bogut plays limited minutes due to coaching not because he can't. kerr likes a small lineup once a team has subbed players
That's right! Sorry, I'd forgotten about your personal consultation with Coach Kerr.
Not just teams, but entire franchises & cities girded for GSW's arrival this year -- as the def. champions last year, & the wrecking-crew squad this year, opponents had them circled on their schedules long before their arrival -- & the Warriyz still smoked 'em
looked like they started wearing down -- they had a few blowout losses during the playoffs -- that game 7 was Stellar -- Mr. James was the difference, he's a hard-nosed gritty competitor
changing the subj., we have eight picks in the draft -- I say stay away from Howard -- Nowitzki might be a good fit -- doesn't look like too many big college names -- but a real pivotal draft this year, more so than most
Right, right, "In my day" blah blah blah.
I don't recall ever saying "In my day blah blah blah.
Two weeks ago, the Pittsburg Penguins and San Jose Sharks shook hands and displayed sportsmanship.
When you say "a statement on today's society" it certainly sounds like you are lamenting a different time in, I'm assuming, the past.
Curry was on the court talking to and embracing other players (check this out at 1:26). Due to the sea of media that flooded the floor, I'm not sure what else he should be doing - handing out orange slices and juice boxes? Should LeBron have even celebrated until he had hugged every Warriors player? What's the standard? People ragged on Cam Newton for leaving the field after the last Super Bowl, but nobody complained when man-child Peyton Manning walked off the field in Super Bowl 44. It's just games and players get emotional. The hockey handshake is great and all, but hockey players still fight each other like children.
No lamenting on the past, just a statement about the present. Each generation has pros and cons. I guess that would be a con. I live in the present and am able to have manners/sportsmanship and teach my kids the same. I think we could all manage that.
Orange slices would be a nice touch and is a healthy choice. I believe they already have the Gatorade so no need for juice boxes.
Hockey players do indeed fight on occasion as do basketball players, football and baseball, the only difference is that hockey players can land a punch. I will cut the football guys some slack as the equipment gets in the way. Basketball and baseball are just funny with their wild swings and slaps. They are indeed fighting but are bad at it. Just like children.
But yes even after fighting, checking where the speeds and force out do all the other sports, dirty stick work and shoving matches after whistles, they can still show sportsmanship and class.
Rugby players spend the entire match trying to injure the other team and yet at the end they shake hands.
Why you feel the need to support bad/poor behavior and make excuses for them is strange. Whether they like it or not their behavior is an example to thousands of kids - is a handshake and some class so hard? Every other sport manages it. Green was able to seek out the opponents, wasn't he?
You keep making it like I am singling out Curry but I m not, he was not the only one. And both teams are the same. Win or lose.
What is next? Defending people who don't give up a seat to seniors or pregnant women? Well I guess they were in the seat first and maybe they are having a bad day so it's OK.
Why you feel the need to support bad/poor behavior and make excuses for them is strange. Whether they like it or not their behavior is an example to thousands of kids - is a handshake and some class so hard? Every other sport manages it. Green was able to seek out the opponents, wasn't he?
You keep making it like I am singling out Curry but I m not, he was not the only one. And both teams are the same. Win or lose.
I'm not making excuses at all, I'm just not seeing the "poor sportsmanship". Curry was on the court (you said he ran to the locker room, I just said he didn't), as were others, talking to the Cavs players (who were immediately mostly surrounded by a bazillian cameras) after the buzzer. I'm not saying all of these kids are perfect (I've said Green is a little cheap), it's entertainment, but I'm just not seeing or hearing anyone having a problem with any player's behavior on or off the court. there is more of a spot light on NBA stars, but I don't see anymore cockiness on the hard wood than I do in the NFL or MLB. I find it strange that you insist on seeing poor sportsmanship.
What is next? Defending people who don't give up a seat to seniors or pregnant women? Well I guess they were in the seat first and maybe they are having a bad day so it's OK.
Uh, what? Way off topic and a huge stretch to connect to anything I was saying. Nonsense analogy.
Let's just agree that this was a great series, two amazing teams. A great moment for the sport from some great athletes.
