The Kevin Durant Discussion Thread

[Stone]

Just a few ground rules. Please keep this discussion-debate civil. If you disagree with a posters post, tell us why you disagree without personal insults. Remember this is an anonymous forum and we sometimes don't know if we are debating a person just learning the game or a veteran student of the game.

This thread is also open to non Nets fans.

In this thread we can discuss all things KD, the good and the bad.

[MrDollarBills]

Vaughn needs to find a way to decrease the minutes load. Kyrie needs to become more assertive in the 2nd unit in terms of picking his spots to attack and when to move the ball to the shooters.

There's too much talent on this team for KD to have to score 40 every night for us to win. Ben needs to give us 15 pts a game. We need another person that can score consistently. Harris needs to get his ass in gear.

[NyCeEvO]

When I have time, I listen to KD's podcast "The Etcs with KD & Eddie Gonzalez". The two episodes released (on November 11th & 22nd) prior to yesterday's episode were quite insightful.

First, it definitely feels as if KD is (finally?) embracing being a leader of this team (as well as being an ambassador and representative of the Nets) to the fans. Although I have viewed his prior leadership under Nash's tenure as inadequate to say the least, he now is seemingly embracing the mantle of being the lead guy and figure head who wants to win for himself as well as for his teammates.

Second, there are parts within these two episodes that it becomes quite clear that KD had little-to-no confidence in Nash or his coaching ability. The episode from November 11th is especially telling, since he talks about Jacque Vaughn paying his dues and warranting a shot at becoming a head coach again. While he doesn't explicitly say that Nash lacks the skills Vaughn possesses, it's hard to not read between the lines and assume that he didn't like playing for Nash.

Even though Vaughn wasn't someone I was initially rooting for to become the head coach, I am just relieved Nash is no longer the coach of the team. I can't believe the number of people on the GB who were defending him and were believing that Nets fans criticism of him was harsh given the circumstances under which he was made to coach.

[sashaturiaf]

When I have time, I listen to KD's podcast "The Etcs with KD & Eddie Gonzalez". The two episodes released (on November 11th & 22nd) prior to yesterday's episode were quite insightful.

First, it definitely feels as if KD is (finally?) embracing being a leader of this team (as well as being an ambassador and representative of the Nets) to the fans. Although I have viewed his prior leadership under Nash's tenure as inadequate to say the least, he now is seemingly embracing the mantle of being the lead guy and figure head who wants to win for himself as well as for his teammates.

Second, there are parts within these two episodes that it becomes quite clear that KD had little-to-no confidence in Nash or his coaching ability. The episode from November 11th is especially telling, since he talks about Jacque Vaughn paying his dues and warranting a shot at becoming a head coach again. While he doesn't explicitly say that Nash lacks the skills Vaughn possesses, it's hard to not read between the lines and assume that he didn't like playing for Nash.

Even though Vaughn wasn't someone I was initially rooting for to become the head coach, I am just relieved Nash is no longer the coach of the team. I can't believe the number of people on the GB who were defending him and were believing that Nets fans criticism of him was harsh given the circumstances under which he was made to coach.

Haven't listened to those podcasts but thanks for the download.

As for the general board, that's a realm that no self respecting fan should ever venture into. They're one rung above the likes of NBA reddit and twitter, just pure garbage. The only people that know how bad Nash was are the diehards here that suffered through him night after night.

[Papi_swav]

I don't think we can ever question KD's effort and willingness again. Dude is playing 40 mins a night and plays defense too, he's willing to get dunked on. I just really hope we can be competitive for his next few years, he deserves it the way he's playing. Hopefully Yuta, Ben and Warren can come back soon and contribute so we can give him a game off and take some minutes off of him.

Kyrie on the other hand can't afford any hiccups anymore and he's had more than enough time off. He's also looking for his next contract so hopefully he's on his best behavior and he needs to lock in.

