them. Personally I would have signed PG and let kawhi walk. Now im not saying to build around PG but at least he’s been more active with less injuries than kawhi

[@lord_vipr]

They was healthy for only 1 season together

[@daveczarnik6017]

Were*

[@ishaelmidwinter9361]

I been said this.....the Clippers literally build 2 solid dynasties & did nothing wit both.....Lob City & the PG&Kawhi era

[@LouisVirigl12]

As a Thunder Fan. kawhi and PG will go down as thunder legends🙏 them picks are looking realllyy reallyy nice

[@yoshikigrg8]

Injury and laziness at this point of their career.

[@jguinto101]

As Orlando Magic, welcome to feeling helpless seeing your team suck 😅

[@rixguapo8411]

very sad story..

[@atlnla4112]

I’ve had shoes longer than you’ve watched basketball.😂

[@andu1854]

Leonard has spent more time being injured than healthy… he is a great player, but is in the Bill Walton level of greatness, lead team to two titles, but injuries limited him… also the Clippers might be cursed and Balmer should have just asked to move them to Seattle to become the Sonics

[@snarkmark2806]

Kawhi screwed over the Clippers worse than he did the Spurs. They traded SGA for repeated injury seasons, and a guy who walked for nothing.

[@d4v1do]

So dumb not to pay PG honestly

[@Kodreanu23]

Was this narrated by Clayton Crowley? 🙂

[@PygmaApril]

I can't blame the Clippers for their choices regarding the PG trade and the Kawhi signing. They were desperate to be relevant, otherwise they will end up without a fan base. It's hard not having a home floor and your home town audience is Lakers fans. They had to go all in.

[@TKDCats312]

There was a moment in this video I had to just pause and stop listening. "So LA gave up their draft future for the rest of this decade and traded away the best young prospect in the league aside from Wemby and Edwards." Does the name Luka fucking Doncic ring a bell? You know, the guy who gave Kawhi and PG fits for three years in the playoffs before knocking them out for good this year?

[@brianduru3753]

Luka is in this weird place where he's been so good for so long that people forget how young he still is. He averaged 29/9/9 in his 2nd season and made first team All-NBA and hasn't looked back since. And in that years playoffs he was pretty much taking on the Clippers on his own. He's been a superstar for like 5 years now. But because Shai just recently became great, people think that Shai is still 'young', while Luka is now. But Shai is actually older than Luka lol.

[@TKDCats312]

@@brianduru3753Yup, exactly. The failure to even mention Luka in that sentence definitely hurts the credibility of the narrator in this one.

[@mjtejero]

Well said, guys getting paid a lot of money are those who unperformed when needed.

[@richardnelson26]

10 yrs ago? Damn I feel old lol

[@TheLifeOfJoyVee]

Paul George knew he gonna get out of Clippers, so they just decided to stink again in Game 6 vs Mavs together with Harden who, you all know, dissapears in Playoff time. They just wanted to rest their bodies. Who’s fault? Ty Lue of course. Guy does not know his players strength and how to utilize it.

[@Dennis07-yl3cf]

At least they have a new arena 🤣

[@DevinGibbs-cg7yb]

Clippers and the Sixers really do have similar trajectories

[@jasbury911]

Injuries…can’t believe Shaun Livingston had the career he did

[@manfestiondaily]

It wasn’t a experiment, it was a full commitment to pg and kawhi and they failed

[@joesakic91]

Lob City Failed. PG13-Kawhi Duo Failed.

[@Nca021]

Flawed roster??? Every postseason ended with either Kawhi or pg or both injured in the playoffs. Might be the most unfortunate SPORTS TEAM oat…

[@Willworld.]

Only reason this isn’t number 1 for the biggest failures is because the nets KD, kyrie and harden era was biblical bad

[@Noushauga]

Bro found a way to diss Sixers too 😂

[@christopherd.3291]

Passing on Vince Carter was wild

[@sting114]

Every GM in the nba at that time in 2019 would made the same trade . That includes bob myers , Danny ainge , RC Buford , Pat Riley , and Brad Steven . Clippers made the right decision to let George walk for nothing. George will be a negative asset next summer just like Zach LaVine

[@nritsch]

“That part of me sucks, and so do the Clippers.”

