Dream Team 4: Golden State Warriors

[TheISHT]

Man, what I would give to see an OKC vs GS FIRST round. It would at least be physical and I could start seeing Adams intentionally leveling people.

 

[Lyst]

If he likes to think that he earned them and fought for them in the same way other stars did, he’s full of it.

No matter how many rings he gets, that will be the defining element of his legacy.

This could easily be said about Lebron. Had to leave the Cavs to join up with a team / player Wade and the Heat that had just won rings. Came back to Cleveland and only barely won one because we drafted a top PG in the league and traded for Kevin Love who was a star.

As much as i hate KD for what he did, when you point a finger there are three pointing back at you.

Guy made a smart business decision for himself and his legacy. He stuck around the Thunder when they put NOTHING around him and Russ for countless years. I'd get sick of it too and join the enemy. (Which is essentially what Lebron did leaving Cleveland.)

 

[6.19.2016]

This could easily be said about Lebron. Had to leave the Cavs to join up with a team / player Wade and the Heat that had just won rings. Came back to Cleveland and only barely won one because we drafted a top PG in the league and traded for Kevin Love who was a star.

As much as i hate KD for what he did, when you point a finger there are three pointing back at you.

Guy made a smart business decision for himself and his legacy. He stuck around the Thunder when they put NOTHING around him and Russ for countless years. I'd get sick of it too and join the enemy. (Which is essentially what Lebron did leaving Cleveland.)

Please, please, don't buy into the "Bron did it first/was just as bad" stuff. It's more like pointing one finger and half a finger is pointing back at you.

Harden, even if he was eventually traded - a move which Gilbert would almost certainly never approve for the cost-savings reasons that OKC did - was "nothing," to say nothing of Sefo, Adams, and all sorts of other non-Jiri Welches and non-Luke Jacksons and non-Larry Hugheses? And he stuck around through a normal restricted free agency extension just as LeBron did - big whoop.

And yes, 4 > 3 and 73 > 47, not to mention the small matter of what LeBron's done to atone for it from 2014 to present. The only "atonement" KD is going to do is one last middle finger to the Sooner State at the end of his career, when he strikes it out on his own when Seattle gets an expansion team.

 

[Zeus69]

This could easily be said about Lebron. Had to leave the Cavs to join up with a team / player Wade and the Heat that had just won rings.

Lazy analogy. The Heat had last won the championship in 2005–06. They were coming off two straight first round eliminations in the Eastern conference playoffs. LeBron did not join up with an “established” team. He devised a blueprint for success, and Miami happened to be home base.

The more appropriate comparison to the KD situation would be if Lebron had joined the Boston Celtics, who WERE an established team (championship in ‘08 and a “big three“ in place), the year immediately after they bounced him and the Cavs from the playoffs.

 

[Cavatt]

Lazy analogy. The Heat had last won the championship in 2005–06. They were coming off two straight first round eliminations in the Eastern conference playoffs. LeBron did not join up with an “established” team. He devised a blueprint for success, and Miami happened to be home base.

The more appropriate comparison to the KD situation would be if Lebron had joined the Boston Celtics, who WERE an established team (championship in ‘08 and a “big three“ in place), the year immediately after they bounced him and the Cavs from the playoffs.

LeBron also didn't join the team that beat him. So yeah the Celtics would have been the best comparison. Just illustrates how shitty it was. LeBron going to Pierce Celtics gross!

 

[MediumBaller]

This could easily be said about Lebron. Had to leave the Cavs to join up with a team / player Wade and the Heat that had just won rings. Came back to Cleveland and only barely won one because we drafted a top PG in the league and traded for Kevin Love who was a star.

As much as i hate KD for what he did, when you point a finger there are three pointing back at you.

Guy made a smart business decision for himself and his legacy. He stuck around the Thunder when they put NOTHING around him and Russ for countless years. I'd get sick of it too and join the enemy. (Which is essentially what Lebron did leaving Cleveland.)

