Author Topic: Per Woj: Golden State are "significant frontrunners" on Durant if he leaves OKC  (Read 4475 times)

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Online Donoghus

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This would pretty much ensure that Lebron goes on a Buffalo Bills-esque streak in the NBA Finals. (Which might still happen regardless)

Seriously, though.  I have to wonder if this would become a matter of "too much of a good thing" and question the impact on the phenomenal team chemistry they already have going on in Golden State.

If it worked and fired on all cylinder, though, it'd be amazing to watch.  The ultimate league pass team.


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Offline PhoSita

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That would be preposterous.  But you'd have to think Durant would be concerned about the impression that he's the kid in the pickup game who can't win with his team so he just finds a way to latch onto the already-stacked dominant squad.  Durant doesn't seem to have a lot of ego though, so he might not care.

This does underscore one of the big problems (which some may not see as a problem) with the big salary cap jump - there's a unique opportunity for the most talent-laden teams to still add a superstar or two to the mix.  Whether this specific move happens or not, I'll bet we'll see it somewhere this offseason.

I mean, it worked for LeBron, didn't it?


LeBron more built his own stacked team; this would be closer to finding out who the best team already is and then manipulating your way onto their squad. 

As much as people hated the first approach, the second seems to be much more prone to any success being considered unearned.  I mean, they could win 67-70 games and a ring with Durant and people can still make a good argument that he didn't help them any.

You're right; LeBron still intended to install himself as the best player on that team, and that's how they won those titles.

If Durant joined the Warriors, he'd be willingly relegating himself to a lesser role, simply by necessity.  Only so many guys can take shots on that team, and they've gotten to where they are by having Curry do most of the playmaking and having Draymond pick up the rest.

Now, Andre Iguodala reached the highpoint of his career by doing just that and stepping up into a larger role when the team needed it in the Finals.  I could imagine Durant doing the same thing, only with greater effect.

Still, Durant is an MVP talent, not a borderline All-Star who toiled in a too-large role on teams with no real shot at a title for years and years, like Iguodala.
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Offline PhoSita

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  The ultimate league pass team.

Actually, not so much.  Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Warriors and Spurs when they're in a close game.  But very often I tune into watch them and the game is over after 6-8 minutes.

A really fun 6-8 minutes, but still means that the vast majority of the game is effectively garbage time.

Really, the best league pass teams have a lot of offensive talent but don't defend well enough to put away lesser teams in the first quarter.  Sort of like the Thunder, only the Thunder aren't nearly as fun to watch as they ought to be because too many of their offensive possessions boil down to ugly isos.
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Offline Endless Paradise

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That would be preposterous.  But you'd have to think Durant would be concerned about the impression that he's the kid in the pickup game who can't win with his team so he just finds a way to latch onto the already-stacked dominant squad.  Durant doesn't seem to have a lot of ego though, so he might not care.

This does underscore one of the big problems (which some may not see as a problem) with the big salary cap jump - there's a unique opportunity for the most talent-laden teams to still add a superstar or two to the mix.  Whether this specific move happens or not, I'll bet we'll see it somewhere this offseason.

I mean, it worked for LeBron, didn't it?


LeBron more built his own stacked team; this would be closer to finding out who the best team already is and then manipulating your way onto their squad. 

As much as people hated the first approach, the second seems to be much more prone to any success being considered unearned.  I mean, they could win 67-70 games and a ring with Durant and people can still make a good argument that he didn't help them any.

You're right; LeBron still intended to install himself as the best player on that team, and that's how they won those titles.

If Durant joined the Warriors, he'd be willingly relegating himself to a lesser role, simply by necessity.  Only so many guys can take shots on that team, and they've gotten to where they are by having Curry do most of the playmaking and having Draymond pick up the rest.

Now, Andre Iguodala reached the highpoint of his career by doing just that and stepping up into a larger role when the team needed it in the Finals.  I could imagine Durant doing the same thing, only with greater effect.

Still, Durant is an MVP talent, not a borderline All-Star who toiled in a too-large role on teams with no real shot at a title for years and years, like Iguodala.

