NBA Thread

[CanDB]

It's been an unusual year in my opinion, with 2 teams in the final that I would have not expected....though Curry can be a force with some help.

I am not a GS fan, but I would not bet against them when healthy. Now we will see if The Celtics comeback was a turning point, or more of a one time event. If Tatum gets going, and if they win game 2, hmmmm......

[broncolee]

What’s up the Nets all acting a fool?

Everybody wants out now.

[Spice 1]

I think, for the first time, I actually feel for KD. For all I know, he's basically getting trashed because Khris Middleton got hurt. Not saying the Bucks would've beaten the dubs, but when you consider that Boston at minimum gets a 7th game if they don't eat the ball at the end of game 4, you have to think it's a real possibility. And there's no way Curry wins the MVP over Giannis if that happens. Curry fans are entering Kobe Bryant and Manny Pacquiao fan territory, and the media has been feeding off of that. Durant is getting a heavy dose of unqualified criticism retroactively. There are surely other factors in his decision to get out, but I would bet he realizes that it's not going to work with Kyrie and Simmons. He wants to get on a team that is ready to win, because he knows damn well the media will only look at the result. If he joins the Suns, he's the best player on that team. If he joins the Heat, though it's closer between he and Butler right now, he's still the best player. He wins that game if he wins a championship. So, honestly, more power to him at this point. He was criticized already for joining the Warriors. He took his lumps. He tried to play through an injury, and it almost cost him his career. What he did last year against the Bucks was impressive. As impressive as anything I've seen Curry do in the post season given the adverse circumstances.

People want to put Curry in their top ten players of all time all of a sudden, and they have to criticize Durant in order to qualify that. I personally don't think he is. I think he's a top fifteen player, but the size of your fan base matters. Curry has a massive fan base.

As far as Kyrie goes. Seems to be Kyrie doing Kyrie things. I doubt that Durant's main issue is with Kyrie unless he knows something about some kind of trade to send Kyrie out of Brooklyn. The main issue is that Simmons can't shoot. Guys like Simmons and Wall would've been fine in the old NBA. In the modern game though, few teams even want them. The value of perimeter shooting in the modern game trumps everything else. As a complete player, I don't even know if Curry is one of the 5 best players in the league right now. He could be the most valuable player in the league though, because he's the best three point shooter in the game and he gets his own shot. Defensive ability, scoring versatility, and facilitating are devalued in the modern NBA. If you don't shoot threes as a guard, you can't play. Doesn't much matter how good or bad you are at the other things.

[CanDB]

Lots of players/picks waiting to be moved to Brooklyn. I hope GS does not make the deal, given how good they are with their core players. Phoenix is interesting. As a Raptors fan I am interested but most Raps fans do not want Scottie Barnes to be part of the package.

BTW, I realize that NFL QBs get paid....but NBA makes $50M/year look like a common signing these days!