“Kawhi Leonard denied superstar privileges”: Clippers head coach Ty Lue refuses to cave in to the Klaw’s demand to trade Serge Ibaka

Ty Lue joked in his pre-game press conference that Kawhi Leonard had been denied his request to trade Serge Ibaka.

The Clippers succumbed to a 106-100 defeat to the Jazz last night after a horrible shooting night for the most part. They should never have been in contention, ceding a 20-point lead at the start of the 3rd quarter. But they fought back to within striking distanced before foul trouble damned them to a loss.

Nevertheless, the team sports a better look on defense than last year. Save for the blowout loss to the Mavs, the Clippers have kept their wits about them. The acquisition of Serge Ibaka has made them more potent, with one less defensive liability to worry about in Montrezl Harrell.

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Kawhi Leonard has returned to action sporting a peculiar face mask. His teammates have nicknamed him Leatherface for this look, prompting Leonard to joke after their win over the Blazers that ‘Serge is on the trade block now’.

Ty Lue reassures media that Kawhi Leonard has been shut down in attempt to trade Serge Ibaka

Speaking after the shootaround ahead of their game against Utah, Ty Lue referenced Kawhi’s joke. He said he’d noted it later on, but he’s ‘taken the deal off the table’. He did acknowledge how funny it was, of course.

“That’s off the table. Somebody told me about it today, that’s pretty funny.” 

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Over the course of the next few games, the Western Conference playoff picture will be a lot clearer. The likes of Sacramento and New Orleans have had hot starts, but will be put to severe tests in coming weeks.