WOJ BOMB

[wildturkey]

Pretty smart move by Woj. He just launched a website and he released this "news" today to page views. I say "news" because this rumor has actually been out there for awhile now. I know I've seen it on rumor sites and I'm fairly certain Zach Lowe has talked about it before.

 

[OregonDucks]

Pretty smart move by Woj. He just launched a website and he released this "news" today to page views. I say "news" because this rumor has actually been out there for awhile now. I know I've seen it on rumor sites and I'm fairly certain Zach Lowe has talked about it before.

Guy is highly reputable and usually always breaks news first. I don't think he would put his reputation on the line for some cheap click bait.

 

[OregonDucks]

I've heard/read scenarios as to where the money could work.

Should it happen, in all seriousness, it would prob lead to James retiring early.
He doesn't play for the need of money, he doesn't care about the regular season, he's done winning league MVP.
It's all about rings, and his shot of ever winning another one would diminish by leaps and bounds.

OR he could be a competitor by trying to derail that dream team and form a team of all-stars himself like joining Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, etc. .....oh..

 

[trojanfan12]

Guy is highly reputable and usually always breaks news first. I don't think he would put his reputation on the line for some cheap click bait.

Speculation, which is what the Durant/GSW talk is, doesn't do anything to anyone's reputation unless it's completely stupid, "OKC is interested in trading Durant straight up with the Lakers for Robert Sacre" level stupid. Outside of that, as long as there is a logical way it could happen, it's just speculation.

Now, if he comes out and says, he knows for certain that GSW is where Durant intends to sign, that would qualify as news.

So, you're right, it is click bait. But it's not click bait that will hurt his reputation if it doesn't happen.

 

[trojanfan12]

OR he could be a competitor by trying to derail that dream team and form a team of all-stars himself like joining Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, etc. .....oh..

Now you're just being mean.

 

[CitySushi]

Speculation, which is what the Durant/GSW talk is, doesn't do anything to anyone's reputation unless it's completely stupid, "OKC is interested in trading Durant straight up with the Lakers for Robert Sacre" level stupid. Outside of that, as long as there is a logical way it could happen, it's just speculation.

Now, if he comes out and says, he knows for certain that GSW is where Durant intends to sign, that would qualify as news.

So, you're right, it is click bait. But it's not click bait that will hurt his reputation if it doesn't happen.

I tend to put more weight into it when he cited his league sources. This guy has the best sources of any one in the NBA and I don't think he'd take lightly to using that phrase if it wasn't what he was hearing from legitimate people.

 

[trojanfan12]

I tend to put more weight into it when he cited his league sources. This guy has the best sources of any one in the NBA and I don't think he'd take lightly to using that phrase if it wasn't what he was hearing from legitimate people.

Yeah, I tend to put more stock in Woj as well. But end of the day, it's still speculation. According to some on here (not me), Stephen A. has some great sources around the league and he said that the Lakers have been led to believe that they are the frontrunner for KD.

I'm sure that every team in the league that is currently or will be under the cap is busy putting together their KD sales pitch as we speak.

At the same time, every team that is currently over the cap is busily trying to figure out who they can unload to create cap space or how to possibly work a sign and trade while working on their own KD sales pitch.

Heck, Lebron probably has his own group of cap experts working on a way to get KD to Cleveland so he can have more help.

 

[CitySushi]

Here's a dark-horse team that no one is currently mentioning: Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks would likely have to let Horford walk, but they would have enough cap space to sign Durant almost outright. They could have a starting lineup of Teague, Korver, Durant, Millsap and Splitter, with Bazemore, Schroeder, Thabo, coming off the bench. The Hawks would definitely need to address their front court depth, and depending on what they want to do with Teague he could be an interesting trade piece.

It works for Durant in multiple ways. The Hawks system rivals that of the Spurs and Warriors, although on a slightly different scale. Durant would thrive in that sort of offense. He would come in and still be the alpha, and it wouldn't tarnish his legacy at all. He would also be going to the East, where it would be considerably easier for him to make the Finals for a shot at a title. Lastly Coach Bud would be able to maximize his skill set to get the most out of his abilities. He would hands down be the best coach Durant would ever have had as a professional.

