Why in the hell is Durant talking smack to the OKC bench?

[Scapegoat]

So far his fg percentage is up from career stats. That will level out I'm sure.

He's playing on a team with two other shooters spreading the floor. It has nothing to do with Curry making him better. Any two shooters would create the same result. OKC was using durant as their shooter. Same reason Curry and Klay helped each other last season. Nut kicker also helps spread the floor. OKC has a great PG but he isn't a great shooter. They have a strong inside game with Adams and Kanter. The flaw in their design is they were relying on a player to carry them in that aspect of their game who was mentally incapable of carrying that load.

 

[Scapegoat]

The real number to watch is true shooting percentage. I expect KD's to be higher this year because of the ball movement. If true at season's end, that would be evidence that Russ did not make KD better.

I don't want to get into an argument with you tlance. We go way back. But I can guarantee I've seen more of OKC than you have. The Russ vs durant debate is a touchy subject with me.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

I don't want to get into an argument with you tlance. We go way back. But I can guarantee I've seen more of OKC than you have. The Russ vs durant debate is a touchy subject with me.

It is kind of weird to say a team has too much talent.

 

[Scapegoat]

It is kind of weird to say a team has too much talent.

Where did I say that?

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Where did I say that?

I mean it seems weird to have some people saying that KD and Westbrook were, in a way, too good to play with each other.

 

[Scapegoat]

I mean it seems weird to have some people saying that KD and Westbrook were, in a way, too good to play with each other.

I don't feel they were. They should have beaten Gs last season. They complemented each other. Add in Adams and Kanter and they were a very good team. Then this season Presti even added Olidipo. But durant couldn't handle the pressure.

 

[tlance]

I don't want to get into an argument with you tlance. We go way back. But I can guarantee I've seen more of OKC than you have. The Russ vs durant debate is a touchy subject with me.

I respect that.

I think a strong case can be made for either. My main point here was that maybe their chemistry never was all that good. Not intending that to be a knock on either. They are both among the best in the NBA

 

[trojanfan12]

agree to a certain point- but in GSW they kept the vast majority of their corp- and their coach- all who have been there for years.

In Cleveland- the only rotation guys that were basically kept were Kyrie and Thompson. New coach- LeBron, Love, role players- the big trade(s) to get Mozgov, Shump, Jr. etc....

in Miami too- it was all totally new- new system for just about everyone. Pretty much an entire roster turned over. only holdoverse that played were wade, chalmers, james jones, joel anthony and to a certain extent carlos arroyo.

In GSW they do have the advtange of having a coach and a system in place and the vast majority of their corp returning who have played with eachother for years now.

Curry, Green, Thompson, Livingston, Iguadala, Looney, Clark, Varejao (though its not like he counts) were all on thee team last year with a coach who is in his 3rd year and a system that is in place.

thats a lot more continuity then in Miami and a ton more than in Cleveland year 1 for LeBron.


anyone not surprised that McCaw has played a total of 19 minutes in the first 6 games besides me?

All true. But in some ways, that can make adding in a player of Durant's caliber just as difficult. In the case of the Heat and Cavs, they were all learning the system together. In that sense, it makes it a little easier because they are figuring out there places in the system together.

With GSW, they are adding in another top level player and have to figure out how to add him in and even more important, when and how to go about giving up a little of what they do in order to fit him in.

 

[jakedog56]

I don't feel they were. They should have beaten Gs last season. They complemented each other. Add in Adams and Kanter and they were a very good team. Then this season Presti even added Olidipo. But durant couldn't handle the pressure.

.....are you saying that there is less pressure on Durant to perform in GS then there was in OKC? Because I would have to disagree on that one. Anything short of winning the championship outright will be considered a failure.

 

[LAD]

Talent differential meaningless to you?

Does the fact that he had help and ran him off mean anything to you?

