[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 I had a very similar thread a couple months ago right after Kevin Durant signed to the Golden State Warriors. It was a mostly negative thread. But. I’m going back to the topic in hand with all the emotions not all riled up after the signing. I want to answer the statement that "Did Keving Durant ruined the NBA?" that I am hearing all over social media since Golden State man handled the Clippers on Tuesday. And I’m going to discuss how, if it’s, difference/similarities between Kevin Durant joined the Waariors and LeBron joining the Miami Heat.

I’m going to answer the question and say that NO, Kevin Durant didn’t ruin the NBA and the NBA is still watchable. People love to talk about parody in the sports league named the NBA and that it’s lack of it. People rave that the NFL have a bunch of parody, while it’s the most watched sports league. But, if you looked at numbers, it would suggest that the NBA offer more parody than the NFL. More NBA teams reached the conference finals since 2004 than the NFL. You literally always know who the teams in the NFL will make the playoffs and make it to the Conference Finals. It will be the Pats, Packers, Panthers, Seahawks, Vikings, Broncos, and you can name others that you will say that’s a lock before the season begin. So, the "Kevin Durant made the NBA less watchable because the parody of the game won’t be there" is a false narrative because we watch other products that have less parody.

Kevin Durant Warriors are not, and will not be the last "Super Team". People literally act like Kevin Durant started the "Super Team" trend. That’s a false narrative. Bird led Celtics teams had bunch of Hall of Fame players on the team, that’s why they have all those numbers retired. That was indeed a "Super Team". Isiah Thomas led Pistons teams had him, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, Joe Stalley, Bill Laimeer, and many more great players that would be considered a "Super Team". And you can’t leave out the "ShowTime Lakers" out of the mix. They had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and many more players. People called this era the "Golden Era" and that this was the best time in Basketball. You also have the Miami Heat and the KG led Celtics teams.

The "LeBron to Miami was way different than KD to GSW" is true, but you can make a point that it’s not really. People make the argument that LeBron went to a 47 win team and KD went to a 73 win team. That’s a false narrative and the most ignorant narritive of most of the discussion. You have to be really naive to actually believe that narritive. The 2009 Miami Heat team is way different than the 2010 Miami Heat team. Trust me, if Chris Bosh played for the 2009 Miami Heat team, they will win north of 60 games. That argument with the win total is crazy to compare because the Heat only had like 3 letovers from the 2009 roster. This is coming from a Heat fan.

The LeBron argument can be argued with the "lack of parody" argument too. I say that because LeBron literally moonwalked his way to 6 straight finals and no one complained about the "lack of parody", but KD going to GSW totally changed that narative.

I find it funny how the same people that was dogging Golden State, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green all offseason, now saying they are cheating. All I read pre-KD going to GSW was how Kyrie Irving was better than Steph Curry, Steph Curry wasn’t even top 3 for POINT GUARDS, how Draymond Green is overrated, and how Golden State was WAY overrated. But, post-KD to GSW the same people want to complain that KD went to a team with tthe best point guard, best shooting guard, the best team ever, and a great Draymond Green. Make up your minds.

Yeah, you can be mad at Kevin Durant going to Golden State because you just don’t like the move. But, don’t use the "Parody", "LeBron would not do it", and other weird arguments. I don’t have a problem with it because everyone would make that move in the real world. If I got a chance to transfer to Harvard or stay "loyal" to my school, I would go to Harvard in a heart beat. If you could make a move that will have you with the best company in your field, make very similar money, and have fun over staying at a place that you fell like you peaked at and not having fun.

If you don’t like the Warriors, don’t watch the game. There will be tons of great NBA teams to follow this season and some exciting players to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 A. Kevin Durant hasn’t ruined the NBA for Everyone, yes he’s ruined it for a loud minority of fans and has severely tarnished his legacy as a player regardless of what happens from here on out 

The Warriors could go 75 and 7 and no one will be suprised/impressed largely because of KD’s involvement 

B. The NFL has parody largely due to the Injury Rate and Non Guaranteed Contracts, the NBA is very predictable in terms of it’s true contenders (Cavs/Warriors/Spurs)

 

 This year especially the gap as been blown wide open and I dare anyone to pick a Team close enough to the Warriors talent wise 1 through 5…Than tell me how that team creates a Super Team (meaning what Top 5 Player can join a Team to put them at the Warriors level)

Maybe Westbrook signs with the Spurs and makes it competitive out West, but as is, this NBA regular season has been completely scripted to end up with a Cavs Vs Warriors final minus LeBron getting Injured for the Playoffs…

Sure we have some interesting sub plots to follow

The devolopement of young team like Minnesota, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Phoenix will be fun to track, then you have those fringe teams like the Bucks/Magic/Kings that can go either way, the Celtics and Knicks look to make a playoff push and it’s always a good time to be a NBA fan when those 2 teams are in the playoffs…

I will not watch the Warriors play until they destroy my Philadelphia 76ers, but that’s not going to stop me from watching Embiid/Saric/Okafor develop some chemistry, I’m not going to stop critiquing Noel or Grant or Stauskas, I’m not going to stop rooting for my hometown team no matter what happens in Golden State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A Lil EnglishParticipant]

 

 

a) The Warriors beat the Thunder after the Thunder were up on them – Miami wasn’t a team that Lebron couldn’t get past not even once.

