LA Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers thinks that the NBA’s decision to suspend the season due to coronavirus pandemic might be a blessing in disguise for some of his players. According to Rivers, this break will allow Clippers’ star forward Kawhi Leonard to return in “phenomenal shape” when the season resumes.

Leonard missed a significant number of Clippers’ games in 2019/20 due to various health issues and tiredness. But Rivers thinks that those problems are now behind the 28-year-old All-Star thanks to the break he got.

“I know Kawhi’s overworking. I can guarantee you that,” said Rivers talking with reporters on a video call. “And the difference is, during the summer, Kawhi couldn’t work, you know, so now he’s got this break, and he’s able to train. The Kawhi we’ll see will be in phenomenal shape.”

Despite the issues he had this season, Leonard managed to maintain high production and lead the Clippers to the second seed in the West. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game before the season got suspended.

Leonard will not be the only Clippers’ star that will return in great condition, according to Rivers.

“PG [Paul George] is another guy that’s gonna be in phenomenal shape,” he added.

Paul George missed a number of games this season as well, after undergoing a shoulder injury in the offseason. In 42 games he was on the court, George averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals.

The post Doc Rivers Says Clippers’ Star Kawhi Leonard Will Return in “Phenomenal Shape” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways with their All-Star duo Paul George and Russell Westbrook this offseason swiftly transforming themselves from a playoff contender to a lottery team. And while many believed that this process was kicked off by George’s trade request, it looks like the truth might be somewhat different.

George made a trade request shortly after the start of free agency and ended up being dealt to Los Angeles Clippers, where he teamed up with Kawhi Leonard. After that, Russell Westbrook also left OKC, heading to Houston Rockets. This officially marked the start of a rebuilding period for the Thunder, who saw first-round playoff exits in the previous three years.

Now, Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers claims that OKC wanted to “break their team up” all along after this lack of success which made it easier for his team to acquire Paul George.

“We showed [Leonard] everybody else, and he didn’t want to hear it.” – Rivers told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times while guiding him through their free agency meeting with Leonard. “He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

Oklahoma City Thunder managed to pick up a bunch of draft picks from the Clippers in a George trade, while also getting forward Danilo Gallinari and talented point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, they are not expected to be any good anytime soon and will most likely spend the next several years at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The post OKC Wanted to “Break Their Team Up” Even Before Paul George Trade Claims Doc Rivers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In what many assume will be NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki’s final season, the tributes have come rolling in.

However, what the Los Angeles Clippers and their coach Doc Rivers did for the 2011 NBA Finals MVP was unprecedented and something that NBA fans had never seen before.

With his team leading the Mavericks 121-112 in the final seconds of Monday night’s game at Staples Center, Rivers called a timeout.

After the initial confusion as to why Rivers would call a timeout at such a strange moment in the game, the coach walked to the scorer’s table, grabbed the PA microphone, and began to speak.

He chanted “Dirk, Dirk!” and encouraged the Clippers fans in the Staples Center to join him in honoring the retiring legend.

The crowd at Staples Center immediately took to Rivers’ request and began to give Nowitzki a rousing standing ovation to pay tribute to the German power forward’s outstanding career.

The humble 7-footer sheepishly grinned and gave Rivers a thumbs-up, and appeared to get emotional as the crowd applauded. Several Clippers players game over to shake Nowitzki’s hand and to hug him.

The moment between certain Hall of Famers Rivers and Nowitzki was a reminder of why we love sports. It was a historic moment that will go down in NBA history.

The post Clippers Coach Doc Rivers Honors Dirk Nowitzki with Incredible Gesture appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers still has some unfinished business in Los Angeles and has signed a contract extension with the team on Wednesday. Rivers was entering the final year of his contract, according to which he was earning more than $11 million per year. The terms of the deal remained undisclosed.

The L.A. Clippers today announced that the team has agreed to a contract extension with head coach @DocRivers.

Read More: https://t.co/HJaLDW9FoQ pic.twitter.com/efv2fKzEAS

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) May 23, 2018

“Doc is one of the top coaches in the NBA, coming off one of his finest seasons since joining the Clippers,” – said Clippers’ chairman Steve Ballmer in a statement. “We trust Doc to lead a competitive, tough, hard-working team while upholding a culture of accountability expected to resonate throughout the organization.“

Doc Rivers joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 and lead the team to four straight playoff appearances. This year, however, Clippers entered the season without their star point guard Chris Paul, who left for Houston Rockets. The team then traded Blake Griffin to Detroit Pistons and it looked like the Clippers will enter the full rebuilding mode. Despite these moves, Rivers did a great job and was fighting for the playoffs until the very end, finishing the season with 42-40 record.

“I am proud of the success we have had here over the last five seasons, but there is more work to be done,” – said Rivers in a statement. “We are coming off a year where our team battled through many challenges and much adversity, proving deep talent and even greater potential. I am looking forward to getting back to work on the court to develop our players and compete with the NBA’s elite.“

Doc Rivers started his NBA coaching career with Orlando Magic in 1999, and then went on to coach Boston Celtics with whom he won 2008 NBA Championship. His current career record is 846-624.

