Durant to the Warriors!

[Vol4ever]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

How is the  West going to be fun.  Duncan might retire, OKC weaker.  It's  GSW then the rest.

San Antonio to sign Pau Gasol.   He will have a Big year.

[QuantumZebra]

2 hours ago, RandomFan said:

ESPN @espn

Kevin Durant, six years ago: pic.twitter.com/BT8hNUvOUu 9m

[Alex]

Golden State drafted their own players.  Durant signed with a great team already.  Can't hate on the Warriors for wanting to improve their already loaded team with another stud.  They did just blow a 3-1 lead albeit the NBA wasn't allowing the Cavaliers to lose no matter what..I digress.  On paper the Warriors should be amazing, but when the playoffs get here and the NBA script is decided it could be a different story.

[Ebert]

hace 1 minuto, Alex dijo:

Golden State drafted their own players.  Durant signed with a great team already.  Can't hate on the Warriors for wanting to improve their already loaded team with another stud.  They did just blow a 3-1 lead albeit the NBA wasn't allowing the Cavaliers to lose no matter what..I digress.  On paper the Warriors should be amazing, but when the playoffs get here and the NBA script is decided it could be a different story.

I want to see the great big men in the NBA play against the Warriors. They could have problems. I want the Pelicans and Timberwolves to have good years, so we can receive Minny's pick and Anthony Davis and KAT can put problems on the Warriors. 

[Diesel]

I see everybody has conceded the West to Golden State?  When I first heard it, I say they may go 80-2.  However, after second look, I think that they may be more flawed than they were before.  Especially if they have to cut Bogut.   Durant is a great scorer, however, scoring has never been a problem for Golden State.   They needed Defense.  Now, Durant is 10 times the player that Barnes is offensively, however, losing a big that played good defense is going to haunt them if that's what they have to do.   They will be beat on by teams with Bigs who play physically.  They just became more of a fineese team.  Under these circumstances, I say worry about a Westbrook led OKC.  People say that they lost so much, however, they are a physical team that surrounds a transcendent scorer... Shades of Philly with Iverson and Mutombo. 

IF you read the league correctly, the League is going back to what it always goes back to.. Big men.  The team with sure points in the paint and defense in the paint will win... especially if they have shooters.   Getting a motivated Dwight happened at the right time for us.  Like I said before, we have to be careful in this offseason.  BU PG and SF are still two areas that we have to choose wisely, but I like the thinking of the braintrust.   Like I said more than 96 hours ago.. Trust Bud!!

 

[Atlantaholic]

All of this business should be fuel for the anti-tanking argument. What good is tanking if, even if you get incredibly lucky with your pick and get the next mega supestar, he leaves the first chance he gets to join a better team? Salaries are so absurd regardless of bird rights, it evidently doesn't  seem to be a deterrent for these guys to leave. NBA needs to think of better incentives for players to stay with the teams that drafted them.

[Plainview1981]

7 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I see everybody has conceded the West to Golden State?  When I first heard it, I say they may go 80-2.  However, after second look, I think that they may be more flawed than they were before.  Especially if they have to cut Bogut.   Durant is a great scorer, however, scoring has never been a problem for Golden State.   They needed Defense.  Now, Durant is 10 times the player that Barnes is offensively, however, losing a big that played good defense is going to haunt them if that's what they have to do.   They will be beat on by teams with Bigs who play physically.  They just became more of a fineese team.  Under these circumstances, I say worry about a Westbrook led OKC.  People say that they lost so much, however, they are a physical team that surrounds a transcendent scorer... Shades of Philly with Iverson and Mutombo. 

IF you read the league correctly, the League is going back to what it always goes back to.. Big men.  The team with sure points in the paint and defense in the paint will win... especially if they have shooters.   Getting a motivated Dwight happened at the right time for us.  Like I said before, we have to be careful in this offseason.  BU PG and SF are still two areas that we have to choose wisely, but I like the thinking of the braintrust.   Like I said more than 96 hours ago.. Trust Bud!!

 

Bogut's not even good now.

[Diesel]

2 minutes ago, Atlantaholic said:

All of this business should be fuel for the anti-tanking argument. What good is tanking if, even if you get incredibly lucky with your pick and get the next mega supestar, he leaves the first chance he gets to join a better team? Salaries are so absurd regardless of bird rights, it evidently doesn't  seem to be a deterrent for these guys to leave. NBA needs to think of better incentives for players to stay with the teams that drafted them.

