Durant looks worse everytime he talks about his decision

[DreDay]

BTW, this Durant quit narrative is ridiculous, so just for fun I just checked last 3 games for OKC v GSW.

Durant

32/7/3 on 51.7TS%

On court - 103.2 ORTG/109.5 DRTG
Off court - 58.8ORTG/114.2 DRTG

Westbrook

26/10/8 on 45.3TS%

On court - 98.5 ORTG/111.8 DRTG
Off court - 119.2 ORTG/91.2 DRTG

Yeah, Durant clearly gave the series up He wasn't great, but to blame him for that is so dumb, not even mentioning he was OKC's best player in game 7. Whatever makes people feel better I guess.

[omerome]

I don't like this because this will continue to set a dangerous precedent moving forward. Once you're a free agent, I guess you should just look at the team with the best record and join up with them because otherwise, it'll just be a waste of time to compete.

Fans like competition. That's a big reason why we play and watch. If there are just super teams forming, it feels like the sports experience is being taken away. Fans feel cheated.

Why do people act like KD went to GS because they were the best team. He had interest in GS long before that was the case

So just how long ago did he have interest in Golden State? Haven't they been one of the best if not the best team in recent years? I think this just proves my point a bit more.

[Asianiac_24]

Lol does anyone realize Shaq left a team that was even closer to a title to join Kobe and Phil jackson? Nobody even cares about that because he won 3 titles. You guys can keep telling yourself people will knock Durants legacy but Id bet alot of money if he wins two titles nobody will give a **** he joined the warriors.

You must be young because Phil was still with Chicago when Shaq came to L.A. Kobe was 17 and was just drafted.

Nick and Eddie were solid players, but Shaq didn't sign with a stacked team that was guaranteed a title, like Durant.

Yeah, Shaq predicted the future that MJ would retire after a 3-peat and Phil would join the Lakers, his surefire sidekick all star guard Penny Hardaway in Orlando would get injured, and the 13th pick, 17 year old SG would turn out to be the second best SG of all time.

[phanman]

Lol does anyone realize Shaq left a team that was even closer to a title to join Kobe and Phil jackson? Nobody even cares about that because he won 3 titles. You guys can keep telling yourself people will knock Durants legacy but Id bet alot of money if he wins two titles nobody will give a **** he joined the warriors.

Terrible comparison as the Magic were low balling the hell out of Shaq. They pretty much forced his way to the Lakers. If they had paid him from the beginning we wouldn't have seen the Kobe/Shaq era. Plus there were countless rumors of Penny wanting to be the man over Shaq similar to the Kobe issues that arose after the 3peat. 120m/7years plus the benefits of playing in Los Angeles was all the motivation he needed after the Magic insulted him with their offer prior to the Howard/Alonzo signings for 100m

Plus the Lakers were perennial first round exits prior to him joining the team

[Onus]

In 5 years when Durant has 3-4 FMVPs and people will be putting Durant in their top 5-10 all time, no one will remember any of this.

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

[taikibansei]

Lol does anyone realize Shaq left a team that was even closer to a title to join Kobe and Phil jackson? Nobody even cares about that because he won 3 titles. You guys can keep telling yourself people will knock Durants legacy but Id bet alot of money if he wins two titles nobody will give a **** he joined the warriors.

When Shaq joined the Lakers the Lakers had not yet traded for a 17 year old Kobe Bryant as the 13th pick in the draft, and the Lakers wouldn't hire Phil Jackson for 2 more years. Shaq left a team that won 60 games, even with Shaq missing 28 games, while he was playing alongside fellow all-star Penny Hardaway, who made the all-NBA first team. Shaq joined a Lakers team that had no all-stars, and Del Harris as a head coach.

Well, at least he got the "Shaq left a team" bit right!

[bwgood77]

In 5 years when Durant has 3-4 FMVPs and people will be putting Durant in their top 5-10 all time, no one will remember any of this.

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

I just disagreed that people wouldn't remember it. I think many people will.

[Devils Advocate]

Lol does anyone realize Shaq left a team that was even closer to a title to join Kobe and Phil jackson? Nobody even cares about that because he won 3 titles. You guys can keep telling yourself people will knock Durants legacy but Id bet alot of money if he wins two titles nobody will give a **** he joined the warriors.

You seem like the type of Lakers Fans I constantly deal with in CA that didn't like the team until they got good. As many have pointed out Phil Jackson wasn't the coach and Kobe was young and unproven. Plus The Magic wouldn't pay him and he wanted to be in movies and do music. He wasn't joining a Dynasty...he brought about a dynasty in LA along with a lot of new Lakers Fans. (I know a ton of die-hard fans also)

[Onus]

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

I just disagreed that people wouldn't remember it. I think many people will.