 

[LAD]

I understand talking back to those who are trash talking you either in a game or in the press, but sometimes people who do the "offending" action act like they have reason to be upset. So when it is in response to something that Oklahoma City players say, fine. But when he decided to leave his team, that's his right, but he can't act slighted or offended. Refusing to acknowledge them for shake their hands before the game, etc. I get that it is awkward and the other side is upset you left, but the feelings shouldn't be equal. I believe they offered him the max and he went to Golden State instead. Not quite sure what he would have to be upset with in Oklahoma City. And then if their players are lashing out because he left, isn't that to be expected and there should be some slack.

So what if he didn't want to shake hands or even continue any friendships there. Does he owe them something? Doesn't he have to right to move on from the team & also any individual friendships if he so chooses?

And why is that team so butt hurt? This isn't brand new- players leave all the time. James left Miami and Wade didn't send him subliminal messages prior to their games against each other & the other Heat players weren't jawing at him when he was on the court. My goodness. Seems to me they're butt hurt because they now know with KD gone they're headed nowhere fast with RW as their leader.

 

[LAD]

Is Durant making Curry better right now?

Flip that.... curry is making things EASIER on the court for KD. That's what a true PG does.

 

[MHSL82]

So what if he didn't want to shake hands or even continue any friendships there. Does he owe them something? Doesn't he have to right to move on from the team & also any individual friendships if he so chooses?

And why is that team so butt hurt? This isn't brand new- players leave all the time. James left Miami and Wade didn't send him subliminal messages prior to their games against each other & the other Heat players weren't jawing at him when he was on the court. My goodness. Seems to me they're butt hurt because they now know with KD gone they're headed nowhere fast with RW as their leader.

I don't think it's a big deal, I just don't think that he has much to be upset about. I understand why Oklahoma City is upset.

 

[LAD]

I don't think it's a big deal, I just don't think that he has much to be upset about. I understand why Oklahoma City is upset.

I think the opposite. I'm not sure what OKC has to be upset about. He left in FA- he didn't try to force his way out by trade. And I understand he's mad since they keep taking shots at him for making a personal choice- that had nothing to do with them.

 

[Wishbone]

All I know is that the Thunder are 6-1. I'm sure thats a better record than anyone here would have anticipated.

 

[SJ76]

2 things:

1) OP is weird. Like still gets smacked by his momma at 30 years old weird

2) I hope Durant gets knocked the fuck out by one of his former teammates. I don't care what your excuse is.. You were up 3-1 and then lost, then go join the team that barely beat you. Big pussy IMO

 

[Wishbone]

After a tumultuous summer, Thunder off to their best start ever

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With Monday's 97-85 win over the Miami Heat, the Oklahoma City Thunder are off to their best start through seven games (6-1) since relocating from Seattle. Which is somewhat surprising with, you know, Dion Waiters leaving over the summer -- and also Kevin Durant.

“I didn't know that,” Enes Kanter said of the Thunder's fast start. “But we need to keep focused on just going out there and playing our best.”

Kanter glanced over at a member of the Thunder PR staff as he spoke and got a nod of approval. The subtext of the question was clear, but Kanter, always eager to engage in lighthearted bantering, didn't take the bait.

Whatever qualifications you want to put on the Thunder's start, though, all things considered, it's an impressive beginning to the post-Durant era. There were so many questions about the Thunder entering the season, starting with Russell Westbrook and how he would handle being the solitary alpha on the roster. His play has been absurd, nearly averaging a triple-double, but teammates are raving about his leadership. He's embracing his role as both superstar and mentor.

On Monday, after missing eight consecutive shots to end the first half, he made his first three of the second, sparking a 20-0 run in the third quarter to put the game to bed and earn him the fourth quarter off.

"If I could do that all year, that would be great with me," Westbrook said of sitting the fourth. "Rest is always good."