The bottom line is make the best team and win... by doing that, you show all free agents a place that they can goto and accomplish what they want.   Look at Philly?  Who wants to play there?

 

[Plainview1981]

11 minutes ago, Atlantaholic said:

All of this business should be fuel for the anti-tanking argument. What good is tanking if, even if you get incredibly lucky with your pick and get the next mega supestar, he leaves the first chance he gets to join a better team? Salaries are so absurd regardless of bird rights, it evidently doesn't  seem to be a deterrent for these guys to leave. NBA needs to think of better incentives for players to stay with the teams that drafted them.

So... It's better to ride the treadmill and get swept?

[Plainview1981]

10 minutes ago, Diesel said:

The bottom line is make the best team and win... by doing that, you show all free agents a place that they can goto and accomplish what they want.   Look at Philly?  Who wants to play there?

 

The Hawks have been to the playoffs 9 years in a row and nobody wants to play here.

[Diesel]

36 minutes ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

The Hawks have been to the playoffs 9 years in a row and nobody wants to play here.

Dwight wanted to play here.   He took less money to join us.  Moreover, after we offered, he shut down his other visits to be with us.   Bazemore wanted to be here.  There were other teams offering more money but Bazemore said that his heart is here.  Now Horford didn't want to play here. .. and I have never heard of a former player except Horford have bad things to say about playing here.   Hell, if we had the money, Teague and DMC would have loved to stay here.     But here's the thing..   Players may want to play here, but our front office is picky about who they want.   There's a formula... so we're not running out and grabbing Brandon Jennings.  He don't fit.  We're not running out and getting any other player you think may have turned us down..   Nobody has turned us down but Horford.  

So yeah.. we have been to the playoffs more consecutively than any team in the NBA.  We have done that over 4 GMs.   There's something cooking in Atlanta.  Do you smell what the Hawks is cooking??

[chico1]

6 hours ago, IheartVolt said:

I hate Whoreford and the Celtics.. But this is just bad for the league as a whole. This is a damn joke

You have an excellent point. I thought the new CBA was set up in a way to keep teams from doing what the heat did a few years ago and what the Warriors are doing now. 

[Diesel]

6 hours ago, bleachkit said:

So the ending of game 7 was completely staged? The block? The Kyrie 3? Spare me your tin foil hat BS.

Hi Bleachkit.  Welcome to Hawksquawk.

About your post... I just want to point out something to you... The refs do a lot to control a series.  First off, they make no secret about the following things..

1.  The let the finals this year be played more loosely.  What that means is that the refs won't call what normally is a foul .  That leads to games being to the advantage of the more physical team in this case.. Cleveland.  Lebron new that he could be more physical (because they have given him that opportunity before) and took advantage of it.   When Bogut went out, magically, Tristan Thompson's minutes went up.  Why?  Because he was the biggest strongest player on the floor and with nobody calling fouls on him, he could play as physically as he wanted down low and he definitely dominated games 5 and 6.

2.  The refs admitted that they called fouls when they wanted to.   There's a mystery in basketball... Why is a foul called in the first 5 minutes of play never called in the last 5 minutes of play?  Especially in a close game?  Moreover, why does it matter who commits the foul and who the foul is committed against?  Any ref worth his salt can call Lebron for travelling 7 times a game.  Lebron travels often.   They can call Lebron with the push off as an offensive foul at least 3 to 4 times a game.   Draymond Green made a huge example in game 6.  They had lost the game but Green made Lebron use a clear out elbow that he had used all game by crowding Lebron and Green was hit with the foul. 

3.  Some refs just may decide that they will call more calls for one team than another.  Again,  watch how the refs controlled momentum with their whistles.  They are supposedly letting the teams play loose in game 7.  Steph hits his fourth 3 pointer in a row, Golden State goes up by their largest lead... next play down, they get Steph with a touch foul...Because he's in foul trouble for 1 dumb foul and 1 other touch foul, he goes to the bench... and Cleveland retakes the momentum.  I've watched that game 7 three times and it's undeniable that the refs kept the momentum where they wanted it.

The thing you can never forget.. whether it's the playoffs or it's the draft lottery is that Basketball is a Business.  They get Billions of dollars from TV so they want to always produce compelling television.   If they could, they would also control free agency.   Remember a few years back, Chris Paul was traded to the Lakers and would have played with Kobe and Dwight.   Who do you think killed that deal?