[@calebford6318]

Every single team would’ve made the same trade for Kawhi AND PG. hindsight is 20/20

[@matt0993]

Its somewhat a blunder from the front office. They should never invested that much to Doc, Kawhi, and PG. Blowing that 3-1 lead is such an epic failure.

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Bubbles don't count

[@Modeek6]

I love how everyone that went crazy when they got kawhi and pg, crowing them champs for the next few years, now back pedaling .🤣🤣🤣

[@secondaccount2634]

I always wonder how it would be if they didnt trade for pg and still got kawhi

[@Frequently1]

Paul George was the reason. He's in a perfect spot to do what he does best in his career. Lose in the playoffs. Now with Embiid, Nick Nurse, and the 76ers, a 1st round exit is inevitable

[@eugenepearson5939]

Carmelo didn't have no help that's why I dislike Paul George played with lots if HOF's and still can't make an impact smh

[@Ju.D4z]

one last ride clips . Surely they will rebuild next year if they failed to get the chips this year

[@caelevstephan4283]

10 years ago? from your voice, u got into this shit late in life

[@ddavis8988]

Because they couldn't stay on the court. It doesn't matter how good you are if you ain't durable.

[@andrewfanfan]

It does matter how good you are but the clippers are a overrated team

[@ddavis8988]

@@andrewfanfan Not when you're consistently on IR

[@eltonmottley9316]

I agree it’s the worst decision-making team in the history of the NBA. But this year failure squarely was Because Kawai was always hurt simply as that not enough time on court hurt at critical times. And in my opinion Paul George carried the team for years and yeah, he played badly towards the end, but he was doing all the work for a whole season. Michael Jordan couldn’t do it alone.

[@I.am_Groot]

It was not an 'experiment' the Clippers let Kawhi run it and he just is not capable of being THAT GUY anymore. They should never signed this last extension and it will end up costing them down the road. Good to see PG get out while he got some game left and it is some kind of karma that has the Beard stuck with the Claw getting that bag but no chance of winning anything. Sad fact... Clips are STILL the best NBA team in LA

[@Snipergange]

Wayoff p is the reason why they didnt win lol he was bad in 2020 , 2022 and 2024 in 2021 he was somewhat good but kawhi was the reason they came back from back to back 0-2 vs mavs and 0-2 vs utah when he played suns without kawhi he missed free throws to win the game and got bounced out the wcf , harden outplayed him this season and they let him go , fans always think their smarter then the front offices🤦‍♂️

[@I.am_Groot]

@@Snipergange Dude. PG was never supposed to get it done on his own. Time and again Kawhi was not available When you say Harden 'outplayed' tells me your view of basketball is one-dimensional. Any Kawhi fan should appreciate defense as a skill but you don't really understand how the NBA works I get it. Keep plugging in numbers thinking that makes you smarter than other ppl... lol

[@johnnycash8567]

If they don’t sign Kawhi to an extension they are a lottery team and don’t control their draft picks plus they are opening a new expensive arena next year. How does that make sense

[@I.am_Groot]

@@johnnycash8567 If they sign and trade him different story. Either way this last Kawhi extension cripples their ability to build a winner until he leaves

[@jonahfalcon1970]

"Clippers of the East"? Wow, low blow. 😂

[@sar4806]

Let’s not forget James Harden. The Clips tried to go full superteam and failed. The Suns are also just as big a disaster with Beal and his dreadful contract.

[@Erickdav15]

All honesty injuries hurt the LA Clippers a lot. Real recognize real if Kawhi Leonard was fully healthy with no injuries for those 5 years as well PG, Clippers will have a ring. Trading 3 key good role players and benching, Bones Hyland for James Harden is the dumbest decision the clippers management ever made and done.

[@I.am_Groot]

If Kawhi was healthy... the question I have is when did Kawhi know he was less than max worthy? How long has he been milking max deals with zero chance of earning them?