OT Durant to Warriors

[MilliniumPrince]

Every team that has ever won a title in any sport has good players. What the fark is your point? Durant didn't think playing with another top 5 player in the league was enough for him to win so he joined up with three other stars. It is was it is but it makes me a little less interested in the NBA.

............

 

[aceboon]

Can't get over this. Look at the best player of all time - MJ. He couldn't beat the Pistons. So what did he do? He got better and beat them. KD clearly doesn't want to compete. He just wants a ring handed to him. I thought for sure he would return to OKC and I would root for him and Russ to win a ring but guess not.

The Pistons got old and MJ & the Bulls got better, its not quite as simple as you put it.

 

[Excalibur]

This is in no way comparable to LeBron leaving for Miami

You're right. LeBron left a horrible situation. Durant, not so much . . .

 

[KemBuckets21]

I think there is something to be said about preservation. Barring catastrophic injury durant could have just extended his prime by shacking up with some other studs.

I don't like what this does about the competitive landscape of the NBA, but for the purposes of winning chips now, why not join a 73 win team if you can?

People called lebron a championship mercenary back in 2010 and that is what KD is doing now. He is willing to concede the spotlight or being "the man" in order to do so. Curry, Klay and Green are also putting there respective egos on the backburner as part of this move as well.

 

[Deadrody]

People villified LeBron for joining Miami. It'll be interesting to see how this Durant move is perceived. Going to a championship team that's made two straight Finals, broke the record for wins in a season, and knocked his team out of the playoffs.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Not true at all. The criticism then was when Wade, Lebron, and Bosh all conspired to sign together. Golden State added one player. Not the same. Then again, Kevin Durant was never hyped out of high school to be the greatest player to ever lace up his sneakers. So faulting Lebron for having to team up with Wade and Bosh to get over the hump was legit at the time.

I don't fault Durant for making the move, but if / when GSW win a couple more titles, I wouldn't be standing in line to give Kevin Durant all the credit.

 

[Deepster]

My take on this is that Durant saw a few options:

1) He stays in OKC and never wins a title.
2) He stays in OKC, makes a big run and wins a title.
3) He goes to a team like the Celtics and Wizards and repeats option 1 and 2.
4) He goes to GS and wins 2-3 titles.

Barring something catastrophic, they're going to win 68-70 games a year, go deep into the playoffs every year and be "must see TV" for the next couple years (at least). I think that's more fun than going to the Wizards and trying to gut out something as a 5 seed and no homecourt advantage for the rest of his prime.

 

[David 76]

How anyone can have allegiance to a team is beyond me. Stars come and go, change jerseys like their changing sheets on a bed. Hell, Rondo is a Bull now. NBA teams are so dynamic you need to buy multiple programs a year to keep up with rosters.

Makes me respect Kobe a little more.

As Jerry Seinfeld said, "We are rooting for the laundry."

 

[Deadrody]

But I bet a lot of people in this thread don't have a problem with five top ten recruits committing to play for Geno (I don't know whether that's actually the case, but the point stands) every couple years.

Someone probably already beat me to it, but that isn't nearly as true as the media and WCBB detractors would lead you to believe. Yeah, they get more than their share, but for every #1 or #2 recruit, there are plenty of #3, #4, #5, etc. recruits that sign elsewhere. And more times than not, the top recruit in the country signs elsewhere. And yet, Geno keeps on rolling.

 

[David 76]

I think it is funny that when DHam (or any other college player) makes a decision to increase their odds for success, they can't be criticised.
But a top pro is held to an entirely different standard. He should be loyal, he should look to increase competition. I don't think this is seen the same in football, baseball or even "ameteur" college basketball.

 

[UConn990411]

I think it is funny that when DHam (or any other college player) makes a decision to increase their odds for success, they can't be criticised.
But a top pro is held to an entirely different standard. He should be loyal, he should look to increase competition. I don't think this is seen the same in football, baseball or even "ameteur" college basketball.

I get what you're saying, but this is a really flimsy argument.

Players who declare for the draft have zero say regarding which team they get to play for, while the opposite is true for free agents.

 

[champs99and04]

Someone probably already beat me to it, but that isn't nearly as true as the media and WCBB detractors would lead you to believe. Yeah, they get more than their share, but for every #1 or #2 recruit, there are plenty of #3, #4, #5, etc. recruits that sign elsewhere. And more times than not, the top recruit in the country signs elsewhere. And yet, Geno keeps on rolling.

The point still remains that we optimize the narrative to fit the result. The UConn WBB program is (rightly) lionized for performing a Utopian display of team basketball that seems to contradict the NBA's premise that it is all about one star, or alpha-male. "Great things can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit," or something like that. Now Durant is willingly capping his portion of the credit to partake in something akin to the UConn WBB program and there seems to be some overtones of man shaming (maybe that's not the right term, as it is men, in this case, who seem to be propagating that visual). I find it all interesting.

 

[David 76]

I get what you're saying, but this is a really flimsy argument.

Players who declare for the draft have zero say regarding which team they get to play for, while the opposite is true for free agents.

