A40:
AD is a really great player but the pedestal he's being put on by some is just ridiculous. Suggesting he can't be compared to anyone or his level cannot be reached?

That was why I brought the example of Harden. If Harden was not handed the keys to his own team would he be at this level today? When he was leaving OKC who in their right minds would have predicted he would be this great? If you suggested he could be as good as a D.Rose at the time in the future you would be laughed out of the country but look at what happened?

Even Kawhi is another example. You just never know and that's all I'm saying

Absolutely!....For a Lad that has enjoyed little post season success, the Pedestal is constantly being put on is almost somewhat cringeworthy. Phenomenal player but let's calm our ti..ts down please.

KarnBarlow:


I strongly disagree, we've seen players neutralize other players mano e mano on multiple occasions. In fact we see it every single day. Many players take the challenge of guarding other players one on one and succeeded without needing zone or help defense. Thats my definition of clamping someone.

You would struggle to give me 3 instances where a player guards another mano a mano for the duration of a game. It simply does not happen in today's basketball

Who are these many players you speak of that singlehandedly guard without needing zone or help defense in today's switch everything league?

chic2pimp:


Absolutely!....For a Lad that has enjoyed little post season success, the Pedestal is constantly being put on is almost somewhat cringeworthy. Phenomenal player but let's calm our ti..ts down please.

I won't blame their failures entirely on him but what was his ceiling at New Orleans? Who will suggest Giannis didn't meet it last year?

Of course AD and Giannis are different with different types of skillset but just because AD's style is more aesthetically pleasing does not make Giannis any less effective

This notion that anybody can never be as good as AD is what I don't want to hear.

KarnBarlow:

Its not about putting him on a pedestal, someone got on this forum and said pascal siakam is a better player than AD, of course any sane person would be outraged. People forget that AD was the most obvious number 1 pick since lebron james, came into the league and unfortunately ended up in New Orleans with garbage teams most of his career. He got Boogie Cousins and then lost him to injury but put the pelicans on his back along with Jrue and Rondo and led them to a first round sweep of the trailblazers, and then fell to golden state even managing to steal a game from them in their prime averaging 30. That was the only competitive team this man has had and you can't accuse him of choking or not showing up ever in his career. I'm not calling AD the best player in the league, the disrespect is just way too much. This guy is a bona fide monster on the court.

I don't know why you lot took that statement personal and to heart, he even backtracked eventually.

I took it up because the NBA is littered with players that didn't get to the league with as much fanfare as AD but were able to make it work and become a force in the league (Giannis, Harden) when they were on the come up I'm sure suggesting they could reach the levels of the marquee players in the league would have been laughable at the time.

I put it to you that AD underperformed at New Orleans. They only ever topped 40 wins twice in his stay there. He wasn't even rookie of the year and only managed a paltry 13ppg which was poor for a #1 pick

When they beat the Blazers, Jrue Holiday averaged 28pts per game and played stellar D on Lillard, not forgetting Mirotic averaging 18pts Don't come and paint the picture of AD doing it all on his own, nothing could be further from the truth. They were overmatched by the Warriors obviously but Holiday put decent numbers too

Kobe dropping his nuts on Dwight's grill, no wonder they never got along.

But man Kobe had mad hops!! This man was in orbit posterizing a man 5 inches taller than he was.

A40:
I don't know why you lot took that statement personal and to heart, he even backtracked eventually.

He did say it nonetheless.

I took it up because the NBA is littered with players that didn't get to the league with as much fanfare as AD but were able to make it work and become a force in the league (Giannis, Harden) when they were on the come up I'm sure suggesting they could reach the levels of the marquee players in the league would have been laughable at the time.

Of course it happens every once in a while. Still a far fetched argument nonetheless. We can make the same case for literally every player that has shown signs of improvement.

I put it to you that AD underperformed at New Orleans. They only ever topped 40 wins twice in his stay there. He wasn't even rookie of the year and only managed a paltry 13ppg which was poor for a #1 pick

Did AD underperform or did the Pelicans? Lets not forget hes had his injury issues early on, including his rookie year.

