Kawhi Leonard's diva status upsets LA Clippers teammates: report
Leonard reportedly enjoys too many privileges and the locker room is starting to rebel.
New Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has a tough job ahead of him. Apart from building a team that can challenge for next season's championship, he also has to deal with a brewing conflict in the locker room. Apparently, some of the players are unhappy with the number of privileges that are being enjoyed by Kawhi Leonard, as afforded to him by the team management.
Lue replaced Doc Rivers after the team lost in the second round of the 2019-20 playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. Apart from the task of lifting the team up after the disappointing loss, the new coach now has to deal with discontent caused by the alleged special treatment towards Leonard.
According to Marca, players like Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams have openly expressed their frustration. They reportedly resent the coaching team for allowing Leonard to dictate which games he would play and which games he would sit out to rest.
Furthermore, Leonard has reportedly been allowed to establish residence all the way in San Diego. Apparently, this arrangement has led to his tardiness on some occasions when the team had to travel.
It has also been suggested that Leonard even has the ability to say when he wants to come off in games. All of these special concessions have reportedly angered the other players in the Clippers, roster.
Leonard was signed by the Los Angeles based team after he won the 2018-19 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. He was traded for Paul George in the off-season amid high hopes for a major contribution. However, he only played in 57 games for the Clippers last last season.
The team is on the edge after the disappointing 3-1 loss against the Denver Nuggets. An inquest has reportedly been started after the sacking of Doc Rivers from the head coach position. It appears that the players are also taking the opportunity to speak out about the Leonard situation.
It remains to be seen if Lue will be able to find a solution. After all, he has massive experience dealing with superstars such as Finals MVP LeBron James.
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