The Hawks would have the flexibility to go small with Millsap at the 5 and Durant at the 4 to cause mismatches. You have a knock down shooter in Korver. But most importantly whether or not it's Teague or Schroeder, both are play makers more than scorers. They can facilitate an offense around Durant and most importantly share the ball.

If I'm Durant, these would be my preferences:

1) OKC, with a 2-year deal similar to Lebron's with opt outs every year. They would give it to him.
2) Atlanta Hawks
3) Warriors
4) Washington

 

[trojanfan12]

Here's a dark-horse team that no one is currently mentioning: Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks would likely have to let Horford walk, but they would have enough cap space to sign Durant almost outright. They could have a starting lineup of Teague, Korver, Durant, Millsap and Splitter, with Bazemore, Schroeder, Thabo, coming off the bench. The Hawks would definitely need to address their front court depth, and depending on what they want to do with Teague he could be an interesting trade piece.

It works for Durant in multiple ways. The Hawks system rivals that of the Spurs and Warriors, although on a slightly different scale. Durant would thrive in that sort of offense. He would come in and still be the alpha, and it wouldn't tarnish his legacy at all. He would also be going to the East, where it would be considerably easier for him to make the Finals for a shot at a title. Lastly Coach Bud would be able to maximize his skill set to get the most out of his abilities. He would hands down be the best coach Durant would ever have had as a professional.

The Hawks would have the flexibility to go small with Millsap at the 5 and Durant at the 4 to cause mismatches. You have a knock down shooter in Korver. But most importantly whether or not it's Teague or Schroeder, both are play makers more than scorers. They can facilitate an offense around Durant and most importantly share the ball.

If I'm Durant, these would be my preferences:

1) OKC, with a 2-year deal similar to Lebron's with opt outs every year. They would give it to him.
2) Atlanta Hawks
3) Warriors
4) Washington

The Hawks are an interesting possible destination, even if they have to let Horford walk (to the Lakers ).

Good young core group coming off an ECF appearance and while the East has improved, it's still not the gauntlet that the West is. Basically, the Cavs would be the only real obstacle in their way.

 

[LAD]

League would veto

And at the very least Gilbert would be writing another long book to the league on why it would be unfair to the rest of the teams.

 

[LAD]

Here's a dark-horse team that no one is currently mentioning: Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks would likely have to let Horford walk, but they would have enough cap space to sign Durant almost outright. They could have a starting lineup of Teague, Korver, Durant, Millsap and Splitter, with Bazemore, Schroeder, Thabo, coming off the bench. The Hawks would definitely need to address their front court depth, and depending on what they want to do with Teague he could be an interesting trade piece.

It works for Durant in multiple ways. The Hawks system rivals that of the Spurs and Warriors, although on a slightly different scale. Durant would thrive in that sort of offense. He would come in and still be the alpha, and it wouldn't tarnish his legacy at all. He would also be going to the East, where it would be considerably easier for him to make the Finals for a shot at a title. Lastly Coach Bud would be able to maximize his skill set to get the most out of his abilities. He would hands down be the best coach Durant would ever have had as a professional.

The Hawks would have the flexibility to go small with Millsap at the 5 and Durant at the 4 to cause mismatches. You have a knock down shooter in Korver. But most importantly whether or not it's Teague or Schroeder, both are play makers more than scorers. They can facilitate an offense around Durant and most importantly share the ball.

If I'm Durant, these would be my preferences:

1) OKC, with a 2-year deal similar to Lebron's with opt outs every year. They would give it to him.
2) Atlanta Hawks
3) Warriors
4) Washington

Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if he doesn't go to the Warriors. But if KD wants to win why would he consider ATL over the Warriors?

 

[CitySushi]

Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if he doesn't go to the Warriors. But if KD wants to win why would he consider ATL over the Warriors?

Please read my actual post. I addressed all of this.

 

[LAD]

Please read my actual post. I addressed all of this.

What I read was a lot of "if's". So again I have to ask, If KD wants to win why would he choose ATL over the Warriors? In ATL there would still be a LOT of things that have to go right before they're contending in a Finals...I mean in the East he'd have to get past LBJ to even make the Finals, no?

