Author: Monojit Mandal
Despite their dismal exit from the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers will keep Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the core of their team. President Lawrence Frank acknowledged the decision to reporters on Friday, admitting that the Clippers fell short of their championship hopes despite the fact that both players were injured.
During the regular season, George appeared in 56 games and Leonard in 52 games for the team, which is renowned for its careful load management of key players. However, due to a sprained right knee, George missed the last nine games of the season and the entire playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, while Leonard was forced out of the series after just two games due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Leonard also missed the entire 2021-2022 season due to ACL surgery and hasn’t played more than 57 games in a season since joining the Clippers in 2019.
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Despite these injury concerns, the Clippers remain committed to Leonard and George, who are expected to renew their contracts this offseason. Leonard will be eligible for an extension on July 12 after averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in 161 games for the Clippers. George, who averaged 23.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 189 games with the Lakers, has until September 1 to sign an extension.
Leonard’s knee ligament remains intact, according to Frank, and the team will choose the appropriate therapy for the knee during the offseason. The Clippers will certainly continue to monitor the workload of their key players, but they remain confident in the abilities of Leonard and George to lead the club to the title.
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The Clippers’ choice to keep Leonard and George as the core of the team is crucial, as both players are considered among the greatest in the NBA. Their presence on the court can often be the difference between winning and losing, and the team hopes they can stay healthy for most of the season next year.
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league’s Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Clippers currently share the Crypto.com Arena with other Los Angeles professional sports teams such as the Lakers, Sparks and Kings. The Clippers, on the other hand, are developing plans to build their own arena, the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood by 2024.
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The Clippers franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves as part of NBA expansion. The Braves, led by Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, reached the playoffs three times during his eight-year stay in Buffalo. Conflicts with the Canisius Golden Gryphons over the use of the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, as well as the sale of the franchise, forced the club to move to San Diego in 1978.
The club was renamed the San Diego Clippers, in honor of the sailboats that can often be seen in San Diego Bay. Unfortunately, the team struggled during its six-year stay in San Diego, never making the playoffs.
The Clippers’ move to their own site in Inglewood is a significant step towards independence and the creation of their own distinct brand in the NBA. The Clippers will be able to offer spectators an unprecedented game experience and perhaps recruit elite talent with state-of-the-art facilities.