Durant looks worse everytime he talks about his decision

[Hero]

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.

3-4 FMVPs with Steph on his team. I doubt it.

[Impuniti]

Biggest pussy move in NBA history by a star player. Hope Golden State gets rolled by the Spurs or Cavs in the playoffs.

They won't. Warriors will rightfully take back what was their's last season, a championship that was stolen away from Warriors by Silver. Even with one superstar down, you got like 2 or 3 more standing which will be more than enough unless Silver and the league strikes again.

I was rooting for the Warriors last year, and it was definitely not stolen by Silver. They had a 3 - 1 lead, they have no one to blame but themselves.

PS

Green should have been suspended earlier and who knows if they would beat OKC.

Yeah, he should have been suspended for the game where he was the worst player on court in which the Warriors lost anyways. I'm sure that game would have changed everything.

[GreenBloodedC]

Yeah, he should have been suspended for the game where he was the worst player on court in which the Warriors lost anyways. I'm sure that game would have changed everything.

Apparently it did when they faced the Cavs. Regardless of how he plays, his presence brings a lot to the Warriors.

[BasketballFan7]

Durant knew he had to not only get by GS but also LeBron, who has habitually defeated him throughout his career. It makes sense, we all have different priorities. He had the right to make his decision and we have the right to judge.

[Impuniti]

Yeah, he should have been suspended for the game where he was the worst player on court in which the Warriors lost anyways. I'm sure that game would have changed everything.

Apparently it did when they faced the Cavs. Regardless of how he plays, his presence brings a lot to the Warriors.

That doesn't make any sense since the situations aren't the same.

[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.

3-4 FMVPs with Steph on his team. I doubt it.

Maybe you won't. I sure will.

[jwise44]

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.

We will. IDK if the rest of the country will, but we will.

But we don't matter, cause we're flyover country and everything good leaves.

You guys stole him away from Seattle..How can you now be so sensitive when he chooses to go to a better situation? I just dont get any of this KD hate...

How did you feel about lebron in 2010? And be honest with yourself

[GreenBloodedC]

Yeah, he should have been suspended for the game where he was the worst player on court in which the Warriors lost anyways. I'm sure that game would have changed everything.

Apparently it did when they faced the Cavs. Regardless of how he plays, his presence brings a lot to the Warriors.

That doesn't make any sense since the situations aren't the same.

Yup, it was not. Because OKC was ahead and Warriors was not when they were playing the cavs. OKC was in a better position to closeout the Warriors and it would've helped if Green was suspended for at least a game.

Last reply since this thread's not about this topic.

[Shot Clock]

Anyone can bash Durant except LeBron fans. The guy teamed up with a top 3 player and a 25/10 PF in the Eastern Conference to win, and when the two declined he jumps ship to join a top 5 PG and arguably the best big man in the league at the time.

He jumped ship to a team that didnt make playoffs, filled with players who havn't won anything substantial .

did you just call kevin love the best bigman in the league?

Or you could say he jumped to a team that had a former finals mvp and a top power forward.

Love wasn't even on the Cavs at the time.

[Andre Roberstan]

We will. IDK if the rest of the country will, but we will.

But we don't matter, cause we're flyover country and everything good leaves.

You guys stole him away from Seattle..How can you now be so sensitive when he chooses to go to a better situation? I just dont get any of this KD hate...

How did you feel about lebron in 2010? And be honest with yourself

TBH I wasn't following basketball nearly as closely as I am now. I knew it happened, and I thought it was kind of cheap, but wasn't enough of a fan to feel much more than that about it.

Didn't really get hardcore into the NBA till I graduated college.

[Patches Perry]

Yes we are witnessing the fall of greatness but Durant didn't choose to be great or put people on his back. He likes basketball and happens to be very good at it. The way he talks makes me feel he is driven by something external to himself, probably his mom but just general people. He's always been sensitive to outside criticism and it's obvious he really cares what other people think of him. He doesn't take criticism to drive himself to be better, it seems to affect him negatively. Truly I think he just wants to kick back without pressure and play the game he likes to play. Winning a championship will take the pressure off him and he can just go about making money and playing basketball.

