SilasCoade

Kyrie would have to opt in for that. Send Patty and Kyrie to the Clippers for PG13 and Hartenstein. Sacrifice multiple chickens in hopes that KD and PG13 stay healthy enough for a legit run.

I really don't know what the Knicks were doing last night. It looks to me like they gave up the 11th pick last night and two future 2nd round picks for a top-4 protected first rounder in 2025 and the ability to not pay Kemba. I know they technically got other picks but those are so heavily protected coming from teams that are likely to continue to suck that I can't imagine they convey. If they do convey, it still means they'll be late picks. This seems like a move you make if your team made a Cinderella run through the playoffs and you're trying to keep room for free agents that can help you build on success immediately. That's not the Knicks. They need a ton of help. The book on Randle is written, he's not the guy. They should have been shipping him and Kemba out for picks in this deep draft, not giving away picks for nothing.

LMAO calm down my man

This Bilas/Perkins chemistry is electric.

I thought the Spurs were a chance to trade up for either Dyson Daniels and Eason.

I was listening on the radio while driving, so I apologize if it's already been mentioned, but I am absolutely shocked to see Orlando draft the fucking Riddler first overall.

Rockets came up winners there.

That's some 9.95 level "what we're hearing" bullshit. Is the next tweet about how awesome the new S&C coach is?

I guess. I mean if he's a difference maker for your team, your team probably isn't very good, but that describes Portland right now.

I like that move for the blazers.

Here's who SEA/OKC took in the 2008 draft: Westbrook (4), Ibaka (24), Walter Sharpe (32). A hypothetical alternate draft (with where these guys were actually picked in parentheses) that still addressed need for starting PG, quality big, and I guess a body: Love (5), George Hill (26), DeAndre Jordan (35). KD wins a title in OKC with that crew. One draft and the whole league is different for a decade. I'm not suggesting the drop off from Russ to Hill wouldn't have been significant in individual talent, but having a less dominant PG would have suited the team success better in the long run, especially if it meant getting a legit stretch 4 and a lob catching rim protector to partner with.

Curious if the Nets can make anything happen there. I think Hayward still has value as a guy leading a second unit and closing out games he's a favorable matchup in. The Nets could also use any of Mark Williams, Agbaji, or Eason who are projected to be available at the Hornets' spots. Maybe send them Patty Mills, Joe Harris, and a future protected pick? Blazers maybe interested too, depending on how much they think Hayward has left in the tank.

John Wall might be my fucking hero.

The Cavs did not get better without kyrie. C'mon.

For one thing, who wants him? Great player but head case and all his comments about "comanaging the team" with KD and the ownership and "cocoaching" with KD and Nash? Who wants to deal with that even for a guy who could get you 25 and 6 every night?

I don't understand this comment in the context of the conversation. MJ is a consensus top-3 player. Him winning 6 rings with Pippen and the Spares would be an argument supporting his greatness. That 94 Rockets team had no one approaching Pippen's level. '95 if you want to say Clyde was on that level, sure, I'll give you that one. With respect to Cassell being an All-Star in his career, sure, but not while with the Rockets, so that's not really germane to the conversation about those teams. Being from another galaxy where, presumably, they do not have basketball, his performance on those teams was great, but he was a replacement level for humans.

93-94 the second leading scorer was Otis Thorpe. That dude was all right but he's nobody's pick as second option on offense for a championship team. We all love the big shot lore but Horry was always a limited role player with on elite skill. Smith was an above average guy but hardly a star. Cassell was a slightly above average guy over his career but he was a JAG on those Houston teams. I'll give you Clyde in 1995. But the rest of the team was nothing special.

I can agree with all that, but in the end, "Was it the smartest move?" is the only question that matters when discussing his free agency decision. The money was going to be equal (or very nearly depending on state tax rules and regional endorsement/investment opportunities). So the only questions were, "Can you win there?", "Can you enjoy playing with the team in place?", and "Can you enjoy living there 9 months out of the year or more?" Everything else is fans projecting their desires onto the decision. If anything I give KD even more credit for making the decision knowing that the media and Joe Moron were going to declare it bitch made. He said, "fuck y'all, I just want to hoop, have fun, and live my life." Respect.

Hakeem pulling those spares to 2 titles is incredible. His offensive game is obsolete by the standards of the current NBA, but it was absolutely elite. Yes the draymond bit was a joke. I fucking hate that guy. I was trying to keep my list to around 2 per position. That forward spot was tough to narrow down and I just don't like Lebron. He has never been a guy I felt like was a sure thing to get his team a bucket when they absolutely had to have one.

This is tough. I have to have MJ, magic, bird, Kareem, Hakeem, Duncan. The last 4 are a toss up among Steph, KD, lbj, wilt, Russell, Dr j, pippen, and draymond Green. Joker is seriously close to making the list too.

I said Haters gotta hate and Vic took that personally.

I don't agree that KD had no other options in 2016 that would have led to championships. He interviewed with GSW, Spurs, Clippers, Boston, and Miami. From a basketball standpoint GS and the Spurs were the clear top options. Boston was a distant 4th behind the Clippers, plus I just cannot imagine Danny Ainge coming off well to a guy like KD. The Heat roster was pretty trash. From a basketball standpoint they would have been the worst choice. The Spurs would have likely been dominant with KD, Kawhi, and Aldridge. A functional Danny Green as a 3 and D guy with occasional bursts of old school Manu to steady the second unit? Gimme some of that please. I think the non-basketball factors made San Antonio a non-starter. He'd already done his time in small market conservative culture purgatory at OKC. I can definitely understand wanting to go somewhere that being a young famous multimillionaire would be more fun. Paintball doesn't strike me as KD's scene. The Clippers would have been fucking scary on offense with CP3, Blake before the precipitous decline, Redick, a still-serviceable DeAndre Jordan, and Jamal Crawford off the bench. But I think there has to be some of that same Ainge-effect there with the personalities of CP3 and Doc Rivers not really being KD's style. Not sure they would have been able to match up with the Warriors on defense, but they could probably outscore anyone. So, yeah, he had options, but the Warriors were clearly the best option, not just in terms of forming a dominant super team that would guarantee titles, but in terms of basketball culture, personality fit, and non-basketball opportunities. That's a lot of words to say it's weird that people think making the obviously best decision detracts from his greatness and even weirder that the continued success of a franchise that is in the top 3 or 4 managed teams in the league* detracts from his greatness. Haters gotta hate I guess. * Warriors, Spurs, Heat, Celtics probably in that order, IMO.

And it's only not 3 because of the Achilles injury.

Green was great this game. He still got away with some shit and could use a good ass whooping, but he played great.

Insane