Hey, what is going on? Clippers fans? Hope everyone is doing well.
I hope you're watching this at work. That would be a fun time.
I think we are here to talk about Kawhi Leonard being ruled out of
Game three. This is the Clipsondit Podcast. I'm Chuck Bockler, joined by
Adamiles and Will Updike. We'll get to your how how we're doing in a
sec. But in case you missed it, Kauai is out after he aggravated
the knee in Game one, played through it in Game two. He's expected
to be day to day ahead of Game four. The injury is not related
to his previous ac L injury that was per woes. Where do we want
to start? Boys? How are we feeling? I mean, I think
I know the answer to that. But you remember when Carl Tart said being
comfortable as a Clippers fan is not a place you want to be. Yeah,
Well apparently he was waiting for the other shoe to drop or we all
got a little bit too comfortable, a little bit too positive. Sadly,
it's just so devastating of a blow to this team that's already dealing without PG
thirteen to have it also be a right, nie s brain. It's just
crazy, and I'm glad it's not the ACL that's good news. I'm curious
if Kauai told anyone after game one that something was wrong, because I would
think that the medical staff wouldn't let him go in game two after they already
got the split. If there was any issue after game one, I wonder,
But no news has come out on that. Something had to have happened
because he said he it's we know he aggravated it in game one, so
someone had to have known that it was aggravated. But did they know before
game two? You know, yeah that's true. Yeah, but yeah,
it's just that, Yeah, the order is weird. He looked I don't
think any of us thought he looked like he had slowed down at all.
Will did you have any inclination that hurt after these two games? No,
not the slightest, Not the slightest. I thought the way he was performing
was indicative of a fully healthy Kawhi. I think, like a lot of
people. Um and the fact that it's the sprain, I mean, I
would just be shocked if this was just a one game thing, which is
yeah, so that's really difficult. Law Murray had a follow up in The
Athletic He said the team isn't as concerned as they were in twenty twenty one,
but that expecting Leonard to return to healthy, so he's not gonna be
out for another season, right, But he added, expecting Leonard to return
healthy in this series seems like a long shot. Well, which we don't
know a lot now, but yeah, I don't know, let's call it
right, Uh yeah? Boy. Greg had a funny comment on YouTube.
He said, Adam, do you have any rocks leftover? Whoever put a
curse on the Clippers needs to be hit with multiple flying rocks about out,
Greg, So, I mean, I'd rather not wallow in the curse top
which is pointless and stupid. And where did the curse come from? Who
is the curse? God? I hate the cursed stuff. I just hate
it. We had the curse appeared the pod last time with Carl Tart,
which was always terrifying. Garrett Torpie says he's sad. That's fair, So
let's take it to the place. Kawai's out day to day. How do
we feel about that designation? Don't know what to think about it between now
and the game On Saturday. That's at twelve thirty. So once again the
schedule of the first round series rears its ugly head in an even worse way
where they could use even more time off and they're not going to get that
break. And so it's what a thirty six hour turnaround from Game three to
Game four? Basically, it's it's difficult. All I know is this team
has to find a way. They have to find a way. It's a
new challenge for them. They've done it in the playoffs for a time without
Kauai, they've done it now first two games without Paul George. Now they
won't have either. Guy talked about how important role players in the bench we're
going to be in this series. Well, you know, Norman pal has
to figure it out now. I mean, somebody have to get out of
these slumps. It's a good thing that Russell Westbrochas had a twenty eight point
game. It's a great thing that he's on the team and you're hoping he
can have a performance like he did against Memphis a few weeks ago, and
that first of two games split they had in Memphis, where you just you
find a way to rally around Russell Westbrook in his play. Yeah, will
are you. I'm having some visions. I'm astro projecting into the future a
little bit. Here. We're gonna see some very meevable defense played by the
Suns, I think to open this game of Russell Westbrook Lenhagle. Yeah,
absolutely absolutely. I mean, now, I'm not saying that that's not a
knock on rust. That's just what the Suns are gonna do. I guess
the one thing playing in their favor is the only tape on this current iteration
of the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard, without Paul George and Russell and having Russell
Westbrook in the starting lineup is one game verse Memphis, which the Clippers did
did sneak away with a win in that one. UM thirty two. Um,
So I guess there is that going. I think, look, if
we go the same way we went in that game, Terrence man is in
the starting line up, which I think is the most likely of scenarios.
