KD to GS - Pt III

[nfmos]

Eh, KD = wuss confirmed, much like how Lebron = wuss also.
Though Lebron's wussness is still a level higher than KD's.
But can't blame either for wanting rings. Not everyone is lucky enough to be in a team that got Pippen, grant, kucock (spelling?), rodman etc or got paired with a Shaq or Pau without conniving or jumping ship to do so.

people crying about how the league will be boring or predictable but the bulls and their double threepeat and the lakers and their threepeat and back2back wasn't? come now brown cow, don't be hypocrites. heck, if Jordan didn't retire after the first threepeat, what are the odds that the bulls went 8 for 8? I'm sure the odds would be very very high and that would be, as per definition being thrown around, boring and predictable.

Exactly. Durant has been in the league 10 years, he has earned the right to go ring chasing.

Also, I remember going to a game where Jordan and the Bulls got up like 20-0 on our dubs within the first few minutes. And you know what, it was pretty damn awesome and awe inspiring to watch, regardless of my allegiances.

Earn the right...that's like saying a guy who has made a lot of money has earned the right to go to leave his 10 year wife and kids to get a young trophy wife. Sure you're happy if you're a friend of the wife, but you've lost most everyone's respect immediately and devasted those you've invested so much time in.

Im sorry, did Durant's previous contract state til "death do us part" like a wedding vow? Pretty silly comparison when one is an employer/employee relationship where the employer can trade him at any time. If you are going to use that analogy, what if your current wife and you just grew apart, are you still supposed to stay together even if you aren't happy?

But more accurately, will you stay at your job for the rest of your life even if other jobs become available that might make you more happy?

[NBAfan3024]

Still shocked by this move

Warriors losing Bogut AND ezeli.

Does the move to sign KD make them better? We'll see!

Of course it does

Certainly when we added zaza as Bogut replacement. No doubt more ring chasers are added

[Thugger HBC]

pardon my butting in but marriage is supposed to be til death, this is nowhere near the same...it's merely a business, a job.

KD fulfilled his obligation and he had a right to leave as a free agent if he wanted to. There's no loyalty in sports, KD doesn't owe anyone but his own happiness and success.

Sure, it's certainly about his own happiness. I'm guessing it will be emptier than he thought.

I don't see how, he's in a better situation and likelier to be more successful in his career. I think KD will be fine with his decision.

[aIvin adams]

AN NBA FREE AGENT CONTRACT CANNOT BE SIGNED BETW A PLAYER AND A FRANCHISE OF THE SAME GENDER

ITS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY

[nfmos]

Earn the right...that's like saying a guy who has made a lot of money has earned the right to go to leave his 10 year wife and kids to get a young trophy wife. Sure you're happy if you're a friend of the wife, but you've lost most everyone's respect immediately and devasted those you've invested so much time in.

There's no similarities between an NBA players relationship to a team and a husband/wife.

The emotions don't run nearly as deep, but yes, that is the type of decision it is.

By that token, you should have never have stole Nash away from Dallas by offering him a better deal than Dallas. And he was a jerk for leaving for greener pastures.

[bwgood77]

Not at all. A marriage through history has been regarded as a lifetime partnership between man and wife. An NBA player has no such obligation to his team as they are in an employer/employee relationship for a set amount of years. If so, everyone's relationship with their employer would pretty much be a marriage, and that's obviously not the case.

And if you're really insistent on the marriage analogy, do you have the same emotions when teams do the same thing?

While I typically agree with your comparison, this level of devotion, commitment and dedication to a city that has only known you as an example many look up to, and the words he conveyed to them, was misleading and devastating to those involved.

Like I said, it isn't nearly the same scale, but it's being a sell out.

[BigtimeNBAfan]

Eh, KD = wuss confirmed, much like how Lebron = wuss also.
Though Lebron's wussness is still a level higher than KD's.
But can't blame either for wanting rings. Not everyone is lucky enough to be in a team that got Pippen, grant, kucock (spelling?), rodman etc or got paired with a Shaq or Pau without conniving or jumping ship to do so.

people crying about how the league will be boring or predictable but the bulls and their double threepeat and the lakers and their threepeat and back2back wasn't? come now brown cow, don't be hypocrites. heck, if Jordan didn't retire after the first threepeat, what are the odds that the bulls went 8 for 8? I'm sure the odds would be very very high and that would be, as per definition being thrown around, boring and predictable.

Yeah the people acting like the "old way was so much better" is laughable. In the 80's there were two stacked teams that won 8 of the 10 championships of that decade. In the 90's there were two teams that won 8 of the 10 championships of that decade. From 99 to 2010 two franchises won 9 of the 12 championships. The NBA has never been a parity league.

Although I don't get your point how Lebron is a "bigger wuss" than Durant. Durant joining a 73 win Super team that would have been the favorites to win without him is a bigger deal than Lebron teaming up with Wade and Bosh on a team that was a first round loser the year before.

[Pennebaker]

Eh, KD = wuss confirmed, much like how Lebron = wuss also.
Though Lebron's wussness is still a level higher than KD's.
But can't blame either for wanting rings. Not everyone is lucky enough to be in a team that got Pippen, grant, kucock (spelling?), rodman etc or got paired with a Shaq or Pau without conniving or jumping ship to do so.

