As always, if you have a different take that's great. Sound off just keep it respectful please. Full mailbag is here: ruclips.net/video/cI6eL2B31Vw/видео.html
Racists trump follower and voter jj reddik Republican lies all the time he never one a ring so he cant speak facts plus he likes backing up NBA players who were like him that didn't care for a ring and honestly shows that he never was committed 24/7 like a said a Republican and trump follower I'm good Steven a the floor youra
@@PIP...33 he should not speak bout NBA anymore. This is 2nd time he insults Bird. Dude literally is sellout by now no smart men should ever listen Redick
@@perditadurango9699 I LOVE KAWHI, BUT BIRD WAS GOD ON ANOTHER LEVEL. EVEN JORDAN RETURN TO PLAY AFTER BROKEN FOOT THAT SAME SEASON AND PLAYOFF. MY ERA PLAYERS ARE JUST 50X BETTER THAN TODAY. KEEP IT MIND THAT ''BOX'' JJ MENTION, CAUSING MORE INJURIES POSSIBILTY TO LEND ON SOMEONE'S FOOT IS 97% FROM LAYUP, DUNK ATTEMPT OR JUMP SHOOT, UNLIKE TODAY WHERE SPACE FLOOR IS STRETCHED U CANDRIVE INSIDE THERE IS NOT EVEN CENTER TO PROTECT RIM. IN MY ERA IF U DRIVE INSIDE U FIRST GOT BEATEN BY STRONG BIG GUYS THEN DEFENDERS WINGS AND GUYS PUT FEET UNDER U TO LEND ON THEM.
@@PIP...33 I agree. 80's and 90's was loaded in box area. Even casual drive can be devastating. Just remember in early 2000 era Bruce Bowen (playing with that same old school style) ruined Vince Carter career (Vince still not HOF because of Bruce Bowen) when he literally put foot under Carter shooting leg 4 different times in 4 games. Carter could be 1 of the best players ever but after that he was mediocre player. Evidence how today era is soft was Carter playing by age 43 last decade. He couldnt play in our era but prolonged in last 10 years modern soft era because there was no Bruce Bowen, Greg Anthony etc. Those old era players are build different.
I remember Blake Griffin played with severe knee injury in his first year in pistons in that playoff series, and that was his last time playing like the star people knew. People sang for his bravery and sacrifice. but after two straight seasons of unhealthy records, they started to call him fraud and trash, which was really sad to hear…
People don’t realise that athletes are people too. There’s a footballer who played in the 90s called Batistuta, he played through injuries for years and he said that when he retired he could barely walk anymore and was in so much pain that he begged doctors to amputate his legs at one point
I’m glad people like JJ are out there saying stuff now. It’s showing how common it is and how adjusted we are to listening to people who have no idea what they’re talking about
Agreed, adjusted but not because they don't know what they're talking about, because we're spectators in the gladiator arena now and want blood not reason... it's almost entirely emotional now, or at least mostly
I would love to hear jjs opinion on how someone like Russ is able to play almost every game while others struggle, is it all in the preparation or preventive stuff you can do for your body or is it more just luck and how a persons body is.
The fact Kawhi played game 2 hurt and still casually dropped 30 and was guarding KD is insane. I don't get the narrative that Kawhi doesn't want to play.
@@YOUNGMANANDTHREE I get that it's much harder to comeback from a major injury than an ankle sprain. That's true but my question would be why is there so much more major injuries to big time stars now than there has ever been? I always hear how medicine is better now that's true and how the players are "bigger, stronger, faster" now, so how could that be possible if theyre constantly getting hurt with major injuries? It seems to be a myth that people are getting stronger through each generation. I can tell you this much my grandparents generation were way tougher than our generation and it's not close.
Very true. When I was 18/19. I suffered a detached retina and a horrible ankle injury in the same game; just when I was playing the best basketball I had ever played in my life. Couldn’t do anything for 3 months, took another additional 3 months to be able to play. Tried to speed everything up, of course, but only succeeded in tearing my hamstring and then hurting my knee trying to recover from that. These things snowball. The most frustrating thing is not being able to do things that were so simple and easy that you never even had to think about it, like running. Like getting beat because some guy just ran smoother, could get in a lower defensive stance, or didn't have to compensate when going up or landing from a rebound. Seems simple enough if you've never been as good at doing it but if you were effing dominating at it, it's not even close to easy to deal with.
The people telling him to play hurt are the people calling out of work over a headache or a cold. Making good money in the NBA doesn't mean that you aren't human.
I wish people would remember this all started with Zaza’s dirty play on Kawhi, I am amazed how Kawhi played for the Raptors and they won a chip. These injuries are all connected and I wish the best for him. He is a masterful player when healthy.
Tore my meniscus in high school and never fully recovered, the rehab took forever to get to a point where I could workout and be active but playing basketball I am not the same at all. The agileness and ability to have explosiveness is gone and thats what all of basketball is at times. Playing through injuries never help your body in the end. I regret forcing the process and trying things early when it wasn’t the time for myself
Play through a torn meniscus… do you know how ridiculous that is? If he did, he’s should be praised and lauded to even try something like that. But to expect him to play his cruel. It’s sad how people get perceived as simply products. Wishing you the best during rehab Kawaii and I’ll pray for you that’s tough. What a mad lad to drop 31 on such an injury.
My thing is if it was as serious as they said how did he play in game 2 of that series I've torn my knee played a few days after and locked up so either they where lying saying he got hurt in game 1 or game 2 was the actual game he got hurt
People tend to selectively pick and choose how much better the old days were even if their arguments are awful. There's not a more powerful drug than nostalgia and it's especially strong in sports talk.
Any knee injury is no joke, I had a full ACL replacement almost 10 years ago and it was a nightmare. Not to mention Kawhi's family has to be weighing on his mind right now. Give the man his space. No matter how much we love it, it's important to remember basketball isn't everything.
We can understand he has personal issues and injuries, but he was overhyped when he arrived on the Clippers and paid as a superstar. If he cares about the fans, he should consider retiring if the injuries continue since he will just drag a team down like the Clippers. Unlike us who may play for fun, he is a pro athlete. I’d rather see him give his 100% win or lose, than him constantly on the sidelines while being paid superstar bucks.
I think what Kobe did in 2012-13 playing through injuries to squeeze them into the Playoffs has warped a lot of peoples perceptions about what a players should do. It was very admirable that he did that. The strain he put also ended up with a career ending injury, and now everyone wishes he didn’t do that. People see that and expect others to play through injury, but we shouldn’t expect everyone to do that given the consequences.
Christ. Kobe got hurt because he was over playing trying to prove something leading the league in scoring. They made the playoffs because his arrogant self realized he was shooting them out of their season and finally passed the ball to Dwight who actually carried them to the playoffs. It's insane how his radicalized fanbase rewrites history. Carried them to the offs. FFS. He's the reason they almost missed and only changed when his image started getting tarnished in the media. Kobe played for the hype and highlights not the wins. It's wild how you make excuses for him.
@@indiefan23 What a demented take on Kobe's 12-13 season. "Finally passed the ball to Dwight who actually carried them to the playoffs" Last 25 games of the 2012-13 season. Kobe: 29 ppg, 7 apg, 6.2 rpg, 1,4 spg, Dwight: 18.1 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg He got hurt because he willed his team to the playoffs knowing that Dwight was going to leave without a deep run (which he did anyway). Nash was kaput and Pau was hurt. That team was a lottery team without Kobe.
Should Kawhi play through a torn meniscus? Hell no. Do we need to have a conversation about how these two guys barely played to be healthy and then still ended up hurt anyways?? I think so.
And did people even know it was a torn meniscus? No they did not. They gave out information that seemingly this was a minor injury and that he could probably recover and get back in the series. And given how he seemed fine in Game 2, that seemed to be the case. But no, apparently it's a torn meniscus and they announce it as soon as they get implemented.