Lebron's situation isn't the same at all. Here's what D Wade has done without LeBron since he won that first title.

View: https://twitter.com/sportstalkjo3/status/967546350194786307

 

[macbdog]

Lebron's situation isn't the same at all. Here's what D Wade has done without LeBron since he won that first title.

View: https://twitter.com/sportstalkjo3/status/967546350194786307

Interesting numbers revealed there by Barry McCockiner.

 

[Zeus69]

Interesting numbers revealed there by Barry McCockiner.

Hugh Jaynus approves this post.

 

[randymoss1881]

Lazy analogy. The Heat had last won the championship in 2005–06. They were coming off two straight first round eliminations in the Eastern conference playoffs. LeBron did not join up with an “established” team. He devised a blueprint for success, and Miami happened to be home base.

The more appropriate comparison to the KD situation would be if Lebron had joined the Boston Celtics, who WERE an established team (championship in ‘08 and a “big three“ in place), the year immediately after they bounced him and the Cavs from the playoffs.

The best comparison is Curry joining Cleveland after GSW blew a 3-1 lead


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cassity14]

This could easily be said about Lebron. Had to leave the Cavs to join up with a team / player Wade and the Heat that had just won rings. Came back to Cleveland and only barely won one because we drafted a top PG in the league and traded for Kevin Love who was a star.

As much as i hate KD for what he did, when you point a finger there are three pointing back at you.

Guy made a smart business decision for himself and his legacy. He stuck around the Thunder when they put NOTHING around him and Russ for countless years. I'd get sick of it too and join the enemy. (Which is essentially what Lebron did leaving Cleveland.)

"NOTHING for countless years"? Seriously?

Ignoring the fact that Durant already had a teammate who was a top 5-10 player in the league when he left...

The Thunder had James Harden early on. Obviously he didn't stick around.

Ibaka was one of the league's best shot blockers with OKC.

They grabbed Adams, and he has since developed into one of the league's top bigs.

They addressed needs every single year. They traded for Waiters, then got Oladipo to replace him. They got Kanter.

Roberson is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

This idea that the Thunder were devoid of talent is just laughable. They didn't blow that lead to Golden State because of their roster - they blew it because their best players (especially Durant) choked.

 

[Futuredome]

Durant is a little man. That series choke proved it. He ran off to Curry for comfort.

 

[Lyst]

"NOTHING for countless years"? Seriously?

Ignoring the fact that Durant already had a teammate who was a top 5-10 player in the league when he left...

The Thunder had James Harden early on. Obviously he didn't stick around.

Ibaka was one of the league's best shot blockers with OKC.

They grabbed Adams, and he has since developed into one of the league's top bigs.

They addressed needs every single year. They traded for Waiters, then got Oladipo to replace him. They got Kanter.

Roberson is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

This idea that the Thunder were devoid of talent is just laughable. They didn't blow that lead to Golden State because of their roster - they blew it because their best players (especially Durant) choked.

You are so wrong. So so wrong. Did you just say Harden who left HOW LONG AGO?! There is no reason to bring up that name in a discussion about what was put around Russ and KD the past few years. You are just putting that name to bolster your argument, but it is not the argument.

DID YOU JUST SAY DION WAITERS??? LMAO! Dude was a complete black-hole for them. He gave them nothing. He is doing relatively nothing for the heat. He is no way a star player or game changer. He's an OK chucker on a sinking ship team, that is happy with letting him chuck. He never evolved.

Ibaka could block shots and hit a couple midranged shots but was IN NO WAY A GAME CHANGER. As he is not now or ever was on any team. He's an good role-playing sidepiece for them. If you consider him a star you are lying to yourself.

Adams has only recently became the insane presence that he is. Look at the stats.

Oladipo has only recently became the insane presence that he is. Look at the stats. At the Thunder point of his career he was considered a complete bust-- and played like it.

Roberson gives you defense, but every other part of his game is black hole. BLACK HOLE. Guy couldn't make a shot if you let him levitate towards the basket.