[gigantes]

As for the general board, that's a realm that no self respecting fan should ever venture into. They're one rung above the likes of NBA reddit and twitter, just pure garbage. The only people that know how bad Nash was are the diehards here that suffered through him night after night.

Oy.

I'm always bemused when someone slams r/NBA, particularly ranking it below the GB, which is just nuts to me. Granted there's plenty of silly DudeBro jokes and stuff there, but the analysis can be really good, and what's more, Reddit gives you about a million more tools than this creaky old forum software does to get to the good stuff. For example, you can easily build a list of topnotch Reddit analysts and create a feed that shows nothing but their content. It's pretty awesome.

[MrDollarBills]

As for the general board, that's a realm that no self respecting fan should ever venture into. They're one rung above the likes of NBA reddit and twitter, just pure garbage. The only people that know how bad Nash was are the diehards here that suffered through him night after night.

Oy.

I'm always bemused when someone slams r/NBA, particularly ranking it below the GB, which is just nuts to me. Granted there's plenty of silly DudeBro jokes and stuff there, but the analysis can be really good, and what's more, Reddit gives you about a million more tools than this creaky old forum software does to get to the good stuff. For example, you can easily build a list of topnotch Reddit analysts and create a feed that shows nothing but their content. It's pretty awesome.

r/NBA has it's share of dumbasses but the discourse is way ahead of where the GB is.

[sashaturiaf]

As for the general board, that's a realm that no self respecting fan should ever venture into. They're one rung above the likes of NBA reddit and twitter, just pure garbage. The only people that know how bad Nash was are the diehards here that suffered through him night after night.

Oy.

I'm always bemused when someone slams r/NBA, particularly ranking it below the GB, which is just nuts to me. Granted there's plenty of silly DudeBro jokes and stuff there, but the analysis can be really good, and what's more, Reddit gives you about a million more tools than this creaky old forum software does to get to the good stuff. For example, you can easily build a list of topnotch Reddit analysts and create a feed that shows nothing but their content. It's pretty awesome.

See that's where I have to blame my own old technologically unsophisticated ass, I knew something like a filtering of the reddit feed was possible but I never explored it and have left it on default, which is why i hate r/nba. The format where both the topics and responses within are all sorted and displayed based off their upvote system encourages an endless supply of one-liners in r/nba, rarely do I see any proper basketball discussion it's either a hot take or a corny joke, everyone is either a wannabe Stephen A Smith or comedian. Not to mention the hive mind effect it promotes by hiding opinions unpopular with the majority.

Your suggestion deserves a try, as my biggest problem with r/nba is the noise to quality ratio.

[OneZilion]

I think Kd is maybe player in NBA which game is most taken for granted, almost no praise for his game this season and nobady is talking about him as a top players this season always 4-5 guys in front of him…

Man with a such a big injury history and 34 years played most minutes this season in NBA and nobady really appreciate it. His number and efficiency are crazy good also…

And the team went thru so much drama but he as a hooper was the only alwats stable part. You can like or dont like him as a person, but as a player Kd is really one of all time greats and we should appreciate more watching this guys playing ball

[sashaturiaf]

I think Kd is maybe player in NBA which game is most taken for granted, almost no praise for his game this season and nobady is talking about him as a top players this season always 4-5 guys in front of him…

Man with a such a big injury history and 34 years played most minutes this season in NBA and nobady really appreciate it. His number and efficiency are crazy good also…

And the team went thru so much drama but he as a hooper was the only alwats stable part. You can like or dont like him as a person, but as a player Kd is really one of all time greats and we should appreciate more watching this guys playing ball

At this point only Nets fans(or rational Nets fans) appreciates him to the extent that he should be appreciated.

He's no longer the golden boy, he's no longer the shiny new toy，he's no longer part of the evil empire and he's not chasing any scoring records so as far as mainstream NBA goes he's relatively out of sight for a top 20 player all time who is still active.