Moments after that clip - he is gone. They showed him walk down the tunnel.
You say it is a poor analogy, I think it is about respect, manners and proper upbringing. If you don't see the connection then that's fine. It is about making excuses for people and behavior. Poor guys are upset that they lost. Doesn't every athlete in every sport feel the same after losing? And yet they manage to show sportsmanship. Not important to you which is of course fine.
After the win, Lebron joins the panel on TV and goes on and on about how "he" won. Ten minutes in and doesn't credit a single team mate or even say "we". Finally says that if they listen to his commands then they would win. "Commands" LOL - Good thing Kyrie listens to commands.
It is a selfish mentality attached to the NBA. If you don't see it then that's fine. I do. The old saying - there is no I in team. Maybe NBA players spell it differently. If so then maybe they should stop letting them in the draft straight out of high school.
No biggie, Bob. We just don't agree. Neither of our opinions will change a thing anyway.
Moments after that clip - he is gone. They showed him walk down the tunnel.
You say it is a poor analogy, I think it is about respect, manners and proper upbringing. If you don't see the connection then that's fine. It is about making excuses for people and behavior. Poor guys are upset that they lost. Doesn't every athlete in every sport feel the same after losing? And yet they manage to show sportsmanship. Not important to you which is of course fine.
No biggie, Bob. We just don't agree. Neither of our opinions will change a thing anyway.
Nice use of a straw man! I totally hate sportsmanship and preggos! 😉
porkchopbob: Please check PM's.
Not that I had anything against him anyway. But my opinion of LeBron just went WAY up.........
Moments after that clip - he is gone. They showed him walk down the tunnel.
You say it is a poor analogy, I think it is about respect, manners and proper upbringing. If you don't see the connection then that's fine. It is about making excuses for people and behavior. Poor guys are upset that they lost. Doesn't every athlete in every sport feel the same after losing? And yet they manage to show sportsmanship. Not important to you which is of course fine.
No biggie, Bob. We just don't agree. Neither of our opinions will change a thing anyway.
Nice use of a straw man! I totally hate sportsmanship and preggos! 😉
I am shocked, Bob. Don't believe you. 😉
I am OK with preggos as long as they are not mine.
bogut plays limited minutes due to coaching not because he can't. kerr likes a small lineup once a team has subbed players
That's right! Sorry, I'd forgotten about your personal consultation with Coach Kerr.
you must have as kerr refers to 2 different lineups he has. the starting lineup which bogut is part of and what kerr refers to as the "death lineup" which he prefers to use and bogut isn't a part of. as a warriors fan you had to have heard kerr say this a million times this year
Free agent Kevin Durant can begin negotiating tonight at 9:01 PM. According to Tim Kawakami in this morning's Mercury News, after Durant meets with his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors will be the first of many to get a meeting with him at the Hamptons in New York. The others are listed as San Antonio, Miami and "maybe" the Clippers and Boston.
Kawakami: "Yes, there are concerns among some Warriors fans that they would have to give up too much depth to land Durant.
No doubt, there would be massive roster turnover in this scenario: It's likely that Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, Andrew Bogut, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights, Brandon Rush, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo and Anderson Varejao all would have to be off-loaded to create cap space.
Also, it has been pointed out that the Warriors survived Curry's ankle and knee injuries in the playoffs as well as they did because they had depth.
My point: If they are able to sign Durant, and then Curry gets hurt in the playoffs again, the Warriors would still have......Kevin Durant.
And that possibility trumps everything else." (End quote).
And I say: DO NOT DO IT!!!! WAY too many contributing players to give up in order to get one guy. Oh by the way...........ALL three of your centers?? (Bogut, Ezeli and Speights?). I say No, No, and NO!
What Kawakami fails to say is: What if Durant gets hurt? It's happened before, y'know.
[Edited on 6/30/2016 by robslob]
Free agent Kevin Durant can begin negotiating tonight at 9:01 PM. According to Tim Kawakami in this morning's Mercury News, after Durant meets with his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors will be the first of many to get a meeting with him at the Hamptons in New York. The others are listed as San Antonio, Miami and "maybe" the Clippers and Boston.
