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NBA Playoffs 2019-2020 |OT|

Cutty Flam

Banned
2011 isn't listed because the Mavs were far superior, right?
Good look, I had forgotten that one for some reason. The most memorable instance in his career arguably, as well. Good catch
Are you saying the 2008 Lakers had to deal with comparable injuries to what the Warriors did last year? Because that is flat out not true, they were down Andrew Bynum and while that's not insignificant, he was 20 years old and just not there yet. Paul Pierce played that series injured, and don't get me started on the KG injury next season that killed what should have been a Celtics dynasty.
That's not what I said. Andrew Bynum was injured and he was killing it right before his knee injury during that Memphis Grizzlies vs Lakers game. Trevor Ariza was injured w/ a fractured bone in his foot. Nearly the entire Warriors team was devastated with serious injuries. Injuries are a part of the game and a loss is a loss, a win is a win. "What if" talk will never be adequate discussion imo. It's just pretending and excuse making depending on which way one tries to go with it . Whatever happens, happens and that's that. You have to live with the end result. That's how it goes

The 2008 Lakers team fought valiantly to have even won one game let alone the two that they managed, but in the end they failed. The 2019 Warriors team was a catastrophe like I have never seen before. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Kevon Looney, were all injured badly, chose to play, and the team took massive losses. Injuries and wear and tear are usually the things to do it: bring down a dynasty. It's extremely rare to have seen the Warriors play in the NBA Finals five consecutive years in a row. Usually it's two or three years at most and something happens to the team. Only the Warriors and LeBron lead teams have surpassed three consecutive NBA Final appearances. And it's of no surprise, both the Warriors and LeBron are extraordinary
 

bender

What time is it?
Good look, I had forgotten that one for some reason. The most memorable instance in his career arguably, as well. Good catch

If I ever meet LeBron, I'll say, "tell me how my Dirk tastes."

giphy.gif
 

Cutty Flam

Banned

Paul George is suspect. I would never trade Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LaVert for Paul George. And then throwing draft picks in as well? Way too risky imo, Paul George has played like a complete scrub two years in a row now in the playoffs. I wouldn’t even trade the gatorade cooler for PG
 
I only watched the first 5 minutes of the game & I thought we had it in the bag. I woke up this morning and The Lakers won in a blowout. Now I read Dragic has a serious injury, and that Bam and Butler are also banged up. Wtf happened last night??? Did Lefraud pay Tonya Hardy and she went to work on my boys with a bat? This series is over in 4 without Dragic. Damn!
 

Hinedorf

Banned
Fuck if the Clips gave up on PG that quickly for all the picks they gave up it would make perfect sense this was originally a Doc-move and probably Paul's stupid comments about this not being a must-win year probably sent the owner into tailspins wondering what the hell message is coming from the coach to have said that publicly after all the moves made to put this team together.
 
The 2008 Lakers team fought valiantly to have even won one game let alone the two that they managed, but in the end they failed. The 2019 Warriors team was a catastrophe like I have never seen before. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Kevon Looney, were all injured badly, chose to play, and the team took massive losses.

Got you now friend. The 2008 Lakers were banged up, but the 2019 Warriors was downright chernobyl. It's like all the basketball gods decided to enact vengeance upon Draymond for being a cock puncher. Somethings you can't get away with doing man.
 

EruditeHobo

Member
I only watched the first 5 minutes of the game & I thought we had it in the bag. I woke up this morning and The Lakers won in a blowout. Now I read Dragic has a serious injury, and that Bam and Butler are also banged up. Wtf happened last night??? Did Lefraud pay Tonya Hardy and she went to work on my boys with a bat? This series is over in 4 without Dragic. Damn!

Lakers turned it around and started dominating before the injuries, if that makes you feel better?

If I ever meet LeBron, I'll say, "tell me how my Dirk tastes."

Some people just can't achieve multiples... get theirs one time, and they're spent.
 

bender

What time is it?
Some people just can't achieve multiples... get theirs one time, and they're spent.

Some people are loyal and have a dipshit owner that created a vendetta against the referee union and cost his team the '06 finals and an owner that blew up a championship team in failed attempts at grubbing free agency talent wasting the tail end of said players prime. To his detriment, Dirk never took shortcuts and was loyal to a fault. The only fools I've ever head talk negatively of Dirk are Skip Bayless and message board user EruditeHobo. Congrats, you are an elite company.
 

Hinedorf

Banned
Lakers turned it around and started dominating before the injuries, if that makes you feel better?



Some people just can't achieve multiples... get theirs one time, and they're spent.

Dude...... I mean some perspective on that 1 championship. Played through Duncan/Kobe/LeBron dynasty eras and will go down as one of the best players through that span, nothing but love and respect for Dirk.
 
I just read that Bam and Dragic are listed as "questionable" for tomorrow. Screw it, start Nunn and Herro. Just play both rookies 40 minutes a game in the finals. Let them be embarrassed and ran of the floor by LBJ & AD. It will toughen them up and it will put a chip on their shoulders for the future. Gotta aim to get Giannis when he's a free agent.
 