This is the impression I get also. And honestly, that's all well and good. It just handicaps him severely in all-time discussions. He was a guy with potential to be a top 3 small forward ever (behind Bird and LeBron), and taking the easy route to chill, play ball and make money pushes him out of the top 5 SF discussions. As I've said in the past, maybe he doesn't care about that. I don't think he is a bad person by any stretch. Just a supremely talented basketball player with a personality that maybe doesn't fit the profession he is in. These were things that people once said about LeBron, so maybe Durant will change his course, but LeBron was always the best player on his team and it was never really that close. Who knows when the next time Durant will be the best player on his team will be.

lol at implying that he isn't capable of looking the best on his new team. I bet you wish him the worst with GSW but that's not gonna happen if he is healthy. He can fit perfectly there so we have to wait and see what happens. And btw, he is the greatest player on GSW's roaster (because he has been an elite player for a significantly longer period than Steph). Durant is blessed with height/athleticism that Steph doesn't have so his impact can be great on both ends in GSW. His combo of skill, height and athleticism makes him the most gifted player on Golden State for sure. So yeah, his potential is pretty high in GSW. In any case, I don't care about who will be the "alpha dog" on the team because I'm pretty sure none on GS cares about that crap. It's not in their culture which is great. They are all very unselfish players who play the right way and that what makes them very likable as a team. Durant clearly had enough with playing ISO ball with Russ in OKC and finally he will have more fun on court playing great team basketball in a much better system. It's a new great experience for him and he will never regret his choice.

There is no argument for Durant over Curry right now. They're roughly the same age. Curry is coming off of back to back MVPs and statistically dominant seasons, both in which his team was the best in the league. Durant joined Curry's team and not vice versa. Curry is coming off of beating Durant's team in the playoffs. There really isn't a single thing to argue in Durant's favor that couldn't also be argued about Derrick Rose. Being better than Curry 3-4 years ago is not really relevant.

[Patches Perry]

I really take exception with any rationalization of Durant's move that contains "no one will remember this in X years"

Why not? Do we not post here on an NBA forum about every little detail? Of course we will remember the summer of 2016 where Durant joined a 73 win team just one month after they eliminated him after being down 3-1. That's an unprecedented move that we've never seen before. Of course we'll remember. It's a bandwagon move. It's the player version of that annoying friend who just hops on the hot team and starts throwing around "we" like he's been part of it the whole time since the beginning. The Warriors built the culture without Durant, they got to the top of the mountain without Durant, and now they've helicoptered Durant in from just shy of the top where he had laid with his Thunder teammates, to join the Warriors on the top of the mountain. I don't think fans will forget that, and it's pretty obvious that any credit players get for those type of accomplishments will be incredibly abbreviated with KD, for the reasons stated.

[Andre Roberstan]

To me the one thing that'll be interesting is when KD and Russ have their first face to face. I'm not sure exactly how he notified Russ but from all the interviews sounds like they have bridges to mend.

That's putting it mildly. From everything we've heard (including Woj's interview with Perk) they haven't spoken since the decision and KD notified Russ by text if at all. And I've heard from multiple sources (insert Broussard meme here) that he was pretty hurt over some of the stuff that got leaked through Durant's camp to the media.

I think we're going to see another KG/Ray Allen situation.

[Jedi32]

He jumped ship to a team that didnt make playoffs, filled with players who havn't won anything substantial .

did you just call kevin love the best bigman in the league?

Or you could say he jumped to a team that had a former finals mvp and a top power forward.

Love wasn't even on the Cavs at the time.

I quoted the wrong person I was talking about when he went to the heat.

[nbafan38]

KD should just stop talking and go out and play, the more he talks and tries to rationalize the worse he looks. The best way objectively for him to deal with this is to stay lowkey and just let his game do the talking, he won't win this battle in terms of PR but if he wins multiple rings it may not matter.