I'm very comfortable with that since KD now just focuses on playing ball which is what he's most comfortable doing anyway.

[gigantes]

See that's where I have to blame my own old technologically unsophisticated ass, I knew something like a filtering of the reddit feed was possible but I never explored it and have left it on default, which is why i hate r/nba. The format where both the topics and responses within are all sorted and displayed based off their upvote system encourages an endless supply of one-liners in r/nba, rarely do I see any proper basketball discussion it's either a hot take or a corny joke, everyone is either a wannabe Stephen A Smith or comedian. Not to mention the hive mind effect it promotes by hiding opinions unpopular with the majority.

Your suggestion deserves a try, as my biggest problem with r/nba is the noise to quality ratio.

I completely agree about the amount of upvoted tripe in typical threads. It's sadly not unique to r/NBA, either. The basic issue is that Reddit takes time to set up properly, and IMO it does an underwhelming job in guiding people upon that. But you might take a look at this for some helpful tips.

Btw, in any thread, you can also sort responses a number of ways, such as via new / old, controversial, or "top" vs. "best." The difference between those last two is that one displays the most upvoted comments, and one displays the comments with the best voting ratio.

Getting back to my initial suggestion though, I'd again recommend building a "friends" list of the commenters who provide actual good NBA comments, like Rake2204, who's also here on RGM. You only need a couple more like him to create a truly excellent feed, which you would browse via FRIENDS. Cheers!

[Eyeamok]

Vaughn needs to find a way to decrease the minutes load. Kyrie needs to become more assertive in the 2nd unit in terms of picking his spots to attack and when to move the ball to the shooters.

There's too much talent on this team for KD to have to score 40 every night for us to win. Ben needs to give us 15 pts a game. We need another person that can score consistently. Harris needs to get his ass in gear.

I agree with you. But finding that constant #2 is gonna be a problem, especially in the playoffs. Kyrie right now is just so so, and I question if his heart is really into playing hard every game, is he just riding out the season or is this just who he is now. History has shown you can't depend on Ben Simmons in the playoffs. So you're left with KD pulling a massive load all season long and throughout the playoffs, that is crazy. Also when KD goes to shoot free throws and the fans chant MVP MVP...they are not wrong. I've seen threads where people talk about Tatum, but KD IMO is the MVP so far.

I have watched a lot of Nets games this season. And they do have talent but who besides Kyrie do you think can hold the team together and keep a lead or extend one when KD is not on the court?

[MrDollarBills]

Vaughn needs to find a way to decrease the minutes load. Kyrie needs to become more assertive in the 2nd unit in terms of picking his spots to attack and when to move the ball to the shooters.

There's too much talent on this team for KD to have to score 40 every night for us to win. Ben needs to give us 15 pts a game. We need another person that can score consistently. Harris needs to get his ass in gear.

I agree with you. But finding that constant #2 is gonna be a problem, especially in the playoffs. Kyrie right now is just so so, and I question if his heart is really into playing hard every game, is he just riding out the season or is this just who he is now. History has shown you can't depend on Ben Simmons in the playoffs. So you're left with KD pulling a massive load all season long and throughout the playoffs, that is crazy. Also when KD goes to shoot free throws and the fans chant MVP MVP...they are not wrong. I've seen threads where people talk about Tatum, but KD IMO is the MVP so far.

I have watched a lot of Nets games this season. And they do have talent but who besides Kyrie do you think can hold the team together and keep a lead or extend one when KD is not on the court?

I want to give TJ Warren some time to get his legs under him. I think he definitely can be a consistent 2nd unit scorer.

[Eyeamok]

Vaughn needs to find a way to decrease the minutes load. Kyrie needs to become more assertive in the 2nd unit in terms of picking his spots to attack and when to move the ball to the shooters.

There's too much talent on this team for KD to have to score 40 every night for us to win. Ben needs to give us 15 pts a game. We need another person that can score consistently. Harris needs to get his ass in gear.