The post Los Angeles Clippers Sign Doc Rivers to a Contract Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LA Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers thinks that the NBA’s decision to suspend the season due to coronavirus pandemic might be a blessing in disguise for some of his players. According to Rivers, this break will allow Clippers’ star forward Kawhi Leonard to return in “phenomenal shape” when the season resumes.

Leonard missed a significant number of Clippers’ games in 2019/20 due to various health issues and tiredness. But Rivers thinks that those problems are now behind the 28-year-old All-Star thanks to the break he got.

“I know Kawhi’s overworking. I can guarantee you that,” said Rivers talking with reporters on a video call. “And the difference is, during the summer, Kawhi couldn’t work, you know, so now he’s got this break, and he’s able to train. The Kawhi we’ll see will be in phenomenal shape.”

Despite the issues he had this season, Leonard managed to maintain high production and lead the Clippers to the second seed in the West. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game before the season got suspended.

Leonard will not be the only Clippers’ star that will return in great condition, according to Rivers.

“PG [Paul George] is another guy that’s gonna be in phenomenal shape,” he added.

Paul George missed a number of games this season as well, after undergoing a shoulder injury in the offseason. In 42 games he was on the court, George averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals.

The post Doc Rivers Says Clippers’ Star Kawhi Leonard Will Return in “Phenomenal Shape” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways with their All-Star duo Paul George and Russell Westbrook this offseason swiftly transforming themselves from a playoff contender to a lottery team. And while many believed that this process was kicked off by George’s trade request, it looks like the truth might be somewhat different.

George made a trade request shortly after the start of free agency and ended up being dealt to Los Angeles Clippers, where he teamed up with Kawhi Leonard. After that, Russell Westbrook also left OKC, heading to Houston Rockets. This officially marked the start of a rebuilding period for the Thunder, who saw first-round playoff exits in the previous three years.

Now, Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers claims that OKC wanted to “break their team up” all along after this lack of success which made it easier for his team to acquire Paul George.

“We showed [Leonard] everybody else, and he didn’t want to hear it.” – Rivers told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times while guiding him through their free agency meeting with Leonard. “He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.’ We did know that Oklahoma City wanted to break their team up, so that helped, but we didn’t know if we could get him.”

Oklahoma City Thunder managed to pick up a bunch of draft picks from the Clippers in a George trade, while also getting forward Danilo Gallinari and talented point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, they are not expected to be any good anytime soon and will most likely spend the next several years at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The post OKC Wanted to “Break Their Team Up” Even Before Paul George Trade Claims Doc Rivers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In what many assume will be NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki’s final season, the tributes have come rolling in.

However, what the Los Angeles Clippers and their coach Doc Rivers did for the 2011 NBA Finals MVP was unprecedented and something that NBA fans had never seen before.

With his team leading the Mavericks 121-112 in the final seconds of Monday night’s game at Staples Center, Rivers called a timeout.

After the initial confusion as to why Rivers would call a timeout at such a strange moment in the game, the coach walked to the scorer’s table, grabbed the PA microphone, and began to speak.

He chanted “Dirk, Dirk!” and encouraged the Clippers fans in the Staples Center to join him in honoring the retiring legend.

The crowd at Staples Center immediately took to Rivers’ request and began to give Nowitzki a rousing standing ovation to pay tribute to the German power forward’s outstanding career.

The humble 7-footer sheepishly grinned and gave Rivers a thumbs-up, and appeared to get emotional as the crowd applauded. Several Clippers players game over to shake Nowitzki’s hand and to hug him.

The moment between certain Hall of Famers Rivers and Nowitzki was a reminder of why we love sports. It was a historic moment that will go down in NBA history.

The post Clippers Coach Doc Rivers Honors Dirk Nowitzki with Incredible Gesture appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers still has some unfinished business in Los Angeles and has signed a contract extension with the team on Wednesday. Rivers was entering the final year of his contract, according to which he was earning more than $11 million per year. The terms of the deal remained undisclosed.

The L.A. Clippers today announced that the team has agreed to a contract extension with head coach @DocRivers.

Read More: https://t.co/HJaLDW9FoQ pic.twitter.com/efv2fKzEAS

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) May 23, 2018

“Doc is one of the top coaches in the NBA, coming off one of his finest seasons since joining the Clippers,” – said Clippers’ chairman Steve Ballmer in a statement. “We trust Doc to lead a competitive, tough, hard-working team while upholding a culture of accountability expected to resonate throughout the organization.“

Doc Rivers joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 and lead the team to four straight playoff appearances. This year, however, Clippers entered the season without their star point guard Chris Paul, who left for Houston Rockets. The team then traded Blake Griffin to Detroit Pistons and it looked like the Clippers will enter the full rebuilding mode. Despite these moves, Rivers did a great job and was fighting for the playoffs until the very end, finishing the season with 42-40 record.

“I am proud of the success we have had here over the last five seasons, but there is more work to be done,” – said Rivers in a statement. “We are coming off a year where our team battled through many challenges and much adversity, proving deep talent and even greater potential. I am looking forward to getting back to work on the court to develop our players and compete with the NBA’s elite.“

Doc Rivers started his NBA coaching career with Orlando Magic in 1999, and then went on to coach Boston Celtics with whom he won 2008 NBA Championship. His current career record is 846-624.

The post Los Angeles Clippers Sign Doc Rivers to a Contract Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.