Westbrook's relentlessness is his trademark, and his teammates are finding an identity behind it with swarming, suffocating defense generating breakneck transition opportunities. They are adopting traits of Westbrook's personality. They play with physicality, athleticism and a forcefulness that seems to put opponents on their heels. It's often a struggle in the halfcourt, which is why the Thunder are digging in defensively and looking to push pace at every opportunity.

"For us to win games," Westbrook said, "we know we have to defend."

Entering the season, there was genuine curiosity from some within the organization as to how the team would play this season. There were so many unknowns and a roster not tailored to fit the strengths of the core, as it was when it was focused around OKC's two-headed star attack of Durant and Westbrook.

But Westbrook is the constant now, and there always was supreme confidence he could bear the burden of leadership. Because as some note -- including Kanter on multiple occasions -- Westbrook was the leader of the team last season, as well. But the Thunder have six new players in their rotation, including two starters; and the shock of Durant leaving is still resonating off every wall of their practice facility.

Ask Westbrook and he's not surprised. As he rebuked a reporter in Los Angeles last week, doubting the Thunder was the first mistake. As he said, "That's where you went wrong." He said it on media day: His expectation always is to win a championship. That's the only way he's wired to think.

Still, there's hesitation to look down the road from plenty in and around the team. No one is getting ahead of themselves and shouting Ewing Theory. Most are instead cautioning against raising expectations. They anticipate a hard path still ahead, with focus being placed on steady development and growth. The Thunder aren't kicking their feet up on the desk and saying, "Here it is, this is the roster we want." There likely will be more changes as they retool around Westbrook, trying to locate new puzzle pieces to fit next to his strengths.

But they can take some satisfaction in absorbing the body blow of Durant's departure and pushing forward. They can only play the schedule that's in front of them, and there are plenty of teams that were perceived to be good sitting below the Thunder in the standings. They are playing elite-level defense, and behind Westbrook's constant war of offensive attrition, they are finding just enough to get by.

How will it hold up as the schedule turns over and their new identity gets put to the test? Time will tell, but for now, the Thunder are at least factually speaking the best they've ever been.

 

[SJ76]

^ That's what players with nuts do. They sack up and come back out swinging even though they lost a solid player to a rival team.

I don't want to hear any of this pussy shit that Durant and Westbrook couldn't co-exist either. It was Donovan's first year. How many coaches have won a title in their 1st year? They were up 3-1 and KD had his chances just like Westbrook did in that series. The Thunder had all the makings of a contender down the road and Kevin Derpussy bailed for a "sure thing" that might backfire.

But to jump ship and join the team that just came back on you in the WCF? Fuggin weak sawce man

 

[trojanfan12]

1) OP is weird. Like still gets smacked by his momma at 30 years old weird

Fyi, stealing this one.

 

[CitySushi]

^ That's what players with nuts do. They sack up and come back out swinging even though they lost a solid player to a rival team.

I don't want to hear any of this pussy shit that Durant and Westbrook couldn't co-exist either. It was Donovan's first year. How many coaches have won a title in their 1st year? They were up 3-1 and KD had his chances just like Westbrook did in that series. The Thunder had all the makings of a contender down the road and Kevin Derpussy bailed for a "sure thing" that might backfire.

But to jump ship and join the team that just came back on you in the WCF? Fuggin weak sawce man

I understand your POV coming from a guy who got the honor of watching the Bulls Dynasty. But KD and Westbrook had much more than a singular year together to win a championship. It's arguable talent-wise they were at their peak last year, but co-existance is much more than simply chemistry. It's about being able to make each other better, which KD and Westbrook were clearly not able to do.

Jordan and Pippen were great together because they were cohesive, offensively and defensively. Then you added in Rodman who was a perfect fit for those two because he didn't need the ball in his hands. Pippen was the clear #2 on a team with one alpha. KD and Westbrook were both Alpha's who didn't know how to take a backseat.

You can knock KD for going to the Warriors, that's fine. But you can't knock KD for wanting to leave a team where he and another player couldn't play their best basketball together.