OT: Durant to Nets?
***Falling, not following. Can’t edit from phone.
Nor can you edit the OP from any device when posted.
I don’t totally understand basketball contracts but didn’t GS offer him a max contract? Why wouldn’t he accept that? Especially since he needs a year to rehab and doesn’t really know how the injury will heal. Dude just wants out or what?
Durant's an enigma, and big stars make so much money from hoops, shoes and endorsements the extra contract money just doesn't matter much.
Once someone has a hundred million bucks, how much more do you need?
It feels like he's trying to convince himself to blame the Warriors for his injury (justified or not), to make it easier in his mind to leave.
Most of all, Durant just seems like a guy who's restless - maybe just wants a new experience.
Apparently KD didn’t get along well with Draymond Green and that had a lot to do with him wanting out from GS.
They had their scrapes, but there were also times they seemed like great buddies.
Green is a pain in the ass, but Durant had to recognize how valuable he is. Durant is a brilliant basketball player, and Green somehow manages to be at times both the smartest and the dumbest guy on that team.
He’ll still get his money on a sign and trade
I don't think money was his biggest concern. Not like he's gonna make minimum wage with Brooklyn.
Nets are getting Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan too. Nets should be a top four seed in the East next season. Irving, Levert, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, Jarrett Allen is a solid starting five with Dinwiddie, Jordan and Joe Harris off the bench.
Joe Harris, assuming he isn't moved, is starting. The Nets also are gonna sign Garrett Temple who's a solid bench piece.
So does LeVert or Prince come off the bench?
Prince. LeVert is the most likely piece to be part of a big 3 with KD and Kyrie and Harris is one of the best shooters in the NBA. Harris started all year last year, LeVert did before he got hurt and was starting by the time he got healthy at season's end. Prince is a new guy, he'll be off the bench to start.
Dinwiddie. Sheesh. Showed nothing in Detroit. Goes elsewhere and becomes a workable point guard option. Stan Van couldn't develop players if his life depended on it.
They could be top four IF Butler and/or Leonard head west.
If not, I'd say Durant-less Brooklyn will be significantly less talented than Toronto, Boston, Philly and Milwaukee.
If Butler and/or Leonard head west (and it looks like Leonard probably will) - I agree with you.
OTOH - Brooklyn with both Kyrie AND Durant is very much among the best.
As a Knicks fan the entirety of my opinion is booooooo.
Look on the bright side--how much playing time do you see Durant having next season? I'd be surprised if he plays at all; the Nets are basically paying him to rehab. If he does play he's going to be rusty.
There's also the chance that he doesn't fully recover.
As a Knicks fan, I'd like to off myself
Feeling your pain. Knicks fan since the days when Madison Square Garden was located on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan and Richie Guerin, Carl Braun, Willie Naulls and Ray Felix and were among their stars.
Looks like that plan for the Knicks to land Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Zion Williamson didn't work out so well,
Seems like the Knicks aren’t attractive to any star free agents this year, so either they’ll overpay for some lower-rated free agents or they’ll stand pat and go through another season or two with fewer than 20 wins, hoping once again that they might land a great lottery pick and that by the 2021-2022 season, they’ll be competing for the playoffs with a roster consisting mostly of players 25 and younger (Dennis Smith, Jr., Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Allonzo Trier, Noah Vonleh, Emmanuel Mudiay, Iggy Brazdeikis, plus whoever they get in the 2020 and 2021 drafts) and the old men on the team will be players like Mario Hezonja at 26 and Damyean Dotson at 27.
As probably the only Nets fan on this board, let's fucking go. The last 4 seasons (ignoring this past one) have been awful. We're now one KD rehab away from competing for a title.
One of, at least, two.
three
But I'm meh about this deal. What will 33 yo KD be like post-Achilles tear? Will Kyrie play nice with others? D-Lo was likable, for a Buckeye anyway, and what they needed most was some help for Allen in the paint (which KD might provide. In a year.)
At least my favorite two players, Lavert and Allen, are still there, and central to the plans.
Lot of questions need to be answered favorably for them to win a title, but it's possible.
I'd say trading one potential headache (Russell) for another (Kyrie) is a big upgrade, and if Durant can play anywhere near his peak they could be really good.
They'll surely be better than most of the dreck that clutters most of the eastern conference.
Big questions:
- Can Durant return to (at least near) top form?
- Can Kyrie avoid sulking and pissing off everyone around him and stay healthy?
- Like all teams, can the pieces fit together?
- What happens with rest of east - do Leonard and/or Butler stay or go?
At least Brooklyn is now interesting - enjoy it.
I can't stop laughing at this! Everyone the Knicks want is going to Brooklyn, I love it! Go Nets!
My guess is he'll get as annoyed playing with Kyrie as he did Westbrook.
Slightly less great post-injury Durant with Warriors = more championships.