[NW]

I really take exception with any rationalization of Durant's move that contains "no one will remember this in X years"

Why not? Do we not post here on an NBA forum about every little detail? Of course we will remember the summer of 2016 where Durant joined a 73 win team just one month after they eliminated him after being down 3-1. That's an unprecedented move that we've never seen before. Of course we'll remember. It's a bandwagon move. It's the player version of that annoying friend who just hops on the hot team and starts throwing around "we" like he's been part of it the whole time since the beginning. The Warriors built the culture without Durant, they got to the top of the mountain without Durant, and now they've helicoptered Durant in from just shy of the top where he had laid with his Thunder teammates, to join the Warriors on the top of the mountain. I don't think fans will forget that, and it's pretty obvious that any credit players get for those type of accomplishments will be incredibly abbreviated with KD, for the reasons stated.

If the Warriors live up to expectations and win multiple titles, I guarantee the talk will be about Durant the player, not Durant joining the 73 win team.
This bandwagoning theory continues to be flawed because it's already been established that Durant having interest in GS goes back well before the 73 wins and the WCF. The Warriors were a possibility pretty much since Kerr got there and changed the offense. Yet, because they did end up winning 73 and facing the Thunder in the WCF, Durant is expected to stop having interest?
Had Wade willed Miami to the playoffs and a Cavs upset in 2010, does anyone think LeBron would have abandoned the plan he Wade and Bosh set years before?
Yes, the Warriors built the culture without Durant - a culture Durant (and other players) wanted to be a part of.

[Little Digger]

Baiting

[NW]

This guy has come much closer to walking a mile in KD's shoes than any random internet poster.

http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/11/kevin-durant-joe-lacob-shed-more-light-on-durants-free-agency-decision/?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#link_time=1476197053

"Iguodala’s answer: “When you’re at that stage of your career, you want to find a place where you’re gonna enjoy your job. I had to grow up really fast in Philadelphia, just being in that environment. It was stressful to go to work. It helped me grow up fast, helped me understand both sides of on the court and off the court. But I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t quite enjoying the game of basketball, but I was giving it my all. You see a lot of athletes, Jerry Rice’s NFL Life, they said all Jerry did was work. But he didn’t have fun while he played. It was just work, work, work. I went through that for eight years in Philadelphia where I worked, worked, but I didn’t have fun. Playing against the Warriors in the playoffs, it’s interesting, when you’re playing on the road sometimes, you get a certain vibe. There’s this aura in Oracle Arena. It’s like, I don’t know what it is about this place, this team hasn’t won too many championships. There’s something about this place. I like playing here. Then you see the way the players are playing. Playing in the NBA, it’s all about confidence. With any professional athlete, it’s all about confidence. They all have talent. It’s all about confidence in the situation you’re in. I just saw the way Klay was shooting the ball. Like, he would take bad shots and coach would say, ‘Great shot!’ Then Steph would do certain moves where you’re like, ‘That’s not normal.’ Not that he shouldn’t be doing it, but there are a lot of other guys who could be doing similar things as Steph but their organization or coaching staff — (he turns to Durant) Kevin, you see it all the time — they don’t believe in you, so you’re not allowed to do it. You never know how good certain guys are. So when you see certain guys playing with that confidence, you’re like, wow, they really like playing basketball here and are really able to play to their strengths. It’s just like going to college. How do I see myself on campus, how do I see myself with other students, what’s my major on the side. It’s a similar process as going to college. This is a place where you combine all media and basketball interests as far as Silicon Valley and tech. Some of the thing that the team is doing off the court, it just kinda meshed. The timing is perfect.”

-Iguodala’s free agency decision, made three summers earlier, has parallels with Durant’s. He was eliminated by them in the playoffs. He saw how much fun they were having on the court. He decided he wanted to be a part of it."


It isn't just a question about where KD should play to entertain YOU, it's a question about how someone is going to live their life 24/7. None of the haters subject their life decisions to approval of the masses, and no other entertainer does either. No, you all are happy (or not) living your lives the way you think best yet you cast aspersions on someone else for making their own choices.