During the regular season, it got to the point where you never knew who was going to play on any given day. Plenty of Clippers fans are frustrated at Kawhi in particular, not just because of his constant injuries, but more so because of his inability to communicate. Should he play through a bad injury? No. But do I feel bad for him? Not really. He brought it on himself
As someone who has had a torn ACL and at one point, a debilitating back spasm I'll be the last guy to criticize if a player himself chooses to not play because they don't feel ready to come back from an injury.
Would you demand max money and veto power on whether you play or not knowing you weren't capable of living up to the deal? I have come to think that is the biggest Kawhi issue. He won't admit to himself that he can no longer be Finals MVP Kawhi on a regular basis so you get 40 mpg in 2 playoff games then OUT again. Something has to change.. I think its the role Kawhi is playing for the Clippers.
its just people who never played any sport and didnt have enough injuries to realize that you can play through some injury untill certain point where it has only negative effect going forward.
@@sratnatozmrde Kawhi has consistently asked for MAX money AND King of the franchise treatment while being able to actually perform sits around 50% of games. Fans have every right to question his moves.
Derrick Rose said in an interview after taking a long time to come back from his knee injury in New York, his 4th knee injury in 5 years and second on the same leg. "I want to be able to walk at my kids graduation and wedding." The media has never had simpathy for the person, just care about the production of the player
I think his injuries honestly, come from the nba schedule because even PG said everyone’s bodies aren’t really that strong anymore, and it’s very tough to ask someone to just ramp it up in the playoffs with really high level basketball without really having their bodies adjusted
JJ's frustration was showing by the end of this clip. I appreciate him trying to humanize players having injuries and his empathy and understanding for what that really means. Lots of fans don't care, which is frustrating. In related news, lots of people are asshats.
the last time JJ humanised someone it was Ben Simmons, and how did that turn out lmao. After that interview I was like, man I was wrong, Ben Simmons does want to still play ball and prove himself on the court. Fast forward to a few months later: Ben Simmons is stationary on court and clearly prefers to sit on the bench.
It’s not just play through injury. People want him to not get hurt so often. He’s constantly hurt and man if that’s the case I don’t know how a team can really invest in him. People make fun of AD for being always hurt and that dude hasn’t missed near the time that Kawhi has
What you are saying is 100% correct but from a fan’s perspective, it’s like you sat out a bunch of games the whole season so you can be ready and healthy for the playoffs when we really need you, you are hurt. Like what was the point in sitting out a bunch of games just to end like this? Now I’m not saying they are right, but you can understand why they would be like play ball.
Neverhad a major injury, but i did have chronic pain into my late teens due to a hip problem, and there is a distinct situation where I really learned how the body will compensate and endanger other parts of the body. Commited to a 35 mile backpack trip when i was 18, my leg pain started in my knee as usual, but then every few hours a differnt part of my leg would begin to ache. Knee, calf, ankle, foot, quad, ham, hip, low back. Everything. The body can sometimes find a way but that doesnt mean its healthy.
Never forget when Boston played Isaiah Thomas through a hip injury then traded him in 2017. Thomas' career then unraveled amid more and more hip issues, costing him a max contract.
I think the issue is, most people didn't know what the injury was. Majority of people that was saying he should play through said that when the only explanation given was that he has a sprained knee. Which mind you, was the same initial diagnosis the Sixers gave Embiid, who played through that injury. That's I think where the issue is which doesn't get talked about enough. Clippers announced that he has a torn meniscus right after the series ended. Nearly a week after the initial diagnosis. Surely it doesn't take a week to diagnose a torn meniscus. And this isn't the first time that the Clippers suddenly announce that Kawhi has a season-ending surgery, just as their season ended in the playoffs. I think fans just deserve the transparency of what's going on with these injuries. I don't think anyone would have demanded Kawhi to play if they knew that it was a torn meniscus.
The best example of someone playing injured when they shouldn't have is Isaiah Thomas (Boston IT). He was on for a max deal and they ragged him when he was already hurt. Not only was he never the same, but the Celtics traded him before he got fit! He made a documentary around his recovery, and it's well worth a watch.
he’s a 5’9 nba player that can’t play any defense and had a diagnosed degenerative hip before any of that happened, he was never getting a max contract
@@lbonts That's an assessment with the benefit of hindsight. When he was leading them to the ECFs and coming 5th in MVP voting in a contract year, plenty of people were talking Max. Maybe the Celtics were nervous about his injuries, but if he sits out when the doctors said he should have during that playoff run, he'd have got it from someone.
I'm a sports massage therapist. I'm glad JJ is saying something. Also, some of the medical staff aren't treating the proper area or at least all of the potential underlying causes or for potential future injuries. I always wondered if the Warriors ever worked on KD's foot while they were treating his calf strain. My clients know that once i release the tension in the foot, the calf relaxes - without me even touching the calf. I feel like KD's foot might have continued applying stress to his Achilles until it ruptured. I remember when David Lee tore his hip flexor in the playoffs for the Warriors, after 2 months treating his low back. My clients know that his hip flexors might have been the reason he was having back problems the whole time but people are so focused on the symptoms and not the cause. Then a worst injury occurs and now they have to treat that. Sorry for being long.
I remember when Harden tried to play through the hamstring injury in the Bucks series in 2021. He was straight up a liability on defense and was barely able to run on offense. He just tried to make plays and control the tempo. It’s not worth it to risk making an injury worse just to play and probably make your team worse.
Yeah, if some of what Smith said was true, there were instances where his teammates were finding out the days of games that he wasn't playing. Makes it pretty tough to consistently gameplan.
I totally agree. My one worry, though, is that load management actually makes one more prone to injury. I'm a Broncos fan and this past year Hackett had really light practices and seemed to coddle the team. Next thing you know, we're halfway through the season and we have the most salary cap on IR. On the other hand, teams like the Chiefs play their guys in the preseason, (I think) go hard at practice, and have remarkably injury luck. I know correlation doesn't equal causation but I really think there's something to your body being used to strain.
The effectiveness of load management and the perfect application of it, is debatable. What's not debatable is the fact that chronic joint and ligament degeneration occurs earlier the more the body is used, i.e. osteoarthritis. So if you can mitigate the hypothetical danger of becoming unconditioned due to load management, it will statisically work in your favor and problong your career, that's just math. All that leaves out the fact, that most younger pro athletes in today's league have been playing regularly since early childhood. So that theory goes, they get hurt more often, because they show signs of degeneration earlier.
@@maxmeier532 medical doctors have been sounding the alarm on kids and teenagers playing too much when they were young for years and they were and still are being ignored. People just want to brush it off as today's players are weak while completely ignoring the damage done to young people who are playing constantly, not letting their bodies rest, playing other sports to develop different muscles and alleviate some of the constant jumping and cutting. People seem to think these guys are robots but they aren't, their bodies work like every other human's body, being young and recovering easier doesn't mean they aren't putting on damage now that will effect them when they're older but hey, it's easier to sit on a couch and just call guys weak.
yea, I don't get when people talk like every injury is the same they bring up Jordan's flu game as though having a flu is the same thing as serious leg or back injuries
I think it's the combination of load management, no communication, and being injury prone that leads to frustration as a fan. Maybe if they played more in the reg season, then the injuries would have an excuse. But when he barely plays to still get hurt it becomes like a "what's the point" to it all
"Maybe if they played more in the reg season, " "But when he barely plays to still get hurt" If you say Kawhi "barely played" this season at 52 games then would you say "Lebron barely played" at 55 games or whatever he played or Steph only played 56 games, I guess he barely played this season too and you aren't the first person to say something like this
"what's the point" - because that means they did everything they possibly can to avoid this. If you do everything to prepare and still fail while it's frustrating you have to walk away with content that you did what you can.