Um. I think that that's an interesting wrinkle. It does give you another
shooter out there from deep, somebody who can kind of change tempos, who
can defend well. Um, It's it's interesting, it's and here's the thing,
right, Like it's not for one game, it's not impossible, like
if this is gonna be, if there's gonna be a one game thing,
I think, like it's not likely, like they're they're fifty one percent to
probably lose this game, but it's not like completely out of the realm of
possibility. Then when the series without Kawhi Leonard and without Paul George, I
think is man. I was feeling really optimistic about this series, and I
was, um, you know, you know, I was maybe too comfortable,
as our friend carld Haard would say it, but uh yeah, seeing
a way out of this series, seeing a way to the second round,
um, without either one of those guys, I'm I can't get there.
I'm sorry, I really I can't. That's not gonna happen without the two
one three connection against the Phoenix Suns. It's just I think that's a little
bit too much to ask to win a game or two. And if they
get one of these two games at home, then at worst you're tied up
at two games a piece, or would be if you split back to Phoenix,
if you split here and somehow you know, the PG timeline is as
abbreviated as I, you know, have gotten optimistic. Yeah, I mean
like maybe there's still you know, maybe there's still a snowballs chance in Hell,
but it's still like Snowball's chance in Phoenix. Yeah, so I think,
say, yeah, that's you know, sympatico right there, Monsters in
Hell too. So who's starting in Kawai's place? Ter Terrence? I think
Terrence unless I don't think they put Marcus. I don't think they put Marcus
next to Nicholas Betune, both those guys in the starting lineup. But I
could definitely see Marcus Morris playing tonight. Robert maybe, uh, well,
one of those two guys is definitely playing, maybe both. I talked about
this on Twitter a little bit, and I have a lot more I want
to say kind of about the Marcus Morris Rocan situation and how it relates to
kuypg being out. I think we'll save that maybe for Friday. Uh the
three and four guard lineups tonight, it's like we're gonna get a heavy dose
of that. I don't think we're gonna see these wing heavy lineups because we
just I don't know, Like I think four Paul George being in a wing
heavy lineup that was never the blueprint for Link stop having either of those guys
exact. Oh yeah, we're not, We're not. All of what I'm
saying is all of a sudden gonna see Tyler shift to the thing he already
wasn't doing without both of the marketing guys who were built around right like that?
Do we see a front court though, of Morris Rocco Plumbly? Is
that completely out of the question? No, would you say Roco Morrison Plumbly?
Yeah, I don't think it should be out of the question. But
yeah, I don't know how many, Like how does this affect the lineups?
Because I feel like, you know, once again, it's you have
to throw out everything, every preconceived notion that you had before. Like do
we see I mean, obviously you see more guys with a guy down,
But how much does this expand the rotation or do we see you know,
it still stays to a pretty tight you know, ten guys, eight to
ten guys, So you're adding you're just adding Morris basically into that. Yeah,
like you just you just do a one for one and like beyond that,
it doesn't really expand the lineup. I don't see that. I don't
see that happening because yeah, yeah, yeah, Brandon Boston, Yeah,
I don't think it's going I don't think you Yeah, all right, so
we all kind of want Terance to win. It's rough because I was thinking,
I was like, oh, what bench players have to go off?
And it's like it's just everybody. And when I say go off, I
mean kind of within their roles, right, Like I'm not talking about forty
or something like that. We need equal contribution and then maybe a guy to
get up close to that thirty five rage. It do want to be a
lot better if the Clippers put up forty three's and shoot, they're right in
this one. I think they might have to do that. They literally,
yeah, it has to be. It has to be like a perfect game
from the with with with a little a It's a combination of good defense,
physical defense which we have seen, and a little bit of luck. To
be perfectly honest, it would just be like a perfect game from the role
players with a little luck controlled and we could maybe get this one controlled.
Russell Westbrook, I've seen people on Twitter talking about like, oh, it's
tided to like leash rust, Like I'm just saying it's like we need the
controlled version. What leash was he on? Also a very fair question,
but like other than having sometimes give the ball to let I don't think he
really had a red light out there. But we just need, like you
know what I mean, though, we need we need him to have eighteen
assists. I want so badly to see distributor arrest. And if he has
over twelve assists, that means we're hitting those threes we're talking about, right,
Yeah, Adam, is this the best sport twenty you've ever had?
Oh? Yeah, sports twenty I forgot. Yeah, I want to know
that. My eyes look a little sleepy. I'm just tired. I'm I'm
not I'm not high. I don't really endol save here. Uh it is
this turned into you know, needing a Bones Highland game or a Norman Powell
game or a Terrence Man game at the same time. Yeah, t Bos
plus Norman Powell game. You know, it's gotta be ab these two guys
playing above their heads, having career type of nights or close to that for
them to win. I'm more worried about them almost in some ways on the
defensive end, Like, uh, it's gonna be tough to score, of
course, but it's gonna be tough to slow down the Phoenix Suns too.
