Durant to the Warriors

[Engine]

Wow

[War Machine Dawg]

Looks like Jerry West made a convincing argument. Anyone taking action on the Warriors breaking their own regular season wins record next year? Steph, Klay, Draymond, and now KD = nasty. They're about to reel off 3-4 straight titles.

[Coach34]

Hell, I might start watching the NBA again to see that

[shoeless joe]

Not that I care, but he's kept himself from ever being mentioned in the best of the best argument. Joining an established champion is vastly different than leading one.

[Tbonewannabe]

He is now on par with Scottie Pippen

[Reason2succeed]

Who cares? He's about to win championships which is the point of sports. If he just wanted to be regarded personally as the best of the best we would bash him for being a selfish player. Good for him.

[Hrdawg82]

Who is gonna get the touches? I don't think Curry is gonna give them up. He's in a contract year I believe. So it's Clay Thompson. I don't see this as a good fit

[Engine]

Who is gonna get the touches? I don't think Curry is gonna give them up. He's in a contract year I believe. So it's Clay Thompson. I don't see this as a good fit

Curry could sit the year out and still get a max deal next offseason.

They're going to be lethal.

[It_Could_Happen]

KD is the ultimate cop out. I'm tired of these guys showing no loyalty. I understand he is chasing rings but he is leaving behind a title contending roster. That's the difference. Lebron left CLE because he was the only guy. KD had help. He had Russ, and if he would have committed to staying they would have gotten AL Horford.

[HSVDawg]

He played 9 years with the organization that drafted him. It's hard to get much more loyal than that in today's world of professional sports. Over that time, Durant saw zero titles and just one finals appearance due to lack of a consistent supporting cast. At his age, he has maybe 4 or 5 more years tops to capitalize on his alpha dog status and try to land on a contender while still in his prime. All the critics out there say he can't be considered in the conversation of the best ever because of leaving to greener pastures make no sense to me. If he played out his career in OKC and his final 9 seasons mirrored his first 9 seasons with zero titles, he wouldn't be in the "best ever" talk because of not winning enough rings. These guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I think Durant made the right play at the right time in his career and don't blame him one bit. He easily could have signed a one year max deal to stay in OKC next season and then bolted after next year for huge money when the cap goes up again, but he didn't.

[Intramural All-American]

Just throwing this out there, but KD and Curry in the same 5 is a huge hole defensively. We will see if the offensive output overcomes that enough, but as someone else said, someone is going to lose touches on that team. It's either gonna be Klay or KD won't get the touches he expected. Either way, this won't be a sustainable lineup for multiple years. I will definitely be interested to see how it plays out though, and I may very well be wrong.

[Engine]

Just throwing this out there, but KD and Curry in the same 5 is a huge hole defensively. We will see if the offensive output overcomes that enough, but as someone else said, someone is going to lose touches on that team. It's either gonna be Klay or KD won't get the touches he expected. Either way, this won't be a sustainable lineup for multiple years. I will definitely be interested to see how it plays out though, and I may very well be wrong.

You will be wrong. This will be an unstoppable offensive force. I can't wait.

[Reason2succeed]

He played 9 years with the organization that drafted him. It's hard to get much more loyal than that in today's world of professional sports. Over that time, Durant saw zero titles and just one finals appearance due to lack of a consistent supporting cast. At his age, he has maybe 4 or 5 more years tops to capitalize on his alpha dog status and try to land on a contender while still in his prime. All the critics out there say he can't be considered in the conversation of the best ever because of leaving to greener pastures make no sense to me. If he played out his career in OKC and his final 9 seasons mirrored his first 9 seasons with zero titles, he wouldn't be in the "best ever" talk because of not winning enough rings. These guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I think Durant made the right play at the right time in his career and don't blame him one bit. He easily could have signed a one year max deal to stay in OKC next season and then bolted after next year for huge money when the cap goes up again, but he didn't.

I totally agree with you. Loyalty? Kobe Bryant REFUSED to play for Charlotte. Switching sports. Eli REFUSED to play for San Diego. OKC ought to be grateful (and they are) that he stayed there that long. I'm sure people told him he would never win there but he did his best and just came up short. At the end of the day these guys want to win championships.

By the way, KD is the biggest star going to the Olympics. He should get some slack just for that. He wants gold medals and championships and will sacrifice money and personal accolades for it.

