If you don't think there's a problem with all the talent being on one team, then we really don't have anything more to argue about. But, I suspect that most viewers would stop tuning in if the outcome of every game/series was known in advance and there is no intrigue of competition. My first statement wasn't a statement about me. I barely watched any of the playoffs outside of the Rockets. At this point, I like discussing the league more than actually watching it. It was simply an observation on the nature of human interest in sports in general. If there is no competitive spirit, then there really isn't much of a point to it.
I didn't realize we were arguing. Put yourself in the mindset of an NBA player as talented as Kevin Durant. You spend much of your young career on a team that has tasted Finals glory, though ultimately losing. Then, fast forward until you're 1 game away from going to the Finals again, but then you're beaten by a team that is better than you. You'd want to go to a situation that gives you the best chance to succeed, if you're able to, no? In the back of your mind, you just blew a 3-1 lead and maybe the relationship between you and Westbrook has soured. You can continue to go through the motions of another NBA season with virtually the same team, or you can go to a team that fits your playing style more. Fluid motion, dead-eye shooters, DPoY candidate, great coach. Sure, it'd be bad for the fans if the top 12 players in the NBA were on one team and the rest of the NBA formed itself based around its remaining players, but as a human being, you would want to go to the place where you'd succeed, given the capabilities of what you can do, and what the "rules" allow. A medical student with a stellar GPA and MCAT with great LoRs and clinical experience wouldn't want to settle for a "lower tier" medical school. They would want to aim high for schools like UT Southwestern and BCM, instead of toiling around for 4 years in an unfitting situation. Sure, everyone graduates with an M.D. after their name, in the end, but some medical schools are able to maximize one's talents, or are simply, a better fit for a particular student (whether it is research opportunities, location, cost, etc.) Point is, yes, sports is all about competition. But singularly, in KD's mind, all he wants to do is win a ring, and everything else can come after. Whether it's backlash or praise, he's already earned his money. Now he's got a ring - haters be damned.
It's really about the competitive spirit of the athlete. Jordan, Bird, Magic, were praised because they wanted to destroy each other. It's just not something that you see in today's NBA, so when a top 3 player joins forces with a already top tier team, it makes many people scratch their head. Here's another point that people don't seem to look at: KD didn't have to leave OKC, he had everything to win there. It's not like OKC was some trash team that didn't win anything, they were on the brink of eliminating last years Warriors. So not only did KD leave a contender, but he left to join another contender and just make them that much better.
Pardon my diction. I meant discussion. Arguments are the points that we make. I understand the mindset of the player, and I'm not here to claim otherwise. As you pointed out, they are looking out for their own interests just like anyone else would. But, the point I'm trying to make is that from the perspective of a fan - one of the many in the large cohort which gives purpose to individuals like KD. Without fans, would you not agree that KD would be nothing more than a tall guy with a skill that no one cares about? I think that much is obvious, and that is why the perspective of the fan is important. And it is from this perspective that I have a problem with the actions carried out by KD, because it strikes at the core of his purpose as a basketball player. Something that detracts from competition of the sport is detrimental to the sport, despite the fact that it is beneficial to him individually - at least in the short term. I find your analogy of a medical student unsatisfactory. The purpose of the medical student is to become the best possible physician in order to care for patients. A medical student with stellar scores and clinical knowledge would go to the best possible residency and fellowship program in order to receive the best training in order to perform his clinical duties. It should not be to pile up academic accolades as that is not the purpose of a physician. Instead, his duty is to his patients. Therefore, going to the best school or program does not necessarily hurt the very nature of his professional existence. In fact, it would just amplify it. Yes, KD got his ring. But in doing so, he hurt the very sport that made him what he is. I wholly expect ratings for next season to drop, and I think that his continued success will simply further the degradation of the sport.
You mean Barkley joined Bulls after Suns defeat in the finals ? Oh wait, that did not happen. Nice try, better luck next time.
Do people pitch a fit over "superteams" only when players make decisions for themselves? If you don't hate "anti-competitive superteams" when a GM puts them together with no player input (Russell Celtics, Showtime Lakers, Jordan/Pippen Bulls, Big Three Celtics) but you do hate them when players have some say in them coming together (Heatles, 2017 Warriors), then it's not competition you care about, it's players having agency to build (or help build) things. Me, personally, the only thing I hate about superteams is that the Rockets aren't one. Morey tried (going after Bosh to add to Harden and Howard) but it didn't work out (and, obviously, in hindsight, wouldn't have worked out even if Bosh had signed with Houston considering Bosh's medical issues since then). Hopefully, we get one one day.