Kawakami: "Yes, there are concerns among some Warriors fans that they would have to give up too much depth to land Durant.
No doubt, there would be massive roster turnover in this scenario: It's likely that Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, Andrew Bogut, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights, Brandon Rush, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo and Anderson Varejao all would have to be off-loaded to create cap space.
Also, it has been pointed out that the Warriors survived Curry's ankle and knee injuries in the playoffs as well as they did because they had depth.
My point: If they are able to sign Durant, and then Curry gets hurt in the playoffs again, the Warriors would still have......Kevin Durant.
And that possibility trumps everything else." (End quote).
And I say: DO NOT DO IT!!!! WAY too many contributing players to give up in order to get one guy. Oh by the way...........ALL three of your centers?? (Bogut, Ezeli and Speights?). I say No, No, and NO!
What Kawakami fails to say is: What if Durant gets hurt? It's happened before, y'know.
[Edited on 6/30/2016 by robslob]
I wouldn't say the warriors should do this but i'll say this about the players listed. the following players could all be dropped imo and cheaper backups brought in.
Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo and Anderson Varejao.
no big deal imo to drop those 6 guys due to age/ok lay and get new backups.
I dunno tho -- I put Timofey in the same class as varajeo & some others in that group, and look at the deal he got
Timofey, the prototypical white-men-can't-jump -- But Definitely Effective -- center -- takes up a lot of space in the post -- is a winning player
but still
4 years, $64M from the Lakers, the 2nd worst team in the league???
That deal is scary -- Dwight Howard's/Dirk Nowitzki's/other FA asking prices just went up, that's for sure
guessing Durant will stay in OKC
Let's go Celts
[Edited on 7/1/2016 by Stephen]
I dunno tho -- I put Timofey in the same class as varajeo & some others in that group, and look at the deal he got
Timofey, the prototypical white-men-can't-jump -- But Definitely Effective -- center -- takes up a lot of space in the post -- is a winning player
but still
4 years, $64M from the Lakers, the 2nd worst team in the league???
6.6 points, 4.4 boards per game = $16 million per year for Timofey Mozgov? Hmmm...........he must be QUITE a defender! Great to be an NBA player in the year 2016. I wonder how many years it took Wilt Chamberlain to make $16 mil? Or did he even make that over his entire career?
[Edited on 7/1/2016 by robslob]
He probably didn't! 😮 -- these players are multi-millionaires -- and they wouldn't've belonged in the same gym, much less court, with Wilt, Bill Russell, Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Jabbar etc ...
but yes, throw another $72 mil into the mix & boom -- the new-age frontcourt in LA for the next 4 years -- Timofey & Luol Deng -- the Lakers' new $136M nucleus -- they'll be below .500 again in 2016-17
Evan Turner played well for us, but his deal was ridiculous, as was Howard's -- Al Horford's deal will be even more so -- yep, didn't know the NBA had that kinda $ to throw away, er, around 😮
Let's go Celts
[Edited on 7/2/2016 by Stephen]
In case you hadn't heard the word NBA fans............it's official...........Durant to Warriors.
I'm excited, but at the same time, very wary of this. We needed to shore up our rebounding up front........Bogut and Ezeli are injury prone........how are we going to do it now with no $$$ to spare? And how many players (many, many) are we going to have to let go in order to sign Durant? On the other hand, if Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant all stay healthy............we could average 125 per game.
Per ESPN ticker: Bogut and Barnes to Dallas; Warriors will also release Ezeli. Also, Pau Gasol to San Antonio, which doesn't make real happy. I was hoping the Warriors could sign him.
[Edited on 7/4/2016 by robslob]
Lots of activity -- won't be able to tell the playiz without a scorecard next year! Rondo to Bulls, Rose to Knicks, as you said Gasol to Spurs.....