Well, for one thing, Kevin Durant was already lucky enough to be on a team that got Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. He went to the Finals with those guys, two of which may end up hall of famers. And LeBron in Cleveland was lucky enough to play with... ??? LeBron's most reliable and dynamic sidekick in Cleveland was probably Larry Hughes (not even an all-star, let alone a hall of famer), and he was so reliable that he missed the 2007 Finals to injury.

But KD was already surrounded with talent in OKC. He was one of those fortunate players that was gifted a GM that could draft real talent (like Jerry Krause did for Michael Jordan). LeBron James did not have that in Cleveland.

Regardless of that, KD still went to a team that:

1) has the reigning 2x NBA MVP
2) just won 73 games
3) has three all-stars
4) has a head coach that just won coach of the year
5) recently went to back-to-back finals
6) won a championship a season ago

Clearly the 2010 Miami Heat were not on the level of the 2016 Golden State Warriors. That Heat team hadn't won a single playoff series since 5 years prior. They weren't a great team. They had D.Wade and literally nobody else. And Chris Bosh? He was completely unproven as a championship caliber player. And Erik Spoelstra? He was also completely unproven at that level.

So there can be no comparison. Durant is joining a championship team with gobs of talent. He can get injured, miss the entire season, and the Warriors can still make the Finals. But LeBron joined an experiment in Miami, and one that was almost completely reliant on him for winning. The Heat absolutely could not afford to lose LeBron. The Warriors are not so reliant on KD, so he can just kind of chill and ride coattails and hope to get a ring. It's a very emasculating decision for Durant, in my opinion.

[bwgood77]

By that token, you should have never have stole Nash away from Dallas by offering him a better deal than Dallas. And he was a jerk for leaving for greener pastures.

Well it certainly wasn't greener pastures at the time since the Mavs had been to the playoffs countless years in a row while the Suns had won 20 something games the year before. Cuban wouldn't give him the years or devote their loyalty to him by giving him the best they could do. The Suns decided to. On top of that, the Suns invested in him by drafting him in the first place and he decided he wasn't going to re-sign with them while they had KJ and Kidd, so they traded him for Marion.

[bwgood77]

pardon my butting in but marriage is supposed to be til death, this is nowhere near the same...it's merely a business, a job.

KD fulfilled his obligation and he had a right to leave as a free agent if he wanted to. There's no loyalty in sports, KD doesn't owe anyone but his own happiness and success.

Sure, it's certainly about his own happiness. I'm guessing it will be emptier than he thought.

I don't see how, he's in a better situation and likelier to be more successful in his career. I think KD will be fine with his decision.

Perhaps it is better. He doesn't have to be the face of the franchise and can rely on others when he needs to a bit more.

[DreDay]

Not at all. A marriage through history has been regarded as a lifetime partnership between man and wife. An NBA player has no such obligation to his team as they are in an employer/employee relationship for a set amount of years. If so, everyone's relationship with their employer would pretty much be a marriage, and that's obviously not the case.

And if you're really insistent on the marriage analogy, do you have the same emotions when teams do the same thing?

While I typically agree with your comparison, this level of devotion, commitment and dedication to a city that has only known you as an example many look up to, and the words he conveyed to them, was misleading and devastating to those involved.

Like I said, it isn't nearly the same scale, but it's being a sell out.

They're on a completely different scale though. Durant's obligations to the team were to play NBA basketball for the duration of his contract amongst other teams. He did just that. He had no more obligations to the Thunder, the fans, or the city when his contract ran out, just like when your employee contract runs out you have no obligation to your manager or company. The fault here is a misunderstanding of the relationship Durant had with the Thunder, not an act of betrayal by Durant akin to a marriage breakup.

[BigtimeNBAfan]

I'm no fan of Durant going to GS, but it is funny people say Curry is cocky when he celebrates. He is literally doing things that no other player in NBA history is doing and you want him to show no emotion? If I could shoot like that, I certainly would be celebrating. There is nothing wrong with how Curry has acted.

[tbdog]

Curry is actually quite tame imo. He does celebrate every now and again (which NBA player doesn't?), but Curry barely ever showboats. You're just having selective memory here. Draymond on the other hand...

Not selective memory, just calling like I see it. Curry may be tame in relative terms to your entire team, but he's no angel nor the worst of the bunch either. I'll put it this way, the Warriors are no Spurs when it comes to class. Not suggesting that SA is perfect, but in general, when you think true professionals, San Antonio tops the list.

Anyway, I'll hit you guys up tomorrow. I should have never even logged on this late to begin with lol.

Again this is selective memory and/or media fatigue. SAS to me was one of the more annoying organizations. They have toned it down a lot in the past couple of years. But watching Duncan whine or cry about EVERY SINGLE CALL (he was known for this), watching Manu and Tony flop on every play, or watching Bruce Bowen karate kick the guy he's guarding (if he wasn't trying to intentionally injure them with a foot under them while shooting), it's funny to even bring up the Spurs as comparisons. They had some straight bush league tendencies... Narratives change.