 

AND

 

b) Lebron went to a team with 1 all star already there and another ’03 draft friend he came up with in the league at a time were they were free agents. KD joined a team that had won a title 1 year then a record amount of regular season with THREE all stars who happened to be there already and widely expected to win another title.

These are huge differences.

Even if they were the same – the Miami 3 struggled a the start of their first year and fell short in the finals at the end of that season (as did the best regular season team history last year)…. And that is why asking if the NBA is "ruined" is a stupid question at this point – they’ve still gotta go out and get it done. Beating down the Clippers at the start of October isn’t even half way to getting it done. Typical overreaction created by ESPN and First Take.

 

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 1) Never compare me to Stephen A. Smith,

2) Stop sugarcoating things. It’s not wrong with what LeBron did and It’s not wrong with what Kevin Durant did. LeBron James joined the Heat to form a super team and Kevin Durant joined the Warriors to join a super team. They might have did it in different ways, but the end results was that they wanted to form a super team and be dominate.

3.) You can continue to try to sugarcoat what the Miami Heat was and how it was formed. But, you trying to build a naive narrative about how "close friends" wanted to play together on one "super team". You sugercoated the "close friend in his ’03 draft class". You fail to mention at the time they formed the team he was wildly considered arguably a top 10 player in this league and a top 3 power forward in the game. Stop sugarcoating things about the ’10 Heat team. LeBron was the best player in the league. Dwyane Wade was a top 5 player in the league, and Chris Bosh was a top 10-12 player in the league.

That’s not hating on LeBron for what people believe that I am, but saying the end results are the same in which the end results are the same in trying to create a "super team".

 

 

 

[A Lil EnglishParticipant]

Im not trying to sugar coat anything just stating differences about why its not the same – for the record I dont like the way Lebron left Cleveland either but only because of the stupid tv show and build up he did beforehand and the big show talking about what they’re going to do afterwards.

 I for one dont have a major issue with creating what some call a "super team" – free agents should be free agents – but I do have a problem with it when you’re kicking dirt in the face of your previous team while you’re on the way out (which I would agree is essentially the overall similarity between the two).

My point is about the Warriors/Heat is not that they are ranked X, Y and Z in the player rankings its that Thompson Green & Curry are already there before KD signed there and already had a winning core AND formula. Thats why its different to me.

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 Of cource it’s not the same. KD went to a 73 win team, but LeBron also went to a super team of his own.

I believe we actually agree with each other, but going at it in different directions. I do not like how KD handled the situation one bit. Didn’t want Russell Westbrook, talked about the Warriors made him fell that he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was, and many more.

Yeah, we agree on most of what being tost around. I was going at how hypercritical the whole process have been dealt with by what I saw. If people think he ruined the NBA because he formed a "super team" then they already hated the NBA. If they don’t like it because of the parody, then they already didn’t like. That’s the message I was trying to send, I may did a horrible job at it. This wasn’r suppose to be a bashing LeBton thread. I don’t have a problem what KD and LeBron did, and I don’t believe the NBA is ruined

 

 

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 People who will say Kevin Durant "ruined" the NBA are the casual fans who remember the days before free agency when players were almost forced to stay with the same team their whole career or the fans who are only fans of one particular team and are mad because their path to a championship just seemingly got more difficult. If you are a true fan of the game in general there is no way you can’t be excited about this. 

The intrigue surrounding the warriors this year will be enormous. They will face a level of scrutiny they have never really had to face before and it will be interesting to see how they handle it. People talk about how much they gained with Durant but neglect to talk about how much they had to give up to get him and the effect that it could have on their overall team chemistry. Although they will be favored, this team is certainly no lock to win the championship this year or next and there are still several question marks surrounding this team. Let’s not overreact to one preseason drubbing of the clippers.

People said lebron ruined the NBA when he went to the heat and the opposite was true. Ratings actually increased and have been increasing since. The NBA will be just fine and I can’t wait to get the upcoming season started.

 

 

[halfdecayedParticipant]

¨¨People who will say Kevin Durant "ruined" the NBA are the casual fans who remember the days before free agency when players were almost forced to stay with the same team their whole career or the fans who are only fans of one particular team and are mad because their path to a championship just seemingly got more difficult. If you are a true fan of the game in general there is no way you can’t be excited about this.¨¨

So it makes ma casual fan to not be excited about a team beating down other teams and knowing who will be in the finals? yeah right, go home you’re drunk

 

 

[MatosParticipant]

Firstly, I am equally as tired of people comparing this situation to Lebron’s decision. I agree that Lebron went about it the wrong way with "The Decision" but here is truely why its not the same:

1) Lebron was not joining a team that had a player who was arguably better than he is. Dwyane Wade was not the reigning back-to-back MVP who lead his team (with two other first and second team All-NBA players) to an NBA-record 73 win season. Steph Curry during the majority of last year was the "best player on the planet" and Durant went to play second fiddle.

