2016 NBA Free Agency Talk

[fishonjazz]

Broussard is the obvious answer to replace Skip on low salary and let him engage in polarizing banter with Screaming A-hole Smith.
His remarkable collection of journalistic own goals leading to the multiple sauces meme built his personality up to be the next ESPN doofus.

That being said I think there are similarities between KD to GSW and LeBron to Miami. KD is the most complete scorer in the league. He came close but unlike LeBron he had better support around him. The difference is just that he joins the runner up and '15 champ, whereas executive Riley had just torn down the aged '06 champs, but retooled around a finals MVP in his prime.
It just wasn't common knowledge at that point that the Heat were only good with free agents but couldn't value/utilize draft picks to keep the engine running and rejuvenate and the HEAT were 4 years removed from the title. But it was clear that with Bosh they'd be a super team and frontrunners for years(Surprisingly they got trashed in 2/4 years, needed a ring chaser to bail them out in 1 year and the only convincing championship series came in the year where Dallas tore it down, the Thunder were too inexperienced, San Antonio hadn't rediscovered their old/new identity quite yet and didn't trust their depth to the degree that made them purity eye candy a year later, the grinding Pacers were not quite there yet, the Celtics were throwing a last hail mary at them without any depth and Derrick Rose's career was sealed.

The biggest difference between what LeBron did act's what durant is doing is that durant could not even play in a single game and the warriors would have a chance at winning the title (probably would even still be the favorites)

If LeBron didn't play a single game for that Miami team then they would have no shot at a title. Lebron was the key piece of that Miami team.

 

[BTP]

The biggest difference between what LeBron did act's what durant is doing is that durant could not even play in a single game and the warriors would have a chance at winning the title (probably would even still be the favorites)

If LeBron didn't play a single game for that Miami team then they would have no shot at a title. Lebron was the key piece of that Miami team.

The only reason they have a chance without him is that he's on the team. Do you think that the Warriors would be ring chasers heaven to the degree they are rn if Durant isn't on the roster? If all that changes is Iggy, Bogut are a year older, Harrison Barnes is kept and sucks less maybe + a regular amount/quality of ring chaser to fill out the roster, then they're decent favorites to the degree they were last season.
But subtract Barnes and give them only the avg gollums then they are in the same ballpark as the Spurs and Cavs.

 

[BTP]

The biggest difference between what LeBron did act's what durant is doing is that durant could not even play in a single game and the warriors would have a chance at winning the title (probably would even still be the favorites)

If LeBron didn't play a single game for that Miami team then they would have no shot at a title. Lebron was the key piece of that Miami team.

If MIami used their assets and space to add someone else instead of LeBron they could have very well won, too.

 

[fishonjazz]

If MIami used their assets and space to add someone else instead of LeBron they could have very well won, too.

If if if. I'm speaking about what actually happened.

You want to talk ifs? Well IF lebron had left a team that had a dwayne wade (westbrook) and chris bosh (ibaka/adams) on it to go to boston celtics that were the championship favorites (warriors) with an already established big three of KG (draymond), Paul pierce (klay), and ray allen (steph) then the two scenarios would be the same.

Instead what actually happened was lebron left a trash team with no stars on it and a poor supporting cast (different than durants thunder team) to go try to build a championship team (The warriors already had a championship team built) that may or may not work out and get to a championship level. (Durant already knows the warriors are a championship level team.)

Similar situations? Sure. Certainly not the same though.

 

[fishonjazz]

What lebron did is much more similar to what kg, ray allen, Paul pierce, chris bosh and wade did (try to create and build a big three and a championship caliber team) than what durant did (go to a team that already has their big three and is already championship caliber).

 

[fishonjazz]

If Cleveland would have added a supporting cast similar to what durant had in okc then lebron probably wins a championship in his first stint Cleveland and he never even goes to Miami.

 

[BTP]

If if if. I'm speaking about what actually happened.

You want to talk ifs? Well IF lebron had left a team that had a dwayne wade (westbrook) and chris bosh (ibaka/adams) on it to go to boston celtics that were the championship favorites (warriors) with an already established big three of KG (draymond), Paul pierce (klay), and ray allen (steph) then the two scenarios would be the same.

Instead what actually happened was lebron left a trash team with no stars on it and a poor supporting cast (different than durants thunder team) to go try to build a championship team (The warriors already had a championship team built) that may or may not work out and get to a championship level. (Durant already knows the warriors are a championship level team.)

Similar situations? Sure. Certainly not the same though.