Plenty here are taking the easy way out and it isn't KD... as I've told all of my ex-wives, pointing out what is wrong with me is the easiest thing in the world to do, unfortunately it won't help YOU one bit. So, take a look in the mirror and apply your criticisms to a life you have some impact on...

this addresses the fundamental difference with people who are for and against kd.

first off. iggy is not a star of kd's caliber. he's just a good player. we expect our superstars(that's kd) to have more competitive spirit and therein lies the two sides of this issue. to put it in perspective there has never(i think) been a 1- superstar who quit a top 3 contending team to join the very team that beat it and is it's main competitor.

kg and allen didn't go to a competitor. for all intents and purposes, the celts were nothing. lebron(who's situation is so often brought up) and bosh were the same and miami was not their arch rival. and you can go back in nba history - west/baylor never went to the celts. barkley and ewing never joined the bulls. gimobili and duncan never joined the heat. wilt never joined russell. THAT is the context in which kd's decision to join gsw has rubbed many many many people the wrong way. and it's a diverse group that comprises them. from former stars to writers.

kg had the same issues iggy, but he didn't go to sas, the mavs, or phx. he and allen went to bos who won 20games..

the fallout of kd's decision seems, to me, to be all kinds of BS rationalizations by players who want to back kd up and all they're actually doing is NOT addressing what the real issue is. iggy is not a superstar, like i said, and anyway his reasoning is not why so many are po'd

So it's basically a matter of timing? Because LeBron/Wade/Bosh came as a unit to a team or because KG/Pierce/Allen came to a team as a unit to teams that weren't good the year before (because they were clearing cap space to bring these guys in), that's cool. However, because Durant came on his own to a team that already had the talent there, he's wrong? So if Steph/Klay/KD were all FAs and decided to go to GS, this Warriors team would have been fine? Really?

I also find the "they didn't go to a competitor" point interesting when there was no rivalry between OKC/GS until this year and people seemed completely fine with Durant had he gone to the Spurs - the team OKC has played 4 times in the playoffs in Durant's tenure with the teams sitting at two series wins apiece. A team who's star player (Kawhi) and Durant reportedly don't get along.
That's a rivalry. OKC/GS just became one in the WCF - which occurred well after Durant's reported interest in GS.

The competitive spirit thing is interesting as well. Are GS the clear favorites? Yes. However, Durant chose to go to the one situation where anything less than a title is failure and the blame will be laid 100% at his feet. There wasn't a more pressure filled choice he could have made - not OKC, Boston, SA or the Clips

[dc]

The cap jumped $24M from 2015/16 to 2016/17, that increase alone was almost enough to enable GSW to sign KD to his max. IIRC 26 of 30 teams had enough space to for a max player slot.

In GSW's case, they simply would have needed to drop another ~$4M from their books as soon as KD said yes, irregardless of how much Steph was paid. That $4M could have beeen Livingston or another role player. Steph's low salary had _some_ impact, but it was not significant for this signing.

Source: Read any salary cap website, or this Zach Lowe article: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/16766273/the-warriors-makings-all-super-team-addition-kevin-durant

While they could've offed Livingston, that eats away at their depth for one. Keeping Livingston and Igoudala means they have their 2 best bench players coming back from last year, instead of having to rely on an Ish Smith type replacement.

Also should be noted that Steph's low salary is likely what made signing Igoudala possible. Recall they had to give up two 1st round picks to dump the finals years of Biedrins and a couple others to make room for that. Steph at ~$11M instead of the MAX or what would've been his caphold before re-signing in the summer 2013 made things easier. They would've likely had to dump more assets to move another $4M.

[inquisitive]

They won't. Warriors will rightfully take back what was their's last season, a championship that was stolen away from Warriors by Silver. Even with one superstar down, you got like 2 or 3 more standing which will be more than enough unless Silver and the league strikes again.

I was rooting for the Warriors last year, and it was definitely not stolen by Silver. They had a 3 - 1 lead, they have no one to blame but themselves.

PS

Green should have been suspended earlier and who knows if they would beat OKC.

Yeah, he should have been suspended for the game where he was the worst player on court in which the Warriors lost anyways. I'm sure that game would have changed everything.

if I recall, he tried to trip an okc player the following game too. He should've been suspended for that too.