Clippers Fined $50,000 for Doc Rivers Comparing Kawhi Leonard to Michael Jordan

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers calls a play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, in Indianapolis. Indiana won 116-92. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $50,000 by the NBA after head coach Doc Rivers made public comments Tuesday comparing Toronto Raptors superstar forward Kawhi Leonard to Michael Jordan.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic on Friday reported the fine, which was levied under the league’s anti-tampering rule.

NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA

“Kawhi is the most like Jordan we’ve seen.”

Doc Rivers has some high praise for Kawhi Leonard. https://t.co/i1R2gR1VrT

Though comparing any current player to MJ immediately sparks debate, Rivers’ remarks generated additional attention because the Clippers are expected to make a serious push to sign Leonard if he declines his player option for 2019-20 and becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

In early May, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported it seemed like the Clips would be the only team the 27-year-old Los Angeles area native would consider leaving the Raptors to join, even if he decided to accept meetings with other possible suitors in the offseason.

Josh Lewenberg @JLew1050

The Raptors have reached out to the league multiple times this season when they’ve felt the Clippers have crossed a line in their not-so-subtle pursuit of Leonard, I’m told. Would imagine today’s $50K anti-tampering fine had as much to do with those incidents as Doc’s comments

The NBA has made a concerted effort to enforce tampering rules in recent years.

Most notably, the Los Angeles Lakers were fined $500,000 in August 2017 for tampering with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George.

In December, the league office sent a memo to all 30 teams to remind front offices about the guidelines and noted players’ comments could also fall under the umbrella of tampering:

“In addition, recent attention has been paid to the issue of public comments by players. Generally speaking, it is not tampering when a player makes a comment about his interest in playing with another team’s player. However, if there are other aggravating factors—such as sustained public recruiting or evidence that the player making such a comment is coordinating with his team—then there may be a basis for a tampering violation.”

Meanwhile, Leonard, in his typically low-key fashion, has shrugged off any questions about his future throughout the season.

He helped the Raptors score a 118-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Read More



from Daily Trends Hunter http://bit.ly/2Mhhbyj

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jimmy Butler Gives 76ers Ultimate Margin of Error in Philly’s Championship Chase

Image
Ron Turenne/Getty Images And  that is why the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Jimmy Butler . It wasn’t just because they could, or because the Markelle Fultz experiment went belly up before it ever started, or because Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons aren’t enough on their own. It was all those things and more, and then even more than that. After dealing for Butler in November, acquiring Tobias Harris in February and once again leaning on late-season additions to flesh out a rotation begging for substance beyond the starting five, the Sixers are as close as it gets to an NBA contender assembled on the fly.  They are shallow yet teeming with star power, terrifyingly talented yet unavoidably unfamiliar. That top-heavy slapdashery doesn’t always work, but it can work. It has worked—often just barely, though it’s worked all the same. Butler is the primary reason why. He gives the Sixers a line to potential dominance. He also affords them a margin for error. They can fall behind big,
Read more

NBA Rumors: Mavericks Will Target Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton in Free Agency

Image
Aaron Gash/Associated Press After finding a new franchise cornerstone in Luka Doncic this past season, the Dallas Mavericks have big hopes for free agency this summer to boost their surrounding talent.  According to  Marc Stein of the  New York Times , the Mavs are looking for “s hooters, athleticism and veterans.” Stein mentioned Khris Middleton and Kemba Walker as two of their top targets.  The Mavericks should have ample salary-cap space to sign free agents. They currently have only $45.9 million in guaranteed salary on their books for next season, per   Basketball Insiders , although they’ll also have to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis this summer.  Per   Shams Charania   of The Athletic and Stadium, the NBA ‘s projected salary cap for 2019-20 is $109 million, while the luxury-tax threshold is projected to be $132 million.  Stein said the Mavs are hopeful they will have a shot at signing one of either Middleton or Walker.  Dallas is already one of the most intriguing teams
Read more

Mario Cristobal, Oregon Finalizing Contract Extension After 9-Win Season

Image
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Mario Cristobal is finalizing a one-year extension with Oregon that will keep the head football coach in Eugene through the 2023 season.  Per  James Crepea of the Oregonian, Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said the extension is “almost done.” The 2018 Ducks went 9-4 and defeated Michigan State in the Redbox Bowl during Cristobal’s first season in charge. The nine-win mark was the team’s best since 2015.  Cristobal, 48, previously led Florida International University from 2007-12. He took a team that went winless in 2006 to a 7-6 record and bowl victory in 2010. A 3-9 season prompted his dismissal in 2012, but Cristobal landed on his feet with an associate head coaching gig under Nick Saban at Alabama, where he won the 2015 national championship. He moved to Oregon as the team’s co-offensive coordinator under Willie Taggart and was named the interim head coach after his boss left for Florida State before the Ducks’ 2017 bowl game. E
Read more