When they beat the Blazers, Jrue Holiday averaged 28pts per game and played stellar D on Lillard, not forgetting Mirotic averaging 18pts Don't come and paint the picture of AD doing it all on his own, nothing could be further from the truth. They were overmatched by the Warriors obviously but Holiday put decent numbers too

I literally mentioned Jrue and Rajon. But theres no denying who the best player on that team was, then you look at their performances against the warriors. Point is when he had a good team, he came good. I dont understand why people insist on blaming a player for a teams bad performance even when he plays very well. The best team will always beat the best player. No one has ever done it alone. Ever!

A40:
I won't blame their failures entirely on him but what was his ceiling at New Orleans? Who will suggest Giannis didn't meet it last year?

Of course AD and Giannis are different with different types of skillset but just because AD's style is more aesthetically pleasing does not make Giannis any less effective

This notion that anybody can never be as good as AD is what I don't want to hear.

Literally no one here has said this.

chic2pimp:



Absolutely!....For a Lad that has enjoyed little post season success, the Pedestal is constantly being put on is almost somewhat cringeworthy. Phenomenal player but let's calm our ti..ts down please.

So a player is phenomenal but if the team doesn't have success because it just isnt good enough its on him? How many seasons have we seen players play out of their minds and miss the playoffs because of their teams short comings? Its a team game, i dont understand why this is so hard for people to understand. AD is a phenomenal player. leave it at that.

A40:
Just no..

10-11
From 3ft to 10ft - 45%
10 to 16ft - 42%
16ft to 3pt line - 43%
3pt - 33%

11-12
From 3ft to 10ft - 46%
10 to 16ft - 48%
16ft to 3pt line - 37%
3pt - 32%

What you call improvement was minor to borderline negligible. The numbers don't lie

Concluding on Giannis after 9 games is premature, prior to Game 3 of the ECF nobody was talking about any of Giannis's weaknesses so I don't see why people are being so quick to play Monday Morning Quarterback

Giannis won his first playoffs series last year and ran into a bad matchup. It happens

LeNomad did choke. Both can be true. The Mavs could execute their game plan and LeNomad chokes as well. A 10pt drop in playoffs average is a chokejob that must be understood before analysing why

You should bring up the numbers for his post up play as well, and thats the major thing he worked on with Hakeem. What served him best the next playoff run. Numbers lie all the time. The improvement in his jump shooting and post up play was blatant. In fact that was the first thing most people noticed.

I'm not concluding if a player is known to be something and hasnt done anything to change that notion how is your conclusion premature? Until he does, theres nothing to suggest improvement.

One is a bad matchup the other is a choke job? Naah, truth is a player without shooting will always get exposed in the playoffs especially in recent times. We've seen this far too often, when was the last time a player without respectable shooting led a team to a championship? The last time in recent memory was probably shaq and shaq was a freak of nature. Plus the game has changed significantly since then.

We've seen literally every great player struggle with bad teams at some point in their careers. MJ early on, Kobe without Shaq, Lebrons first stint in cleveland. Its just not fair to hold a bad team against a single player.

Trae Young

A40:
I don't know why you lot took that statement personal and to heart, he even backtracked eventually.

I took it up because the NBA is littered with players that didn't get to the league with as much fanfare as AD but were able to make it work and become a force in the league (Giannis, Harden) when they were on the come up I'm sure suggesting they could reach the levels of the marquee players in the league would have been laughable at the time.

I put it to you that AD underperformed at New Orleans. They only ever topped 40 wins twice in his stay there. He wasn't even rookie of the year and only managed a paltry 13ppg which was poor for a #1 pick

When they beat the Blazers, Jrue Holiday averaged 28pts per game and played stellar D on Lillard, not forgetting Mirotic averaging 18pts Don't come and paint the picture of AD doing it all on his own, nothing could be further from the truth. They were overmatched by the Warriors obviously but Holiday put decent numbers too

But they said the same AD will do better than Giannis if AD was the one playing for the Bucks. Same AD will do better than Kawhi too playing for the Raptors. AD will also do the same for GSW or better in place of "guess who?" KD!!. Na this KD own weak me

We're back yo our regular schedule program.