2) Kevin Durant decided to leave his team behind to go to the team that beat him. Lebron did not go to the KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo – lead Celtics. Had he done that, we would have looked at him similarly to how KD is getting looked at. Its even worse that the Thunder were up 3 to 1 in the series.

By those two points above, I think fans of the sport and of KD are dissapointed with him because we feel he’s destroyed his legacy. Even if the Warriors win the next three championships, he’ll be the guy that helped Stephen Curry get those championships, instead of being that guy leading a team, which in arguements for "who was the better player" (ala Kobe vs. Jordan; Lebron vs. Jordan) Durant can never be a topic-point. 

 

 

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 This post was not intentionally meant to be a LeBron vs Kevin Durant post. Just stating how hypercritical people became in comparing the two. If people believe that the NBA is ruined becausse of Kevin Durant, thought about that earlier.

Sorry if anyone got that mixed up. This post was suppose to be about how hyperctitical people are with the stance KD ruined the NBA.

 

[MatosParticipant]

True NBA fans will never feel that the NBA is ruined. All others that think it is can come and go.

[SubZeroParticipant]

I’m one of the biggest OKC and (former) KD fans in the world, and I completely agree with the last paragraph. Every one of his championships will be so insignificant compared to what they would’ve been. One in OKC would mean more than 3 at Golden State; maybe not in the minds of HOF voters and people 30 years from now, but in those of us that cared

[Robb_CParticipant]

 Kevin Durant didnt ruin the NBA.. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement did 

[SubZeroParticipant]

Drinking game: take a shot everytime “parity” is spelled “parody”

I used to be as big of a Lebron hater as there was and I was not a fan of his decision at all back then, but it’s nothing compared to this. You can’t defend an MVP and one of the 3 best players in the world joining up with the guys that just beat you and happen to be one of the best teams ever. This season looks like it will be one of the most useless seasons ever, because a Golden State-Cleveland rematch might as well be booked, barring any major injuries. You can thank KD for that

[markfitz14Participant]

Going to the team that is the second best team in the league is just dumb. Had the MVP and Green was even in the conversation for it. I still think Thompson could be an MVP candidate on another team. Joining all that is just like riding on someone elses coat tails. If you are a role player then ok thats fine. But when you are a top 3 player in the leauge that just makes you scratch your head like do you have no heart?

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

 Parish was traded for. No super team formed by friends. So do not exaggerate.

[joe2324Participant]

however, I think he has set a bad precedent for the rest of the league. Hopefully, in a few years, we don’t see Anythony Davis joining the next dominant team whoever that might be. Imagine if the Twolves become that next great team in five years winning a championship and Anthony Davis pulls a Kevin Durant to join Wiggins, Dunn, Towns and others. What if we see Westbrook bounce to the a powerful lakers team. There are tons of examples you can go through. It becomes ugly and only hurts the game in the long run as everyone is going to want to play with their buddies and win championships the easy way.  

On a personal level, I was disappointed Durant left OKC to join the Warriors. I’m not really feeling it this year, but thats just my opinion. 

 

[JoeWolf1]

Comon’ the Lakers and Celtics teams of the 80’s were just, if not more stacked, and GSW is right now. They just didn’t enjoy the 24 hour sports media cycle where everything is nit-picked to death.

Lakers Dynasty

Kareem Abdul-Jabber (HOF) 75-89
Magic Johnson (HOF) 79-91
James Worthy (HOF) 82-94
Byron Scott (15,097 career points ) 83-93
Michael Cooper (8 time All-Defensive 1st or 2nd Team) 78-90
Jamaal Wilkes (3 time All-Star) 77-85

As well as a slew of great role players like A.C Green, Kurt Rambis and former stars late in their careers like Mychal Thompson, Maurice Lucas, Bob McAdoo (HOF).

Boston Dynasty

Larry Bird (HOF) 79-92
Robert Parish (HOF) 80-94
Dennis Johnson (HOF) 83-90
Kevin McHale (HOF) 80-93

Plus 3 more HOF players who stopped by later in their careers

Bill Walton (HOF) 85-87
Tiny Archibald (HOF) 78-83
Dave Cowens (HOF) 71-80

Great role players like Danny Ainge, M.L Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Gerald Henderson

At any time in from 1979 to 1987 either the Lakers or Celts were sporting an absolutely stacked roster. It just wasn’t over analyzed to death, and rather than “Players trying to cheat their way to a championship” it was “Brilliant front office execs assembling a great team”

It’s funny how the perspective changes when it’s players doing the recruiting, and not guys in suits.

[D7H7NParticipant]

Warriors games will have record breaking viewership. People will want to see the super team either succeed or fail. You have lots of young teams in the west on the rise (Utah and Minnesota), you have the Lakers finally with a competent coach, you have Dan Gilbert spending $160M to keep his championship team, the NBA is far from dead.

The Warriors won’t even win 65 games this year, you guys need to chill.

 

 

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