With the $ we're spending, I would rather have seen the C's sign Al Jefferson & let him finish his career where he started it -- but no complaints with Horford, he should fit in real nice -- the amount of $ he's getting is staggering tho
I concur w/Rudy Gobert's tweet about the Durant deal --- "there's only one ball" -- it reminds of when NYY signed Rich Gossage in 1977 -- when they already had Sparky Lyle, who'd only won the Cy -- & in the words of Graig Nettles, "went from Cy Young to sayonara"
the Phila Phils' "best rotation $ can buy" of Halladay, Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt comes to mind -- as does the Lakers' supposed super-team when they signed Karl Malone
Chemistry and ego conflicts potentially abound in Golden State w/this deal IMO -- one way or another, with or w/out Durant, Warriyz next year wouldn't have matched their amazing 2015-16 campaign
[Edited on 7/5/2016 by Stephen]
In case you hadn't heard the word NBA fans............it's official...........Durant to Warriors.
I'm excited, but at the same time, very wary of this. We needed to shore up our rebounding up front........Bogut and Ezeli are injury prone........how are we going to do it now with no $$$ to spare? And how many players (many, many) are we going to have to let go in order to sign Durant? On the other hand, if Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant all stay healthy............we could average 125 per game.
Per ESPN ticker: Bogut and Barnes to Dallas; Warriors will also release Ezeli. Also, Pau Gasol to San Antonio, which doesn't make real happy. I was hoping the Warriors could sign him.
[Edited on 7/4/2016 by robslob]
agree with all these points. interior defense and rebounding is going to take a huge hit and that's what hurt the warriors in the playoffs not scoring
I'm reading a lot of stuff about the Durant signing in on-line chat rooms: "Durant deserted his team", "What a punk he is to sign with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs", etc, etc.
You can thank Oklahoma City management for this. If they had signed James Harden several years ago instead of letting him slip away to Houston, they likely would have won a championship by now. They didn't want to spend the $$$. Warriors management obviously does.
But as mentioned in my last post...........I still have serious concerns.
Stats for Larry and Lebron at 30, in case anyone forgot how good Larry was...
As I mentioned earlier, the NBA is mostly made up of farm teams.
OKC nearly takes out GSW and in fact should have. I like Durant and would have liked him and respected him more if he stayed.
Now the Cavs will load up too.
Can we just skip to next year's Finals?
Will people continue to compare the GSW to teams of the past? Why not just take the Top 5 players in the league and put them on one team. Then they can tour and play the Globetrotters.
Stats for Larry and Lebron at 30, in case anyone forgot how good Larry was...
Suprising...more Bahston chest thumping. 😉
We all know well and good about Larry around here. God forbid if someone from Indiana became the head coach of the Celtics. 😉
[Edited on 7/6/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Two reads here. First by Gregg Doyel of the Indystar and the second by Reggie Miller.
I am kinda old school , I will post my thoughts on players jumping teams to chase a ring.
Spineless Kevin Durant move shows plight of Pacers and other small market teams.
It’s charming, what the Indiana Pacers have done this offseason. They trade for Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young. Sign Al Jefferson as a free agent. Use the 50th overall pick in the NBA draft to add cerebral, versatile, athletically limited Georges Niang.
Pleasing, right?
Meanwhile Kevin Durant makes an ugly move that shows how much harder it is for the Pacers and franchises like them – which is to say, 20 or more teams around the league – to compete. Durant on Monday left the franchise that drafted him nine years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to join the franchise that eliminated the Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
In a move that for sheer spinelessness challenges the LeBron James decision in 2010 to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, Kevin Durant surveyed the land for the easiest possible path to an NBA title and found it in Golden State.
Pacers President Larry Bird is plugging away here in Indianapolis, building the only way he can: humbly, as cleverly as he can while hoping to get some luck along the way. Paul George becoming the best overall player from the 2010 NBA draft after falling to the Pacers with the 10th pick? That took some serious foresight by Bird, absolutely, but it also took a little luck. Nine teams had to miss on George.
See, the spinelessness of Kevin Durant shows just how hard it will be for the Pacers to challenge for a title in today’s NBA, even for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals, until they get lucky again. Maybe Niang will become the 2016 draft’s version of Draymond Green, the overlooked Michigan State senior who fell into the second round in 2012 and has become an MVP candidate in Golden State …
… where he is the third-best player on the roster, behind two guys who won the past three MVPs – Stephen Curry (2015 and ’16) and Durant (2014). And Green might be the fourth-best player on the Warriors, also behind Klay Thompson and his 22.1 points per game.