So in the NBA.... a foul is not a foul unless the refs want it to be a foul and it depends on when the foul is committed, who committed the foul and what team has the momentum.   The Draft Lottery is the NBA's way of picking the destination of future stars.. there are several more fair ways to designate who gets the first pick and to prevent tanking but the NBA will never adopt a way that puts the choice out of there hands.   And Free Agency is the only thing that the NBA don't control YET.. But just wait, something is coming. 

 

 

[Plainview1981]

31 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Dwight wanted to play here.   He took less money to join us.  Moreover, after we offered, he shut down his other visits to be with us.   Bazemore wanted to be here.  There were other teams offering more money but Bazemore said that his heart is here.  Now Horford didn't want to play here. .. and I have never heard of a former player except Horford have bad things to say about playing here.   Hell, if we had the money, Teague and DMC would have loved to stay here.     But here's the thing..   Players may want to play here, but our front office is picky about who they want.   There's a formula... so we're not running out and grabbing Brandon Jennings.  He don't fit.  We're not running out and getting any other player you think may have turned us down..   Nobody has turned us down but Horford.  

So yeah.. we have been to the playoffs more consecutively than any team in the NBA.  We have done that over 4 GMs.   There's something cooking in Atlanta.  Do you smell what the Hawks is cooking??

He only signed because his career  is in the dumpster and nobody likes him.  It's been said that the Hawks couldn't even get the big name guys to the table.

Bud's coaching still got swept twice by Cleveland. Without better player he and his system means nothing.

 

[Diesel]

Just now, Hotlanta1981 said:

He only signed because his career  is in the dumpster and nobody likes him.  It's been said that the Hawks couldn't even get the big name guys to the table.

Bud's coaching still got swept twice by Cleveland. Without better player he and his system means nothing.

 

So much pessimism.  Well, I'm sure Boston, NY, Charlotte  and Dallas wanted him.   Thing is...  You ignore the big names we did get.  Dwight was pegged to be a part of Boston's three headed monster.  Baze became the most sought after swingman in Free Agency.  I'm celebrating our victories...  Not crying about what we don't have!

 

[Guest]

I blame this Durant thing on Horford. If Horford was going to leave, why not just do a sign n trade to go to the thunder for Sabonis, Payne, picks and then Durant would have signed back possibly with the Thunder. 

 

Now Durant is with the Warriors and every other FA is willing to sign for peanuts...bad for the NBA ...

 

I hope fans of 29 NBA teams boycott the Warriors and crash the tv ratings to send the league a message.

[Thomas]

Chris Broussard has an iffy memory. He's saying that people who defended LeBron going to Miami are now trashing KD for going to the Warriors and it doesn't make sense. Just don't remember anyone supporting LeBron's decision back then but he sure as heck got trashed for it in the media that I saw. Of course, I don't read the Miami Herald either. 

[Guest]

What made the warriors special was their QUALITY depth and players willing to do the dirty work (Zaza solves a little of that).

What's gonna be most interesting is the Under Armor (Curry)/ Nike (Durant) battle.  You know Nike was miffed that Steph with UA was the MVP and the NBA darling.

 Are they gonna try and squash UA by pitching Durant as the face of the Warriors. 

Fireworks incoming.

[Thomas]

Really good insight there. The NBA, it's superstars and shoes/apparel really are a giant  mega monopoly and we should witnesses a very public battle or some bickering about brands in Golden State pretty soon. Fun tv.  

[AHF]

On 7/4/2016 at 4:18 PM, Atlantaholic said:

All of this business should be fuel for the anti-tanking argument. What good is tanking if, even if you get incredibly lucky with your pick and get the next mega supestar, he leaves the first chance he gets to join a better team? Salaries are so absurd regardless of bird rights, it evidently doesn't  seem to be a deterrent for these guys to leave. NBA needs to think of better incentives for players to stay with the teams that drafted them.

Don't agree with this.  OKC enjoyed 9 years of Kevin Durant, made the NBA finals, made the conference finals 4 times (each time doing better than the best season in Atlanta history by winning 1-4 games).  As I mentioned elsewhere, the max salary issue creates the stacking of teams.  Remove the max salary and keep the bird rights.