NBA 2021-22---- NBA LEGEND Bill Russell 1934-2022 RIP

[bosk1]

There is just something off about Durant and never mind his age that makes me shy away from wanting him on a team I follow.  Kyrie on the other hand is a team destroyer who is so self centered and I live for him failing and failing again. 

Yeah, I can't disagree with any of that.

[Samsara]

I'm so tired of KD, Kyrie, and their drama. Not to mention Harden.

There's no denying their talent. Both are future HOFers. But KD is such a drama queen and sensitive AF. Kyrie is just a team killer. He's a nutjob who destroys every squad he goes to. Harden - ditto.

I love this era of free agency, but absolutely hate how empowered the players are.

Anyway...after some reflection. I am thrilled by the Wolves getting Gobert. The players...they are all bench players, and the Wolves are still deep 1-10 if you know their roster. My worry is the picks and swaps. But, if you're going to go for it, go for it. I see the league starting to trend back to big men, and the Warriors win aside, I think the Wolves are right at the forefront of that shift back to a larger front line. I have a ton of faith in Chris Finch to devise a system that really works well for them. Huge thumbs up from this OG Timberwolves fanatic.

[bosk1]

Would love to see them in contention. 

Not sure the big man model is a model for getting ring until the current Warriors lineup is done, but we'll see.  The Dubs have gone small and now been in six of the last eight Finals, winning four.  So the small model is not something new.  With Klay having a full offseason to get back to himself, I think they will still be a problem for a lot of teams for the next few years, provided they can stay healthy. 

[KevShmev]

Gonna be hilarious if the Nets end up not trading Durant and Irving, and both of those clowns get stuck in Brooklyn.  If I am the Nets, no way am I giving Durant away just because he wants out.  He signed a contract, so I wouldn't trade him unless I got an absolute haul back, and what teams will be able to give them what they will want. 

[Lonk]

Would love to see them in contention. 

Not sure the big man model is a model for getting ring until the current Warriors lineup is done, but we'll see.  The Dubs have gone small and now been in six of the last eight Finals, winning three Four.  So the small model is not something new.  With Klay having a full offseason to get back to himself, I think they will still be a problem for a lot of teams for the next few years, provided they can stay healthy.

FTFY

[bosk1]

Oops.  Yes.

[Lonk]

But speaking of Durant, I just can't see a good trade for him, at least not for a team with a chance to win a title.

I actually liked Brooklyn, but it feels like they just had a trail of bad decisions in the past decade, starting with the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade.

[bosk1]

I'll root against Brooklyn so long as Kyrie is there.  As far as Durant, I really want to root for him even after leaving the Warriors.  But the problem is, although he hasn't really done anything to make me dislike him, he hasn't done a lot since going to Brooklyn to make me like him either. 

Overall, I'm mostly glad he is no longer on the Warriors.  When he was there, I think they had one of the scariest, most potent offenses ever.  But they just couldn't afford any depth off the bench with him on the payroll, and I think it caught up with them that last season with him.  I just wonder whether he will come to realize just how good he had it there, and that he will not likely find that again with any other team as far as being surrounded by superstars while simultaneously having said superstars give him plenty of room to shine individually, and having a system in place where that actually works.

[Azyiu]

I'll root against Brooklyn so long as Kyrie is there. 

Or do you root against him anywhere? As a Lakers fan I am not sure if I want him in LA.

As far as Durant, I really want to root for him even after leaving the Warriors.  But the problem is, although he hasn't really done anything to make me dislike him, he hasn't done a lot since going to Brooklyn to make me like him either. 

Overall, I'm mostly glad he is no longer on the Warriors.  When he was there, I think they had one of the scariest, most potent offenses ever.  But they just couldn't afford any depth off the bench with him on the payroll, and I think it caught up with them that last season with him.  I just wonder whether he will come to realize just how good he had it there, and that he will not likely find that again with any other team as far as being surrounded by superstars while simultaneously having said superstars give him plenty of room to shine individually, and having a system in place where that actually works.

Agreed, but I don't think he will acknowledge he had a good thing going in the Bay Area to save face.

[bosk1]

I'll root against Brooklyn so long as Kyrie is there. 

Or do you root against him anywhere?

Yeah, sorry, I thought that was relatively clear.  I just root against him.  It would be tough if he were to go to a team I actually like. 

[King Postwhore]

I don't think it's hard to imagine a large % of NBA fans root against Kyrie as he derails his 3rd team.

