Jared Dudley says Lakers thought Paul George was 'disrespectful' for saying Clippers were team to beat in L.A.

Dudley recently released a book about last summer's NBA bubble

Heading into last season, the entire NBA world was focused on Los Angeles. After the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis, and the Clippers brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, those two teams seemed destined to meet in the Western Conference finals, which many thought would be the de facto Finals. 

It never happened, of course, due to the Clippers' collapse in the second round against the Nuggets, but the budding rivalry wasn't just a media creation. There was some real animosity there, as Jared Dudley revealed in his new book, which details last summer's bubble experience. 

In one section, Dudley explains the Lakers' beef with the Clippers. Or, more specifically, Paul George. As transcribed by ESPN:

"We hear some of those guys talking about how they're the team to beat in L.A." Dudley, along with co-author Carvell Wallace, wrote in their 42-page book, "Inside the NBA Bubble: A Championship Season under Quarantine," released this week. "It's fine if Kawhi [Leonard] says stuff like that. He's defending a championship. We don't trip if someone like Patrick Beverley is talking trash; that's how he feeds his family. We get it. We respect the hustle.

"But we think it's disrespectful for Paul George, who hasn't won, to put himself on the level of [LeBron James] and [Anthony Davis]. This motivates us."

On Wednesday, Dudley expounded on what he wrote during a video conference with reporters:

"My comments were more about how we viewed the motivation. Paul George is a hell of a player, an MVP candidate. Doesn't mean that what he said wasn't wrong. But the difference is ... how you see how someone like LeBron and AD, them not saying anything. Them saying, 'You know what, we'll find out who the king of L.A. is on the court' last year."

Judging by those additional comments to the media, it seems like Dudley and the Lakers were, to some extent, just searching for anything that could give them some motivation, and happened to find it in George's comments. At the same time, they really do appear to be bothered by George for whatever reason, and it's a little strange how much animosity he generates. 

For the record, this is what George said ahead of last season, about he and Kawhi Leonard being the best duo in the NBA:

"I think so. When you look at two guys that play on both ends, two guys that can go and get a basket, two guys that can stop you from getting a basket, elite on both ends, I don't see how you can beat that."

That's a pretty reasonable statement considering that in 2019 George finished third in the MVP voting and Leonard won Finals MVP. The league values wing creation and defense more than just about anything, and few players combine those traits better than Leonard and George, so why wouldn't he think they could be the best duo in the league?

Also, the idea that it was somehow "disrespectful" for George to think highly of himself doesn't make any sense. Are only guys on the Lakers allowed to say they're good or something? If you want to say he's not on the same level as LeBron that's one thing, but before last season he had nearly as good of a personal resume as Davis, and certainly more playoff success. 

Anyway, this whole thing is a little bit ridiculous and really isn't worth continuing to discuss in so much detail. Hopefully, this season we get to see the Lakers and Clippers meet in the playoffs so they can settle this little feud on the court.