Steph was not this good in Year 2. Trae Young is a bad man, I was a doubter but the eye test don't lie. This kid is unconscious

KNIGHTBlaed:


But they said the same AD will do better than Giannis if AD was the one playing for the Bucks. Same AD will do better than Kawhi too playing for the Raptors. AD will also do the same for GSW or better in place of "guess who?" KD!!. Na this KD own weak me

Same AD led his team to 40+ wins twice in 7 seasons. How would he have gotten to that place for starters?

KarnBarlow:

Literally no one here has said this.

It's been implied

KarnBarlow:

Of course it happens every once in a while. Still a far fetched argument nonetheless. We can make the same case for literally every player that has shown signs of improvement.

Yes. Because that's the beauty of sports. Nothing is static. 3 years ago nobody was talking about Mo Salah and Sadio Mane amongst the best players on the planet

KarnBarlow:

Did AD underperform or did the Pelicans? Lets not forget hes had his injury issues early on, including his rookie year.

He had solid if not unspectacular players. Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans. He was not surrounded by bums and they played as well as role players are supposed to

KarnBarlow:

I literally mentioned Jrue and Rajon. But theres no denying who the best player on that team was, then you look at their performances against the warriors. Point is when he had a good team, he came good. I dont understand why people insist on blaming a player for a teams bad performance even when he plays very well. The best team will always beat the best player. No one has ever done it alone. Ever!

That's par for the course. You would hope AD is the best player in a team with Jrue Holiday and Rondo

You claimed he carried NOLA to their playoff win. That is not entirely true. He was the best player but when you average 33 and your teammate averaged 28, carrying is not the right word to use. AD didn't win enough games with that roster

A40:

Yes. Because that's the beauty of sports. Nothing is static. 3 years ago nobody was talking about Mo Salah and Sadio Mane amongst the best players on the planet

Doesn't make your claims any less outrageous.

He had solid if not unspectacular players. Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans. He was not surrounded by bums and they played as well as role players are supposed to

Okay, just one year where AD was healthy and you felt he had enough for the playoffs in the west but didn't make it. One year.

That's par for the course. You would hope AD is the best player in a team with Jrue Holiday and Rondo.

You claimed he carried NOLA to their playoff win. That is not entirely true. He was the best player but when you average 33 and your teammate averaged 28, carrying is not the right word to use. AD didn't win enough games with that roster.

He got Boogie Cousins and then lost him to injury but put the pelicans on his back along with Jrue and Rondo and led them to a first round sweep of the trailblazers, and then fell to golden state even managing to steal a game from them in their prime averaging 30.

This is what i typed. Dont know where you got all that from.


He won 48 in the west in 75 games after losing his deuteragonist averaging 28 and if I'm not mistaken was 3rd in MVP voting and DPOY voting. Don't know what more you want from him.

A40:

This is very inaccurate. With all due respect.

Giannis has had 3 All-star caliber seasons. He's always been the better passer and defender as well


This is not an argument about who has had the better career so bringing the year they entered the league is completely unrelated to the argument

For Siakam we are saying he can get to AD's level over time. We are not saying he is as good now.


Lool you think Kawhi won't clamp AD? Lool


The same AD that only made the playoffs twice in NOLA? Abeggi

Didn't Brad Stevens wall the paint? Didn't Giannis still destroy the Celts and his strategy? It's a pity Giannis had to share the court with mediocre guards like Eric Bledsoe

Kyrie had a shittier postseason but nobody is talking about how we can game plan for him

Looooooollllllll

Really Portland, the kings now?

A40:
Why not let the season unfold and stop pre-ejacing. So if LeNomad at the peak of his physical prime could shit the bed then why is Giannis not allowed a bad series?

You think LeNomad's game was not improved enough to do better than 17pts per game in a Finals series?

What was Steph's weakness when he choked in the 2016 Finals?

Who even told you that was LeBron's physical prime? Smh

stylessamson:
Really, quick question, all through Anthony Davis 7 years with the Pelicans, where he made all star what was his PPG average
incase you don't know, he did not average as much points as Giannis in the last 2 years

Wow. Using a 6 year sample against a 2 year sample. Groundbreaking.

chic2pimp:


Beat which Raptors? AD ain't winning nothing with Khash and Bledsoe as His sidekicks. Or are we not talking about the same AD that was missing playoffs on the regs whilst with His previous team? This constant overrating of what AD can do needs to stop until we see concrete proof otherwise. A Timmy Duncan or a Dirk would have most probably taken that Bucks team past Raptors but AD, nah I'm not buying that.