Lets say he makes it out of the East, that doesn't guarantee him a title. He still has to face whatever team comes out of the West. But again, why do all of that-without any guarantee he'll be more successful there than where he is now-if he can go to the Warriors where they're ALREADY on a winning path?

 

[LAD]

Please read my actual post. I addressed all of this.

Also, it doesn't appear that KD is worried about being the alpha dog. That's RW with that hang up.

 

[CitySushi]

What I read was a lot of "if's". So again I have to ask, If KD wants to win why would he choose ATL over the Warriors? In ATL there would still be a LOT of things that have to go right before they're contending in a Finals...I mean in the East he'd have to get past LBJ to even make the Finals, no?

Lets say he makes it out of the East, that doesn't guarantee him a title. He still has to face whatever team comes out of the West. But again, why do all of that-without any guarantee he'll be more successful there than where he is now-if he can go to the Warriors where they're ALREADY on a winning path?

Isn't the whole point of this thing "ifs"? Nobody knows where KD will end up.

If you put KD on the Warriors does that mean they automatically win the championship? Lots of things have to go right in the first place just to get him on the Warriors. More so, than the Hawks being able to simply sign him as a free agent. There's many more "ifs" to him becoming a Warrior than becoming a Hawk.

There are no guarantees in the NBA. The Hawks make sense because as much as he wants to win a championship, I'm sure KD still has pride in being a top 3 player in the NBA. If KD really wanted to chase a championship that bad, he'd sign a deal for less and allow the Warriors to keep their core intact. That's not happening.

Signing with the Hawks gives KD a better opportunity to get to a finals and win a championship than virtually every team other than the Warriors. The biggest part of this is that he doesn't sacrifice a thing. He doesn't sacrifice touches. He doesn't sacrifice roster talent. He doesn't sacrifice a pay cut. He doesn't sacrifice his legacy.

3 of the 4 of the above would have to take place just to have KD assimilate well to the Warriors. I'm sure he's capable of doing that, but he's still in his prime and capable of being a leader on a championship level team.

 

[LAD]

Isn't the whole point of this thing "ifs"? Nobody knows where KD will end up.

If you put KD on the Warriors does that mean they automatically win the championship? Lots of things have to go right in the first place just to get him on the Warriors. More so, than the Hawks being able to simply sign him as a free agent. There's many more "ifs" to him becoming a Warrior than becoming a Hawk.

There are no guarantees in the NBA. The Hawks make sense because as much as he wants to win a championship, I'm sure KD still has pride in being a top 3 player in the NBA. If KD really wanted to chase a championship that bad, he'd sign a deal for less and allow the Warriors to keep their core intact. That's not happening.

Signing with the Hawks gives KD a better opportunity to get to a finals and win a championship than virtually every team other than the Warriors. The biggest part of this is that he doesn't sacrifice a thing. He doesn't sacrifice touches. He doesn't sacrifice roster talent. He doesn't sacrifice a pay cut. He doesn't sacrifice his legacy.

3 of the 4 of the above would have to take place just to have KD assimilate well to the Warriors. I'm sure he's capable of doing that, but he's still in his prime and capable of being a leader on a championship level team.

A couple of things- First off I'm 39 years old and know that just about ANYTHING worth having has involved some kind of sacrafice. Not having to sacrafice should be the last thing on his mind if he's truly committed to winning.

He's barely had to sacrafice while being in OKC and has that gotten him any closer to winning a title? No. He's been the man in OKC and has that gotten him any closer to winning a title? No. One would think that with their TEAM style of play they've shown others that working together to achieve one common goal pays dividends.

Second, yes there are ifs in every situation. But why would he go into a situation with the Hawks-that will end up proving to be the harder path to winning-because that's where his ego would take the lesser hit?
He will still have to face LBJ & the Cavs in the East. Are you suggesting that if KD goes to ATL that would automatically catapult them to be front runners in that conference? The other side of that coin is that is exactly what happens if he goes to the Warriors. They already have a proven winning blueprint.

