Frank feels regular season must be more important to the Clippers and that "all of us, starting with me, we can compete harder every day."
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The Clippers’ top basketball executive said the team’s future still depends on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George while also praising coach Tyronn Lue two days after the team’s season came to an end in a first-round playoff loss with the stars ailing once more. On Thursday, Lawrence Frank said, “Injuries suck”. The president of basketball operations of the team swiftly added, however, that he did not want the impact of the injuries “to mask a disappointing regular season,” expressing his unhappiness with both the season’s end result and the team’s daily operations.
Frank stated that the regular season must be more important to the Clippers and that “all of us, starting with me, we can compete harder every day.” Frank pointed out that a top-three seed has won the past 28 NBA titles.
We gained some knowledge. First, the Clippers purposefully misled the public by calling Kawhi’s meniscus tear “day to day” after Game 2, which indicates that they were aware of the injury. Sure, the press conferences at the time were filled with subtext and doom and gloom that suggested something more than a simple sprain or injury to the knee, but nevertheless. Even while the Clippers are not required to be completely truthful in their public statements, I thought it was foolish of them to play games with the possibility of a Kawhi return. Just be truthful.
Second, the Clippers have high hopes for Kawhi’s readiness to begin the upcoming campaign. The Clippers believe he will be available for the entire 2024 season, though they are unsure if he would require surgery or merely rehabilitation. That’s wonderful news, but once more, anything can happen. For a Clippers team that has struggled with injuries for three consecutive postseasons, that is a glimmer of good news. Since Leonard and George moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2019, injuries to either one or both of them have prevented them from reaching their championship goals each year.
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Lawrence also touched on wanting to bring back Russell Westbrook next season after a successful stint with the team this year. Regarding Russell Westbrook, Ty and Frank appear to be entirely in agreement. They praised Westbrook nearly more for his demeanor and leadership than for his on-court performance. Russ is a complicated character, so I don’t want to say too much about him, but I will say that some of the comments make me a little uneasy.
For the Clippers, the 2023–24 season will be their final before Leonard and George can choose not to exercise their player options in the summer of 2024. It is so encouraging to see that Leonard won’t miss any time of the upcoming season due to this most recent injury, as the Clippers will be hoping to bounce back from this year’s premature exit and challenge for the championship.