It won't matter in the long run, people will remember he has 3 rings and is a "winner", not that he's jump shipped twice. Hell you have people in this very thread making revisionist history saying he joined a bad Miami team and took a gamble on Kyrie and Love. This country celebrates winners and it really doesn't matter how you got there to do it, which is sad but why Trump is a presidental candidate.

[taikibansei]

In 5 years when Durant has 3-4 FMVPs and people will be putting Durant in their top 5-10 all time, no one will remember any of this.

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

Again, LMAO at the people (mostly GSW fans) making this comparison as if it could possibly mean something. The Warriors WON the NBA championship in 2015, and really should have won it in 2016. (Curry wasn't 100%, and Green and Bogut both missed important games.) This is a team that without KD would still have been favorites to win the NBA championship this coming season (especially as they would have kept Bogut). I mean, we're talking about a team that won 73 games last season, for heck's sake!

Compare this to LeBron's Miami and Cleveland teams. Yes, the televised "Decision" was lame (and LeBron took a lot of deserved heat for that). Still, without LeBron, I doubt Miami wins a title...and I doubt Cleveland makes it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Seriously, if you guys truly think the situations equivalent...I don't know what else to say....

[omerome]

When all is said and done, Durant will go in the hall of fame if he wins a ring or not, but it's how he wins a ring that really matters. And going the route he did, it just feels "cheap".

I don't judge a player's greatness just based on if they won a championship or not. Why? Because guys like Eddy Curry, Adam Morrison, and Mark Madsen are NBA champions and no one considers any of them great.

[Onus]

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

Again, LMAO at the people (mostly GSW fans) making this comparison as if it could possibly mean something. The Warriors WON the NBA championship in 2015, and really should have won it in 2016. (Curry wasn't 100%, and Green and Bogut both missed important games.) This is a team that without KD would still have been favorites to win the NBA championship this coming season (especially as they would have kept Bogut). I mean, we're talking about a team that won 73 games last season, for heck's sake!

Compare this to LeBron's Miami and Cleveland teams. Yes, the televised "Decision" was lame (and LeBron took a lot of deserved heat for that). Still, without LeBron, I doubt Miami wins a title...and I doubt Cleveland makes it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Seriously, if you guys truly think the situations equivalent...I don't know what else to say....

You do realize as soon as Lebron joined Miami they threw a parade and started saying not 1, not 2 not 3 ... before the season even started.

Yea it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to win titles by not only themselves but the media and fans. They had 2 of the top 5 talents and a third who could be argued top 10 at the time. So to say these situations aren't similar is just

[Onus]

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

Again, LMAO at the people (mostly GSW fans) making this comparison as if it could possibly mean something. The Warriors WON the NBA championship in 2015, and really should have won it in 2016. (Curry wasn't 100%, and Green and Bogut both missed important games.) This is a team that without KD would still have been favorites to win the NBA championship this coming season (especially as they would have kept Bogut). I mean, we're talking about a team that won 73 games last season, for heck's sake!

Compare this to LeBron's Miami and Cleveland teams. Yes, the televised "Decision" was lame (and LeBron took a lot of deserved heat for that). Still, without LeBron, I doubt Miami wins a title...and I doubt Cleveland makes it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Seriously, if you guys truly think the situations equivalent...I don't know what else to say....

You do realize as soon as Lebron joined Miami they threw a parade and started saying not 1, not 2 not 3 ... before the season even started.

Yea it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to win titles by not only themselves but the media and fans. They had 2 of the top 5 talents and a third who could be argued top 10 at the time. So to say these situations aren't similar is just

To add on to this not only did everyone think it not fair, the owners themselves thought it was unfair so they tried to implement rules to curtail it, which ironically lead to the end of the OKC budding dynasty making them choose either Harden or Ibaka and KD leaving this year. So this is literally all because of the precedent Lebron set.

[jswede]

In 5 years when Durant has 3-4 FMVPs and people will be putting Durant in their top 5-10 all time, no one will remember any of this.

Any hardcore basketball fan will.

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

With very few exceptions, every player who leaves a team is going to a "better situation".

LeBron once created his own team out of a 1st round loser year previous, and the other time he joined a 33 win team. Durant joined a 73 win team that JUST BEAT HIM. This is comparable?

No, if LeBron joined Boston's Big 3 after losing to them in the playoffs, then you might have something. But he didn't - instead he created his own team and went out and BEAT Boston the next year.

[bwgood77]

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

I just disagreed that people wouldn't remember it. I think many people will.

It won't matter in the long run, people will remember he has 3 rings and is a "winner", not that he's jump shipped twice. Hell you have people in this very thread making revisionist history saying he joined a bad Miami team and took a gamble on Kyrie and Love. This country celebrates winners and it really doesn't matter how you got there to do it, which is sad but why Trump is a presidental candidate.

