₦airaland Forum

birdman:
The owner is exactly that kind of douchebag

. I just pity Knicks fans.

birdman:
It will be box office sell out for sure

So 1st round exists, but box office.

The knicks are trying to build a backcourt that cannot stop anybody. Donovan Mitchell and Brunson on D will be a joke.

Iggy just said another one, Sheed would have been better than Giannis. The only thing I can say for Rasheed, is that if he could have kept his temper during the 1st 3 years of his rookie deal in this era, he will get a max deal because of his ability to stretch the floor at that size and that is with the huge caveat that his temper is under control.
Rasheed and Giannis is not a comp that should be made at all

etidy:
As for the the Blake Griffin vs Draymond debate I won't be too quick to dismiss it.

Griffin may have been the better scorer by a wide margin but Draymond has had the career by far.

I am a Draymond critic, but We should not ignore his brilliance on the defense end. If you look at the totality of his work over the length of his career, He's not just any other good defender, he's amongst the all time greats.
He could easily have been 3 DPOY. Injury robbed him of one last season and he controversially lost one to Kawhi.
He's the first modern player who could defend 1-5 position effectively while also being an effective rebounder.

He's also the second best ever play maker in his position behind LeBron. That's no small feat.

Blake Griffin was a 6 time all star, Draymond has been selected four times, missing the last one due to injury add it to the team success draymond has had and its really not a walkover for Griffin.

Last of you check their head to head during the clipper vs warriors days. Draymond almost always outplayed and locked up Blake Griffin head to head.

Overall Blake Griffin's offensive skill set wins out but it's not a walkover. There is a debate to be had

If Griffin had Steph and Klay, and all he had to do was play excellent defense and playmake, he would have been miles ahead of Green. For goodness sake we've all seen dead Griffin play Giannis 1v1 as tough as anyone can play him while on the Nets.
Wiggins who for the past years had been called the not just one of the worst contracts in the nba, but also a very bad defender, just walked into a team with Draymond and became not just the 2nd best player, but also played DPOY level defense while doing it.
Yes Draymond is exceptional at what he does but as an overall player he and Blake are not in the same category.
Personally I use the draft criteria to rank players. If you have the number 1 overall pick, and you are choosing based on the Primes of both Blake and Draymond, I don't know anyone who would pick Draymond ahead of Griffin.

PS: The show specifically said in their Primes, if it was their total career then longevity helps out Green, in making it a conversation. but in their primes I think it's not even worth a debate.

Roland17:
Facts only!
No cap!!

You don find abbreviation for our favorite quote ba?

Assinn, the way people rate players sometimes just based on rings is just asinine.

PS: I saw one who said Robert Horry had a better career than Chuck because he won 7 rings . It's just baffling

A40:
Me I pick Kobe over Duncan

I have
MJ
Lebron
Kareem
Kobe
Magic
Duncan
Shaq
Bird
Olajuwon
Steph

Good list, everyone there has a case for where they were placed

A40:
Lol Blake vs Draymond is an asinine comparison. You wouldn't even make the playoffs with prime Draymond Green as your second best player. Let him keep enjoying his Golden State tax abeg. MFJPM

Thank you, I don't understand people who claim that someone who is great at being the 4th best player of a championship side, is somehow better than someone who is the number 1 option for a playoff team. The usual excuse is that they impact winning, which is just ridiculous.

Thanks for all those who contributed to the kobe vs TD debate. I really appreciated the thought put behind each person's choice.
I just want to ask another question, which criteria is best for ranking players?.
Some background,I came across a podcast where everyone on it believes that Prime Draymond Green is better than Prime Blake Griffin, which was shocking to me, and they kept repeating their reason as Draymond impacts winning more than Blake.
My issue with that approach is, one guy is judged on his impact as the 4th best player on a championship winning team, while the other is judged on being the 1st option on a team. I truly believe that players should be ranked on a level playing field.
So really looking forward to reading your opinions

etidy:
While I agree with some of your points especially with the fact that Duncan had consistent success for a longer period of time. I disagree a bit on the having help part.
It's not like Duncan was playing with some scrubs. Duncan had David Robinson earlier in in his career then ginobili, Tony Parker and lastly Kawhi.

With due respect to the Admiral, he averaged 15.6pts and 10rbs for the Spurs first chip and 8pts and 7rbs for the 2nd one. So he was no longer the MVP caliber player he used to be

One thing I want to ask about the nba in the late 70s and 80s. How did the showtime Lakers with prime Kareem get the number 1 pick to get Magic, then with both of them in the team, they somehow also got another 1st pick and then got Worthy. How did the nba allow that or how did it even happen.

