But Kareem was not the catalyst of that team, Magic was....so if Amen turns into Magic we have something. DD
Getting rid of Jalen and bringing in 3 & D players, even without KD, would absolutely bring the ceiling up on this team by itself. Adding a HOF player like KD at 37 is just the difference between pretenders and contenders.
I would consider being a contender this year a successful season. Truth is, if we can run the gauntlet of the West and even make it to the finals, we are probably gonna be champions. Health is the big factor for all the teams. If KD stays healthy we are deep enough to absorb any injury or two, except for FVV. If he goes down, we goes down me tinks. I CAN'T F*ING WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO START! The Texans better not completely suck. That will help.
Yes it’s pushing 40. I’m 37 myself so I’m living it. Kareem in ‘85? So..40 years ago? Doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence but the Suns practically have Durant away so I get it.
The most recent being Duncan? Duncan is criminally underrated (should be in the GOAT debate imho). Durant is no Duncan (for various reasons). But the Suns practically gave him away so I get it.
If this is true, KD will sign for ~$100 million instead of $120 million to give the Rockets some flexibility. Maybe they reached an agreement with Tari and KD gave up what was needed to get it done.
That'd be alright. If either Gooni or Amen go out as well, with Amen you can mitigate his Offense but can't replace his great Defensive impact. With Tari, Bari, Adams, Dorian, the D would still be formidale yet Amen is the driving force.
I'm going to put on my tinfoil hat for a second. With all of these "team friendly" deals (Fred's, Jabari's and now KD's if true) I can't help but think there's some under the table crypto compensation happening. It can't be something as simple as Landry's GCs can it? I'm not a tinfoil hat wearer, but is anyone else getting just a little suspicious of all the "team friendly deals"?
I don't want to go there but thought of Stone letting Felicia dine with Ime and players has vaguely crossed my mind. And free trips to Italy where Tilman is ambassador...nice beaches. Seeing how damned close she got with KPJ and his brand in the past and how she defended his arse after the fallout at the Denver game.
Durant can absolutely be compared to Duncan. DEFINATELY. In fact, Durant will finish ahead of Duncan in several statistical categories. It's safe to say that KD won't win 5 championships but he's got 2 (and counting) so even by that measure, it's not like it's insulting. Point being, there is plenty of precedent that old players can indeed lead their teams deep into the playoffs. Is it a concern? Of course. Do you think Udoka isn't aware of that?
So the thought of the GM pimping out his wife vaguely crossed your mind? Is that something you'd consider normal in your universe?
It’s the funniest thing seeing people freaking out STILL over KD’s age. Do people not realize these athletes bodies at 37 are not like they were in Jabbar’s time for the most extreme comparison?! 37 is definitely not necessarily pushing 40, I turn 39 soon and definitely do not feel like that at all nor is my body breaking down or something and I’m far from an athlete. If KD takes 20 million less and Tari gets his extension then this team is fully ready to compete with this roster for the next 2 years, though still changes can be made if particularly our guard situation needs to be addressed given the lack of shooters and more importantly, playmakers. But hey, KD is our superstar, we are going to see from tomorrow and on Thursday how much we’re valued on a national level. Our slogan for the coming season should be: Reaching for the Stars / Rocket Launched
I'd understand freaking out about KD's age if we paid a superstar price for him. Going into his age 37 season you don't want to mortgage the future. The team did not do that. I valued Jalen's contract as a negative asset, personally, so the price for KD was Brooks and the #10 pick IMO. Sengun and Jabari are locked up long-term and it looks like they're budgeting a max extension for Amen. Still waiting on Tari's extension, though. We kept the other Suns and Mavs picks and the Nets pick swap. The team is not all-in on KD so I don't get the complaints.
Exactly. Considering what the Rockets gave up for KD and how the cracks in the roster have been filled since the trade, I really don't understand the negativity. Getting rid Jalen was a plus, by itself. DB will be missed, but signing DFS and the expected growth of Amen/Tari/Jabari should completely fill the gap. I doubt two years of DB's infectious take-no-prisoners attitude will suddenly disappear from the team culture. There will always be whiners when major changes are made. In this particular case, I'm treating it like background noise.