@@wirelessbrain12 and people talk about that Kawhi is the only person who misses games. Kawhi is the only one to experience an injury in the playoffs. This year Tyler Herro got hurt Giannis got hurt and missed 2 important games Julius Randle got hurt this last game When Kawhi won the championship, Klay and KD both got hurt
Nobody comparing Kawhi to LBJ and Curry 😭 The difference is those 2 didn’t “load manage” to get rest in hope they would be healthy for the playoffs. In fact LBJ even said he went to the “LeBron James of Feet” and came back earlier than expected. I’m not saying Kawhi is the only one who load manages because he is not. I’m just simply stating facts. Read the article of what Lawrence Frank said. I’ll quote one sentence from it for you. “We have to get back to honoring and respecting the regular season.”
@@justanobody0 Kawhi has played 288 out of the possible 492 games in the last 6 years. That's not even 60% of the total game in the period. That's even worse than Anthony Davis. And to compare Lebron, who's 38 and suffered an injury in the season, and Curry, who's 35 and also suffered an injury season to a guy who's 31, barely played more than 50% of all the games for the past 6 seasons, and Lebron and Curry still played more games than him, and averaged more minutes per game (35 for Curry and Bron, 33 for Kawhi) is an absolute pathetic excuse. And also, Lebron basically missed 6 games due to load management(I define that as a game missed, wherein they played the night before, and the game after that). Curry missed 4. The rest of their missed games are consecutive missed games due to an actual disclosed injury. Kawhi load managed through 12 games. That doesn't even include the multiple games that he missed in November for no disclosed reason as well. And all that to miss to just get 2 games in the playoffs? Pathetic.
He shouldn't play with a serious Injury Having said that, he shouldn't get a max contract when he becomes a free agent Kawhi is injured too often. Bad investment if you are giving him the max.
It's a tough conversation. Kawhi went to SDSU when I was going there and has been my favorite player ever since. I got every home jersey he's ever worn (still need those signed if you could hook that up 🙏😅) so if it's me I'm keeping him on the roster but I get why people don't want to deal with injuries anymore. It's been tough to watch the most incredible player I've ever seen get taken out cuz his knee can't take anymore. Makes me look at my own limitations a lot and I'm devastated for him.
Nobody should be playing on a torn anything, but if we're talking about empathy, what about us fans who spend our hard earned money supporting our teams just to be left in the dark come playoff time? I personally have been to 6 Clippers games in the last 3 years and Kawhi did not play a single one. And he was only on the injury report for 1 of those games, all others were either load management or injuries shrouded in mystery. Nba players all have guaranteed contracts, so you guys get paid regardless. I'm not getting my money back when Kawhi or PG misses the game for no particular reason and I go watch my team get blown out by the Jazz. But I'm supposed to be empathetic when I'm skeptical of unclear medical reports? Sure...
We prob shouldn’t ask players to play thru injury. Fair take. However, from investor’s perspective, it is also important to review whether to continue investing on players prone to injuries. Is almost a gamble here.
Kawhi's legitimately hurt so he shouldn't play. However, in the last three years it's been season-ending injury, out for the year, season-ending injury. He might as well be a part-time player, and get paid like one in his next contract, too.
Asking Kawhi to play through injury is stupid but Kawhi really needs to think about what he's going to do moving forward. If he's always injured and barely able to play I think it's time for him to retire. He has nothing else to prove he's definitely one of the best players that played the game and would surely go to the hall of fame. The only question is where you rank him all time but it seems to me that he really doesn't care about that. I think he also have enough money to last him a lifetime. I don't hate him but just genuinely hope that he decides what's best for himself
From what I read, he did play through injury in game 2, so he did what everyone wanted, but there reaches a limit where you can't run or do basic motor skills.
When people say this they don’t realize that older players can barely walk after they retire. I think Kawhi said he wants to be able to run with his kids when he retires. Look at Kenny Smith’s knees, McHale’s who walks with a limp. Players back then played through injures and it resulted in shorter primes and careers as a result. I think modern medicine has allowed players to play at prime levels for longer but it hasn’t gotten to the point where it has significantly increased durability. It is why guys like KD, Steph and LeBron can play at such high levels late into their 30s but they now have started to miss significant time every year. That is the sacrifice of load management.
How can you ever say someone should play with a concussion knowing the knowledge we know now. It’s people like this that makes sports medicine dangerous. They put more pressure on players and pressures on medical staff to clear them. First take definitely should put out a statement against this nonsense because it puts other athletes and kids at risk. Thank you JJ for speaking out.
Saying he should retire or play through injury is way too severe but teams should probably rethink his role on the team and how much they’re willing to pay him.
Every “body” is different. There’s something to say about playing consistently and not load managing, because when you ramp up your minutes and aggressiveness on the court your body is simply not used to it. One of the major causes of injury is due to a sudden increase in intensity of exercise.
There is only so much sports medicine, physio and science to keep your body in shape and prevent catastrophic injury. There is only so much rehabilitation you can do to get back to where you were and even better. There also comes a time where you get a bit older still in your prime but all it takes is the smallest bend and just like that you have a torn meniscus. These things happen no matter what, load management or not. These are high performing full throttle highest level athlete's. Sometimes there is nothing and I mean ABSOLUTELY nothing you can do and that injury bug just chases you. Ask Derrick Rose, ask Greg Oden. Kawahi may never be the same, or Kawahi will be the same but he wont be able to walk normally by age 40. All things aside, thank you kawahi for the title vs lebron 2014. Thank you Kawahi for bringing the title to Canada, I never ever will forget it. Whatver happens Kawahi will try again, but he definitely will consider the effects it'll have on him at age 40 and beyond. Gotta hate injuries, but this is highest level of sport. God bless 🙏 lets see how this all plays out. We all want to see the best players play. Nuff said
If I was in Kawhi shoes I wouldn’t play through a injury either as it can just make any injury worse and in the long run prevent him from getting paid as much. As a fan its just frustrating watching guys like Kawhi and Anthony Davis that constantly get injured and do not play. For one he’s making millions to sit at home while people in the world have to work through injuries or being sick to feed there families even if its only for minimum wage. Also being a fan of a team when a player making that much money is constantly hurt it hurts the entire team. The teams can’t make any moves to improve the roster due to the salary cap space these players eat up. People that buy season seat tickets may pay even more when the team is “good” and then these players barely play and it turns out the team is really just a first round exit or in some case end up missing the playoffs.
The game needs to slow down for the health of the players. No amount of load management can make up for pushing you body through the amount of possessions. Unless you can carry more players on a team
Played College ball but my L4 and L5 degenerative disk were damaged as well and while in college coaches wanted me to play as a young man…having grown men belittle you into playing was a horrible experience…I now have a five year old who is the size of an eight year old and i don’t want my son to play football….for those that say play through injury have no idea what they are talking about
The problem is that the clippers have wasted their money on 2 injury prone players. Theres zero point having kawhi on the roster let alone pay him 40mil a yr. He just missed the playoffs, missed them last yr because he was still rehabbing, and did his acl the yr previous. Thats 3 years in a row. Its a waste and hes done
If Kawhi injury was really that bad. . he should've taken a 2 year break like Klay Thompson Jamal Murray or KD did then return when fully healthy.....this is why that Load Management is questionable
JJ i hear you, it understandable to feel empathy for Kawhi's situation he's been hurt alot, but keeping it real, Kawhi is a frustrating person to feel sorry for when he has been load managing for the past 3-4 years. Then you add the special demands he asks for like living in san diego etc. It makes him look in a bad light by not delivering by playing more games if he is healthy enough. Maybe if he was more vocal about what he is going through himself instead of just hearing it through team reports it can help to make people more understanding but as we already know Kawhi is Kawhi. At the same time you gotta see it from a fan perspective, how can fans continue to root for the clippers if they are going to throw money at a guy that might play 40 games and a few playoff games, people want results in the present not on a potential future where he might get healthy enough to play a few more games. Why should fans continue to root for the team if they aren't seeking to better their team? Retirement is a strong word, but being realistic, should organizations and fans patiently wait another 3-4 years for him to get "healthy" with no transparency from the guy? It sounds cruel, but what is the alternative after 3-4 years of the same thing happening again and again? Kawhi is definitely a superstar but what good is that if he can't play, at the very least he can focus on getting healthy behind the scene without having to make excuses not suit up on a tuesday etc.