I agree with you. But finding that constant #2 is gonna be a problem, especially in the playoffs. Kyrie right now is just so so, and I question if his heart is really into playing hard every game, is he just riding out the season or is this just who he is now. History has shown you can't depend on Ben Simmons in the playoffs. So you're left with KD pulling a massive load all season long and throughout the playoffs, that is crazy. Also when KD goes to shoot free throws and the fans chant MVP MVP...they are not wrong. I've seen threads where people talk about Tatum, but KD IMO is the MVP so far.

I have watched a lot of Nets games this season. And they do have talent but who besides Kyrie do you think can hold the team together and keep a lead or extend one when KD is not on the court?

I want to give TJ Warren some time to get his legs under him. I think he definitely can be a consistent 2nd unit scorer.

If healthy he can be a second unit scorer. But I would not put a lot of hope into him being anything other than average to below average this season. Coming back from such a long layoff is not easy.

[Stone]

I think it is still early enough in the season for TJ to get back to close to 100% by the playoffs. But only if he puts the work in and does not have any setbacks.

As far as a number two scorer. We have Kyrie averaging 24 PPG. How much more can you ask for than that. He was putting up big scoring games last season (60). The man is a bucket getter. I get that Kyrie leaves a lot of room for doubt. But with this being a contract year we have a better chance of him towing the line, so to speak.

It is the other guys that really need to step up. We need Ben to continue to get back to his old self. Yuta, Joe, Seth, Royce...these are guys that the opponents are say "Let KD get his 40, we will just lock down the rest of them". We need to keep finding new ways to get these guys points. We can't be predictable and expect success.

As far as KD. For better or for worse he is our anchor. This team is only going to go as far as he can deliver us.

[MrDollarBills]

I think it is still early enough in the season for TJ to get back to close to 100% by the playoffs. But only if he puts the work in and does not have any setbacks.

As far as a number two scorer. We have Kyrie averaging 24 PPG. How much more can you ask for than that. He was putting up big scoring games last season (60). The man is a bucket getter. I get that Kyrie leaves a lot of room for doubt. But with this being a contract year we have a better chance of him towing the line, so to speak.

It is the other guys that really need to step up. We need Ben to continue to get back to his old self. Yuta, Joe, Seth, Royce...these are guys that the opponents are say "Let KD get his 40, we will just lock down the rest of them". We need to keep finding new ways to get these guys points. We can't be predictable and expect success.

As far as KD. For better or for worse he is our anchor. This team is only going to go as far as he can deliver us.

KD needs to start receiving the ball at the high post and low post. All that crap he was doing against Boston was complete garbage basketball. I don't know how he can watch film of what he did the other night and not think that he needs to change it up.

[NetsWorld]

I think it is still early enough in the season for TJ to get back to close to 100% by the playoffs. But only if he puts the work in and does not have any setbacks.

As far as a number two scorer. We have Kyrie averaging 24 PPG. How much more can you ask for than that. He was putting up big scoring games last season (60). The man is a bucket getter. I get that Kyrie leaves a lot of room for doubt. But with this being a contract year we have a better chance of him towing the line, so to speak.

It is the other guys that really need to step up. We need Ben to continue to get back to his old self. Yuta, Joe, Seth, Royce...these are guys that the opponents are say "Let KD get his 40, we will just lock down the rest of them". We need to keep finding new ways to get these guys points. We can't be predictable and expect success.

As far as KD. For better or for worse he is our anchor. This team is only going to go as far as he can deliver us.

KD needs to start receiving the ball at the high post and low post. All that crap he was doing against Boston was complete garbage basketball. I don't know how he can watch film of what he did the other night and not think that he needs to change it up.