True. But that is not what I mean.
Leaving your college team vs leaving your pro team.
Fans here feel free to criticize the latter. But you get jumped on for criticizing the latter. Even when it appears ill-advised.

It just strikes me funny that more loyalty is expected from grown men who play for pay like LeBron or Kevin than Daniel.
I don't think it is rationale to expect it from either.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't understand people complaining about Durant. He went to play in that hell that is freaking Oakland, because he wants to win. It's a selfless move, compared to all the guys we see taking the most money they can get in other sports.

Here is the problem however. The Warriors should not be able to afford him. There is no way that any team with that roster should have the cap space available for Durant. The new cap, plus the max contract structure, allows super teams to be built and eliminates any chance at parity. It makes the NBA a joke league. As much as I don't like these insane salaries, if the cap is up, the max contract number needs to increase, so that this isn't possible. A team like Boston should have been able to pay him more than GS could.

 

[Rocktheworld]

True. But that is not what I mean.
Leaving your college team vs leaving your pro team.
Fans here feel free to criticize the latter. But you get jumped on for criticizing the latter. Even when it appears ill-advised.

It just strikes me funny that more loyalty is expected from grown men who play for pay like LeBron or Kevin than Daniel.
I don't think it is rationale to expect it from either.

Nobody is talking about loyalty to OKC. It's about joining a 73-win team that doesn't need him, that came back from 3-1 to beat him, that has already been to two straight NBA Finals.

Forget taking the stairs, forget taking the escalator, KD is taking the elevator.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nobody is talking about loyalty to OKC. It's about joining a 73-win team that doesn't need him, that came back from 3-1 to beat him, that has already been to two straight NBA Finals.

Forget taking the stairs, forget taking the escalator, KD is taking the elevator.

You can't blame him for that. Every player should do that. The league needs to structure its cap and max contracts so that it isn't possible.

 

[intlzncster]

Forget taking the stairs, forget taking the escalator, KD is taking the elevator.

More like a Starship Enterprise Transporter.

 

[tzznandrew]

Again, this is overblown. Durant had Westbrook, but they didn't have anyone else that great. Adams is a good player, but we're not talking about a hall of famer here. The league is bigger, so talent is generally spread thinner unless teams are really smart or get lucky, or players move. We can bash Durant for playing with one other star and still leaving (and let's not forget Harden was traded to save cap space...how much dumber does that look now...), but then we lionize Bird we seem to forget no one would leave his situation: he played with McHale, Johnson, and Parrish, all HoFers, and Tiny Archibald in the early years of the 80s (another HoFer, albeit past his prime). I mean, who would leave that? Bird was playing in the NBA Finals in his second year. Magic his first. These guys didn't "build" teams, they lucked into being drafted into excellent organizations already stacked with talent.

As much as I love Jordan, it's also hard to get a sense of what he would have done if Pippen didn't come along didn't develop. Or, really, Grant, a pick Jordan hated. If he had the flexibility and the Bulls traded away the third best player on his teams for peanuts rather than try to win a title, he might have jumped ship. We don't know.

 

[David 76]

Elevator or beam me up.....

Do you blame GSW for trying to improve their team?
I can't blame KD for wanting to win a championship, especially if he left money on the table to do it.

I know anytime I played anything competitive, I wanted to be on a team that sucked to prove my legacy. (sarcasm).

It is his life, his choice. True for DHam, true for KD.

 

[Excalibur]

I'm fine with what Durant did. I just love the hypocrites who killed LeBron for it six years ago (and continue to do it) trying to rationalize it now.

 

[aceboon]

I'm fine with what Durant did. I just love the hypocrites who killed LeBron for it six years ago (and continue to do it) trying to rationalize it now.

Are there any specific people that are actually doing this or is this just a strawman?

 

[Rocktheworld]

I know anytime I played anything competitive, I wanted to be on a team that sucked to prove my legacy. (sarcasm).

Oh so OKC sucked. And didn't have Oladipo coming in. The team that had GS on the ropes 3-1. Yeah, good for KD to get himself out of such an awful basketball situation.

 

[UConn990411]

Are there any specific people that are actually doing this or is this just a strawman?

KD, for one.

 

[aceboon]

KD, for one.

Ha, that's a good point.

 

[FartMan69]

What if Westbrook told him or indicated he didn't want to stay in the Praire after next season? I mean I can't be the only one who thinks an LA kid wants to play somewhere other than OKC. If that's the case what's the problem with Durant's choice ? That he didn't sign with the Celtics? No top tier player has ever packed up and headed to Boston, can't really be shocked at this point. Clippers? Historically Awful organization who couldn't offer max money, Heat? Aging core. And of course if he went to the Spurs he'd have almost as easy a path as he would with Golden State. We judge these guys on titles then bitch and moan when they make the decision that increases their odds to do just that. Don't like it? Don't watch but you will anyway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Deepster]

That he didn't sign with the Celtics? No top tier player has ever packed up and headed to Boston, can't really be shocked at this point.

This is an interesting offshoot. Lots of local talk about how no one wants to come to Boston. Weather is awful. Media is harsh. Not a lot to offer from a city perspective (against a Miami or LA). Over time the "destination" seems to factor more in to the decisions and Boston is taking the hit.