NBA Season 2017/18

[Tommy Smith]

LeBron joined a 47 win Miami Heat team. KD joined a 73 win GSW team that had gone to b2b finals.

The Heat were great because of LeBron. GSW were already great.

Big difference.

 

[Rod]

Yeah there are several big differences between LeBron's and KD's moves, to be honest it boggles my mind that people try to equate them.

Then again it doesn't help when simpletons like Barkley only push that agenda further.

 

[shiznit]

LeBron joined a 47 win Miami Heat team. KD joined a 73 win GSW team that had gone to b2b finals.

The Heat were great because of LeBron. GSW were already great.

Big difference.

Yup... 100% agree.

I’m gonna go on abit of a rant here...

I wasn’t initially a fan of Lebron’s move either as it was artificially creating something as opposed to letting it grow organically... but I changed my opinion when I thought deeper about it....

KD on the other hand... that shit was shattering... and not because I’m more of a OKC fan these days than any other team....

But just the way it ruined the league...

The NBA Season and those Playoffs in 2016 were the best I think I had ever seen... it was the peak of the league IMO...

The Warriors broke the Bulls regular season record with 73 wins... the Spurs weren’t too far behind them too...

Then in the playoffs you had OKC coming from 2 games down to beat the Spurs... then the 7 game series in the WCF... and of course the 7 game series in the finals...

Going into that offseason the way they were all built... there was genuinely nothing between the Cavs, GS, OKC & the Spurs.

And then you had up and coming young teams like Toronto, Portland & Houston.

And then KD f**ks it all up by jumping to GS.... and it’s not even about KD leaving OKC... at the end of the day I don’t begrudge any player choosing where they want to play... but if he had left for a different team other than the Cavs, Spurs or GS it would have only weakened OKC... but the competitive balance would still have been about the same.

Anyway i better stop ranting... but that’s always pissed me off as it just felt like we had the perfect f**king league for about a month... and KD f**ked it all up...

 

[T-Boon]

If he had of just stayed at the Cavs and won one or two his legacy would have been cemented much more IMO. Ring chasing through his prime and only returning three is really a par.

I think if he had of stayed at the Cavs then Oklahoma would probably have gone on to win 3 or 4 titles and Kevin Durant would have been considered superior to Lebron (possibly). Imagine Durant, Westbrook and Harden staying together after winning in 2012.

 

[edabomb]

I think if he had of stayed at the Cavs then Oklahoma would probably have gone on to win 3 or 4 titles and Kevin Durant would have been considered superior to Lebron (possibly). Imagine Durant, Westbrook and Harden staying together after winning in 2012.

Irony is that in the Seattle market size they would have been in a much better position to pay all 3 and foot the luxury tax.

 

[Barkley]

Then again it doesn't help when simpletons like Barkley only push that agenda further.

Are you referring to me or Sir Charles?

 

[edabomb]

LeBron joined a 47 win Miami Heat team. KD joined a 73 win GSW team that had gone to b2b finals.

The Heat were great because of LeBron. GSW were already great.

Big difference.

LeBron also brought a top 15 player along with him to sweeten the deal. This gave the Heat three of the top 15 players in the league - don't forget about that. That said I don't think anybody is equating the LeBron and Durant situations as equal - Durant's was as close to a guaranteed Championship as you'll get. Both were the easy way out for elite talents in search of titles though, you just need to lock at that opening Heat press conference thing where they were acting like a Championship was a foregone conclusion.

 

[Tommy Smith]

You have to remember that the Cavs organisation were a shambles. LeBron was there for what, 7 years? And they didn't even come close to assembling a Championship calabre roster. In fact LeBron was the only all star on the team when he left.

LeBron gave that franchise everything for 7 years and got nothing in return. So he had every right to leave. Was nothing to do with taking the easy way out; that just doesn't come into it imo. He shouldn't have had to waste his career at what was then a basketcase.

KD however left a very good team. He had Westbrook Adams and Ibaka around him. They were on the precipice of success and frankly only a choke against the Warriors stopped them from making the finals.

So he left a team in its prime and still on the way up.

LeBron left a shitstorm where Verajao or Mo Williams was probably their 2nd best player lol Leaving that rabble after 7 years ain't taking the easy way out; it's doing the right thing if you have half a brain.

 

[edabomb]

You have to remember that the Cavs organisation were a shambles. LeBron was there for what, 7 years? And they didn't even come close to assembling a Championship calabre roster. In fact LeBron was the only all star on the team when he left.

LeBron gave that franchise everything for 7 years and got nothing in return. So he had every right to leave. Was nothing to do with taking the easy way out; that just doesn't come into it imo. He shouldn't have had to waste his career at what was then a basketcase.

KD however left a very good team. He had Westbrook Adams and Ibaka around him. They were on the precipice of success and frankly only a choke against the Warriors stopped them from making the finals.

So he left a team in its prime and still on the way up.