Durant is merely the latest and most dramatic example of today’s spineless NBA star and what that means for franchises like the Pacers. Until now the Warriors did it humbly – drafting Curry seventh in 2009, Thompson 11th in 2011 and Green 35th in 2012. They won the 2015 title and reached the 2016 NBA Finals after winning a regular-season record 73 games.
But then Durant pulled a LeBron, only worse, not joining forces with two buddies to form a Big Three – but joining an existing Big Three that was dominating the NBA without him. The addition of Durant gives Golden State the best Big Four since John, Paul, George and Ringo.
And like I was saying, this goes beyond Durant and Golden State. LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh gamed the system in 2010 to form a team that reached four NBA Finals in four years, winning twice. Last season LaMarcus Aldridge of Portland signed with the San Antonio Spurs to join Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and whatever was left of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. This year we’ve seen Durant choose Steph Curry’s Warriors. And Pau Gasol pick the Spurs.
What we have in the NBA are a handful of super-teams – Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland – and everybody else. Those three teams now have five of the top seven players in the 2016 All-NBA vote: Curry (first in votes received), James (second), Leonard (fourth), Durant (sixth) and Green (seventh).
Of the 15 players on the top three All-NBA teams this season, nearly half – seven – play for the Warriors, Cavs or Spurs: the above five, plus Aldridge (third team) and Thompson (third).
The rest of the league is fighting fire with flashlights.
Here in Indianapolis, Larry Bird wasn’t ever going to sign a big-time free agent – though the #KevINDYrant movement on social media was fun – so he had to go smaller. He signed Al Jefferson, hoping the downward slide of a 31-year-old, 289-pound man with bad knees doesn’t accelerate.
Earlier Bird hoodwinked two teams to get Jeff Teague in a three-team deal. Utah received George Hill and Atlanta chose Taurean Prince of Baylor with the first-round pick the Hawks acquired from Utah.
One day later Bird flat out stole from the Brooklyn Nets, giving them the uncertainty of the 20th pick – the Nets took Caris LeVert of Michigan – in exchange for the certainty of power forward Thaddeus Young, who averaged 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds this past season.
Did Bird mine another gem out of the draft in Georges Niang? Probably not, though Niang’s first two games in the Orlando summer league are encouraging: 11.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. In two games he’s 9-for-14 from the floor overall, 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. A long way to go – but so far, so good.
Bird also is revisiting one of his finest moments in scouting, current free agent Lance Stephenson; a league source telling IndyStar’s Nate Taylor on Monday that the two sides have a mutual interest in a reunion after two years apart. His immaturity on the Pacers became a burden, but Stephenson – the No. 40 overall pick in 2010 – was another Bird heist, one of the top 20 or so players in that draft pool.
But the offseason of 2018 looms. Still developing superstar Paul George has three years left on his contract but can opt out after the 2017-18 season – and you’d better prepare for him to do that. His salary in 2018-19 currently stands at $20.7 million, barely half of what he could get from another team if he opts out and goes elsewhere.
George also could return to the Pacers at a much higher salary, though that’s not what NBA stars of his stature are doing these days.
All Larry Bird can do is keep trying to make the Pacers stronger. But in the NBA’s sea of spineless superstars, he’s going against the current.
Durant Traded a Sacred Legacy for Cheap Jewelry
The gravity of Kevin Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors hit me on Tuesday when a friend texted me, saying: "Holy s--t! What an NBA weekend. KD is crazy. Will they lose a game?"
wrote back: "It's a bad look for the league once again. Between the huge signings of mediocre players and now KD defecting to the Warriors, there are really only five or six teams you are interested in watching—and only three of those have a real shot to win the championship. It's going to be a boring season unless the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks or Boston Celtics are on TNT or ESPN every week."
He wrote back: "The rich get richer. If you're KD, would you go for the ring?"
And then I responded: "At the end of the day, what's more important, rings or legacy? The media only cares about rings, and rightfully so. We are judged on jewelry, so that's why I can't argue with it. From a personal standpoint, I'm upset that a small market will never recover from it.