I personally believe the way the Celtics embarrassed him in the PO is the reason he requested a trade. Maybe out of emotion and anger or maybe because he felt he can’t handle that type of defense. I don’t know; it disgusts me though the Nets were the world beaters and the media has now given that crown to Boston. I hope they lose just to reign on their parade. Celtics fans don’t know the word humble. They got cocky and forget the **** seasons they had. We used to embarrass them, make a mockery of them.

[gigantes]

I think it is still early enough in the season for TJ to get back to close to 100% by the playoffs. But only if he puts the work in and does not have any setbacks.

As far as a number two scorer. We have Kyrie averaging 24 PPG. How much more can you ask for than that. He was putting up big scoring games last season (60). The man is a bucket getter. I get that Kyrie leaves a lot of room for doubt. But with this being a contract year we have a better chance of him towing the line, so to speak.

It is the other guys that really need to step up. We need Ben to continue to get back to his old self. Yuta, Joe, Seth, Royce...these are guys that the opponents are say "Let KD get his 40, we will just lock down the rest of them". We need to keep finding new ways to get these guys points. We can't be predictable and expect success.

As far as KD. For better or for worse he is our anchor. This team is only going to go as far as he can deliver us.

KD needs to start receiving the ball at the high post and low post. All that crap he was doing against Boston was complete garbage basketball. I don't know how he can watch film of what he did the other night and not think that he needs to change it up.

Mark P just broke down a couple quick plays in the Celts game:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GoNets/comments/zdmcuo/analysis_short_video_on_the_nets_offense_against/

The way the Celtics have built their roster is very impressive. They have everything you could ask for - lengthy players, great shooters, defensive guards, an elite rim protector and great POA defenders. The fact that Horford can shoot also gives them incredible flexibility in running small ball or 5 out.

KD missed the open read which was Kyrie for 3. He probably looked him off bc he was off the whole game, but that’s the best decision to make given how horrible their spacing was in that sequence.

Since he’s not a natural gifted passer/point, KD does miss reads at times that guys like Bron, Luka, Jokic, Draymond, Ben would make in their sleep. But it’s not like he can’t do it…he’s worked on this part of his game TREMENDOUSLY to where he’s actually a good point forward (that Bucks series showcased that even against elite defense, he can be a damn good point forward), but bc he’s not a gifted pure passer or a natural point, he sometimes struggles with realizing that every situation requires a different type of pass.

He also is a bit of a lazy passer and the bs passes he gets away with against other teams results in turnovers against Boston (like the cross court pass). It’s a bad habit that he has to fix. Point forward KD can work against this Boston team, he just has to focus on making the right passes when the double comes and stop with the sloppy passes. Team also has to space themselves out better and cut more. They get so stagnant when he has the ball, it allows the Boston double to be even more effective…then KD might make a stupid mistake and bang, they get a turnover.

[MrDollarBills]

I think it is still early enough in the season for TJ to get back to close to 100% by the playoffs. But only if he puts the work in and does not have any setbacks.

As far as a number two scorer. We have Kyrie averaging 24 PPG. How much more can you ask for than that. He was putting up big scoring games last season (60). The man is a bucket getter. I get that Kyrie leaves a lot of room for doubt. But with this being a contract year we have a better chance of him towing the line, so to speak.

It is the other guys that really need to step up. We need Ben to continue to get back to his old self. Yuta, Joe, Seth, Royce...these are guys that the opponents are say "Let KD get his 40, we will just lock down the rest of them". We need to keep finding new ways to get these guys points. We can't be predictable and expect success.

As far as KD. For better or for worse he is our anchor. This team is only going to go as far as he can deliver us.

KD needs to start receiving the ball at the high post and low post. All that crap he was doing against Boston was complete garbage basketball. I don't know how he can watch film of what he did the other night and not think that he needs to change it up.