[Azyiu]

I don't think it's hard to imagine a large % of NBA fans root against Kyrie as he derails his 3rd team.

Yep, that is why I don't know if I want him at all. He is also as "part-time" player as you can get.

[King Postwhore]

I don't think it's hard to imagine a large % of NBA fans root against Kyrie as he derails his 3rd team.

Yep, that is why I don't know if I want him at all. He is also as "part-time" player as you can get.

His ego is the biggest problem.  He's a guy that's his own worst enemy that affects all around him.

[Samsara]

His ego is the biggest problem.  He's a guy that's his own worst enemy that affects all around him.

I don't think it's ego as much as it is selfishness. It always has to be about him. He doesn't try to make anyone better. It's all about how can others can take heat off him so he can win.

[King Postwhore]

His ego is the biggest problem.  He's a guy that's his own worst enemy that affects all around him.

I don't think it's ego as much as it is selfishness. It always has to be about him. He doesn't try to make anyone better. It's all about how can others can take heat off him so he can win.

For sure he's selfish.  No doubt.  He also has a sense of entitlement and looks down at others. 

I love hearing him pontificate.  He wants to come off as a smart man but sound like a guy who isn't that smart.  Not articulate for a smart guy. 

[Azyiu]

For sure he's selfish.  No doubt.  He also has a sense of entitlement and looks down at others. 

I love hearing him pontificate.  He wants to come off as a smart man but sound like a guy who isn't that smart.  Not articulate for a smart guy.

No man believes the Earth is flat is a smart individual. 

[King Postwhore]

You and I know that. 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I had this friend (keyword "had") who was always a bit of a slacker but as an adult graduated to an even higher level of sloth. Long story short, he basically spends his days living in his Mom's basement where he tries to make YouTube videos about living life to the fullest. He's an aspiring professional life coach whose life is in complete shambles, and every couple of years, he gets "inspired" (i.e., money from his Mom) to embark on a "personal growth adventure" (i.e., a vacation) that just happens to occur at some tropical getaway. The best part is how each one of these episodes results in 1,000-word Instagram dissertation about "discovering what's important in life" and the "power of personal choice".

Kyrie is basically just my old friend except he's absolutely filthy at basketball.

[King Postwhore]

 

[dparrott]

Gonna be hilarious if the Nets end up not trading Durant and Irving, and both of those clowns get stuck in Brooklyn.  If I am the Nets, no way am I giving Durant away just because he wants out.  He signed a contract, so I wouldn't trade him unless I got an absolute haul back, and what teams will be able to give them what they will want.

Two deadweights who don't want to be there.  Great.    They'll probably find excuses not to play.

[Azyiu]

It sucks being a Nets fan now. You not only have two stars who don't want to be there, and beyond those two you only have Ben Simmons left. Oh, and I feel bad for Seth Curry too.

[bosk1]

So sorry, man.  I feel for you.

Honestly, I think Durant is just the wrong guy to guild a team around.  As good as he is, he not only needs good pieces around him, but he needs the right pieces.  I think it's telling that, while he was with the Warriors and shortly after (while he was still riding the wave of success from there), the narrative surrounding him was couched in terms of him being in discussions for "the best player in the NBA."  Now, it is back to him being "one of the best."  Sure, a narrative is just a narrative, and they oftentimes aren't worth a hill of beans.  But I think there's a truth hidden in there.  As good as Durant is, he's not a LeBron that can take a team on his back and lead them to a championship.  (and neither is Irving, but I'm focusing on Durant at the moment)  It almost worked a couple of times when he was at OKC and had Westbrook.  He had it at Golden State, within their system.  Outside of Golden State, I don't see him getting back unless he teams up with LeBron.  I'm not sure what other player can provide the simultaneous leadership, skill, and deference to allow KD to shine.  Not saying he can never win again.  He might catch lightning in a bottle and get a one-off ring.  But it's hard for me to imagine him having sustained success.  That's what I see for him.  But all that being said, guys a lot smarter than me don't have it figured out, so what do I know?

[King Postwhore]

Lebron said this weekend that Boston is racist.   Glad an owner for the Red Sox is willing to except money from racists.

[KevShmev]

Lebron said this weekend that Boston is racist.   Glad an owner for the Red Sox is willing to except money from racists.

