Clippers analyst gets boot over comments on Leonard
This year’s National Basketball Association free-agency period may be over, but the Los Angeles Clippers are already taking measures to make at least one possible free agent comfortable in 2019.
Weeks ago, former San Antonio forward Bruce Bowen made a number of critical comments about Kawhi Leonard on Sirius XM Radio. Now, he will not be brought back as the Clippers’ television analyst, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Before Leonard was traded from San Antonio to the Toronto Raptors in July, the Clippers were aggressive in their efforts to sign Leonard, and can be expected to pursue him again next summer.
“I think there’s nothing but excuses going on,” Bowen said on Sirius XM Radio on June 22. “First, it was, ‘Well I was misdiagnosed.’ Look here: You got $18 million this year, and you think that they’re trying to rush you? You didn’t play for the most part a full season this year. And you’re the go-to guy, you’re the franchise, and you want to say that they didn’t have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me? I think he’s getting bad advice,” Bowen continued.
“I think what you’re starting to see now is an individual given a certain amount of advice, and it’s not the right advice. Here it is: You were protected in San Antonio. You were able to come up during a time where you could still lean on Tim (Duncan), Tony (Parker) and Manu (Ginoboli).”
Bowen was hired by the Clippers to be half of their play-by-play duo before the 2017-18 season and was under contract with Fox Sports West.
However, the Clippers franchise have input into the hiring, and firing, of their on-air talent and, according to ESPN, did not approve the extension of Bowen’s contract.