Bingo.

Offline saltlover

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I read this article, and was waiting for someone to start a thread on it.  I'd be very curious as to how they're any kind of front runner.  The salary cap still exists.  They could release Thompson and Livingston, who are only partially guaranteed, let all their free agents walk, dump Bogut's contract, and still not have enough room to offer a max contract to Durant.  A sign-and-trade is difficult as well, because a) they don't have much in the way of draft picks to offer (late 1st rounders several years into the future are only so interesting), and b) the most logical trade involves Harrison Barnes going to OKC in return.  Since he's a free agent in his own right, you can't just snap your fingers and make t happen.

They can't be the front-runner just because they want to be.

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  The ultimate league pass team.

Actually, not so much.  Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Warriors and Spurs when they're in a close game.  But very often I tune into watch them and the game is over after 6-8 minutes.

A really fun 6-8 minutes, but still means that the vast majority of the game is effectively garbage time.

Well, it depends on how you define it.  Might not be the most competitive games but from an basketball aesthetics standpoint, its amazing when its firing and entertaining as heck.


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Offline Kane3387

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Honestly the NBA wouldn't be that fun to watch anymore when it's already essentially pre-determined who would win.


Lol you're basically replacing Harrison Barnes with Kevin Durant.


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Offline PhoSita

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  The ultimate league pass team.

Actually, not so much.  Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Warriors and Spurs when they're in a close game.  But very often I tune into watch them and the game is over after 6-8 minutes.

A really fun 6-8 minutes, but still means that the vast majority of the game is effectively garbage time.

Well, it depends on how you define it.  Might not be the most competitive games but from an basketball aesthetics standpoint, its amazing when its firing and entertaining as heck.

I agree with you.  The Warriors are the best team in the league to watch when they are doing their thing.  But, at least for me, it's a little bit of a disappointment when I go to watch them and I look away for a couple of minutes and suddenly it's 28-12 with five minutes left in the first quarter.  So then it's like OK, I guess we're done here . . . .
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Offline Endless Paradise

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I read this article, and was waiting for someone to start a thread on it.  I'd be very curious as to how they're any kind of front runner.  The salary cap still exists.  They could release Thompson and Livingston, who are only partially guaranteed, let all their free agents walk, dump Bogut's contract, and still not have enough room to offer a max contract to Durant.  A sign-and-trade is difficult as well, because a) they don't have much in the way of draft picks to offer (late 1st rounders several years into the future are only so interesting), and b) the most logical trade involves Harrison Barnes going to OKC in return.  Since he's a free agent in his own right, you can't just snap your fingers and make t happen.

They can't be the front-runner just because they want to be.

Bob Myers - the Warriors' GM - was Woj's first guest on his podcast and OKC will be in Oakland this Saturday. This article was definitely a favor for a favor.

Offline Monkhouse

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I read this article, and was waiting for someone to start a thread on it.  I'd be very curious as to how they're any kind of front runner.  The salary cap still exists.  They could release Thompson and Livingston, who are only partially guaranteed, let all their free agents walk, dump Bogut's contract, and still not have enough room to offer a max contract to Durant.  A sign-and-trade is difficult as well, because a) they don't have much in the way of draft picks to offer (late 1st rounders several years into the future are only so interesting), and b) the most logical trade involves Harrison Barnes going to OKC in return.  Since he's a free agent in his own right, you can't just snap your fingers and make t happen.

They can't be the front-runner just because they want to be.

I feel like if it came down to it, they would trade Klay Thompson for Durant.

Klay next to Westbrook would be a nice back court.
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Offline PhoSita

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Honestly the NBA wouldn't be that fun to watch anymore when it's already essentially pre-determined who would win.


Lol you're basically replacing Harrison Barnes with Kevin Durant.

I mean, this year you basically have the Warriors and Spurs.  Maybe the Cavs and Thunder have a chance of shocking the world in a single series, but I feel like this whole season is more or less a build up to Warriors versus Spurs.
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Offline Boris Badenov

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Is it possible that Durant's camp has leaked this, in order to put pressure on OKC to surround him with more talent?

