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LeBron James: Kawhi Leonard’s “Load Management” a double standard?

By Ronald Agers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers controls possession of the ball in front of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers late in the fourth quarter in a 112-102 Clipper win during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers controls possession of the ball in front of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers late in the fourth quarter in a 112-102 Clipper win during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James got blitzed for not taking the challenge against Kawhi. Does Kawhi Leonard deserve the same for not facing Giannis? 

Let’s go back to opening night when the Los Angeles Lakers faced the LA Clippers in the most hyped season opener in quite some time. It was Kawhi Leonard vs. LeBron James.

Granted Paul George was out, but it was going to bean  “all-timer” on that night. The New Balance commercials, the Clippers making it clear that they wanted to take over L.A., Patrick Beverley being Patrick Beverley. Everything was set for a 15 round heavyweight fight.

The Lakers lost to the Clippers that night and LeBron’s performance was bad enough that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith basically cooked him for not accepting the challenge.

But if you take a gander at the Clippers match up against the Milwaukee Bucks, didn’t Leonard basically do the same thing? No check that, was it worse?

This was a game that all NBA fans want to see. The Finals MVP (Kawhi Leonard) battling the NBA MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo) on a nationally televised game on ESPN? It can’t get any better than that. Two of the top three players in the NBA squaring off would incite the competitiveness in any superstar.

Leonard sits. Doris Burke made it clear on what her position was about Kawhi Leonard sitting. Let’s go back to Stephen A. Smith and hear his thoughts.

The tone is a little different don’t you think? LeBron James stated that the first game was not as big a deal considering the long season ahead. Lake Show Life was just as disappointed in LeBron as Stephen A. Smith, but at least James was out there playing. He did not sit out.

To take this even further, this was the second nationally televised game that Kawhi sat out in as many weeks. The debate will go on forever about the season being too long or the scheduling being too grueling for the players. That’s another discussion.

But there is something that always gets lost sometimes in situations like this. The NBA is still a business and most of the money comes from television revenue.

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