Monster
Charter Member
Joined: Oct 5, 2015 8:50:45 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 1,645
Gender: Male
Last Online: May 22, 2017 16:23:51 GMT -5
|
Post by Monster on Jul 12, 2016 12:15:53 GMT -5
Class act all the way. Few players enjoy the universal respect he's earned.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 22:26:17 GMT -5
Unrestricted free agency didn't exist until 1988, when Bird's decline began. So yeah, he wouldn't have. Because he literally couldn't.
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 22:48:21 GMT -5
I think it's clear Bird is saying even if he had the opportunity he wouldn't, be cause he thrived against competing against him.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 22:53:37 GMT -5
I think it's clear Bird is saying even if he had the opportunity he wouldn't, be cause he thrived against competing against him. It's a dumb thing to say though because he played on a super team his entire career. So did Magic. Of course those guys never wanted to leave, they never had to. The league's talent pool is so much more spread out now, those kinds of teams can only be formed through guys wanting to buddy up. And tbh, why is it that sports are the only profession where people are criticized for wanting to take the most efficient route to success possible? That doesn't really make sense.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 22:57:39 GMT -5
Anyway, still would have preferred KD in Boston as a fan of the game but a lot of the criticism I've been hearing rings pretty hollow.
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 23:08:22 GMT -5
I think it's clear Bird is saying even if he had the opportunity he wouldn't, be cause he thrived against competing against him. It's a dumb thing to say though because he played on a super team his entire career. So did Magic. Of course those guys never wanted to leave, they never had to. The league's talent pool is so much more spread out now, those kinds of teams can only be formed through guys wanting to buddy up. And tbh, why is it that sports are the only profession where people are criticized for wanting to take the most efficient route to success possible? That doesn't really make sense. Because it isn't like Durant left the 76ers to join a better team. He was on a team that had a 3-1 series lead against a 73-9 team in the Conference Finals. Durant played the worst game I had ever seen him play throughout his entire career in close-out game 6. Had he been benched or had the flu and didn't even make an appearance on the court, the Thunder may have actually won that game. He did far more for Golden State in that game than he did for OKC, there is no question about it. He had 3 straight chances to close out one of those games and win the Conference Finals, and he stunk it up. So instead of working with his team to get better next year, he completely abandons them to join the only super team in the league whose only chance of losing is to a LeBron-led squad. It's absurd. He deserves the backlash. If he had played at least fairly well in that series, and OKC got swept or lost 4-1, the backlash wouldn't be as bad, but victory was in his hands and he blew it. And what does he do? He essentially just gives up and joins them. Iggy was worse, though.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 23:18:09 GMT -5
It's a dumb thing to say though because he played on a super team his entire career. So did Magic. Of course those guys never wanted to leave, they never had to. The league's talent pool is so much more spread out now, those kinds of teams can only be formed through guys wanting to buddy up. And tbh, why is it that sports are the only profession where people are criticized for wanting to take the most efficient route to success possible? That doesn't really make sense. Because it isn't like Durant left the 76ers to join a better team. He was on a team that had a 3-1 series lead against a 73-9 team in the Conference Finals. Durant played the worst game I had ever seen him play throughout his entire career in close-out game 6. Had he been benched or had the flu and didn't even make an appearance on the court, the Thunder may have actually won that game. He did far more for Golden State in that game than he did for OKC, there is no question about it. He had 3 straight chances to close out one of those games and win the Conference Finals, and he stunk it up. So instead of working with his team to get better next year, he completely abandons them to join the only super team in the league whose only chance of losing is to a LeBron-led squad. It's absurd. He deserves the backlash. If he had played at least fairly well in that series, and OKC got swept or lost 4-1, the backlash wouldn't be as bad, but victory was in his hands and he blew it. And what does he do? He essentially just gives up and joins them. Iggy was worse, though. Man, listen. People fail upward in life all the time. He just took a better job, nothing else to it. People must think a lot of themselves to think they should be able to decide where a free agent can play to satisfy their perception of the world. Very weird.