Slightly less great post-injury Durant with Brooklyn/Kyrie = early playoff washouts.
Ah well. At least it makes the Nets interesting.
Celtics look like big winners replacing difficult but talented Kyrie with Kemba. Raptors are done unless they keep Leonard, and Sixers need to re-sign Butler.
Free agent winners: Celtics and Brooklyn, probably Lakers.
Losers: Warriors, Knicks and really most teams in east
Remains to be seen: Raptors/Sixers/Houston/Clippers - depends on moves yet made.
If Leonard and Butler stay in place, the east is suddenly formidable, with a potential great battle between Celts, Bucks, Sixers, Raptors and Nets (when Durant can play). If they head west, I'd bet big on the Celtics and Bucks, and the east is really weak.
I don’t know if I’d call the Celtics a FA winner just yet. Keep in mind, they lost Horford as well who was maybe their most important player. I think they’ll be better than last season (at least compared to expectations), but I’m not sure if I see them in the same conversation as the raptors (if they keep kawhi), 76ers and bucks.
I've heard they're trying to get Capella to replace Horford.
If that happens, Kemba and Capella for bad Kyrie and Horford is a net positive IMO.
Good Kyrie is better than Kemba, but the Celts didn't get that guy.
I have a feeling all the Celtics will play better without Kyrie - he seemed like a cancer on that team.
Clerics are a weird team. Maybe Walker makes them better than they were with Kyrie OR that run a year ago really was due to Thomas and a bunch of guys buying into a system that simply doesn't work when everyone is getting paid and/or closing out their rookie deals. For example, Brown went from probable All Star to replacement level, and I'm not sure how much of that was bad luck, dysfunction, and maybe him regressing back to his mean. Same with Tatum, whose season focus seemed to be on illogical mid-range jumpers.
I think they are a top-quarter team, but they are down Horford and still have PG issues with Rozier being let go. If anything, the Nets feel like a team with similar talent and now a clearer path to elite status. I'm not a huge Irving or Durant fan, but they are still great players who have won titles, and especially with their tiered returns could work into a functional relationship that could turn a rising team into a title one quickly.
Durant is a top 10 all time basketball talent.
He also is a top 10 all time softest basketball star.
Based on what exactly?? Is he soft for playing when he shouldn’t have and tearing his Achilles???
First, I feel for KD. What happened to him was terrible. Heartbreaking. All that being said, and acknowledging what a great player he was, going forward is a huge risk to the Nets.
I don't get it. KD will be about 32 when he comes back. After a year plus of not playing basketball and you pay him a gazillion dollars? Why? Is he worth that kind of money? I am glad he got his contract but he has a calf issue (previous injury) which is now somewhat attached to the achilles plus a ton of wear and tear with a sport that requires constant pounding on those ligaments/joints.
I wouldn't have signed him for that kind of money unless their is some sort of insurance to cover 50% of the contract.
Is he worth that kind of money? Well, if anyone is, he is. A near 7 footer with crazy length who can shoot the lights out, run the floor, handle the ball and play D is...unique.
I've never seen anyone like him; he's just amazing. LeBron is much stronger and more freakishly athletic, but on top of all his other skills Durant is absolutely one of the best shooters the game has ever seen. He's absurdly talented, and completely unstoppable.
Generational talents like Durant are really rare. I would take Durant over any of the other free agents with possible exception of Leonard - and only him because of health and age.
Even 80% of peak Durant is worth a max contract IMO.
I respect your opinion. It very well could be correct but let's go with the 80% theory. He is gone for 1 year. He then has to come back the next year after rehabbing and not playing so in theory he is probably less than 80% for his 2nd year. Maybe in his 3rd year he becomes closer to 100% but again he is 34.
Seems like a lot of money to pay for a guy who is clearly a long term investment. I will be rooting for him but I don't think people really appreciate his situation. He is lower leg is a mess and this is for a shooter. A long range shooter.
Couple of things. He absolutely went off in the half game he played in the finals, on a bum leg. So, I think his shot will be fine. Durant was born to put big orange balls in hoops. It's the rest of his game that's more at risk IMO.
Second, I think medicine has advanced - achilles is no longer a career killer. It's like ACL's used to be - takes a year, but many can come back. I'm no doctor, it's just observational.
As for money - damn, there's just so much money in the NBA. Rosters aren't that big, and NBA is a gold mine. Salaries seem almost irrelevant, especially for a big market team that's willing to pay luxury tax. The cap is likely to keep going up, and what seems absurd today will seem less so in a few years.
Most important, there are only a handful of truly great players. Raptors finally won it all because they got their hands on one of the superstars. To me, it's worth the risk.
Durant, LeBron, Kawhi, Giannis, maybe Steph and Harden. Those are the only guys who turn the team they're on into an instant contender. That's a short list. Gotta go for it.