"I care so much about winning that I'll just bolt for the best team in the league...unless we have better talent here" type of thing.

Offline celticsclay

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That would be preposterous.  But you'd have to think Durant would be concerned about the impression that he's the kid in the pickup game who can't win with his team so he just finds a way to latch onto the already-stacked dominant squad.  Durant doesn't seem to have a lot of ego though, so he might not care.

This does underscore one of the big problems (which some may not see as a problem) with the big salary cap jump - there's a unique opportunity for the most talent-laden teams to still add a superstar or two to the mix.  Whether this specific move happens or not, I'll bet we'll see it somewhere this offseason.

I mean, it worked for LeBron, didn't it?


In some ways I wonder if it would be a good idea for the Warriors to mess with a good thing.  But even if it takes time to work things out, exchanging Barnes for Durant in that starting lineup would be incredible.  Maybe they wouldn't win more regular season games, but they'd be pretty much impossible to defeat in the post-season.

Did it really work for Lebron though? His decision probably remains the biggest stain on his career. He is a much more hated player than he ever was in his initial time in in Cleveland and for all that going 2-2 in the finals and getting smoked out of the last one probably wasn't what he was hoping for when he went down there (I really wish, and think it should have been, 1-3).
Now despite his friend Windhorst's best efforts, he looks and sounds more like a jerk than ever with the recent Blatt stuff and seems like he is has officially moved himself away from the conversation of top player ever, to maybe he is a top 5 player.

Right now it seems like a difficult task for Durant to have any more positive of an image. He also could definitely win a title in OKC or a lot of other players as the clear best player. If he does that he gets to enter some of these conversations and become even more popular. 

Offline Who

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Is it possible that Durant's camp has leaked this, in order to put pressure on OKC to surround him with more talent?
Jeez ... how much more talent does Durant need around him?

OKC is loaded with talent.

Online Donoghus

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That would be preposterous.  But you'd have to think Durant would be concerned about the impression that he's the kid in the pickup game who can't win with his team so he just finds a way to latch onto the already-stacked dominant squad.  Durant doesn't seem to have a lot of ego though, so he might not care.

This does underscore one of the big problems (which some may not see as a problem) with the big salary cap jump - there's a unique opportunity for the most talent-laden teams to still add a superstar or two to the mix.  Whether this specific move happens or not, I'll bet we'll see it somewhere this offseason.

I mean, it worked for LeBron, didn't it?


In some ways I wonder if it would be a good idea for the Warriors to mess with a good thing.  But even if it takes time to work things out, exchanging Barnes for Durant in that starting lineup would be incredible.  Maybe they wouldn't win more regular season games, but they'd be pretty much impossible to defeat in the post-season.

Did it really work for Lebron though? His decision probably remains the biggest stain on his career. He is a much more hated player than he ever was in his initial time in in Cleveland and for all that going 2-2 in the finals and getting smoked out of the last one probably wasn't what he was hoping for when he went down there (I really wish, and think it should have been, 1-3).
Now despite his friend Windhorst's best efforts, he looks and sounds more like a jerk than ever with the recent Blatt stuff and seems like he is has officially moved himself away from the conversation of top player ever, to maybe he is a top 5 player.

Right now it seems like a difficult task for Durant to have any more positive of an image. He also could definitely win a title in OKC or a lot of other players as the clear best player. If he does that he gets to enter some of these conversations and become even more popular.

I think the way that Lebron handled himself in the summer of 2010 was his biggest mistake.  Starting with the televised "Decision" and snowballing with the Heatles stuff and the bold proclamations of "Not one, etc...." 

Prior to that, he wasn't nearly as polarizing a figure or nearly as hated.

The latest stuff with Blatt (and using Windhorst as his mouthpiece) hasn't exactly helped matters for him.

But it was a different story prior to summer of 2010.  Durant could pull his off without looking like the villain if he just doesn't act the part of Lebron circa 2010.


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