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 23:29:39 GMT -5
Because it isn't like Durant left the 76ers to join a better team. He was on a team that had a 3-1 series lead against a 73-9 team in the Conference Finals. Durant played the worst game I had ever seen him play throughout his entire career in close-out game 6. Had he been benched or had the flu and didn't even make an appearance on the court, the Thunder may have actually won that game. He did far more for Golden State in that game than he did for OKC, there is no question about it. He had 3 straight chances to close out one of those games and win the Conference Finals, and he stunk it up. So instead of working with his team to get better next year, he completely abandons them to join the only super team in the league whose only chance of losing is to a LeBron-led squad. It's absurd. He deserves the backlash. If he had played at least fairly well in that series, and OKC got swept or lost 4-1, the backlash wouldn't be as bad, but victory was in his hands and he blew it. And what does he do? He essentially just gives up and joins them. Iggy was worse, though. Man, listen. People fail upward in life all the time. He just took a better job, nothing else to it. People must think a lot of themselves to think they should be able to decide where a free agent can play to satisfy their perception of the world. Very weird. It further created an imbalance in the NBA. Fans have every right to be annoyed with that. A Warios-Cavs Finals for the next five straight years is not at all a far-fetched claim, especially considering Durant's move, and his hypocritical " Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!" tweet. His move was bad for the NBA and the fans. The fans pay the money, they can say whatever they want.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 23:36:49 GMT -5
Man, listen. People fail upward in life all the time. He just took a better job, nothing else to it. People must think a lot of themselves to think they should be able to decide where a free agent can play to satisfy their perception of the world. Very weird. It further created an imbalance in the NBA. Fans have every right to be annoyed with that. A Warios-Cavs Finals for the next five straight years is not at all a far-fetched claim, especially considering Durant's move, and his hypocritical " Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!" tweet. His move was bad for the NBA and the fans. The fans pay the money, they can say whatever they want. Parity in the NBA is a total myth. It briefy existed in the 1970s...an era regarded by most fans as the worst in league history. The "golden era" featured the Lakers and Celtics winning 8 of 9 titles and the Bulls winning 6 of 8 titles. None of this has ever been new. In the end, Durant's move to Golden State will increase league revenue and in a few decades, history will view the Warriors/Cavaliers rivalry as one of the "golden eras" too. The fans can say whatever they want, the NBA will be more watched this year than ever as a direct result of this signing. Who cares what they think and say when their actions over time have suggested they actually prefer super teams and dynasties to parity?
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 23:38:00 GMT -5
Do you really care what a guy wrote in a tweet six years ago, when he's had six years of NBA experiences between to grow as a person and player? That's just petty.
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 23:42:07 GMT -5
It further created an imbalance in the NBA. Fans have every right to be annoyed with that. A Warios-Cavs Finals for the next five straight years is not at all a far-fetched claim, especially considering Durant's move, and his hypocritical " Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!" tweet. His move was bad for the NBA and the fans. The fans pay the money, they can say whatever they want. Parity in the NBA is a total myth. It briefy existed in the 1970s...an era regarded by most fans as the worst in league history. The "golden era" featured the Lakers and Celtics winning 8 of 9 titles and the Bulls winning 6 of 8 titles. None of this has ever been new. In the end, Durant's move to Golden State will increase league revenue and in a few decades, history will view the Warriors/Cavaliers rivalry as one of the "golden eras" too. The fans can say whatever they want, the NBA will be more watched this year than ever as a direct result of this signing. Who cares what they think when they really support the move by pumping money into the league? You said the complete opposite when Durant signed with the Warriors. You said it sucked for the parity of the league and the NBA would be a snoozefest until we actually get to the Finals. Did you change your mind that quickly?