Let me counter. Putting orange balls in the hoop is something KD can obviously do better than almost anyone in the history in the game. Part of that talent is being able to jump and KD is not a set shooter like a Larry Bird or Magic Johnson. One issue is now connected with the 2nd issue which is very concerning.
I read the Knicks backed off with the max contract offer. You make a good point about how much money there is in the league. Don't get me wrong, I think KD comes back but I am skeptical he will be 100% himself. I would be impressed if he is 95% of himself which would probably justify the contract.
Here is a concern of mine. Let's leave off the Achilles issue. This is 2nd time he has now had a calf issue. What does that tell you? Stress on the muscles. KD is a physical freak of nature. I hope I am wrong.
For sure it's a risk. Durant, like lots of hoops players, has had recurring leg issues.
The same could be said for Kawhi, AD, Steph and Kyrie too - all those guys have missed much more time than Durant in their careers. Steph was thought of as damaged goods when his ankles kept breaking down, and Kawhi was famously thought of as injury-plagued and "soft" because of his mystery injury with the Spurs.
Yeah, Durant has a jump shot, but I just don't think it's that dependent on lift. Dude is 7 ft tall, and he shoots from waaaaayyyy up there with those crazy long arms. Nobody's blocking his shot. As long as he has enough in his legs to have decent form, he's gonna fill it up. Again, we saw it in the Finals - his leg wasn't right, he hadn't played in weeks, yet - boom, he couldn't miss.
Durant doesn't shoot like Bird, but he shares Bird's magical, almost magnetic ability to put the ball in the hole. Magic was more like LeBron, a guy who made himself a decent shooter through practice and effort (LeBron's become a better shooter than Magic ever was, but the game's not the same). Bird and Durant, like Steph and Allen, are crazy gifted, deadly shooters.
Durant's played 12 years in the league, and had only 1 season where he played fewer than 60 games. He's probably gonna end up top 5 in career scoring - you don't do that sitting on the bench.
Even superman LeBron went down. Injuries happen. Durant has the advantage of hauling around a lot less bulk than most bigs, so while his legs have a lot of miles on them, his weight is closer to a pg than a typical big.
Oh well, only time will tell. I'm bummed Durant left GSW, but I do hope he fully recovers - he's an all-time great, plays beautiful basketball, and seems like a good (albeit very sensitive) guy.
I've read a few times that KD and LeVert are close. Wonder how much that played into this.
I guess I just do not understand the allure of the Knicks and the Nets. The organizations have basically done nothing. The Knicks get a ton of love, but their history is MASSIVELY overrated, and the Nets haven't won a title.
Kyrie brings a ton of baggage, and Durant just wants to be the man. If this fails for the Nets, it will set them back a LONG time.
Both Kyrie and Durant have baggage/risk, but it's better for a NY team to be interesting and have stars than just be boring. I can totally see why Brooklyn is trying to make a splash.
Of course I agree both the Knicks and Nets are awful franchises with crappy ownership. If the Knicks weren't in NYC they'd be...Orlando.
If the Knicks are interesting, it'll be good for the NBA (I suppose).
The Nets have been interesting before. No one cared. I don't think the country connects with Brooklyn.
I kind of agree with you from a national perspective, though any team with Durant and Kyrie is gonna garner some national interest. I was referring more to NYC metro. It's such a mammoth market, and this is their chance to seize some of the spotlight.
Always tough for the Mets, Jets and Nets to compete with Yanks, Giants and Knicks - they're all the 2nd NYC team.
New York outweighs inept franchises somehow. I’d be pushing my way to Denver or Wilwaukee personally.
Denver, really? I think they've maxed out. Playing at altitude gives them a huge home court advantage, but to me they seem like a team that's good but not championship level.
Now Milwaukee is another thing - I don't know Milwaukee's contract/payroll situation, but man it sure seems like a good bet to join Giannis - that dude can BALL.
Denver is a contender! People forget Michael Porter Jr. is still waiting in the background for a team that arguably is the deepest in the league
Nets fan perspective: even if this fails, at least it won't set us back for as long as the Pierce/KG trade did.
Credit to the Nets for becoming a desirable FA spot. You watch the Knicks slam their collective junk in the door for close to a decade, no wonder nobody wants to play there.
Nets will be solid next year but 2021 is probably the year they are the top team in the East. Well, assuming Irving doesn't destroy their team chemistry.
Now Caris gets to be between Kyrie and KD in the starting 5, pretty sick!
Watching the Warriors has been like watching a John Beilein Michigan team on steroids - faster pace and crazy talent.
It's been a fun ride; they've been so much fun to watch. At the same time, I can understand why non-W's fans would be glad to see it ending.
Reports of Kawhi heading to the Lakers. Lebron, AD, Kawhi, Kuz. Insane if true.
I'm 'I have to think about who besides Adrian Dantley is AD' years old.