People hating the Warriors now is mostly due to media fatigue, despite the fact that they still aren't getting as much coverage as the Heat did when LBJ joined them in 2010. The media got to sell the fans adversity and story lines to keep the revenue flowing, and now it's the Warriors turn in the spot light. Yes it becomes unbearable at time. But that comes with territory. The NBA is in the business of entertainment. The Warriors provide that with all the story lines.

Your full of it. SAS have never been known for showboating. Warriors were the most cockiness team i have witness last season. Damn, some even walked off at the end of game 7. Despite what Spurs went through after Ray's three in game 6, they embraced the heat after the deciding game. Klay Thompson even went one further after game 7 and still said they were the best team in the world but let it 'slid'. Pathetic, sore losers.

[Pennebaker]

I'm no fan of Durant going to GS, but it is funny people say Curry is cocky when he celebrates. He is literally doing things that no other player in NBA history is doing and you want him to show no emotion? If I could shoot like that, I certainly would be celebrating. There is nothing wrong with how Curry has acted.

It's not that he celebrates, it's how he does it. It's just plain-old bad taste to me, and off-putting.

[AIfan3]

Not at all. A marriage through history has been regarded as a lifetime partnership between man and wife. An NBA player has no such obligation to his team as they are in an employer/employee relationship for a set amount of years. If so, everyone's relationship with their employer would pretty much be a marriage, and that's obviously not the case.

And if you're really insistent on the marriage analogy, do you have the same emotions when teams do the same thing?

While I typically agree with your comparison, this level of devotion, commitment and dedication to a city that has only known you as an example many look up to, and the words he conveyed to them, was misleading and devastating to those involved.

Like I said, it isn't nearly the same scale, but it's being a sell out.

I can see your analogy, though I disagree with it.. Some people just hold athletes to a higher standard, and imo this shouldn't be the case..

[AIfan3]

Not selective memory, just calling like I see it. Curry may be tame in relative terms to your entire team, but he's no angel nor the worst of the bunch either. I'll put it this way, the Warriors are no Spurs when it comes to class. Not suggesting that SA is perfect, but in general, when you think true professionals, San Antonio tops the list.

Anyway, I'll hit you guys up tomorrow. I should have never even logged on this late to begin with lol.

Again this is selective memory and/or media fatigue. SAS to me was one of the more annoying organizations. They have toned it down a lot in the past couple of years. But watching Duncan whine or cry about EVERY SINGLE CALL (he was known for this), watching Manu and Tony flop on every play, or watching Bruce Bowen karate kick the guy he's guarding (if he wasn't trying to intentionally injure them with a foot under them while shooting), it's funny to even bring up the Spurs as comparisons. They had some straight bush league tendencies... Narratives change.

People hating the Warriors now is mostly due to media fatigue, despite the fact that they still aren't getting as much coverage as the Heat did when LBJ joined them in 2010. The media got to sell the fans adversity and story lines to keep the revenue flowing, and now it's the Warriors turn in the spot light. Yes it becomes unbearable at time. But that comes with territory. The NBA is in the business of entertainment. The Warriors provide that with all the story lines.

Your full of it. SAS have never been known for showboating. Warriors were the most cockiness team i have witness last season. Damn, some even walked off at the end of game 7. Despite what Spurs went through after Ray's three in game 6, they embraced the heat after the deciding game. Klay Thompson even went one further after game 7 and still said they were the best team in the world but let it 'slid'. Pathetic, sore losers.

You must've started watching the NBA in 2010..

[Thugger HBC]

Sure, it's certainly about his own happiness. I'm guessing it will be emptier than he thought.

I don't see how, he's in a better situation and likelier to be more successful in his career. I think KD will be fine with his decision.

Perhaps it is better. He doesn't have to be the face of the franchise and can rely on others when he needs to a bit more.

The latter should be the case of any player. I'm also of the belief that when people think about GS now, the first player they will look at will be KD, success or fail.

[AIfan3]

I'm no fan of Durant going to GS, but it is funny people say Curry is cocky when he celebrates. He is literally doing things that no other player in NBA history is doing and you want him to show no emotion? If I could shoot like that, I certainly would be celebrating. There is nothing wrong with how Curry has acted.

It's not that he celebrates, it's how he does it. It's just plain-old bad taste to me, and off-putting.

I'm curious as to what Curry does that is off putting? Chew his mouth guard like a camel ? Point to God every time he makes a shot ? Curry showboats the least of any superstar in the league currently.

[GA34]

I'm no fan of Durant going to GS, but it is funny people say Curry is cocky when he celebrates. He is literally doing things that no other player in NBA history is doing and you want him to show no emotion? If I could shoot like that, I certainly would be celebrating. There is nothing wrong with how Curry has acted.

Totally agree

[bwgood77]

I don't see how, he's in a better situation and likelier to be more successful in his career. I think KD will be fine with his decision.

Perhaps it is better. He doesn't have to be the face of the franchise and can rely on others when he needs to a bit more.

The latter should be the case of any player. I'm also of the belief that when people think about GS now, the first player they will look at will be KD, success or fail.

Perhaps, if he doesn't change his mind in the next couple of days.