Some players are just built different. There were times where Ewing could barely stand with how bad his knees were but that dude went to war for the Knicks. There were times where Kobe was wrapped up so much that he looked like a mummy on the bench but that dude went to war for the Lakers. Same with D Wade going to war for the Heat. Not everyone can be like those guys but their is a level of toughness that comes with doing what they did.
How QUICKLY all these players would be out there if contracts weren't guaranteed. All of a sudden it'd be "Nah I'm good to go, I know my body better than the doctors etc etc blahblahblah".
He’s got terrible knees and he always has. I can’t stand this casuals narrative that always comes up when a guy keeps getting injured, like he’s lazy or selfish or doesn’t care. Imagine rehabbing for years and still coming out and dominating before getting hurt again and people are out here saying “just retire.” Have some respect for what he’s going through and stop filling in the blanks of your own ignorance of the situation with slander and personal attacks.
@Tyler Holt Oh his teammates diagnosed him too? How did that go for everyone, people who only care about him playing for selfish reasons pretending they know what they are talking about? The Spurs are a military style organization and they pushed him to sacrifice his health for the team and they are still paying for that decision to this day.
I said the same thing. Telling a top 75 to retire at age 31 is something mainstream media would push. It's dumb and controversial. That's all you really need when you're on ESPN.
I'm a Montreal Canadiens fan, and in 2021, we had one of the best defenseman and the best goaltender in the league. They played through injuries up to the Stanley Cup final and we haven't seen them since. Their careers are over now. More than that, Canadiens often let players play through injuries and because of that these last two years, two years in a row, we broke the record for the most games lost to injury (720 this year). We now have a young core who could change the fate of the team but the medical staff don't protect them.
I replaced my old battery w/ Energizer AA lithium batteries years ago and it’s still working perfectly after all this time! Maybe Kawhi should do the same?
Cannot play through an injury like a Meniscus but Kawhi can’t stay healthy ever since the ZaZa play. With no cap space or picks to make moves with, should the Clippers rely on Kawhi to possibly bring them a championship? Toronto had a great Nucleus when Kawhi & DG got there(Lowry/Siakam/Gasol/Vanfleet/Powell/Anunoby/Ibaka) the Clippers are pretty artificial because they were built on the fly as Kawhi & PG has battled injuries the last 2-3 seasons.
Maybe Jordan’s trainer had it right. Load management and lack of actual practice is hurting these players not helping them. Strength training being replaced by mobility training and lack of playtime has their bodies not ready for the speed and impact of the game. Not saying it’s 100% the reason but it seems like it has something to it
I think youth sports is a completely unspoken topic as well. I played a lot of youth sports and the dads push these kids haaaard thinking they will be Jordan. Some may, and they may be damaged before they even play 1 game in the NBA. My dad is a physical therapist and wouldn't let me lift weights until I was 16 for injury concerns
@chousan1024 very true. They also don't stretch, eat terrible, and over train because they feel invincible, all while still growing. You do that all through puberty and by the time you're hitting rookie year in the NBA you're body is that of a 28 year old mileage wise
Perhaps load management is to blame. If they had played him mire when he was actually healthy through the season then they wouldn't have had to press him so hard at the end of the season just to escape the play in
obviously nobody should play with serious injury. I will say that, at least from an outside perspective, it feels like today's NBA player doesn't even want to play through discomfort/pain/hurt. At least that's what the narrative is.
I remember in 2009, Blazers vs Suns in the playoffs. Brandon Roy played like 10-14 days after his meniscus surgery, and it literally destroyed his knee for good and he retired like a year or two later. People telling Kawhi to play are just dumb
I think the issue is more so the fact that he actually finished both games & played well in both. Which tbh has been happening quite a lot this season.. how are u actually hurt when you finish games like aren't you supposed to exit at the moment of the injury ? Doesn't make that much sense
This is just me and my opinion but if I was getting millions of dollars a year to play ball and a team doctor instructed me to sit out, I wouldn’t have a problem with it 🤣 I’d take my time and come back when they said I could lol
As always, if you have a different take that's great. Sound off just keep it respectful please. Full mailbag is here: ruclips.net/video/cI6eL2B31Vw/видео.html
Racists trump follower and voter jj reddik Republican lies all the time he never one a ring so he cant speak facts plus he likes backing up NBA players who were like him that didn't care for a ring and honestly shows that he never was committed 24/7 like a said a Republican and trump follower I'm good Steven a the floor youra
BY THIS POINT JJ U R JUST JOKE. LARRY BIRD IS GOD. TODAY NBA IS SOFT
@@PIP...33 he should not speak bout NBA anymore. This is 2nd time he insults Bird. Dude literally is sellout by now no smart men should ever listen Redick
@@perditadurango9699 I LOVE KAWHI, BUT BIRD WAS GOD ON ANOTHER LEVEL. EVEN JORDAN RETURN TO PLAY AFTER BROKEN FOOT THAT SAME SEASON AND PLAYOFF. MY ERA PLAYERS ARE JUST 50X BETTER THAN TODAY. KEEP IT MIND THAT ''BOX'' JJ MENTION, CAUSING MORE INJURIES POSSIBILTY TO LEND ON SOMEONE'S FOOT IS 97% FROM LAYUP, DUNK ATTEMPT OR JUMP SHOOT, UNLIKE TODAY WHERE SPACE FLOOR IS STRETCHED U CANDRIVE INSIDE THERE IS NOT EVEN CENTER TO PROTECT RIM. IN MY ERA IF U DRIVE INSIDE U FIRST GOT BEATEN BY STRONG BIG GUYS THEN DEFENDERS WINGS AND GUYS PUT FEET UNDER U TO LEND ON THEM.
@@PIP...33 I agree. 80's and 90's was loaded in box area. Even casual drive can be devastating. Just remember in early 2000 era Bruce Bowen (playing with that same old school style) ruined Vince Carter career (Vince still not HOF because of Bruce Bowen) when he literally put foot under Carter shooting leg 4 different times in 4 games. Carter could be 1 of the best players ever but after that he was mediocre player. Evidence how today era is soft was Carter playing by age 43 last decade. He couldnt play in our era but prolonged in last 10 years modern soft era because there was no Bruce Bowen, Greg Anthony etc. Those old era players are build different.
I remember Blake Griffin played with severe knee injury in his first year in pistons in that playoff series, and that was his last time playing like the star people knew. People sang for his bravery and sacrifice.
but after two straight seasons of unhealthy records, they started to call him fraud and trash, which was really sad to hear…
Great point that I didn't even realize but that injury was the beginning of the end for him after carrying the pistons with 24.5ppg.
Yea and thats why people was making fun of him because he no longer could dunk😂😂
Wow. Someone should make this point out there.
@@baller45 He could dunk in person just wasn't not trying to honestly
People don’t realise that athletes are people too. There’s a footballer who played in the 90s called Batistuta, he played through injuries for years and he said that when he retired he could barely walk anymore and was in so much pain that he begged doctors to amputate his legs at one point
I’m glad people like JJ are out there saying stuff now. It’s showing how common it is and how adjusted we are to listening to people who have no idea what they’re talking about
Agreed, adjusted but not because they don't know what they're talking about, because we're spectators in the gladiator arena now and want blood not reason... it's almost entirely emotional now, or at least mostly
Facts it's those delusional mentality old school players.
I would love to hear jjs opinion on how someone like Russ is able to play almost every game while others struggle, is it all in the preparation or preventive stuff you can do for your body or is it more just luck and how a persons body is.
