00:00the clippers were really good the last couple of months like i know their overall record isn't great
00:05but they looked like a team that if they just snuck in the playoffs as a nine or an eight through the
00:10play-in and won some games maybe they could do some damage so what happened here so there's first
00:16of all thanks for having me on i really appreciate you guys um there's a lot of things going on here
00:21with the clippers in terms of their direction and i think that's what we have to take into account
00:25here the clippers have always been focused since they let paul george go since they let russell
00:30westbrook go their focus has been financial flexibility and it's been about the 2027
00:36offseason and the 2028 offseason so as much as their teams have actually overperformed they
00:41probably shouldn't have won 50 games last year they probably should have been better this year
00:46their direction and their focus has been about ushering in a new era of a young star core
00:52without kawaii leonard being a part of that picture so james harden has never missed the
00:57playoffs in his career he wanted a two-year 88 million dollar deal from the clippers the clippers
01:03said no we don't want to do that because we're focused on getting younger getting fresher focusing
01:08on a next batch of superstars whoever may come become available so there was just not an alignment of
01:16of ideas and that's just what happens with the business side of it like you said craig you know
01:21the clippers have been playing awesome basketball and this wasn't the fact that the clippers didn't
01:26believe in james harden it's just the fact that james harden just wanted better for himself and
01:31like you said he's done this multiple times but i think the key here is that the clippers and james
01:36harden had a mutual separation here i think the clippers got what they wanted in darius garland
01:41a young all-star point guard for the future and then james harden gets what he wants and goes to a
01:47contending team i guess you could say in the eastern conference a much easier eastern conference
01:51in the cavaliers with maybe lebron james coming next year so that's a big caveat
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