You were quick to mention Blessoe but failed to mention Brogdon, Middleton and co.

LeBrons FT shooting is disgusting.

A40:
I won't blame their failures entirely on him but what was his ceiling at New Orleans? Who will suggest Giannis didn't meet it last year?

Of course AD and Giannis are different with different types of skillset but just because AD's style is more aesthetically pleasing does not make Giannis any less effective

This notion that anybody can never be as good as AD is what I don't want to hear.

Me what I don't want to hear is that Giannis is better than AD.

steady986:

Me what I don't want to hear is that Giannis is better than AD.

It's a reasonable argument especially compared to how someone said siakam is better than AD. Giannis is the MVP afterall. Hes certainly better in the regular season but his game is too shallow especially in the post season.

Looking at the Lakers fixtures it's safe to say that they're going on another streak. I'd rest both bron and AD against the warriors though.

A40:
I don't know why you lot took that statement personal and to heart, he even backtracked eventually.

I took it up because the NBA is littered with players that didn't get to the league with as much fanfare as AD but were able to make it work and become a force in the league (Giannis, Harden) when they were on the come up I'm sure suggesting they could reach the levels of the marquee players in the league would have been laughable at the time.

I put it to you that AD underperformed at New Orleans. They only ever topped 40 wins twice in his stay there. He wasn't even rookie of the year and only managed a paltry 13ppg which was poor for a #1 pick

When they beat the Blazers, Jrue Holiday averaged 28pts per game and played stellar D on Lillard, not forgetting Mirotic averaging 18pts Don't come and paint the picture of AD doing it all on his own, nothing could be further from the truth. They were overmatched by the Warriors obviously but Holiday put decent numbers too

You're funny o. AD underperformed at NO but still managed to make all NBA first team 3 times. You've forgotten that basketball is a team sport. How many players in the NBA have made all NBA first team while leading their team to under 40 wins? Very few.

KarnBarlow:
Looking at the Lakers fixtures it's safe to say that they're going on another streak. I'd rest both bron and AD against the warriors though.

Those sneaky bastards. The need to get dismantled for good. I'd play may best players.

SmooshCHN:
Trae Young

A40:
Steph was not this good in Year 2. Trae Young is a bad man, I was a doubter but the eye test don't lie. This kid is unconscious

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B4y6PpphJNk/?igshid=pue19ghzd975

For those who doubt. This kid is special and this is just his second year.

Saying Trae can be better than Curry or Giannis/Siakam than Anthony Davis doesn't imply that they are currently better. I didn't read where anyone said Siakam is currently a better player than AD. It's normal to believe they can be better if they keep getting better with how well they are playing now and such takes shouldn't be an off topic either. It's sports. We've seen 1st round picks turn busts and second round picks become household names.

steady986:

Those sneaky bastards. The need to get dismantled for good. I'd play may best players.

Lol. The south Bay Lakers will blow these bums out. They're not worth the trouble anymore. No point destroying them while they're down, We'll get them when they're at full strength next year. That's the best way to steal their souls.

SmooshCHN:


https://www.instagram.com/tv/B4y6PpphJNk/?igshid=pue19ghzd975

For those who doubt. This kid is special and this is just his second year.

Saying Trae can be better than Curry or Giannis/Siakam than Anthony Davis doesn't imply that they are currently better. I didn't read where anyone said Siakam is currently a better player than AD. It's normal to believe they can be better if they keep getting better with how well they are playing now and such takes shouldn't be an off topic either. It's sports. We've seen 1st round picks turn busts and second round picks become household names.

Really? You didn't? Read the thread again.


Besides, it's one thing to say a 21 year old sophomore leading a team and has shown all flashes of the skills of the player he's being compared to can reach that ceiling. It's a completely different thing to speculate a 25 year old will miraculously catch up with a transcendental player than AD out of nowhere. Based on what? That has never happened before. NEVER.