LeBron left a shitstorm where Verajao or Mo Williams was probably their 2nd best player lol Leaving that rabble after 7 years ain't taking the easy way out; it's doing the right thing if you have half a brain.

I agree, for sure. I've just always maintained a couple of Championships in a career with the Cavs would have meant as much as MJs 6 rings given the obstacles LeBron had in his way. Very easy to imagine he wins none had he stayed, I'll agree with that.

But to conspire to load up a team with three top 15 players and the clear best player in the league in their primes and only win two chips is still a failure in my book. Add to that he is about to ditch his third team at the site of adversity - I don't think it says much for his legacy.

Okc had already traded away Ibaka prior to Durant leaving. It is interesting whether that factored into things...

 

[shiznit]

I agree, for sure. I've just always maintained a couple of Championships in a career with the Cavs would have meant as much as MJs 6 rings given the obstacles LeBron had in his way. Very easy to imagine he wins none had he stayed, I'll agree with that.

But to conspire to load up a team with three top 15 players and the clear best player in the league in their primes and only win two chips is still a failure in my book. Add to that he is about to ditch his third team at the site of adversity - I don't think it says much for his legacy.

Okc had already traded away Ibaka prior to Durant leaving. It is interesting whether that factored into things...

For Vic Oladipo... was the smart move IMO...

 

[edabomb]

For Vic Oladipo... was the smart move IMO...

Imagine Oladipo's contributions if Durant had stayed with Westbrook chasing stats like a mad man. He would have been lucky to average 12ppg.

 

[Rod]

I agree, for sure. I've just always maintained a couple of Championships in a career with the Cavs would have meant as much as MJs 6 rings given the obstacles LeBron had in his way. Very easy to imagine he wins none had he stayed, I'll agree with that.

But to conspire to load up a team with three top 15 players and the clear best player in the league in their primes and only win two chips is still a failure in my book. Add to that he is about to ditch his third team at the site of adversity - I don't think it says much for his legacy.

Okc had already traded away Ibaka prior to Durant leaving. It is interesting whether that factored into things...

Lol.

 

[Rod]

Are you referring to me or Sir Charles?

Haha Sir Charles.

 

[edabomb]

Lol.

So LeBron was battling adversity by joining the Heat in your opinion? I understand the fanboi generation but he took the easy path to rings, 8 years doesn't change that.

 

[Barkley]

Haha Sir Charles.

Haha carry on then.

 

[Rod]

So LeBron was battling adversity by joining the Heat in your opinion? I understand the fanboi generation but he took the easy path to rings, 8 years doesn't change that.

If it was the easy path then why were the Heat not favoured in either of the Finals series they won?

 

[T-Boon]

So LeBron was battling adversity by joining the Heat in your opinion? I understand the fanboi generation but he took the easy path to rings, 8 years doesn't change that.

It was an easier path than staying with that Cavs team.
But wouldn't it have been just as much an easy path if he stayed in Cleveland and brought in 2 stars necessary to compete?

 

[edabomb]

If it was the easy path then why were the Heat not favoured in either of the Finals series they won?

Year 1 they were well favoured over the Mavs and blew it. The opening of year 1 they were 6/5 favourites to win the Championship before a ball was even bounced.

They weren't favourites as they didn't completely live up to the "not 4 not 5 not 6" hype on the court. Their win over the Spurs was huge for their legacy.

LeBron had to do a lot more on the court to win those chips than Durant has had to. But he also set the trend of jumping between stacked teams.

 

[edabomb]

It was an easier path than staying with that Cavs team.
But wouldn't it have been just as much an easy path if he stayed in Cleveland and brought in 2 stars necessary to compete?

Theoretically yes. I think you'd still see some critics saying he can't do it alone - but they'd be in the minority. Going to the Heat he joined a much better run franchise, very attractive location. Much easier to convince free agents to go there.

I know people see the rings as the be all and end all but for the adversity LeBron would have faced staying at the Cavs that's why I'd weight any Championships of huge value.

I was actually quite a big fan of his prior to the Heat move and was hoping for him and the Cavs to come through in 09 and 10.

 

[shiznit]

Theoretically yes. I think you'd still see some critics saying he can't do it alone - but they'd be in the minority. Going to the Heat he joined a much better run franchise, very attractive location. Much easier to convince free agents to go there.

I know people see the rings as the be all and end all but for the adversity LeBron would have faced staying at the Cavs that's why I'd weight any Championships of huge value.

I was actually quite a big fan of his prior to the Heat move and was hoping for him and the Cavs to come through in 09 and 10.

I used to have that opinion but I changed it after thinking abit harder about the whole situation.

Lebron didn’t start the whole ‘superteam’ era... you just had to go back to the KG, Paul Pierce & Ray Allen Celtics to see that.

The only thing Lebron did was take the initiative away from the teams.

I don’t have an issue with that... why should good players have their best years held hostage by shitty team management.