It's still similar in the sense that the rest of the league are at a steep disadvantage on paper. It's like they have to climb the Mount Everest without a tent,a sherpa and 21st century high tech clothing, while during LeBron's Miami era they at least had the sherpas.
With LeBron's move there was more uncertainty as you didn't know how well he'd share the ball with Wade, who BTW just had the two best individual seasons of any SG post Jordan and a whopping usage rate of 35% and Assistrate of 40% on middling Miami teams.
In Golden STate you know that everybody minus Durant already has chemistry and proven they can work together and now it's only that Kevin getts Barnes's possessions and some of Steph's and some of Draymond's. So the slightly changed roles resulting in huge unhappiness in the players(Durant + Dray are the ones primed hypothetically) is the biggest uncertainty about this superteam behind potential for injuries.
The difference is that Durant leaves a good situation for a better one.
LeBron's was way more difficult.
The cap development makes Durant's move possible.

 

[fishonjazz]

It's still similar in the sense that the rest of the league are at a steep disadvantage on paper. It's like they have to climb the Mount Everest without a tent,a sherpa and 21st century high tech clothing, while during LeBron's Miami era they at least had the sherpas.
With LeBron's move there was more uncertainty as you didn't know how well he'd share the ball with Wade, who BTW just had the two best individual seasons of any SG post Jordan and a whopping usage rate of 35% and Assistrate of 40% on middling Miami teams.
In Golden STate you know that everybody minus Durant already has chemistry and proven they can work together and now it's only that Kevin getts Barnes's possessions and some of Steph's and some of Draymond's. So the slightly changed roles resulting in huge unhappiness in the players(Durant + Dray are the ones primed hypothetically) is the biggest uncertainty about this superteam behind potential for injuries.
The difference is that Durant leaves a good situation for a better one.
LeBron's was way more difficult.
The cap development makes Durant's move possible.

I agree with all of this. They are similar situations. But not the same. What durant did looks weaker and more like a bitch move than what lebron, kg, allen, bosh did is all I'm saying.

 

[BTP]

I agree with all of this. They are similar situations. But not the same. What durant did looks weaker and more like a bitch move than what lebron, kg, allen, bosh did is all I'm saying.

I wouldn't even compare it with Allen and KG. Both teams knew that they couldn't find complementary players for their aging and impatient stars. So they received assets in return. And neither of those guys at that point were undisputed top5 players anymore. (KG was all nba 3rd team in 07)

But yes I agree that Durant's move looks weaker as I tried to illustrate with the mountainclimbing analogy. I just don't agree with the sentiment of SAS that you can't compare it in any capacity as it's still 2 top5 players teaming up.

 

[fishonjazz]

I wouldn't even compare it with Allen and KG. Both teams knew that they couldn't find complementary players for their aging and impatient stars. So they received assets in return. And neither of those guys at that point were undisputed top5 players anymore. (KG was all nba 3rd team in 07)

But yes I agree that Durant's move looks weaker as I tried to illustrate with the mountainclimbing analogy. I just don't agree with the sentiment of SAS that you can't compare it in any capacity as it's still 2 top5 players teaming up.

Good point. Especially about allen and kg. I forgot that they were acquired via trade. And you are right that they were older past their prime guys.

 

[green]

I wouldn't even compare it with Allen and KG. Both teams knew that they couldn't find complementary players for their aging and impatient stars. So they received assets in return. And neither of those guys at that point were undisputed top5 players anymore. (KG was all nba 3rd team in 07)

But yes I agree that Durant's move looks weaker as I tried to illustrate with the mountainclimbing analogy. I just don't agree with the sentiment of SAS that you can't compare it in any capacity as it's still 2 top5 players teaming up.

Both Allen and Garnett knew about the trades and had no trade clauses and agreed to be sent to Boston, if I remember correctly.

 

[green]

If Durant wanted to be like LeBron, he would have brought in another star to OKC.

 

[Douchebag K]

Not really. Left the team that drafted him to chase a ring on a Super team. Dreams pretty similar to me.

yes really. Quite different going to a team that has just set the record for most wins in a season ever that he couldn't beat, compared to putting together a team of pieces that is unknown and may not work. What record did Miami have the year before he got there ? Had Chris Bosh won on his team ?

All KD has to do is slot in and hit his open shots and not rock the boat too much, sit back and collect his lame ring and know deep down he took the easy way out.

 

[BTP]

Both Allen and Garnett knew about the trades and had no trade clauses and agreed to be sent to Boston, if I remember correctly.

But Garnett's team missed the playoffs and Allen's team was about to lose Rashard Lewis and they were an 8seed only with him.