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 23:43:12 GMT -5
Do you really care what a guy wrote in a tweet six years ago, when he's had six years of NBA experiences between to grow as a person and player? That's just petty. I think he's shrunk, at this point.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 23:44:31 GMT -5
Parity in the NBA is a total myth. It briefy existed in the 1970s...an era regarded by most fans as the worst in league history. The "golden era" featured the Lakers and Celtics winning 8 of 9 titles and the Bulls winning 6 of 8 titles. None of this has ever been new. In the end, Durant's move to Golden State will increase league revenue and in a few decades, history will view the Warriors/Cavaliers rivalry as one of the "golden eras" too. The fans can say whatever they want, the NBA will be more watched this year than ever as a direct result of this signing. Who cares what they think when they really support the move by pumping money into the league? You said the complete opposite when Durant signed with the Warriors. You said it sucked for the parity of the league and the NBA would be a snoozefest until we actually get to the Finals. Did you change your mind that quickly? That's not me changing my mind. It is bad for parity in the league and competition-wise, it will be a snoozefest until the Finals. But it doesn't matter, because it has traditionally always been that way and super teams and dynasties are better for the league financially.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 14, 2016 23:45:31 GMT -5
Do you really care what a guy wrote in a tweet six years ago, when he's had six years of NBA experiences between to grow as a person and player? That's just petty. I think he's shrunk, at this point. You could dig up stupid shit I've said six years ago and throw it in my face like it means something too. Things change. People change.
|
|
Jason
Administrator
We keep odd hours
Joined: Oct 2, 2008 18:08:12 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 8,925
Gender: Male
Last Online: Mar 10, 2024 5:33:04 GMT -5
|
Post by Jason on Jul 14, 2016 23:52:20 GMT -5
I think he's shrunk, at this point. You could dig up stupid shit I've said six years ago and throw it in my face like it means something too. Things change. People change. Sure. Difference is I dug up something awesome he said, though.
|
|
Monster
Charter Member
Joined: Oct 5, 2015 8:50:45 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 1,645
Gender: Male
Last Online: May 22, 2017 16:23:51 GMT -5
|
Post by Monster on Jul 15, 2016 9:24:04 GMT -5
|
|
J-Mac Attack
Charter Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2015 20:26:34 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,278
Gender: Male
Last Online: Jul 3, 2017 14:03:31 GMT -5
|
Post by J-Mac Attack on Jul 15, 2016 19:23:15 GMT -5
Still doesn't seem right. Does it?
|
|
Monster
Charter Member
Joined: Oct 5, 2015 8:50:45 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 1,645
Gender: Male
Last Online: May 22, 2017 16:23:51 GMT -5
|
Post by Monster on Jul 15, 2016 21:20:16 GMT -5
Nope. I'll probably move on once the new OKC roster is solidified. But I'll probably come back to it when the playoffs start up. GS sacrificed a lot of depth so you never know. Maybe they won't be unstoppable.
|
|
Headhunter
Global Moderator
Fuckin' Globat...
Joined: Sept 30, 2008 16:39:50 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 2,639
Gender:
Last Online: Aug 1, 2017 15:12:41 GMT -5
|
Post by Headhunter on Jul 15, 2016 21:37:54 GMT -5
Nope. I'll probably move on once the new OKC roster is solidified. But I'll probably come back to it when the playoffs start up. GS sacrificed a lot of depth so you never know. Maybe they won't be unstoppable. Ehhh, they kept the necessary depth though. Iguodala and Livingston were the only real standouts on the bench, and they did add David West and Zaza Pachulia. Their rim protection will suffer a little bit but not sure how much it will matter with how easy the offense will come. In the playoffs when rotations are tightened, will probably matter less. Obviously one injury to their Big Four changes everything for them though. I don't think they can afford to lose any of those guys.
|
|
Monster
Charter Member
Joined: Oct 5, 2015 8:50:45 GMT -5
Location:
Posts: 1,645
Gender: Male
Last Online: May 22, 2017 16:23:51 GMT -5
|
Post by Monster on Jul 15, 2016 21:43:02 GMT -5
Damn. Well I hate to wish injury on anyone but if it happens I won't lose any sleep.
|
|