Kanter was not a game changer or a star player. End of story.


They were never given a 3rd best player, they were given some role-players with very limited game. They could no way compete with the powerhouse teams that were happening because the Thunder let go of people like Harden and refused to spend money or take risks. I'm trying to think of the last time a team won a championship without at least a big 3 of stars. GS, big 3and4 (Curry, Klay, Green, and KD), Cavs Big 3 (Irving, Lebron, Love), Spurs Big 3 (Parker, Ginobli, Duncan), Heat big 3 (Wade, Lebron, Bosh) Celtics Big 4 (Pierce, Garnet, Allen, Rondo) and so on and so forth.

Every Year I heard someone say "oh man thunder are looking gross, this is their year". Every year they couldn't get anywhere, because their roster sucked ass. Not because Durant choked. Because all he had was Russ and Roleplayers.

Not sure why Cavs fans love overrating other team's players like the Thunder the same way we overrate our own players. Must be ingrained.

 

[Cavatt]

You are so wrong. So so wrong. Did you just say Harden who left HOW LONG AGO?! There is no reason to bring up that name in a discussion about what was put around Russ and KD the past few years. You are just putting that name to bolster your argument, but it is not the argument.

DID YOU JUST SAY DION WAITERS??? LMAO! Dude was a complete black-hole for them. He gave them nothing. He is doing relatively nothing for the heat. He is no way a star player or game changer. He's an OK chucker on a sinking ship team, that is happy with letting him chuck. He never evolved.

Ibaka could block shots and hit a couple midranged shots but was IN NO WAY A GAME CHANGER. As he is not now or ever was on any team. He's an good role-playing sidepiece for them. If you consider him a star you are lying to yourself.

Adams has only recently became the insane presence that he is. Look at the stats.

Oladipo has only recently became the insane presence that he is. Look at the stats. At the Thunder point of his career he was considered a complete bust-- and played like it.

Roberson gives you defense, but every other part of his game is black hole. BLACK HOLE. Guy couldn't make a shot if you let him levitate towards the basket.

Kanter was not a game changer or a star player. End of story.


They were never given a 3rd best player, they were given some role-players with very limited game. They could no way compete with the powerhouse teams that were happening because the Thunder let go of people like Harden and refused to spend money or take risks. I'm trying to think of the last time a team won a championship without at least a big 3 of stars. GS, big 3and4 (Curry, Klay, Green, and KD), Cavs Big 3 (Irving, Lebron, Love), Spurs Big 3 (Parker, Ginobli, Duncan), Heat big 3 (Wade, Lebron, Bosh) Celtics Big 4 (Pierce, Garnet, Allen, Rondo) and so on and so forth.

Every Year I heard someone say "oh man thunder are looking gross, this is their year". Every year they couldn't get anywhere, because their roster sucked ass. Not because Durant choked. Because all he had was Russ and Roleplayers.

Not sure why Cavs fans love overrating other team's players like the Thunder the same way we overrate our own players. Must be ingrained.

Except they were up 3-1 on a 73 win team

 

[Lyst]

Except they were up 3-1 on a 73 win team

Did they make the Finals that year? Or win the Finals?

So irrelevant. You can't completely rely on 2 stars, and a bunch of roleplayers. Read the rest of my post.

 

[chrisrich91]

Did they make the Finals that year? Or win the Finals?

So irrelevant. You can't completely rely on 2 stars, and a bunch of roleplayers. Read the rest of my post.

2 stars? C'mon now. We're talking about 2 top 5 players in the league. Serge Ibaka should be more than enough as your 3rd best player when your top 2 are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The roster was clearly good enough to go up 3-1 against the 73-9 Warriors before Durant shrunk.

I'm not sure how you can argue the points being made in here...LeBron going to the Heat is, objectively, not the proper comparison to make from the 2010 offseason. It's if LeBron went to the Big 3 Celtics. It's the perfect comparison.

If you disagree with that comparison please explain why.