A40:
But that's the thing. They have shown they don't need KD to win. Steph has finally shown he's an Alpha dog. And forget his selflessness it's clear he's heard the slander and wants to prove again he's that guy. Adding KD again just waters down and cannibalizes his legacy.

I'm sure he wants to surpass Magic as the GOAT PG. He's never going to do that with KD on the team.

Warriors are like the Yankees of NBA right now. If there's a team that will gladly pay luxury tax it's them. If the owner puts them on the market today he will not get less than $4-5bn

The Magic conversation will only exist if KD does not come. Steph and his group will have that in the back of their mind, if GSW can win just one more with this group or 2 more as Green is predicting, then I can comfortably say Steph and Magic is an argument to be had and I might even lean Steph.

etidy:
You wan cause world War 3

I Will say Duncan sha but it's so close.

Quick question Kobe vs Duncan who was better?

felix00:
61M/year.

That's 11/12M more than KD and giannis

Teams like Blazers and Wizards are going nowhere. Dame and Beal are all about the money and should stop talking about winning

A $15mil paycut for next season .Harden really wants that ring

Android17:
Disclaimer: this post is not about Kevin Durant

The issue for me is the Nets asking price, 2 allstar caliber players and multiple picks. No team in the nba can give that up and still be in the running for a championship.

A40:
Why will they want to cannibalize their legacy like that? Getting KD will help them win more rings but surely it will not boost his standing in the pantheon of all time greats. Now imagine he wins another ring sans KD now we are discussing whether he's actually surpassed Magic

That is one way of looking at it, but one of the salient point, is Steph has a reputation for selflessness and willingness to sacrifice for the team's glory.
So based on that, the equation for the team is simple. All but guarantee the next 3 chips barring injury and then start a rebuild after that, or have a very good chance of winning any of the next 3 chips and also have a strong core that will remain competitive after those 3 yrs. Also it might actually be cheaper for the team to bring in KD and if Wiggins and Poole are the ones leaving, yes a 3rd team has to be involved if Wiggins is going to be part of the deal, but GSW will definitely save money on luxury tax payments if those 2 are the core of what they are giving up.

A40:
What will Golden State want to do with Kevin Durant again for the love of God? They have the right balance of youth to foil the veterans and be in the Championship conversation for another 3 seasons barring extreme bad luck

You see what you just mentioned is exactly the issue. With what they have they are in the conversation for the next 3 championships, with KD barring injuries they are guaranteed 3 of them. So that is the issue for GSW right now, do you want to have a very good chance at the chip for the next 3 years, and then have a competitive team going forward from there. Or do you want to all but guarantee the chip for the same 3yrs and then after that start a rebuild.

Skrrrrrrr:
Makes sense.
Another thing to consider.
In that 4years, Durant would be 38...
Poole is just 23 and Wiggins is 27. Neither is at their prime yet. And I also heard whispers about adding Kuminga to the deal. Ain't no way it makes sense....
The best the warriors can do is see what they can get from the big 3 and this young guys, before curry retires, and then start all over with the youngins. This group already won a championship.

Personally adding Kuminga to any trade is a no no. The dude has the potential to be a number 1. I can swallow Wiseman and even Poole. But Kuminga is a no go area.
As for the Curry time line, that is another reason they might be thinking of KD. We know for a fact that a team with a healthy KD, Steph, Klay and Green is practically unbeatable. They might just bring him in, to all but guarantee, a GSW 3peat.
Giving steph 6 rings

Android17:
You are more intelligent than this, atleast that is my impression of you. So help me understand something that the best organization in the NBA did not figure out, would you?

We traded KD for essentially Wiggins and 2 first round picks and then we will give more than that to get him back at 34? lol

E reach to laugh. I don't know how long you have been on this thread for but it is safe to align your thoughts with those of more consistent winners. E get why.

I am not saying they will do the trade, i was just wondering why they would even consider it and the only thing i could come up with is finances.
Wiggins in case you don't know is on the last year of his Max contract at $33mil. Wiggins might be asking for a max contract at $172mil and every indication points to Poole getting around a $100mil/4yr deal, which might even now be higher seeing that Afrenee Simmons got that.
KD on the other hand, is signed on a $198mil/4yr contract.
In that same 4yrs span, Wiggins and Poole contract combined, might be at around $240mil
So considering GSW pays luxury tax at about 6x, it is something every good front office will do their due diligence on.