[Brad Stevens]

Just throwing this out there, but KD and Curry in the same 5 is a huge hole defensively. We will see if the offensive output overcomes that enough, but as someone else said, someone is going to lose touches on that team. It's either gonna be Klay or KD won't get the touches he expected. Either way, this won't be a sustainable lineup for multiple years. I will definitely be interested to see how it plays out though, and I may very well be wrong.

Oh come on, IAA, a "huge hole" defensively? You're saying, in essence, that Harrison Barnes provides better defense than Durant. We both know that Curry is the weak link defensively (especially with lingering knee and ankle issues), but the length of Durant guarding and rebounding from the 3 is way better than what Barnes has to offer. It also gives you another person to guard Lebron when Iguadola needs a rest.

I do believe they will be poor in post defense still, and could use a Steven Adams type. I just don't see how the addition of Durant (along with the subtraction of Barnes) now makes them somehow worse defensively. It doesn't.

[archdog]

Screw loyalty. Man is doing what is best for his family. Company's and team's show almost zero loyalty, so why should he. Other than picking his college, this guy has had zero control on where and who he played with for the most part of his entire life. If he wants to go play with the Warriors, so be it.

[War Machine Dawg]

Oh come on, IAA, a "huge hole" defensively? You're saying, in essence, that Harrison Barnes provides better defense than Durant. We both know that Curry is the weak link defensively (especially with lingering knee and ankle issues), but the length of Durant guarding and rebounding from the 3 is way better than what Barnes has to offer. It also gives you another person to guard Lebron when Iguadola needs a rest.

I do believe they will be poor in post defense still, and could use a Steven Adams type. I just don't see how the addition of Durant (along with the subtraction of Barnes) now makes them somehow worse defensively. It doesn't.

KD's D is very underrated. The Thunder were one of the best rebounding teams in the Association this past year. Want to guess who led them in boards? That's right, KD. He's just so good offensively that he doesn't get the credit he deserves for his D.

[Dawg61]

Klay Thompson is a stud. He was better than Durant this last year imo. He was way better than Curry in the finals. Only issue I see with the Warriors is Durant wanting to be the main guy when in reality it's Steph 1a Klay 1b Durant 3rd.

[Intramural All-American]

KD's D is very underrated. The Thunder were one of the best rebounding teams in the Association this past year. Want to guess who led them in boards? That's right, KD. He's just so good offensively that he doesn't get the credit he deserves for his D.

Rebounding and defense are in no way the same thing. Getting the ball after it is shot is totally different than keeping your man from getting a good shot. Rebounding obviously helps with keeping the other team from having second chance opportunities, so it helps in that sense, but it is not the indicator of a great defensive player. KD has always been referred to as a lazy defender. And It's laughable to think that KD will be as effective on Lebron as Igoudala, Brad. But, no one in the world can actually stop Lebron. Just use games 5-7 as reference.

As I said though, I may very well be completely wrong. I'm just not ready to crown them yet. I'm excited to see what happens next year. And I'm glad the Knicks actually formed a formidable roster so that someone in the East will actually give the Cavs a warmup series before the finals.

[HSVDawg]

Klay Thompson is a stud. He was better than Durant this last year imo. He was way better than Curry in the finals. Only issue I see with the Warriors is Durant wanting to be the main guy when in reality it's Steph 1a Klay 1b Durant 3rd.

In what world is 22ppg and 47% FG% better than 28ppg and 51% FG%? Not to mention the added rebounding that Durant provides. Thompson is a great outside shooter, but Durant is easily better in every other facet of the game. He is the 2nd best offensive player in the game right now only behind Curry. Thompson's touches are much more likely to be affected than Durant's.

[Brad Stevens]

Just to be clear - I said Durant is an upgrade over Barnes defensively, IAA. I agree Iggy would be the primary defender on Lebron, but the length and strength of Durant as a backup defender on Lebron > that of of Barnes.

[Brad Stevens]

Klay Thompson is a stud. He was better than Durant this last year imo. He was way better than Curry in the finals. Only issue I see with the Warriors is Durant wanting to be the main guy when in reality it's Steph 1a Klay 1b Durant 3rd.

Ah, the joy of DAWG61's opinions in basketball threads. The 4 time scoring champ, 5 time first-team NBA, and former MVP is worse than Klay? Don't get me wrong - Klay is excellent, but not on par with KD.

[Dawg61]

Klay is trending up and Durant is trending down. Both are excellent players. You're always years behind what I see so this is just par for the course.