@@dylanjohansen7360 don't ask JJ because he's clueless
The fact Kawhi played game 2 hurt and still casually dropped 30 and was guarding KD is insane. I don't get the narrative that Kawhi doesn't want to play.
you watch him compete on the court there's no way he wouldnt want to be out there .. silly fans
It's just a stupid narrative
He actually injured in game 1 then played game 2 thru injury. It's silly narative.
He's missed 179 games in his clipper career that's over half the games is why people say that
How u don't get it. He never plays
You know all these people want players to play when they're injured until it becomes an Isaiah Thomas
Yep, then say they were dumb to play lol
Different situations different circumstances different players.
No one is asking him to play, I see more saying it’s time for him to go.
Or it can be an Isiah Thomas. Two sides of the coin.
Personally I think it's the organizations fault for offering him so much money
Biology is what it is. Use science and sports medicine as much as possible. But everyone has their limit.
This might be the most reasonable comment of all time lol
I know dude mad happy after jj reddick replied with that😂👌🏾
@@YOUNGMANANDTHREE I get that it's much harder to comeback from a major injury than an ankle sprain. That's true but my question would be why is there so much more major injuries to big time stars now than there has ever been? I always hear how medicine is better now that's true and how the players are "bigger, stronger, faster" now, so how could that be possible if theyre constantly getting hurt with major injuries? It seems to be a myth that people are getting stronger through each generation. I can tell you this much my grandparents generation were way tougher than our generation and it's not close.
@@edgybravo4287 tried hella hard for a reply 😂😂😂
@@YOUNGMANANDTHREEmake a segment about how the media ignores the Toronto Raptors
Very true. When I was 18/19. I suffered a detached retina and a horrible ankle injury in the same game; just when I was playing the best basketball I had ever played in my life. Couldn’t do anything for 3 months, took another additional 3 months to be able to play. Tried to speed everything up, of course, but only succeeded in tearing my hamstring and then hurting my knee trying to recover from that. These things snowball. The most frustrating thing is not being able to do things that were so simple and easy that you never even had to think about it, like running. Like getting beat because some guy just ran smoother, could get in a lower defensive stance, or didn't have to compensate when going up or landing from a rebound. Seems simple enough if you've never been as good at doing it but if you were effing dominating at it, it's not even close to easy to deal with.
bro weren't you advised to stop playing sports until the detached retina healed?? hope you doing okay now tho thats tough.
I heard this debate with Dog and SAS lmao I was dying laughing that Dog called for Kawhi to play through a torn knee 😂😂😂
Dog is an absolute clown. Can’t stand that bum😂
My mind was blown smh
The people telling him to play hurt are the people calling out of work over a headache or a cold. Making good money in the NBA doesn't mean that you aren't human.
Do you have any evidence for that? Maybe the people who are telling him to play are the same people who go to work with a headache or cold.
@@blackphillip564 working at a desk with a cold isn't the same as having to carry an nba basketball game with a severe knee injury
@thʊ§şpakeBlack☆phillip bro what? Delete this now 😂
I remember Kobe saying if i can walk i will play, although every person is different
@Shaikoh he played 20 years dude lmaooo
I wish people would remember this all started with Zaza’s dirty play on Kawhi, I am amazed how Kawhi played for the Raptors and they won a chip. These injuries are all connected and I wish the best for him. He is a masterful player when healthy.
I don’t feel like zaza gets as much hate as he truly deserves
It wasnt dirty, smh zaza aint got that level of control.
@@MrMan-fx3ow you are a horrible person.
Blame the Spurs medical staff. Not Zaza
@@MrMan-fx3ow I’m normally against hate for athletes, but Zaza and Karl Malone genuinely deserve way more hate
Tore my meniscus in high school and never fully recovered, the rehab took forever to get to a point where I could workout and be active but playing basketball I am not the same at all. The agileness and ability to have explosiveness is gone and thats what all of basketball is at times. Playing through injuries never help your body in the end. I regret forcing the process and trying things early when it wasn’t the time for myself
Play through a torn meniscus… do you know how ridiculous that is? If he did, he’s should be praised and lauded to even try something like that. But to expect him to play his cruel. It’s sad how people get perceived as simply products. Wishing you the best during rehab Kawaii and I’ll pray for you that’s tough. What a mad lad to drop 31 on such an injury.
My thing is if it was as serious as they said how did he play in game 2 of that series I've torn my knee played a few days after and locked up so either they where lying saying he got hurt in game 1 or game 2 was the actual game he got hurt
@@vincentvega9747 bc a torn meniscus is not like an acl tear, they usually don’t repair it just shave off the torn part
People tend to selectively pick and choose how much better the old days were even if their arguments are awful. There's not a more powerful drug than nostalgia and it's especially strong in sports talk.
*cough* mad dog *cough*
I would not want him to play through injuries but I would absolutely not trust him to be the center of my franchise either.
True. If the game is being played 1 game with a 10 day rest, it's Kawhi all the way. lol
Thank you JJ for speaking out for Kawhi , decency and plain-old sanity. Thanks for your contributions while a Clipper! ❤️😘🙏🏾
Any knee injury is no joke, I had a full ACL replacement almost 10 years ago and it was a nightmare. Not to mention Kawhi's family has to be weighing on his mind right now.
Give the man his space. No matter how much we love it, it's important to remember basketball isn't everything.
We can understand he has personal issues and injuries, but he was overhyped when he arrived on the Clippers and paid as a superstar. If he cares about the fans, he should consider retiring if the injuries continue since he will just drag a team down like the Clippers. Unlike us who may play for fun, he is a pro athlete.
I’d rather see him give his 100% win or lose, than him constantly on the sidelines while being paid superstar bucks.
I think what Kobe did in 2012-13 playing through injuries to squeeze them into the Playoffs has warped a lot of peoples perceptions about what a players should do.
It was very admirable that he did that. The strain he put also ended up with a career ending injury, and now everyone wishes he didn’t do that. People see that and expect others to play through injury, but we shouldn’t expect everyone to do that given the consequences.
Christ. Kobe got hurt because he was over playing trying to prove something leading the league in scoring. They made the playoffs because his arrogant self realized he was shooting them out of their season and finally passed the ball to Dwight who actually carried them to the playoffs. It's insane how his radicalized fanbase rewrites history. Carried them to the offs. FFS. He's the reason they almost missed and only changed when his image started getting tarnished in the media. Kobe played for the hype and highlights not the wins. It's wild how you make excuses for him.
@@indiefan23 What a demented take on Kobe's 12-13 season. "Finally passed the ball to Dwight who actually carried them to the playoffs"
Last 25 games of the 2012-13 season.
Kobe: 29 ppg, 7 apg, 6.2 rpg, 1,4 spg,
Dwight: 18.1 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg
He got hurt because he willed his team to the playoffs knowing that Dwight was going to leave without a deep run (which he did anyway). Nash was kaput and Pau was hurt.
That team was a lottery team without Kobe.
Should Kawhi play through a torn meniscus? Hell no. Do we need to have a conversation about how these two guys barely played to be healthy and then still ended up hurt anyways?? I think so.
And did people even know it was a torn meniscus? No they did not. They gave out information that seemingly this was a minor injury and that he could probably recover and get back in the series. And given how he seemed fine in Game 2, that seemed to be the case. But no, apparently it's a torn meniscus and they announce it as soon as they get implemented.
Why do you act like players can control getting injured? Go look at PG recent injury nothing he can do about that
During the regular season, it got to the point where you never knew who was going to play on any given day. Plenty of Clippers fans are frustrated at Kawhi in particular, not just because of his constant injuries, but more so because of his inability to communicate. Should he play through a bad injury? No. But do I feel bad for him? Not really. He brought it on himself
@@starkk19 Exactly they said he played through it Game 2 very casually. Did they not check what the injury was till after Game 2??