PS: Personally, I will not make the trade and I think GSW will not do it, but we are talking about money here

etidy:
And that's exactly the problem, 5 unrestricted first round picks , 1 pick swap and 4 players for a 50 million per year, 30 year d center with no offense. Yikes. When you already have a center.

You could have gotten a sign and trade for kyrie, beal, Zach Lavine or a trade for Siakam, Dejounte Murray for far far cheaper and they would have made far much sense.

For those assets, you could have gotten a Dejounte Murray and if you want a center so badly, grab a Capella and become a Juggernaut in the west.

You don't spend that level of talent for experimentation.

Agree with everything you said but, Gorbert is on 41mil/yr

Roland17:
Even the Warriors.....

According to the great Woj, more than half of the league have made contacts with offers/ trade packages to the Nets and all 29 teams have discussed a potential move for KD.

Make all 29 come take tag number and queue up

Hate all you want, HE IS THAT GREAT, NOTHING YOU SAY OR DO WILL EVER CHANGE IT!

THERE IS A REASON HE IS THE SLIMREAPER!!!!!

We die here!!!!!
#SLIMREAPER

The warriors package I read was centered around Wiggins, some of their young core and picks.

felix00:
Lakers prefer Curry

Yep, as they should, but it boils down to this, is getting a legitimate chance to win a championship, worth taking on Harris $37mil contract for the next 2 yrs worth.

PS: With AD, Lebron and Kyrie, the Lakers have a legitimate chance, I will not call them favorites, but they will have a legitimate shot at winning it all, with those 3

The Nets are only going to make the Kyrie for Westbrook trade if the Lakers also take Joe Harris

Just heard a quote from the Wolves,he said they decided not to out small ball, the greatest small ball line ups in the league (I am paraphrasing). So in essence they are gambling on out-rebounding and limiting finishes at the rim, to offset the 3s they will be giving up

etidy:
It could, but a Myles turner would have done the same for cheaper

Now, this was my initial reaction too, also I think they over paid in terms of picks. Who were they even bidding against I wonder.

etidy:
LOL you're still ignoring the fact that nobody has won with this set up for ages now.

The inside game of Evan Mobley a rookie is more polished than Gobert and his defense in the playoff is questionable.

This may work in the regular season when nobody is paying attention but in the playoffs they will exploit these guys with a rain of threes. Look at what the mavs did to Ayton.

Teams will spam 50 threes and kill them off

In their scenario Mobley is KAT while Allen is Gorbert. Nobody thinks this will win them the chip, but Gorbert is better than Allen and KAT is better than Mobley and the Cavs won a bunch of games with those 2.

birdman:
You dey scarce for here brah. The moment KD listened to Kyrie, that was the beginning of the end. I dont think Kyrie fits anywhere to be honest, and I am not sold on his skills. Kyrie has always been a streaky shooter, will win you some games, and lose a lot more. People need to shine their eye on this cat.

As for KD, I would like to see him on the Bulls team - I think that crew fits his personality and playing style very well. Even if they dont win a ring, I think he would be happy there.

Thank you for your Kyrie take, baba has been coasting in the league for a long time, just based on his finals performance in 2015.

etidy:
Baba we all saw how well Al Horford and embiid worked. Unless KAT turns into Durant. This move is crap. We haven't seen something like this work since Duncan and David Robinson and that was a totally different league back then.

A sign and trade for a wing like Zach lavine would have made a million more sense, even a trade for brogdon which would have been cheaper would be more sensible.

Did you watch the Cavs at all last season. Modgley and Allen played well together and none of them can shoot like KAT. Embiid and AL did not work because the sixers had Simmons who cannot shoot at all as a PG.

etidy:
LOL what's the Point paying a supermax for two centers you can't play together

They will play together, but one or both of them will be on the court for every minute of a game. The reason they did it is because of how bad their defense is, even with all the Beverley gragra they were like 24th in defensive rating. Gorbert on his own makes a team a top 10 defense. So if their defense becomes that, they might have enough scoring to make the playoffs without going through the play-in

etidy:
.
It's a wings league bro. yes KAT has some perimeter game but he's not KD. Anthony Edward's is not a renowned shooter either. That leaves you lacking a lot of shooting. Teams will small ball them off the court.

They will figure it out, Gorbert and KAT will probably stagger minutes to ensure that at least one of them is on the court for the whole game, which will help their rebounding numbers. If they can move Dlo for a PG with a bit more defensive chops I think it can work