Finally I never suggested him going to the Warriors would "guarantee" anything. I said that's his best chance at winning. Emphasis on the word CHANCE. He's already been in the league a long time and has exactly ONE Finals appearance despite playing next to arguably a future HOFer. He doesn't exactly have time on his side, yet you'd suggest he go to ATL where he'd have to allow time for that squad to come together enough to compete for a title. When you factor in things like allowing for team chemistry & the other competition in that conference (LBJ & Cavs-who BTW have extreme pressure to win NOW) this just doesn't seem like the best option IMO, when the Warriors could make room for him.

But this all only makes sense if he's truly concerned with winning first rather than his own personal achievments.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Having a team with superstars at every position doesn't automatically mean you're going to win the title. Anyhow, GS are the current champions and will probably repeat.

Why give a guy a $30m a year contract when he, AT BEST, won't make any difference at all in regards to total wins and championships? Would Durant make the current Warriors team better than the 44-4 they are now?

 

[LAD]

Having a team with superstars at every position doesn't automatically mean you're going to win the title. Anyhow, GS are the current champions and will probably repeat.

Why give a guy a $30m a year contract when he, AT BEST, won't make any difference at all in regards to total wins and championships? Would Durant make the current Warriors team better than the 44-4 they are now?

Nobody can predict how many championships they will or will not win. But, the potential for it to happen is pretty significant.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Nobody can predict how many championships they will or will not win. But, the potential for it to happen is pretty significant.

All i'm saying is, if it aint broke, don't fix it! $30m a year is a LOT of money to spend for a Top 5 player that really wouldn't make much difference to the team.

Plus, would Durant be happy being the #2 option? Or possibly even #3 if they give preference to Klay.

 

[CitySushi]

A couple of things- First off I'm 39 years old and know that just about ANYTHING worth having has involved some kind of sacrafice. Not having to sacrafice should be the last thing on his mind if he's truly committed to winning.

He's barely had to sacrafice while being in OKC and has that gotten him any closer to winning a title? No. He's been the man in OKC and has that gotten him any closer to winning a title? No. One would think that with their TEAM style of play they've shown others that working together to achieve one common goal pays dividends.

Second, yes there are ifs in every situation. But why would he go into a situation with the Hawks-that will end up proving to be the harder path to winning-because that's where his ego would take the lesser hit?
He will still have to face LBJ & the Cavs in the East. Are you suggesting that if KD goes to ATL that would automatically catapult them to be front runners in that conference? The other side of that coin is that is exactly what happens if he goes to the Warriors. They already have a proven winning blueprint.

Finally I never suggested him going to the Warriors would "guarantee" anything. I said that's his best chance at winning. Emphasis on the word CHANCE. He's already been in the league a long time and has exactly ONE Finals appearance despite playing next to arguably a future HOFer. He doesn't exactly have time on his side, yet you'd suggest he go to ATL where he'd have to allow time for that squad to come together enough to compete for a title. When you factor in things like allowing for team chemistry & the other competition in that conference (LBJ & Cavs-who BTW have extreme pressure to win NOW) this just doesn't seem like the best option IMO, when the Warriors could make room for him.

But this all only makes sense if he's truly concerned with winning first rather than his own personal achievments.

I think you're under estimating one thing: competitive nature.

These guys are professional athletes who thrive on competition. In the last 40 years in the NBA, only recently has it been "common" for athletes to try and team up to form super teams.

The time for KD to gel with the Hawks would be the exact same it would take for him to gel with the Warriors. The Warriors may win more games in the interim because of pure talent, but for the teams to be clicking on all cylinders it would take the same amount of time.

Don't know how familiar you are with the Hawks, but the system they run is nearly identical to the Warriors/Spurs (Coach Bud is a former Spurs asst). It obviously has different elements, but the principles are there. Everyone seems to forget the Hawks just last year made the ECF, with a 60+ win season. Yes they were swept, but if you put KD on that team, you don't think that makes a difference?

All I'm saying is that the Hawks make an intriguing destination point. If you want to argue that the Warriors should just be the favorite destination, that's cool, I don't have a real rebuttal to that. All of my points have been fairly logical in reasoning and nothing really out of line. If you're looking for a pure hierachy of where KD should go if he wants a championship, it should go: Warriors, Spurs, Cavs, Retire.