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Well, they won it 3 times in 4 years and turned that into Kyrie Irving, an out-of-the-league Anthony Bennett, and the trade chip (Andrew Wiggins) who they turned into Kevin Love. But let's be honest - nobody looked at Irving, Love, Thompson, and JR Smith as some juggernaut in waiting; hell, Irving and Love had never made the playoffs in their careers prior to LeBron showing up.
That's true to an extent. But it was also a team with only Irving and outside of one season hadn't even sniffed making the playoffs in a really bad East. And personally I think they would have been better with Wiggins than Love, but that's another point of contention. But Love is barely an All-Star on that team, and Irving was an All-Star mostly because he jacked a bunch of shots and was the #1 option on some bad teams; his advanced stats weren't great until LeBron and co. showed up.
I agree the Durant move is unprecedented, but LeBron didn't go to a superteam in any way like he did with Miami or Durant with GSW. Hell, Gasol going to the Spurs is more of a "super team" than Cleveland was before James showed up.
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Detroit has picked in the top 5 of the NBA draft exactly 3 times in my lifetime (born 1981). With those picks, the selected Isiah Thomas, Grant Hill, and Darko. 2 out of those 3 were great players (Hill was a fantastic player, probably a HOFer, before his injuries). That isn't bad.
It's actually sort of amazing that Detroit has been a pretty consistent franchise given how rarely they've been able to "reset" with a transcedant draft player. Hell, Cleveland has picked in the top-5 6 times in the past 13 years.
I think the difference is Durant was on a team capable of winning a title. OKC was right there last year. Seems crazy he wouldn't try and see it through with Russ at least one more year.
OKC is not that great of a team. It was a match up issue (size) that helped them take a 3-1 lead against GS, but in the end the better team won. They also benefited from poor officiating in the series against the Spurs (especially at the end of game 5). The Spurs, Warriors and even Clippers have better overall teams.
It sucks for the rest of the league, but he made the perfect choice if he wants to win multiple titles. As much as people bag on LeBron for going to Miami, he also won 2 championships there and made it to 4 straight finals.
Yeah, okay. Bunch of nonsense.
Everyone who knows basketball knows there were only four teams capable of winning a title last year: Spurs, Warriors, Cavs and Thunder.
Now its down to probably just two as no one should beat the Warriors in the West and you can't count out Lebron.
Personally, I think it's impressive when elite, multi-millionaire athletes realize that no matter how good they are, that they can't win it all by themselves.
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Apparently knowing Stephen A is an idiot requires less intelligence than knowing how to spell.
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NBA careers don't last forever. Kevin Durant has pretty much achieved everything except for a championship. Why do people criticizing him for wanting to get a ring?
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You just said "Stephen A. is preaching" and "agree with him 100%"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two things I never thought I'd see on this blog ever, and you lumped them together into one post! WOW! Skillz?
Whenever anyone agrees with stephen a. smith, that is pretty messed up!
BTW, why does he need to remind everyone, including himself, what his middle initial is??? Are there 3 other stephen smiths at espn???
Like Broussard has been saying...Durant's simply not as polarizing at LeBron. LeBron gets compared to Jordan. Durant is "just" a HOFer - but not best ever type hype.
There will be some...especially early, but it'll go away. I think the majority of people will be more like "ugh, that's weak/wack/a bitch move" and kind of think less of KD. People HATED LeBron, like HATE.
In the end, I really think he should've signed with OKC for one more year, then left for Golden State win or lose next year if that's what he wanted to do. Russ is probably leaving next year, the cap goes up again, just ride it out one more time...then leave after next year.
That's why this is different...simply because KD is NOT LeBron. LeBron's status, stature, etc. is what KILLED him. He was supposed to be Jordan and the perception was that he had to go get help. That he was leaving and cheating the system.
KD may be doing the same thing, but plain and simple, no one ever thought the same of KD. His expectations aren't as high and the reaction can't be nearly as bad.
It just looks like a pussy move because he's going to the team that knocked him out. LeBron went and made a team, but the Heat didn't own the Cavs. LeBron looked like he was running from expectations where Durant looks like he's running from competition. LeBron, by himself, no Westbrook, no Adams, no Waiters, accomplished WAY more in Cleveland the first time around than Durant has.
Anyway, I just think people will think that they're different. LeBron was hated because he wasn't the Jordan that he media and everyone made him out to be before he went to the Heat. The Chosen One. King James. Etc.
Durant won't be hated...he, in my eyes, will just be looked at like a pussy for doing this. Especially after Golden State just knocked them off after he was up 3-1.
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In the NFL, there are MAYBE 5 teams out of 32 that have NO CHANCE. Everyone else can AT LEAST make a case, even tho some cases are stronger. Even the lions can make a case. That is why football is the most popular sport in the country.
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The NBA Finals was the most watched in years.
The NBA is not going anywhere...quit being a little girl about it. This is GREAT for business...they will be talked about and watched each and every week. And if they go up against the Cavs, there will be even MORE people that watch those finals than this year.
Stop it with all that bullshit. Kevin Durant isn't stopping people from watching the NBA if they already watched. The same goes for the NFL...concussions are going to make people stop watching. Yeah right, people love sports and their sports teams. Nobody gives a damn no matter how reactionary your feelings may be.
NBA fans are NBA fans is my point.
It's a pretty polarizing league. You're either a fan or you're not and for those that aren't...having a balanced league is going to make them watch. But huge storylines WILL make them watch (like Game 7).
Hockey is the same way. Hockey fans are hockey fans, period. People who don't watch hockey aren't watching because it may be a balanced league. They're going to wait until there's a huge storyline in the playoffs before they tune in.
It's not like football. NBA and NHL fans are who they are for the most part. I really don't think that many people are going to stop watching the NBA because Kevin Durant went to the Warriors and not a team in the East. It just may mean they won't watch the Celtics or the Heat and they would've if he joined one of those teams.
This team is going to be a rock show. It's going to be just like they were this year when they were chasing history. There will be plenty of eye balls on the TVs and butts in seats whenever they come to your town.