OT- Kemba Kyrie? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT- Kemba Kyrie?

the Q said:
You said he’s not as good as he used to be. He’s barely been in Boston...so when was this?
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No I didn't, read again...
superjohn said:
What makes him so much superior to Kemba? They are both scoring points who can go off like crazy. They assist and rebound the exact same, they both have killer handles/crossovers, they both are all world finishing in the lane. Kyrie shoots it at a little better clip, Kemba turns it over a little less. Kyrie used to be better but at this stage I don't really see anything that separates them.

The only difference I see is Kyrie has played with an absurd amount of talent while Kemba has played with probably less talent than any great player in the league.
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Kyrie has more talent than Kemba and is a better shooter but its not a huge difference. Kemba is a much better leader and teammate and that isn't uconn bias...that is known in the nba.
 
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Chris Broussard made a great point the other day, wondering if we would think of Kyrie as an A-list superstar if LeBron never came to Cleveland.

On paper and to the eye, Kyrie is simply better. Best handles in the game, best small finisher in the game, great shooter. But Kemba may not be as far off as many seem to think
 
superjohn said:
Don't think the Warriors ever really needed Durant but I think they probably will against the Bucks.
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They'll get to the Finals without him, but they won't win without Durant.
 
superjohn said:
He's awesome but the Warriors have always gone as Curry goes. Durant is a good passer but the ball moves a lot better when it's in Curry's hands and Curry, Klay, and Green all just play better without him. Warriors win 90% of their games without Durant, they win 60% of their games without Steph.

Don't think the Warriors ever really needed Durant but I think they probably will against the Bucks.
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Funny that if Barnes doesn’t miss 45 wide open 3s then Durant probably doesn’t come there.

He still might’ve left Russ though.
 
Rocktheworld said:
Chris Broussard made a great point the other day, wondering if we would think of Kyrie as an A-list superstar if LeBron never came to Cleveland.

On paper and to the eye, Kyrie is simply better. Best handles in the game, best small finisher in the game, great shooter. But Kemba may not be as far off as many seem to think
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Probably not because

1) they were awful with him.

2) they drafted horrible after him (waiters, Bennett, Wiggins were the 3 picks after he was drafted and bron signed).

3) I’m. Not sure they make the post season at any point without bron (obvious but I expect CLE, like Minnesota, would’ve ignorantly maxed out Wiggins despite zero evidence he was worth such a deal).

4) no brad stevens to make him better

I’m not saying he wouldn’t have been in reality. But look at how the perception changed after that finals. He’s been far better in Boston than he ever was in CLE. Yet his reputation was that he was already what he became in Boston.
 
Love Kemba. But let's pump the brakes until he wins one playoff game first before putting him up there with the best players.
 
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superjohn said:
But Is Kyrie that much better than Kemba?
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IMHO, Yes Kyrie is that much better. But, Kemba plays so much harder on a nightly basis and has a bigger heart. Sometimes that can make up for being less talented, sometimes it cant. Kyrie probably never hits his ceiling - he doesn't have the drive to get there, while Kemba has done everything he could to reach his and its still not Kyrie, albeit its still a really high level. If you go all-in on Kemba you at least know that every single minute he plays is going to be at 100%. That will be true until he dies. Kyrie is an all-time handles guy and finishes at the rim with the best of them... which is all the more frustrating when Kyrie decides to do his best Bran from Game of Thrones impression and just "i'm going to go now" standing in the corner motionless watching the game.
 
I think the real question should be: Do you guys think it would be better for Kemba's legacy to stay with Charlotte and always be remember as the "greatest Hornet of all time" (with limited / no postseason success) or is it better for his legacy to join a "super team" as the #3 guy but win a few titles in the process?
 
McLovin said:
I think the real question should be: Do you guys think it would be better for Kemba's legacy to stay with Charlotte and always be remember as the "greatest Hornet of all time" (with limited / no postseason success) or is it better for his legacy to join a "super team" as the #3 guy but win a few titles in the process?
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Option #2. He will still be remembered as the greatest Hornet of all time if he leaves this summer.
 
QDOG5 said:
Not true. Ask yourself this, if the KD less Warriors played the Warriors with Durant which team would you pick to win?
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I'll take the team that won 73 games
 
BleedHuskyBlu said:
They are not better without him you can’t seriously believe that
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73 win season without him
4-0 in playoffs without him
7-3 in playoffs with him

I'm just looking at numbers here.
 
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navery12 said:
There's no way you really believe this
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I convinced myself after Warriors beat the Rockets that Durant makes them worse. Warriors play better without him.
 
Kenny11 said:
Warriors are better/harder to beat with Durant.

They are more fun to watch without him.
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Except the Clippers beat them twice and the Rockets beat them twice with Durant playing AND the Warriors own the best regular season record without Durant playing but besides that you're right.
 
BleedHuskyBlu said:
They are not better without him you can’t seriously believe that
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They play better as a team without him. It's not that crazy, the Warriors won a title without him, had the best NBA record ever without him, and would have won a second title without him had Draymond not gotten suspended and players not getting injured.

I wouldn't say they are better without him but they move the ball better without him and even though Durant is a better player than Steph, Curry is way more important to them than Durant.
 
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UofCT2009 said:
Except the Clippers beat them twice and the Rockets beat them twice with Durant playing AND the Warriors own the best regular season record without Durant playing but besides that you're right.
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And that team lost to a vastly inferior Cavs team. One that they steamrolled twice with Durant.

Before Durant this core lost that series. Lost a series to the spurs (pre-title) where it blew like 2 separate 20 point leads.

It also had, allegedly a historically easy path in 2015 and 16. The Chris Paul trade was a major change that only happened post Durant.

A lot of factors when you’re using such a small sample size.
 
I think the semantics of this argument matter. I don't think anyone, even the Kemba supporters argue that Kemba's talent is superior to Kyrie's. The argument essentially (esp since they are both free agents) is which guy will generate better team performance next year. Most teams would pick Kyrie, but of course it depends on salaries and the surrounding pieces. Teams needing a PG could be better off with Kemba, teams needing star power or #1 scoring options better off with Kyrie.

I do think Kyrie proved this year that he currently is a #2 guy on a championship level team, not a #1 (maybe he changes, wouldn't bet on it though). Meanwhile, Kemba has barely scratched the playoffs as #1 guy on a bad team, so there's almost no debate that he is a complimentary piece. Can Kemba be the #2 on a championship team? Maybe, Kyrie definitely.
 
Kyrie isn't going to be happy no matter where he plays and that screws up chemistry. Is he more talented than Kemba? Absolutely. Given the choice I'd take Kemba and his enthusiasm over a sulking Kyrie.
 
UofCT2009 said:
73 win season without him
4-0 in playoffs without him
7-3 in playoffs with him

I'm just looking at numbers here.
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They had a muchhhhhh better bench than they do now its not even close.
 
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