"I like having stars/superstars in small markets. It evens the playing field and helps the overall product. It's why having Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay is great. In today's age of social media, you don't need to be in L.A., New York City or Chicago to get all the endorsements. Case in point: LeBron James and KD. Both have been the faces of the league in small markets."
That's the conversation that really got me thinking.
Look, I understand this isn't about money, because people like LeBron, Durant, Russell Westbrook and the retired Kobe Bryant make more money through their shoe contracts than they do on the court. So yes, we know this decision isn't about money.
To me, it's about your legacy versus rings.
Durant would have been a god if he stayed in Oklahoma City. People always say to me, "I'm so glad you stayed with us"—that I stayed for 18 years with a small-market (Pacers) team in Indiana.
But the media, of which I am a part, always says, "Well, he never won a championship." And I get that; I understand that. Not winning a championship burns me to this day.
After reaching six Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals only to finish without a title, I sympathize with Durant's dilemma. A rebound, loose ball, free throw, missed assignment, missed box-out can change everything. Being so close and ultimately losing sucks.
Nevertheless, it was the fight to put Indiana on the map that, in my mind, is my greatest accomplishment.
I lost to Michael Jordan. I battled Patrick Ewing and his Knicks. I lost to Larry Bird and his Celtics. I lost to Isiah Thomas and his "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons. I lost to Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway's Orlando Magic.
You want to go against those guys, against the absolute best, even if you don't win.
That's what Durant gave up by leaving the Thunder. And that matters. Had he stayed in Oklahoma City, people would have said, "He spurned all the other offers and continued to fight the giant."
Even if Durant didn't win a championship like me, John Stockton or players who briefly spent time elsewhere like Ewing, Karl Malone, etc. the rest of the world would have looked at him in a different light because he fought, rather than joined, the giants—LeBron, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, etc. And to me, that's a true legacy.
It would obviously be great to have both—your kingdom and an untarnished legacy. But there are only so many people who enjoy that luxury.
Jordan had both, because he already won six rings before going to the Washington Wizards. Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. Kobe Bryant. You can even put Hakeem Olajuwon in there, since he won two championships before going to the Toronto Raptors.
But I can't loop LeBron into that company. He left his kingdom in Cleveland for Miami, which was Dwyane Wade's kingdom.
Yes, LeBron did win two titles with the Heat. So I get why Durant, like James, decided to go elsewhere. And I'm not here to say he cannot redeem himself, or that everyone will look back on his decision to leave and focus on that alone.
Winning solves everything.
Let's say the Warriors go out and win the next three NBA championships. Will people really look back and only think about Durant defecting from OKC? Probably not.
And here's the other thing: Owners turn their backs on players all the time. So as a player, you have to do what's right in your heart. I get that 100 percent.
Still, there's a difference when you are "the man" and everything about a team is built around you. It's even more different for Durant. He had the best of both worlds: the reins of a franchise and another top-10, maybe top-five player in Westbrook.
When LeBron left Cleveland, the Cavaliers had Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson, among others. His running mates were not of Westbrook's caliber—or even on the same level as Steven Adams.
Comparatively, it isn't like Durant spurned a team that needed to be redone. The Thunder finished with the league's fifth-best record in the regular season and were up 3-1 on the Warriors during the Western Conference Finals. They would have been right there again next season.
That's why I can't help but wonder if he had a conversation with Westbrook.
I'm speculating, but maybe he found out Westbrook planned to leave in free agency next summer if the duo couldn't win a title after what would be nine years together. Though Durant could've still signed a one-plus-one deal that would've put him in free agency with Westbrook, their conversation would at least shed some more light on why he left.
Maybe this has nothing to do with Westbrook potentially leaving—or even any existing rivalry or conflict between the two. Perhaps Durant's desire to win rings is just that strong, or maybe he took this past postseason as a sign.
I am only here talking about Durant joining the Warriors thanks to a perfect storm of circumstances: a salary-cap spike, Oklahoma City's collapse in the Western Conference Finals against Golden State and the Warriors' NBA Finals collapse versus the Cavaliers. Durant isn't a Warrior without all of those things happening.