Perhaps. People will be able to make up their own minds on what they "remember". He's not guaranteed a ring by any means. He certainly SHOULD win one now. I don't think people remember Gary Payton because of his ring in Miami but remember him more for his time in Seattle. I'm sure there are many examples.

Well I almost said it the first time, and I will this time, this isn't a thread about LeBron, but I think everything you do impacts your legacy personally. However, since SO many people base EVERYTHING about how good a player was based on # of rings, then all of those who judge things THAT way will only care about that. As a hardcore fan, personally I judge everything with context. I'm sure many others here do too.

I DEFINITELY don't want to get into an election discussion here as this is certainly not the place for it.

[ILOVEIT]

Yeah...

I'm sure most of you would prefer to join the weaker pick up squad and get run several times than join the better team and run the court for the next hour.

Same folks would prefer to work at a worse job environment than join a better company.

Silly hate...

[taikibansei]

It's pretty recognized that Lebron's legacy is unaffected by him jumping ship twice to better situations

Again, LMAO at the people (mostly GSW fans) making this comparison as if it could possibly mean something. The Warriors WON the NBA championship in 2015, and really should have won it in 2016. (Curry wasn't 100%, and Green and Bogut both missed important games.) This is a team that without KD would still have been favorites to win the NBA championship this coming season (especially as they would have kept Bogut). I mean, we're talking about a team that won 73 games last season, for heck's sake!

Compare this to LeBron's Miami and Cleveland teams. Yes, the televised "Decision" was lame (and LeBron took a lot of deserved heat for that). Still, without LeBron, I doubt Miami wins a title...and I doubt Cleveland makes it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Seriously, if you guys truly think the situations equivalent...I don't know what else to say....

You do realize as soon as Lebron joined Miami they threw a parade and started saying not 1, not 2 not 3 ... before the season even started.

Yea it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to win titles by not only themselves but the media and fans. They had 2 of the top 5 talents and a third who could be argued top 10 at the time. So to say these situations aren't similar is just

Here, let me break it down for you:

Huge Difference #1:

GSW (without KD but with Bogut staying) = one 73-win season done, and a chance for another next season.
Miami (without LeBron) = no chance at a 73-win season

Huge Difference #2:

GSW (without KD but with Bogut staying) = one title already won, one title lost in a close game seven, and most importantly, favorites for at least one more title next year.
Miami (without LeBron) = no titles (with just Bosh and an aging though still good Wade)

Still don't get it? Let me write it even more clearly: If KD had died this past summer before announcing his decision, GSW would still have been an all-time great team, one that would have been clear favorites to win it all this coming season. If LeBron had died that summer before announcing his decision, there would have been no parades, no "not 1, not 2 not 3"...because it was LeBron's presence that made Miami a true challenger for multiple titles.

[Onus]

I just disagreed that people wouldn't remember it. I think many people will.

It won't matter in the long run, people will remember he has 3 rings and is a "winner", not that he's jump shipped twice. Hell you have people in this very thread making revisionist history saying he joined a bad Miami team and took a gamble on Kyrie and Love. This country celebrates winners and it really doesn't matter how you got there to do it, which is sad but why Trump is a presidental candidate.

Perhaps. People will be able to make up their own minds on what they "remember". He's not guaranteed a ring by any means. He certainly SHOULD win one now. I don't think people remember Gary Payton because of his ring in Miami but will remember him more for his time in Seattle. I'm sure there are many examples.

Well I almost said it the first time, but I will this time, this isn't a thread about LeBron, but I think everything you do impacts your legacy personally. But since SO many people base EVERYTHING about how good a player was based on # of rings, then all of those who judge things that way will only care about that. As a hardcore fan, personally I judge everything with context. I'm sure many others here do too.

I DEFINITELY don't want to get into an election discussion here as this is definitely not the place for it.

I don't think it's based on the # of rings but at least having 1 if not more. Winning 1 ring while in your prime means so much more to your legacy than not winning any. I mean if we did it strictly by the numbers, Oscar and Wilt would be dominating GOAT arguments. But since they didn't show up or were unable to get there they're thought of as less. If you talk about it strictly in context terms then everything is moot because everybody plays under different context and some people weren't given the opportunity to grow to their full potential especially given that the draft places young kids in bad situations and can change the entire outlook on the kid's evolution.

[Jon Simmons]

Why do people try and twist it to make it seem okay?

Biggest beta move of any superstar ever, it is what it is....stupid words won't change that.

Doesn't get any weaker.

[Bertrob]

why should a player be forced to stay somewhere? its free agency. If i was an NBA player id be trying to get to NY or LA as soon as possible because I want to live in those places. Some players make the sacrifice and stay with their teams and they should be praised, but the ones who leave shouldn't be insulted. its more than a basketball player