As someone who has had a torn ACL and at one point, a debilitating back spasm I'll be the last guy to criticize if a player himself chooses to not play because they don't feel ready to come back from an injury.
Would you demand max money and veto power on whether you play or not knowing you weren't capable of living up to the deal? I have come to think that is the biggest Kawhi issue. He won't admit to himself that he can no longer be Finals MVP Kawhi on a regular basis so you get 40 mpg in 2 playoff games then OUT again. Something has to change.. I think its the role Kawhi is playing for the Clippers.
its just people who never played any sport and didnt have enough injuries to realize that you can play through some injury untill certain point where it has only negative effect going forward.
@@sratnatozmrde Kawhi has consistently asked for MAX money AND King of the franchise treatment while being able to actually perform sits around 50% of games. Fans have every right to question his moves.
Derrick Rose said in an interview after taking a long time to come back from his knee injury in New York, his 4th knee injury in 5 years and second on the same leg. "I want to be able to walk at my kids graduation and wedding." The media has never had simpathy for the person, just care about the production of the player
Thank you jj I had to play through a torn acl that I didn’t know was torn at the time and you just can’t compete
a meniscus is not an acl
Love watching kawhi play, he just seems to do everything, hope he can stay injury free
Huge respect for this take. Not everyones body is the same and its ludacris for someone to tell someone what they feel.
I think his injuries honestly, come from the nba schedule because even PG said everyone’s bodies aren’t really that strong anymore, and it’s very tough to ask someone to just ramp it up in the playoffs with really high level basketball without really having their bodies adjusted
I’d love to hear your perspective on players conditioning being put in question
JJ's frustration was showing by the end of this clip. I appreciate him trying to humanize players having injuries and his empathy and understanding for what that really means. Lots of fans don't care, which is frustrating. In related news, lots of people are asshats.
the last time JJ humanised someone it was Ben Simmons, and how did that turn out lmao. After that interview I was like, man I was wrong, Ben Simmons does want to still play ball and prove himself on the court. Fast forward to a few months later: Ben Simmons is stationary on court and clearly prefers to sit on the bench.
that being said, Kawhi is a good dude, he has had several injuries, he won two chips.
It’s not just play through injury. People want him to not get hurt so often. He’s constantly hurt and man if that’s the case I don’t know how a team can really invest in him. People make fun of AD for being always hurt and that dude hasn’t missed near the time that Kawhi has
Tore my ACL and meniscus 1/3 partial. Kept playing and when I had the surgery it was COMPLETELY torn. Still deal with it to this day
Hes playing thru physical an mental hurdles at the same time. We’ll be back🫱🏿🫲🏾🔥prayers to him an his family
unfortunately no you wont
Hopefully he’ll be back, but probably on another team at this point
Matthew 6:5
@@Mptappin12 Why do you think that?
@@landphilspecter because the clippers have wasted 5 years on Kawhi ? And have gotten nothing😂 he’s not reliable. That’s why.
JJ.. I fully respect you for standing up for what is right. We need more people like you in the world.
What you are saying is 100% correct but from a fan’s perspective, it’s like you sat out a bunch of games the whole season so you can be ready and healthy for the playoffs when we really need you, you are hurt. Like what was the point in sitting out a bunch of games just to end like this? Now I’m not saying they are right, but you can understand why they would be like play ball.
JJ Reddick is the best I am yet to find someone on the same level at explaining the ins and outs..
❤ jj really giving amazing perspective on the game , love this podcast
Neverhad a major injury, but i did have chronic pain into my late teens due to a hip problem, and there is a distinct situation where I really learned how the body will compensate and endanger other parts of the body.
Commited to a 35 mile backpack trip when i was 18, my leg pain started in my knee as usual, but then every few hours a differnt part of my leg would begin to ache. Knee, calf, ankle, foot, quad, ham, hip, low back. Everything.
The body can sometimes find a way but that doesnt mean its healthy.
Thanks for having kawhi’s back 👍🏻and keep roasting that clown SAS on live tv😈✌🏻
Never forget when Boston played Isaiah Thomas through a hip injury then traded him in 2017. Thomas' career then unraveled amid more and more hip issues, costing him a max contract.
He shouldn’t play with injury, but that doesn’t mean fans should just be alright with a player being consistently injured.
I think the issue is, most people didn't know what the injury was. Majority of people that was saying he should play through said that when the only explanation given was that he has a sprained knee. Which mind you, was the same initial diagnosis the Sixers gave Embiid, who played through that injury.
That's I think where the issue is which doesn't get talked about enough. Clippers announced that he has a torn meniscus right after the series ended. Nearly a week after the initial diagnosis. Surely it doesn't take a week to diagnose a torn meniscus. And this isn't the first time that the Clippers suddenly announce that Kawhi has a season-ending surgery, just as their season ended in the playoffs. I think fans just deserve the transparency of what's going on with these injuries.
I don't think anyone would have demanded Kawhi to play if they knew that it was a torn meniscus.
The best example of someone playing injured when they shouldn't have is Isaiah Thomas (Boston IT). He was on for a max deal and they ragged him when he was already hurt. Not only was he never the same, but the Celtics traded him before he got fit!
He made a documentary around his recovery, and it's well worth a watch.
he’s a 5’9 nba player that can’t play any defense and had a diagnosed degenerative hip before any of that happened, he was never getting a max contract
@@lbonts That's an assessment with the benefit of hindsight. When he was leading them to the ECFs and coming 5th in MVP voting in a contract year, plenty of people were talking Max. Maybe the Celtics were nervous about his injuries, but if he sits out when the doctors said he should have during that playoff run, he'd have got it from someone.
I'm a sports massage therapist. I'm glad JJ is saying something.
Also, some of the medical staff aren't treating the proper area or at least all of the potential underlying causes or for potential future injuries.
I always wondered if the Warriors ever worked on KD's foot while they were treating his calf strain. My clients know that once i release the tension in the foot, the calf relaxes - without me even touching the calf. I feel like KD's foot might have continued applying stress to his Achilles until it ruptured.
I remember when David Lee tore his hip flexor in the playoffs for the Warriors, after 2 months treating his low back. My clients know that his hip flexors might have been the reason he was having back problems the whole time but people are so focused on the symptoms and not the cause. Then a worst injury occurs and now they have to treat that.
Sorry for being long.
I understand that if load managing is a thing he should be paid accordingly. That fixes things
No hate, just seems like they rest him for "load management" for half of the season every year only to get 2 playoff games out of him.
JJ absolutely schooled those two on first take yesterday
I remember when Harden tried to play through the hamstring injury in the Bucks series in 2021. He was straight up a liability on defense and was barely able to run on offense. He just tried to make plays and control the tempo. It’s not worth it to risk making an injury worse just to play and probably make your team worse.
It would help if Kahwi would personally give a statement about his injuries.
Yeah, if some of what Smith said was true, there were instances where his teammates were finding out the days of games that he wasn't playing. Makes it pretty tough to consistently gameplan.
I totally agree. My one worry, though, is that load management actually makes one more prone to injury. I'm a Broncos fan and this past year Hackett had really light practices and seemed to coddle the team. Next thing you know, we're halfway through the season and we have the most salary cap on IR. On the other hand, teams like the Chiefs play their guys in the preseason, (I think) go hard at practice, and have remarkably injury luck. I know correlation doesn't equal causation but I really think there's something to your body being used to strain.
The effectiveness of load management and the perfect application of it, is debatable. What's not debatable is the fact that chronic joint and ligament degeneration occurs earlier the more the body is used, i.e. osteoarthritis. So if you can mitigate the hypothetical danger of becoming unconditioned due to load management, it will statisically work in your favor and problong your career, that's just math. All that leaves out the fact, that most younger pro athletes in today's league have been playing regularly since early childhood. So that theory goes, they get hurt more often, because they show signs of degeneration earlier.