Eh, there's some cracks in the logic here. #1, a GM putting together a super-team via trade implies that they sent equitable assets back in the other direction. I can hate it (like Pau to the Lakers) but I can only blame the GM on the other end for helping a powerhouse team. #2. a GM's job is assembling the most effective team possible. That's not a player's job though. A player's job is to fulfill his contract and represent his community. Where he goes in free agency is purely his choice, of course, but that's exactly why we are free to like or dislike the choice made. and here's the fatal flaw: #3. 90% of us are railing against what Kevin Durant did, not Golden State. They're a homegrown team. I dislike them, but they are. However they paddled KD's butt and went up 3-0 in the finals last year without his help. I give him little or no credit for this year's ring and i'm disappointed that he's suddenly a big talker. Golden State didn't ruin anything; Kevin Durant did.
Isn't the whole point of life to take the easiest route? Path to least resistance man. Sometimes in order to move up in the world you make a lateral move, i.e. change companies/teams Good for Kevin Durant. He got what he wanted and that should be the end game, no matter what. #hookem.
It's often not equitable, because teams who trade stars are usually at a different point in the success cycle. They're willing to trade their star for speculative assets (young prospects/picks) which may not pan out. I mean, do you really get to decide what a player's role is? Everyone's "job" is exactly what they have the power and inclination to do. LeBron James has tons of power in directing Cleveland's team building. Jordan did, too. Jordan, as a competitor, surely should have said no to adding Dennis Rodman, because only betas want to team up with other stars to win titles, right? (And both Jordan and Pippen had veto power when it came to Rodman.) This is exactly my point. Most people are in "know your role" mode with athletes, when athletes have as much right as anyone else to flex their power. When owners or GMs flex their power (generally over players), no one has much problem with that. When athletes flex their power, it's suddenly a scandal. That's not a fatal flaw. My post didn't say that people were railing against Golden State as an organization. My post said people were railing against super teams that the players themselves had a hand in creating through their own choices while ignoring super teams that players had no real hand in engineering. To me, that says pretty clearly that it's not "competitiveness of the league" that people care about (despite saying that a lot) but rather players creating teams out of their own choices.
Not sure what you nerds are prattling on about . . . but WHY EVEN COMPETE? Professional Sports has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with your lame job. Don't make comparisons because you can't dribble a basketball. As a top 3 player in a top heavy league, you have an obligation to maintain the competitive balance of the league. Joining a team that was 1 game away from back to back championships is a slap in the face to the clowns who have the time to watch this and take it seriously as a sport. It's the WWE -- without the entertainment. A dark, dark day in African American history.
to me kevin durant has as many rings and finals mvps as karl malone, john stockton or charles barkley. except they all have achieved more in their careers than he has.
I honestly don't care if GMs were the ones to form a super team or the players themselves. If the Warriors front office created this team by pulling off a KD trade while losing little to nothing, I would have the exact same response. The only difference is that my ire would instead be directed against the GMs who facilitated the trade and the league for allowing such imbalance. It would be anti-competitive regardless of who drives the player movement. There would be fewer people calling KD a snake, but the end result is the same.
The Warriors have not only become impossible to guard, they really play tenacious defense...When they turn it on...it is just so damn hard to beat them. But as a fan of the game I hate it when NBA teams admit this. This is competition, and you have to believe you can beat anyone...anytime. The entire league has cowered to the Warriors...Lebron mid series describes their "dominance"...What a bunch of pathetic cowards. Superstars take note...if you wanna compete with the Warriors, you have to start pairing up once again. (imagine what a Lebron to the Spurs would do the Warriors...too bad he signed the extension.) Kevin Durant the league's second best player did this in his prime...bc he wants to win. He will also sacrifice his true earning potential in order to win titles. Other top end players really need to pair up and start becoming selfless...in order to have the success Durant had in his first year. Players like Anthony Davis better start demanding certain type of players on his team...or threaten to leave. Mid Tier superstars (ie PG13 or Hayward...need to look to join forces.) The league has now thriving with SF who can play multiple positions and score(as bigs are starting to fade away)...The NBA will have to start closing that gap with the Warriors, or expect an ERA of Warrior titles. *puke*
The second best player in the world did exactly what the best player had been doing for years. I don't see any fault in that. I'd be stoked if the Rockets were that loaded and Morey then went and reeled in KD.
What everyone says if KD was drafted or traded to the warriors, everything is fine, but since he willingly signed with the warriors, now he is not worthy no matter what he does, LOL.
Um yea because if he was traded there they wouldnt have all their core players. Curry would probably be gone. And if he was drafted there, their other stars wouldnt have developed as well or would have left for more money. Him choosing to go there via free agency is weak. Face it.
There were no social media and internet back then. Nothing goes away easily now...people will remember.
