"Kawhi has a new New Balance commercial; HE'S BACK! Your town is about to be his town again!" - Skip Bayless with a hilarious taunt for LeBron James, questions if Lakers can even make the play-in tournament next year
Analyst Skip Bayless took a dig at LeBron James and the LA Lakers following Kawhi Leonard's latest commercial with his sponsor, New Balance. Leonard missed the entire season after undergoing surgery for his ACL injury. The Clippers missed the playoffs, losing back-to-back games in the play-in tournament.
Bayless questioned whether LeBron and the Lakers would qualify for the play-in tournament when Kawhi Leonard returns next season. Here's what the veteran TV analyst tweeted:
"Uh-oh, LeBron: Kawhi has a new New Balance commercial. HE'S BACK. Your town is about to be his town again. You guys think you can even make the play-in tournament next year?"
Uh-oh, LeBron: Kawhi has a new New Balance commercial. HE'S BACK. Your town is about to be his town again. You guys think you can even make the play-in tournament next year?
The Lakers-Clippers' crosstown rivalry was elevated to another level when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the Clippers in 2019, while Anthony Davis teamed up with LeBron James. The Clippers were championship favorites that year, but the Lakers claimed the bragging rights.
Kawhi Leonard's LA Clippers positioned better compared to LeBron James' LA Lakers for next season
The LA Clippers will arguably have one of the strongest and deepest rosters in the NBA next season. They have elite role players like Norman Powell, Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson, among others. Add to it the return of Kawhi Leonard and a healthy Paul George. It certainly bolsters their chances of winning their first NBA championship.
Despite Leonard missing the entire season and George playing in 31 games, the Clippers finished with the seventh-best record in the league (42-40). They were nine games ahead of the 33-49 LA Lakers, who were comparatively healthy. Ty Lue's men also swept their season series against LeBron James and company.
The LA Clippers will officially finish the season with a winning 42-40 record.
Kawhi Leonard played 0 games
Paul George played 31 games
Norman Powell played 5 games
You have to give the guys on this roster all the praise in the world for how hard they battled shorthanded.
The LA Clippers sweep the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 on the season. The Clippers haven't had Paul George for three of those games, and didn't have Kawhi Leonard for any. Lakers had their big three in one of them, and LeBron or AD in all of them.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will have to work on constructing their roster again after their dismal campaign. They broke their tried and tested championship-winning roster composition to acquire Russell Westbrook.
With a lack of flexibility to surround the new big three, it will be an uphill task for them to add young and quality role players.
The LA Lakers will have to bank on their superstars to help them achieve success next year. It hasn't been a safe bet, though. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been injury-prone over the last two years, while Westbrook underperformed in his first year with the team.
Report: Several execs and sources close to Lakers believe team is operating as if Russ will be on roster to start next season lakersdaily.com/report-several…
The Lakers hope their new coach, Darvin Ham, can make an impact. However, the lack of resources and flexibility to string together a decent roster could make life difficult for the Purple and Gold. They will have to work harder to return to championship contention compared to Kawhi Leonard's LA Clippers.