He’s not solely making the decision to load manage either though.
@@maxmeier532 medical doctors have been sounding the alarm on kids and teenagers playing too much when they were young for years and they were and still are being ignored. People just want to brush it off as today's players are weak while completely ignoring the damage done to young people who are playing constantly, not letting their bodies rest, playing other sports to develop different muscles and alleviate some of the constant jumping and cutting. People seem to think these guys are robots but they aren't, their bodies work like every other human's body, being young and recovering easier doesn't mean they aren't putting on damage now that will effect them when they're older but hey, it's easier to sit on a couch and just call guys weak.
yea, I don't get when people talk like every injury is the same
they bring up Jordan's flu game as though having a flu is the same thing as serious leg or back injuries
I think it's the combination of load management, no communication, and being injury prone that leads to frustration as a fan. Maybe if they played more in the reg season, then the injuries would have an excuse. But when he barely plays to still get hurt it becomes like a "what's the point" to it all
"Maybe if they played more in the reg season, "
"But when he barely plays to still get hurt"
If you say Kawhi "barely played" this season at 52 games
then would you say "Lebron barely played" at 55 games or whatever he played
or Steph only played 56 games, I guess he barely played this season too
and you aren't the first person to say something like this
"what's the point" - because that means they did everything they possibly can to avoid this. If you do everything to prepare and still fail while it's frustrating you have to walk away with content that you did what you can.
@@wirelessbrain12 and people talk about that Kawhi is the only person who misses games. Kawhi is the only one to experience an injury in the playoffs.
This year Tyler Herro got hurt
Giannis got hurt and missed 2 important games
Julius Randle got hurt this last game
When Kawhi won the championship, Klay and KD both got hurt
Nobody comparing Kawhi to LBJ and Curry 😭 The difference is those 2 didn’t “load manage” to get rest in hope they would be healthy for the playoffs. In fact LBJ even said he went to the “LeBron James of Feet” and came back earlier than expected. I’m not saying Kawhi is the only one who load manages because he is not. I’m just simply stating facts. Read the article of what Lawrence Frank said. I’ll quote one sentence from it for you.
“We have to get back to honoring and respecting the regular season.”
@@justanobody0 Kawhi has played 288 out of the possible 492 games in the last 6 years. That's not even 60% of the total game in the period. That's even worse than Anthony Davis. And to compare Lebron, who's 38 and suffered an injury in the season, and Curry, who's 35 and also suffered an injury season to a guy who's 31, barely played more than 50% of all the games for the past 6 seasons, and Lebron and Curry still played more games than him, and averaged more minutes per game (35 for Curry and Bron, 33 for Kawhi) is an absolute pathetic excuse.
And also, Lebron basically missed 6 games due to load management(I define that as a game missed, wherein they played the night before, and the game after that). Curry missed 4. The rest of their missed games are consecutive missed games due to an actual disclosed injury. Kawhi load managed through 12 games. That doesn't even include the multiple games that he missed in November for no disclosed reason as well. And all that to miss to just get 2 games in the playoffs? Pathetic.
He shouldn't play with a serious Injury
Having said that, he shouldn't get a max contract when he becomes a free agent
Kawhi is injured too often. Bad investment if you are giving him the max.
It's a tough conversation. Kawhi went to SDSU when I was going there and has been my favorite player ever since. I got every home jersey he's ever worn (still need those signed if you could hook that up 🙏😅) so if it's me I'm keeping him on the roster but I get why people don't want to deal with injuries anymore. It's been tough to watch the most incredible player I've ever seen get taken out cuz his knee can't take anymore. Makes me look at my own limitations a lot and I'm devastated for him.
Nobody should be playing on a torn anything, but if we're talking about empathy, what about us fans who spend our hard earned money supporting our teams just to be left in the dark come playoff time?
I personally have been to 6 Clippers games in the last 3 years and Kawhi did not play a single one. And he was only on the injury report for 1 of those games, all others were either load management or injuries shrouded in mystery.
Nba players all have guaranteed contracts, so you guys get paid regardless. I'm not getting my money back when Kawhi or PG misses the game for no particular reason and I go watch my team get blown out by the Jazz.
But I'm supposed to be empathetic when I'm skeptical of unclear medical reports? Sure...
I feel your pain on the back spasm thing JJ. I used to get them so bad I could barely breathe. Was on the floor once for 30 minutes.
We prob shouldn’t ask players to play thru injury. Fair take. However, from investor’s perspective, it is also important to review whether to continue investing on players prone to injuries. Is almost a gamble here.
Kawhi's legitimately hurt so he shouldn't play. However, in the last three years it's been season-ending injury, out for the year, season-ending injury. He might as well be a part-time player, and get paid like one in his next contract, too.
Asking Kawhi to play through injury is stupid but Kawhi really needs to think about what he's going to do moving forward. If he's always injured and barely able to play I think it's time for him to retire. He has nothing else to prove he's definitely one of the best players that played the game and would surely go to the hall of fame. The only question is where you rank him all time but it seems to me that he really doesn't care about that. I think he also have enough money to last him a lifetime. I don't hate him but just genuinely hope that he decides what's best for himself
JJ keeping it real ❤
From what I read, he did play through injury in game 2, so he did what everyone wanted, but there reaches a limit where you can't run or do basic motor skills.
When people say this they don’t realize that older players can barely walk after they retire. I think Kawhi said he wants to be able to run with his kids when he retires. Look at Kenny Smith’s knees, McHale’s who walks with a limp. Players back then played through injures and it resulted in shorter primes and careers as a result. I think modern medicine has allowed players to play at prime levels for longer but it hasn’t gotten to the point where it has significantly increased durability. It is why guys like KD, Steph and LeBron can play at such high levels late into their 30s but they now have started to miss significant time every year. That is the sacrifice of load management.
Real journalism! Great work JJ
How can you ever say someone should play with a concussion knowing the knowledge we know now. It’s people like this that makes sports medicine dangerous. They put more pressure on players and pressures on medical staff to clear them. First take definitely should put out a statement against this nonsense because it puts other athletes and kids at risk. Thank you JJ for speaking out.
Saying he should retire or play through injury is way too severe but teams should probably rethink his role on the team and how much they’re willing to pay him.
Every “body” is different. There’s something to say about playing consistently and not load managing, because when you ramp up your minutes and aggressiveness on the court your body is simply not used to it. One of the major causes of injury is due to a sudden increase in intensity of exercise.
There is only so much sports medicine, physio and science to keep your body in shape and prevent catastrophic injury. There is only so much rehabilitation you can do to get back to where you were and even better. There also comes a time where you get a bit older still in your prime but all it takes is the smallest bend and just like that you have a torn meniscus. These things happen no matter what, load management or not. These are high performing full throttle highest level athlete's. Sometimes there is nothing and I mean ABSOLUTELY nothing you can do and that injury bug just chases you. Ask Derrick Rose, ask Greg Oden. Kawahi may never be the same, or Kawahi will be the same but he wont be able to walk normally by age 40. All things aside, thank you kawahi for the title vs lebron 2014. Thank you Kawahi for bringing the title to Canada, I never ever will forget it. Whatver happens Kawahi will try again, but he definitely will consider the effects it'll have on him at age 40 and beyond. Gotta hate injuries, but this is highest level of sport.
God bless 🙏 lets see how this all plays out. We all want to see the best players play. Nuff said
If I was in Kawhi shoes I wouldn’t play through a injury either as it can just make any injury worse and in the long run prevent him from getting paid as much. As a fan its just frustrating watching guys like Kawhi and Anthony Davis that constantly get injured and do not play. For one he’s making millions to sit at home while people in the world have to work through injuries or being sick to feed there families even if its only for minimum wage. Also being a fan of a team when a player making that much money is constantly hurt it hurts the entire team. The teams can’t make any moves to improve the roster due to the salary cap space these players eat up. People that buy season seat tickets may pay even more when the team is “good” and then these players barely play and it turns out the team is really just a first round exit or in some case end up missing the playoffs.
