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Skip Bayless tore Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard apart on Monday during his Undisputed segment with Shannon Sharpe. Even after Leonard made a game-winning shot, which Bayless called “lucky,” that sent his team to the Conference Finals, Bayless had nothing but negative to say about the talented player.
"Kawhi Leonard missed 22 games this year for 'rest.' The greats never took off games for 'rest.' Did MJ, Magic, Bird or Kareem ever take rest days? No. Jordan played all 82 games 9 times and he played 80 games 2 more times. Rest? What rest? It's just shameful." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/eM7XtjQYDu
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 13, 2019
The commentator's main beef with Leonard is that he thinks he is being babied. It is true that Kawhi Leonard missed a good portion of the regular season for apparently no other reason than rest, but the Raptors still locked up the second seed in the Eastern Conference. It's also worth reminding that Leonard missed most of the 2017-18 season with a mysterious quad injury, one that took far longer to heal than initially anticipated.
Bayless claims that because of his rest days, Leonard should not be viewed in the same light as the greats. He cites Michael Jordan's durability and the fact that he rarely missed any games as a signal of a true champion.
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Realistically, Bayless should probably lighten up on his criticism. The guy just hit the biggest shot in a franchise's entire history, and the only walk-off buzzer-beat ever in a Game 7. He nearly single-handedly led the Raptors to a victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that had arguably the most talented starting five in the league behind the Golden State Warriors.
To be fair, Leonard probably did not handle his exit from the San Antonio Spurs as well as he should have. But players have difficult exits all the time in the league. Just look at LeBron James' first “Decision” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The fact of the matter is that no fan in their right mind will care how many regular season games Leonard missed if the Raptors can bring home a championship. If Leonard can win a title as the alpha dog in Toronto, Bayless might have to reconsider his stance.
