You must pick one evil to suffer...

[Wretch]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

I can buy onto Durant joining Golden State after OKC had GS down 3-2 in the conference finals as not being a team-up but it still makes me dislike him.  Joining  your biggest rival and a team that already won a ring without you is so weak it is remarkable.  He could have joined a lot of different teams back then.  He went to the #1 team where winning a ring with him was hitting the "Easy" button.  And that is where this loops back to the team up discussion.  I dislike the team up development in the game for two reasons:  (1) it is a "hitting the easy button" approach and (2) it hurts traditionally disadvantaged markets (big markets tend to be the site for team ups).  

So Durant joining GS hits a lot of the same issues for me that LeBron teaming up in Miami, Cleveland, and LA does.

I'm all for player freedom and power, but there needs to be a balance with the teams and fanbase.  The "team up" trend is cheap and it removes all of the hard work that goes into scouting, player development, chemistry building, etc.  Worse is that guys like LeBron don't care about the process or competition.  They JUST want the ring.

[Vol4ever]

9 hours ago, Diesel said:

Right now, the League is licking it's chops for either a NY vs. LAL or Boston Vs. LAL finals. 

 

I wouldn't watch any of them.  If the Hawks are not playing I ain't watching!  

[Diesel]

9 hours ago, AHF said:

So Durant joining GS hits a lot of the same issues for me that LeBron teaming up in Miami, Cleveland, and LA does.

I would say that about Durant telling Kyrie and Harden to meet him in Brooklyn.. but not GS.  GS is a different kind of sleezy but it's not the same as what Bron does.   GS already had a nucleus in place.   KD had his choice of places where he could go.  He was going to go to a contender.  He choose GS.   I don't have problems with that.  It's like Drexler going to the Rockets. 

KD is still in a place where he has to prove that he can win a chip.   Even though he was the best man on those GS teams. 

To me, there is a difference between joining a good team and organizing (orchestrating) a good team.   KD and CP3 have been ring chasing for a long time. 

 

[Diesel]

43 minutes ago, Vol4ever said:

I wouldn't watch any of them.  If the Hawks are not playing I ain't watching!  

I think the league needs to come to the conclusion that just because these teams play in the biggest market, it doesn't mean that people love them.  Lakers vs. Knicks would be a snorefest.  Lakers vs. Celtics might be a little better but I would be willing to bet that small markets would unite to root on Denver. 

 

 

[AHF]

5 hours ago, Diesel said:

I would say that about Durant telling Kyrie and Harden to meet him in Brooklyn.. but not GS.  GS is a different kind of sleezy but it's not the same as what Bron does.   GS already had a nucleus in place.   KD had his choice of places where he could go.  He was going to go to a contender.  He choose GS.   I don't have problems with that.  It's like Drexler going to the Rockets. 

KD is still in a place where he has to prove that he can win a chip.   Even though he was the best man on those GS teams. 

To me, there is a difference between joining a good team and organizing (orchestrating) a good team.   KD and CP3 have been ring chasing for a long time. 

 

Some huge differences:

1 Portland was not a contender.  They won 1 playoff game each of the two prior seasons.  Very different than being up 3-2 in the conference finals with all key players coming back.

2. Drexler was going back home.  This was personal having grown up in Houston and played his high school and college ball there.

3.  Drexler knew he was winding down his career.  He was 32 and would retire after his age 35 season.

4. Portland traded him so they took back multiple players (including prior All-Star and #2 in WS the prior season Otis Thorpe) and an unprotected first round pick.

I see some major differences.  I grant that GS was different from a team building perspective but Durant was still an MVP level player while Clyde wasn’t an All-Star the year he was traded and never would be All-NBA in a full season for Houston.  I do think there is a similarity in that both hit the easy button and threw away the notion of leading a team to a title by joining the defending champs but that is the only similarity.  (The Bulls were the favorites the next season, not the Rockets.)

5.  The Rockets were the 6th seed the year before and would have been underdogs without him the next season (with the Bulls being the favorites).  The Warriors won 73 games the prior seasons and were the favorites with or without the 27 year old Durant joining them.

[Diesel]

11 hours ago, AHF said:

Some huge differences:

1 Portland was not a contender.  They won 1 playoff game each of the two prior seasons.  Very different than being up 3-2 in the conference finals with all key players coming back.

2. Drexler was going back home.  This was personal having grown up in Houston and played his high school and college ball there.

3.  Drexler knew he was winding down his career.  He was 32 and would retire after his age 35 season.

4. Portland traded him so they took back multiple players (including prior All-Star and #2 in WS the prior season Otis Thorpe) and an unprotected first round pick.

I see some major differences.  I grant that GS was different from a team building perspective but Durant was still an MVP level player while Clyde wasn’t an All-Star the year he was traded and never would be All-NBA in a full season for Houston.  I do think there is a similarity in that both hit the easy button and threw away the notion of leading a team to a title by joining the defending champs but that is the only similarity.  (The Bulls were the favorites the next season, not the Rockets.)

5.  The Rockets were the 6th seed the year before and would have been underdogs without him the next season (with the Bulls being the favorites).  The Warriors won 73 games the prior seasons and were the favorites with or without the 27 year old Durant joining them.

Durant was still a FA.  

He could have went to the Celtics.   You remember, they tried to woo him with Tom Brady. 

The Celtics were the best team in the EC that year.   With Durant, they probably would have beaten the Cavs and played the Warriors in the finals. 

How is it different?

He decided to play with a good team.  He would have played with a good team either way. 

[AHF]

54 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Durant was still a FA.  

He could have went to the Celtics.   You remember, they tried to woo him with Tom Brady. 

The Celtics were the best team in the EC that year.   With Durant, they probably would have beaten the Cavs and played the Warriors in the finals. 

How is it different?

He decided to play with a good team.  He would have played with a good team either way. 

How is it different to join a core that:

• has never won a title
• just finished a season where they went 48-34
• and lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs 4-2

versus joining a team that:

• just made the NBA finals the last two years and won a ring already
• were your biggest rival and beat you after you had them down 3-2 in the conference finals
• just finished a season where they won an NBA record 73 games
• and came into the 4th quarter of game 7 with a 1 point lead and fell just short of winning their second consecutive title?

[Vol4ever]

On 5/4/2023 at 11:56 PM, Diesel said:

I think the league needs to come to the conclusion that just because these teams play in the biggest market, it doesn't mean that people love them.  Lakers vs. Knicks would be a snorefest.  Lakers vs. Celtics might be a little better but I would be willing to bet that small markets would unite to root on Denver. 

 

 

I'm usually for the underdog.  I'm not a fan of the big market teams at all.