And while I get all of this, stars in small markets have a greater obligation to their fans.
People always ask, "What made you stay in Indiana for all those years?"
This is the best way I can answer that question: Your checkout teller at the grocery store, the attendant at the gas station, the ushers, the waiters, the waitresses—all these fans laughed and cheered with me, and they cried with me after the losses to Shaq, MJ and the Knicks.
We were in it together.
I could not look at those fans had I gone somewhere else. I could not win a championship in Miami like LeBron, popping bubbly and all that, knowing there's a group in Indiana that stayed with me when I wasn't able to win a title. I couldn't turn my back on that fanbase and say, "Yay, I got a ring!"
That's why I believe Durant took an unnecessary shortcut by joining the Warriors. Fans in smaller markets live and die with their teams. Going to playoff games and driving through the neighborhood, almost every house has signs and banners from kids.
It gives me chills thinking about those experiences in Indiana. And that's not to say Durant won't encounter this with Golden State. He might. But he's in someone else's kingdom now.
Don't get me wrong, Durant will be the alpha dog. On the court, the pecking order will be Durant, Curry, Green, then Klay Thompson. But Durant will forever play in Curry's kingdom. He was with them first. He won a title for them first.
If Durant would have won in Oklahoma City, it would just be better. It would have been better if he joined any team that wasn't a ready-made contender.
But in Oklahoma City, winning one title would be like getting three or more in Golden State.
Failing to win one with the Thunder would arguably be more admirable than collecting any number of titles with the Warriors.
This is just my opinion. Others will feel differently. People will read this and say, "This is coming from a guy who never won a championship." That's fine with me. And again, I get Durant's decision. I understand that temptation.
The Celtics wanted me to come out of retirement in 2007-08, when they won a title with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. I couldn't do it. There was an opportunity to join the Lakers at one point. I couldn't do that, either. And maybe I should have.
But to me, a king should never leave his kingdom.
[Edited on 7/6/2016 by jszfunk]
[Edited on 7/6/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Rajon Rondo & Dwayne Wade -- watta backcourt -- they'll forget all about Derrick Rose in the Windy City 😮
We already have............. 😛 
Stats for Larry and Lebron at 30, in case anyone forgot how good Larry was...
people forgot how good bird was? that's sad
Wow -- now it's Ray Allen looking to sign up w/Warriyz -- players like Ray, David West, their new assistant coach/former Cavs coach Mike Brown.....don't know how those guys will impact things w/Steph & KD running the plays....
why would Ray ever be attempting a comeback ($$$? nah... 😮 ) -- he's clear it's only on his terms tho -- he's named 4 teams -- wants to sign w/GSW, & would also join w/Cavs, Spurs or LAC....
I think he'll find there's not much call for a retired 40-something -- maybe they could make him a player/coach
Let's go Celts
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San Jose Mercury News, 7-12-16:
"No big news conference. No victory lap. Not even a canned quote in the press release. Just a simple goodbye announcement Monday from the quiet anchor at the foundation of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty."
MY QUOTE:
In a glaring twist of fate, Duncan's final year coincided with that of the Endless Ego Mogul, Mr. Kobe Bryant . And look at the difference in farewells. But I'm sure this lesson in humility will be completely LOST on Mr. Bryant.
The Mercury News continues:
"Just as he has for so much of his 19 seasons, the 40 year old Duncan let others do the talking for him.
'Congrats to Tim Duncan. Probably a top 5 all time player and undoubtedly a top 5 all time teammate,' tweeted Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played with Duncan in San Antonio. 'Wow, what a career.'
Fifteen All-star appearances, five championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, two NBA MVPs, one coach, one team. Forever.
The Spurs made the playoffs in all 19 of his seasons and won 71 percent of their regular season games with No. 21 in the middle."
Duncan retired. sad. what a great player and the true definition of a professional athlete
"Quote Of The Day", Mercury News, 7-13-16: "I would not be standing here if it weren't for Tim Duncan. I'd be in the Budweiser League someplace in America, fat and still trying to play basketball or coach basketball." -Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on his star player's retirement.
[Edited on 7/14/2016 by robslob]