Yeah, and if the fowls, if the fouls don't to rear their ugly
head, this is gonna I mean like this has the like the potential the
Good Watch through Zoo. We we gotta. I don't even think it.
Get too involved, No, get to involved on the offensive end. I
hope he's They're gonna yeah, man, the rust is gonna be putting emotion
a lot. They're gonna yeah, They're gonna try, and they're gonna go
straight at Zoo. If they get Zoo off the floor early, this one
feels even more difficult. Um, all right, we got a couple more
minutes. I saw this. Where are you guys at on a potential return
before we before Adam reads us from Twitter from Kawhi, I have no idea
how to gauge this, absolutely none whatsoever. It's Kawhi and his health and
he's always very private about it. I would get Game six optimistically. The
game is at twelve thirty on Saturday. I just don't think there's anyway.
I don't think if this, if this injury does in fact, like day
back to game one. I don't know whether to take that as a positive
or a negative that he played another game on it. I really don't know
which way to go because part of me is like, well, I mean,
already played one game on it looked pretty damn good, So you know,
maybe it is just a one to two game thing. They're just cautious.
If there's no soreness, the rings of motion is good, his cardio
is still where it's supposed to be. Uh, so that you know,
that's a positive. But the other thing is like, I don't know,
man, he already played one game on it, so getting a getting a
second on the injured knee maybe doesn't seem that likely this series. I yeah,
I truly have no idea, which is why I was asking you,
smart folks. I was hoping that you would have for me because I was
the same boat, like, I don't think he's coming back game before.
I don't. I don't even think he would if it was a normal game
and not a brunch battle. Um, I find you get the alert that
he flies with the team to Phoenix, But I don't know, man,
I just don't, and I don't lean that in the pessima. It's like,
I don't know why, Like Adam said, how are you this bad
at managing injuries? Not not Kauai obviously, but I'm saying like it's because
injuries can't be managed. Hot take. I think load manage. It's like
it's not. It didn't prevent anything. Oh god, load management is entered
the chat. It has just briefly all right, Ada, have you wanted
to read something enough to Sorry? No, Andrew Gray for the LA Times,
just to further how difficult of a game it's going to be for the
Clippers. Points scored or assisted by Kawhi Leonard in games one and two,
he accounted for forty five percent of their points, whether through him scoring or
assisting. He also guarded KD a team high fifty three possessions. So I
was bold. I was fed ast out about Russell Westbrook's defense on KD,
Devin Booker and Chris Paul recently. So I think we should be fine guard
all three. He holds on a twenty five percent. Again, he didn't
get shaped. Yeah, so that that's something we need Terrence Man to come
back. BOK redemption game. Hey, if there was a time for Marcus
Morris to win back some goodwill from Clippers fans. What it could happen,
the game, It could happen, Terrence Man going off could happen. There's
there's a lot of possibilities. This team has been built through their depth and
having you know, break in case of emergency guys. And they've been known
for next man up mentality and the stay ready Clippers for a couple of years
now. And if anybody has been used to having these situations, and well,
I don't know who else you could point to more than the Clippers for
having to go through this. We just saw it last season where it was
earlier that day in the second playing game that all of a sudden, Paul
George was going to be out with COVID and nobody saw that coming and they
played well overall, they let go of the lead in the fourth quarter.
Yeah, so we can look back on that with fond memories and just hope
it goes better. Right, Oh cool Sea Dot Studio saying more offense around
Zoo. He had a rough outing last one. He's got to bounce back.
Probably they're back at home. The crowd's gonna be great tonight. We
know that Twitter before this drop. People were looking very excited for the game,
So shout out to the people who are going to be there tonight.
I didn't know we were on it. We were on YouTube live and Jar
just says, I am sad. Yeah, this derailed my entire day.
This Yeah, this sucks at It's understandable. But this team can rise up
with a home game like this. They can. They can do it for
a game. Can they win the series without Kawai and Paul George? I
don't believe so, but they can get a game. And like you said,
the Phoenix Suns wasn't prepared for this either. All right, well,
we're all going to see each other later at the stadium, right, yep?
It good be a great team photo or all right, I hope everyone
has a good rest of your four twenty and let's go clips. If you're
going to the game, be loud and we're gonna do a double dip post
game, so that'll be fun. And then tripod on Friday. So I
hope everyone has a good rest of your day.