The game needs to slow down for the health of the players. No amount of load management can make up for pushing you body through the amount of possessions. Unless you can carry more players on a team
Played College ball but my L4 and L5 degenerative disk were damaged as well and while in college coaches wanted me to play as a young man…having grown men belittle you into playing was a horrible experience…I now have a five year old who is the size of an eight year old and i don’t want my son to play football….for those that say play through injury have no idea what they are talking about
I love this discussion. People always talking about how they played through injury and my question is always "Should you have?"
My boy trey chisholm played with a torn meniscus and we won state championship in high school. 🐐
One thing about JJ is he’s gonna do his research and come back with some heat 😂 but shout out to him for always advocating for the players.
The problem is that the clippers have wasted their money on 2 injury prone players. Theres zero point having kawhi on the roster let alone pay him 40mil a yr. He just missed the playoffs, missed them last yr because he was still rehabbing, and did his acl the yr previous. Thats 3 years in a row. Its a waste and hes done
It's tough being a Clippers fan..
If Kawhi injury was really that bad. . he should've taken a 2 year break like Klay Thompson Jamal Murray or KD did then return when fully healthy.....this is why that Load Management is questionable
JJ i hear you, it understandable to feel empathy for Kawhi's situation he's been hurt alot, but keeping it real, Kawhi is a frustrating person to feel sorry for when he has been load managing for the past 3-4 years. Then you add the special demands he asks for like living in san diego etc. It makes him look in a bad light by not delivering by playing more games if he is healthy enough. Maybe if he was more vocal about what he is going through himself instead of just hearing it through team reports it can help to make people more understanding but as we already know Kawhi is Kawhi.
At the same time you gotta see it from a fan perspective, how can fans continue to root for the clippers if they are going to throw money at a guy that might play 40 games and a few playoff games, people want results in the present not on a potential future where he might get healthy enough to play a few more games. Why should fans continue to root for the team if they aren't seeking to better their team?
Retirement is a strong word, but being realistic, should organizations and fans patiently wait another 3-4 years for him to get "healthy" with no transparency from the guy? It sounds cruel, but what is the alternative after 3-4 years of the same thing happening again and again? Kawhi is definitely a superstar but what good is that if he can't play, at the very least he can focus on getting healthy behind the scene without having to make excuses not suit up on a tuesday etc.
Some players are just built different. There were times where Ewing could barely stand with how bad his knees were but that dude went to war for the Knicks. There were times where Kobe was wrapped up so much that he looked like a mummy on the bench but that dude went to war for the Lakers. Same with D Wade going to war for the Heat. Not everyone can be like those guys but their is a level of toughness that comes with doing what they did.
How QUICKLY all these players would be out there if contracts weren't guaranteed.
All of a sudden it'd be "Nah I'm good to go, I know my body better than the doctors etc etc blahblahblah".
Steve Ballmer got hoodwinked!
He’s got terrible knees and he always has. I can’t stand this casuals narrative that always comes up when a guy keeps getting injured, like he’s lazy or selfish or doesn’t care. Imagine rehabbing for years and still coming out and dominating before getting hurt again and people are out here saying “just retire.” Have some respect for what he’s going through and stop filling in the blanks of your own ignorance of the situation with slander and personal attacks.
@Tyler Holt Well Tyler Holt says he was healthy and his professional medical opinion cannot be argued with, I’ll see myself out.
@Tyler Holt Oh his teammates diagnosed him too? How did that go for everyone, people who only care about him playing for selfish reasons pretending they know what they are talking about? The Spurs are a military style organization and they pushed him to sacrifice his health for the team and they are still paying for that decision to this day.
I said the same thing. Telling a top 75 to retire at age 31 is something mainstream media would push. It's dumb and controversial. That's all you really need when you're on ESPN.
ok but if he’s not going to play 75% of games then he can take a 75% pay cut, I’m sure they’d be fine with that
@@lbonts who's they? If he gets $5 mil a year, the ESPN would still push for his retirement.
I'm a Montreal Canadiens fan, and in 2021, we had one of the best defenseman and the best goaltender in the league. They played through injuries up to the Stanley Cup final and we haven't seen them since. Their careers are over now.
More than that, Canadiens often let players play through injuries and because of that these last two years, two years in a row, we broke the record for the most games lost to injury (720 this year).
We now have a young core who could change the fate of the team but the medical staff don't protect them.
So, did JJ buy the jor rogan space ship panels or does someone mass produce those?
JJ hired Redban.
Basically, SAS doesn't have an idea of what he was talking about.
JJ will change tunes after he shows up on the show
Brandon Roy played hurt and he was HoF-type player
Bruh he still gets massive money to disappoint the last 3 seasons inna row
I replaced my old battery w/ Energizer AA lithium batteries years ago and it’s still working perfectly after all this time! Maybe Kawhi should do the same?
He played an entire game with a torn meniscus. Anyone who questions his heart should try doing that before making a judgement
Cannot play through an injury like a Meniscus but Kawhi can’t stay healthy ever since the ZaZa play. With no cap space or picks to make moves with, should the Clippers rely on Kawhi to possibly bring them a championship? Toronto had a great Nucleus when Kawhi & DG got there(Lowry/Siakam/Gasol/Vanfleet/Powell/Anunoby/Ibaka) the Clippers are pretty artificial because they were built on the fly as Kawhi & PG has battled injuries the last 2-3 seasons.
Maybe Jordan’s trainer had it right. Load management and lack of actual practice is hurting these players not helping them. Strength training being replaced by mobility training and lack of playtime has their bodies not ready for the speed and impact of the game.
Not saying it’s 100% the reason but it seems like it has something to it
Since kawhi never talks , JJ should do a full retrospective on him and his career, he's met him soooo many times in so many key games.
I wonder if those lamps in the background trigger people with trypophobia. 😂
The owners and fans can cry all they want but the players remember what happened to Isaiah Thomas.
I think youth sports is a completely unspoken topic as well. I played a lot of youth sports and the dads push these kids haaaard thinking they will be Jordan. Some may, and they may be damaged before they even play 1 game in the NBA. My dad is a physical therapist and wouldn't let me lift weights until I was 16 for injury concerns
it's because a lot of these kids are lifting weights with no guidance/supervision
they think it's all about lifting as heavy as possible, lol
@chousan1024 very true. They also don't stretch, eat terrible, and over train because they feel invincible, all while still growing. You do that all through puberty and by the time you're hitting rookie year in the NBA you're body is that of a 28 year old mileage wise
Perhaps load management is to blame. If they had played him mire when he was actually healthy through the season then they wouldn't have had to press him so hard at the end of the season just to escape the play in
People don't understand G. Kawhi Leonard will always be my favorite player G.
obviously nobody should play with serious injury. I will say that, at least from an outside perspective, it feels like today's NBA player doesn't even want to play through discomfort/pain/hurt. At least that's what the narrative is.
I am just so sad, because that could have been one hell of a series
Right
I remember in 2009, Blazers vs Suns in the playoffs. Brandon Roy played like 10-14 days after his meniscus surgery, and it literally destroyed his knee for good and he retired like a year or two later. People telling Kawhi to play are just dumb
I think the issue is more so the fact that he actually finished both games & played well in both. Which tbh has been happening quite a lot this season.. how are u actually hurt when you finish games like aren't you supposed to exit at the moment of the injury ? Doesn't make that much sense
Respect brotha. Keep yolking that Ballmer green sitting at home in the crib. Free money is best money.
Ben Simmons has entered the chat.
@@maxmeier532 Ben can’t throw a rock in the Ocean
This is just me and my opinion but if I was getting millions of dollars a year to play ball and a team doctor instructed me to sit out, I wouldn’t have a problem with it 🤣 I’d take my time and come back when they said I could lol