As more times goes on, LeBron comes off like a guy who sounds like an idiot any time he speaks.  Unbelievable player, with great basketball smarts, but not a very bright guy otherwise, apparently.

[King Postwhore]

I know there is racism in Boston.  Just like anywhere in America.  It's disgusting.

The fact that most think the epicenter of racism is in Boston is so far off. 

You only hear of racism from sport stars. When was the last time you saw racism in Boston in the media? 

I can rail off so many other cities but blame Boston.   I'm tired of it. It's everywhere and they are assholes. 

[KevShmev]

I'm actually shocked that LBJ would come out and flat say that he hates playing in Boston because of it.  I am sure he gets booed loudly there anyway, but he's gonna get the Draymond Green treatment now going forward after saying that.  And all it will take is one idiot yelling something he takes the wrong way for the race card to be played, and Boston will be the villain and James the victim.  Just wait.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

If LBJ put a little more nuance into his words, I don't think he would get as much criticism as he does.

For example, "Of all the cities I have played in during my career, I have had more problems with racism in Boston than any other" is not something anyone can really get mad about if that's truly his experience. "Boston is racist" is just .

He's said so many things like that over the past couple of years. He also operates almost exclusively within his own media bubble and almost never does interviews in any setting where he's not 100% in control, so he never truly has to explain his thoughts. I'm not an MJ fan but he's at least done a few interviews where he actually had to elaborate and think about what he was saying.

[King Postwhore]

Listen to is. The question wasn't even about racism. He brought it up.  Funny though, 2 years ago he said he never heard anything racist.

That's what upsets fans.

[TAC]

It was a lazy insult.

[Azyiu]

I'd much rather he stays quiet and just play ball. He sounds either biased or completely uneducated on the topic most of the time. Oh, yet he never once talked about China. I guess the taste of RMB must be so damn good 

[T-ski]

One year ago today the Milwaukee Bucks became NBA Champions.

That is all.

[bosk1]

Looking at the list of NBA championships since 1947, a few observations:

-I never realized how many teams have NOT won it.  Only 20 teams have rings (counting different iterations of the same team, such as counting the Seattle Supersonics and OKC Thunder as the same team), and only 11 have more than one. 
-The Lakers and Celtics historically dominated.  I was already kind of aware of that, but only as far back as the late '70s and into the '80s.  Each had basically two big runs during that time when they were back in the finals repeatedly, with the Lakers doing it with the Magic/Kareem and Kobe/Shaq teams, and the Celtics doing it with the Bird and Pierce/Garnett teams.  But that, literally, isn't the half of it.  32 total appearances with17 wins for the Lakers and 22 appearances with 17 wins for the Celtics.  No other team is even close to that (the Warriors are next with 7 wins out of 12 appearances).  That's pretty amazing.
-Looking at players that have won multiple titles, I was floor by the ludicrous number that Bill Russell and a few others have.  Obviously, he was before my time, so I never actually watched him play.  But related to point #2, I wasn't really aware of how dominant the Celtics were early on.  Looking at players with more than Jordan's six rings, almost everybody on that list was part of that early Celtics run, with Russell topping the list at 11.  Horry is the only other person [with 7], who lucked into playing on three different teams to win multiple rings each.  I guess the stat about him being the only non-Celtic to win that many is commonly known, but it was news to me.
-When you look at teams that had sustained Finals appearance runs, I tend to think of certain pairings where teams faced off against the same opponent repeatedly, such as Lakers/Celtics in the '80s or Warriors/Cavs recently.  It was interesting to note that the Spurs didn't really have that repeat Finals nemesis, and beat 5 different teams.  Then I realized that the Bulls' run with Jordan was kinda similar in that the only team they faced more than once out of their six appearances was Utah, and that was only twice. 

[KevShmev]

Predictably, Nick Wright (of FS1) put Michael Jordan at number 3 on his list of 50 greatest NBA players of the last 50 years, and his name ended up trending all day on Twitter because MJ fans are so irrational any time anyone doesn't drop to their knees and genuflect to the actual number 23 that they were trashing him all day.

Wright's main point makes total sense, though: MJ, LeBron and Kareem all have a strong argument to be the GOAT, so when listing them as the top 3 of the last 50 years, one of them has to finish at 3. 

[T-ski]

Reports the Celtics have offered Jaylen Brown and more for Durant.

Interesting.

[Azyiu]

I think the deal is dead for now. The Nets also want Marcus Smart to be included.