Mark P just broke down a couple quick plays in the Celts game:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GoNets/comments/zdmcuo/analysis_short_video_on_the_nets_offense_against/

The way the Celtics have built their roster is very impressive. They have everything you could ask for - lengthy players, great shooters, defensive guards, an elite rim protector and great POA defenders. The fact that Horford can shoot also gives them incredible flexibility in running small ball or 5 out.

KD missed the open read which was Kyrie for 3. He probably looked him off bc he was off the whole game, but that’s the best decision to make given how horrible their spacing was in that sequence.

Since he’s not a natural gifted passer/point, KD does miss reads at times that guys like Bron, Luka, Jokic, Draymond, Ben would make in their sleep. But it’s not like he can’t do it…he’s worked on this part of his game TREMENDOUSLY to where he’s actually a good point forward (that Bucks series showcased that even against elite defense, he can be a damn good point forward), but bc he’s not a gifted pure passer or a natural point, he sometimes struggles with realizing that every situation requires a different type of pass.

He also is a bit of a lazy passer and the bs passes he gets away with against other teams results in turnovers against Boston (like the cross court pass). It’s a bad habit that he has to fix. Point forward KD can work against this Boston team, he just has to focus on making the right passes when the double comes and stop with the sloppy passes. Team also has to space themselves out better and cut more. They get so stagnant when he has the ball, it allows the Boston double to be even more effective…then KD might make a stupid mistake and bang, they get a turnover.

KD should not be playing point anything. He's a sloppy passer and his ball handle is on the decline.

We will continue to be beaten by Boston until KD checks his ego and lets someone else initiate the offense.

All he needs to do is catch the ball in the high post/low post and shoot the ball. All that other crap he's doing hurts the team. I'd rather watch Kyrie go 1 on 4 than watch Durant do what he did Sunday night

[NetsWorld]

KD needs to start receiving the ball at the high post and low post. All that crap he was doing against Boston was complete garbage basketball. I don't know how he can watch film of what he did the other night and not think that he needs to change it up.

Mark P just broke down a couple quick plays in the Celts game:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GoNets/comments/zdmcuo/analysis_short_video_on_the_nets_offense_against/

The way the Celtics have built their roster is very impressive. They have everything you could ask for - lengthy players, great shooters, defensive guards, an elite rim protector and great POA defenders. The fact that Horford can shoot also gives them incredible flexibility in running small ball or 5 out.

KD missed the open read which was Kyrie for 3. He probably looked him off bc he was off the whole game, but that’s the best decision to make given how horrible their spacing was in that sequence.

Since he’s not a natural gifted passer/point, KD does miss reads at times that guys like Bron, Luka, Jokic, Draymond, Ben would make in their sleep. But it’s not like he can’t do it…he’s worked on this part of his game TREMENDOUSLY to where he’s actually a good point forward (that Bucks series showcased that even against elite defense, he can be a damn good point forward), but bc he’s not a gifted pure passer or a natural point, he sometimes struggles with realizing that every situation requires a different type of pass.

He also is a bit of a lazy passer and the bs passes he gets away with against other teams results in turnovers against Boston (like the cross court pass). It’s a bad habit that he has to fix. Point forward KD can work against this Boston team, he just has to focus on making the right passes when the double comes and stop with the sloppy passes. Team also has to space themselves out better and cut more. They get so stagnant when he has the ball, it allows the Boston double to be even more effective…then KD might make a stupid mistake and bang, they get a turnover.

KD should not be playing point anything. He's a sloppy passer and his ball handle is on the decline.

We will continue to be beaten by Boston until KD checks his ego and lets someone else initiate the offense.

All he needs to do is catch the ball in the high post/low post and shoot the ball. All that other crap he's doing hurts the team. I'd rather watch Kyrie go 1 on 4 than watch Durant do what he did Sunday night

Ben Simmons is supposed to be the answer here. Simmons completely changes the dynamic because JB and JT are not great ball handlers and with his defense, he can do to them what Boston does to KD. JT turned it over 9 times against over defense; the defense was impressive, the offense was a disaster.