"Players will consider going to the East, for sure" (article)

[wdleehi]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/05/28/anonymous-nba-player-is-reportedly-pretty-sure-kevin-durant-will-join-the-wizards/

    "Players will consider going to the East, for sure," one Western Conference player told Basketball Insiders. "The East is down right now and the West is a dogfight. The seventh- or eighth-seeded team in the West could possibly make the Eastern Conference Finals with how things are now."

    "It wouldn't be a bad idea [to join an East team]," added another NBA player. "I'm pretty sure Kevin Durant is going to start it off and go home to [the Washington Wizards in] D.C."

One can hope.  Makes the Celtics that much more attractive to potential FA.

[Sievers81]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

[D.o.s.]

That's a little disingenuous, though: looking over it quickly it looks like the only team LeBron didn't beat (either because he lost to them or because they were eliminated before they played CLE) were the Magic, Pistons, and us.

So even if he'd won out the highest he could rate on that chart is like an 11... which he can't control, so it seems a little unfair to hold that against him.

[GratefulCs]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

when i look around on real gm, everyone is talking about how "he can't help it if he doesn't have any competition." Or "it's not his fault the east sucks"


Yes, it is his fault


He made the east suck BIG time when he took bosh from a playoff team, took himself from a playoff team, and went to a different playoff team, dismanling the east in the process. Taking most of the best players in the east with him.

THEN ditching those guys to be with some of the newer best players and pretending he's doing it out of honor

[biggs]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

when i look around on real gm, everyone is talking about how "he can't help it if he doesn't have any competition." Or "it's not his fault the east sucks"


Yes, it is his fault


He made the east suck BIG time when he took bosh from a playoff team, took himself from a playoff team, and went to a different playoff team, dismanling the east in the process. Taking most of the best players in the east with him.

THEN ditching those guys to be with some of the newer best players and pretending he's doing it out of honor

TP +1 nice username 

[wdleehi]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

when i look around on real gm, everyone is talking about how "he can't help it if he doesn't have any competition." Or "it's not his fault the east sucks"


Yes, it is his fault


He made the east suck BIG time when he took bosh from a playoff team, took himself from a playoff team, and went to a different playoff team, dismanling the east in the process. Taking most of the best players in the east with him.

THEN ditching those guys to be with some of the newer best players and pretending he's doing it out of honor

Neither Bosh nor Wade were on teams close to winning 50 games at that point. 


Lebron lack of top competition in the East has everything to do with the running of those other teams, not Lebron personal FA choice. 

[wdleehi]

And was Irving playing with a 50 win team?  No.  He was on a team with it's 2nd straight 1st pick in the draft.



If anything, Lebron helped bring top talent out of the West into the East when they got Love. 

[D.o.s.]

The blame for the Heat should be placed on Pat Riley, not LeBron.

[sed522002]

I think some will consider the East, especially if they're young and want individual accolades. It's so tough in the West that some really good players are left off the list for All Stars, All-NBA etc and they'd be starting in the East. I think the disparity of the conferences will even out in a few years.

[bdm860]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

Wait, you mean to tell me that the guys with 5-6 championships and several more years of experience have beaten more good opponents than the guy with only 2 rings and fewer years in the league?

After they won their second championship, this is how many 50 win teams they had beaten:
Kobe - 9 or 10 (was the 50 game season adjusted for?)
Jordan - 8
Duncan - 5 or 7 (again, was the 50 game season adjusted for?)

So to me it looks like LeBron is right on pace with those guys (though he'll be a little behind if he wins his 3rd ring this year, as Kobe and Jordan had beaten 3 additional 50 win teams, and Duncan 4 more, when they won their 3rd rings.

[Endless Paradise]

No, it's not a player's job or responsibility to keep the league "evenly competitive," so no, it's absolutely not LeBron's fault the East has sucked since he came into the league.

[bdm860]

I feel like the West has been much better than the East since Jordan retired (highlighted by the 49 win Nets making the Finals in '03 and the Knicks with a .540 win percentage, equivalent to 44 wins, making the Finals in '99), it's not like this is a new development.

The West has been a beast for 15+ years, and I don't really feel it's affected free agent moves thus far, so I wouldn't hold my breath on it impacting free agent moves going forward.  I'm not saying players don't consider it at all, but it's not something that's really going to move the needle and give teams like Boston a leg up over other franchises.

[Moranis]

This about crappy GM's plain and simple.  I mean lets look at the multiple time all stars that have switched conferences in the last 5ish years.

Carmelo - Denver to NY
Love - Minnesota to Cle
Amare - Phoenix to NY
Gasol - LA to Chi
Howard - Orlando to LA
Rondo - Boston to Dallas (though Rondo is far from an all star level player at this point)

That is pretty much it.  I mean I guess a guy like Garnett technically counts but he was so far away from all star play there is no point in mentioning him.  Then you have guys like Al Jefferson going from the West to the East as well.

The reality is the Western teams have all pretty much just drafted better.  Davis, Durant, Westbrook, Kobe, Duncan, Leonard, Aldridge, Lillard, Curry, etc. 

[JBcat]

The Mavs and Spurs may soon fade with Dirk and Duncan nearing retirement but even still the other top teams Clippers, Rockets, Warriors, Thunder, and Grizzlies have a young enough core that they should remain top teams for the foreseeable future.  I may give a little pause to the Gruzzlies as Randolph is getting older, and Gasol is now entering his 30's.  Even some of the other teams Pelicans, Kings, and Jazz are showing promise with their youth.

[JohnBoy65]

Yes I know Jordan was in the East too, but still an interesting stat that ESPN put up yesterday when everyone in the media was enamored with LeBron making 5 straight Finals (still pretty impressive);

Number of 50+ win teams they've eliminated in the postseason:
1. Kobe - 24
2. Jordan - 20
3. Duncan -18

LeBron - 7

when i look around on real gm, everyone is talking about how "he can't help it if he doesn't have any competition." Or "it's not his fault the east sucks"


Yes, it is his fault


He made the east suck BIG time when he took bosh from a playoff team, took himself from a playoff team, and went to a different playoff team, dismanling the east in the process. Taking most of the best players in the east with him.

THEN ditching those guys to be with some of the newer best players and pretending he's doing it out of honor

So we should blame Paul Pierce for taking 2 pretty good players from the west in 07?