I just read that Bam and Dragic are listed as "questionable" for tomorrow. Screw it, start Nunn and Herro. Just play both rookies 40 minutes a game in the finals. Let them be embarrassed and ran of the floor by LBJ & AD. It will toughen them up and it will put a chip on their shoulders for the future. Gotta aim to get Giannis when he's a free agent.

thats actually feasible
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Some people are loyal and have a dipshit owner that created a vendetta against the referee union and cost his team the '06 finals and an owner that blew up a championship team in failed attempts at grubbing free agency talent wasting the tail end of said players prime. To his detriment, Dirk never took shortcuts and was loyal to a fault. The only fools I've ever head talk negatively of Dirk are Skip Bayless and message board user EruditeHobo. Congrats, you are an elite company.
That was such a painful series to watch. It all started with Dirk being really upset over a loss and he kicked the ball into the nosebleeds after the game. I don’t blame him, I’ve done the same thing over a simple pickup game loss a few times lmao

From there, Cuban took a shot at the way Stern was running things basically, and Stern decided to make an example out of him. I really despised that call. He punished an entire organization and team for two things that could have been taken care of some other way. The refs were given the go ahead to tilt the scales and thus, D Whistle was born

Disgusting how many free trips to the line he was gifted that series. Not even fucking Jordan of all players ever went to the line that much. That’s where I stand with that
 

EruditeHobo

Member
Some people are loyal and have a dipshit owner that created a vendetta against the referee union and cost his team the '06 finals and an owner that blew up a championship team in failed attempts at grubbing free agency talent wasting the tail end of said players prime. To his detriment, Dirk never took shortcuts and was loyal to a fault. The only fools I've ever head talk negatively of Dirk are Skip Bayless and message board user EruditeHobo. Congrats, you are an elite company.

Jeez man. It was just an innuendo joke, like your thing. Everyone loves Dirk, it's cool.

On it's face, applying a blanket label of "disloyal" seems kind of uncharitable and overly reductive when talking about LeBron's career, but I will say that "loyalty" and 2 bucks will get you a one-way ride on the subway.

Dude...... I mean some perspective on that 1 championship. Played through Duncan/Kobe/LeBron dynasty eras and will go down as one of the best players through that span, nothing but love and respect for Dirk.

I love Dirk! I was rooting for him hard in that series, and considering the Cuban factor that is pretty amazing! It was just a joke.
 
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bender

What time is it?
Jeez man. It was just an innuendo joke, like your thing. Everyone loves Dirk, it's cool.

On it's face, applying a blanket label of "disloyal" seems kind of uncharitable and overly reductive when talking about LeBron's career, but I will say that "loyalty" and 2 bucks will get you a one-way ride on the subway.



I love Dirk! I was rooting for him hard in that series, and considering the Cuban factor that is pretty amazing! It was just a joke.

WE DON'T JOKE ABOUT DIRK. <3

LeBron is one of the greatest ever but he often took the path of least resistance. Should we knock him for that? Probably not, but that's sports. Further, I can't stand he's passive aggressive holier than though attitude. I have no issue with him ring chasing but it makes it extra sweet when he fails. LeBron is a great dude, does amazing social awareness and charity work and seems like one hell of a great dad. I just can't stand his basketball persona off the cout.

2011 was extra sweet. The world was rooting for my Mavericks, good guy Dirk gets a ring and Cuban shut the fuck up.
 
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EruditeHobo

Member
It's not surprising in a paradigm that values "loyalty" that seeking different opportunities/challenges must be almost automatically classified as disloyal. Hard to adjust to that now, since management has framed the debate this way for decades & the public/consumer has wholly bought in despite no real recognition that this "loyalty" should go both ways, but often doesn't. After all, when a team trades a player there's rarely a conversation about loyalty, yet when an MVP free agent moves or positions for a move it's almost always, at least in part, about loyalty. So these arcane ideas about what it means to have integrity when it comes to a massively global, commercial, franchised game aren't worth much these days, mostly because they're reliant, as least somewhat, on an undeniable inherent hypocrisy.

I suppose he'd be considered a saint if he'd just stayed in Cleveland averaging a near-triple double for a 20 year career, having won a bunch of MVP but never a FInals MVP... or even a Finals, for that matter, possibly. But to me THAT'S actually the path of least resistance... and certainly the least ambition. No one with a talent like his would do that. Which is why it won't ever happen again... that day is dead.

That said, I'm still glad Kobe retired as a Laker after his 20 year career. So I do still understand the personal appeal of that.
 

Hinedorf

Banned
It's not surprising in a paradigm that values "loyalty" that seeking different opportunities/challenges must be almost automatically classified as disloyal. Hard to adjust to that now, since management has framed the debate this way for decades & the public/consumer has wholly bought in despite no real recognition that this "loyalty" should go both ways, but often doesn't. After all, when a team trades a player there's rarely a conversation about loyalty, yet when an MVP free agent moves or positions for a move it's almost always, at least in part, about loyalty. So these arcane ideas about what it means to have integrity when it comes to a massively global, commercial, franchised game aren't worth much these days, mostly because they're reliant, as least somewhat, on an undeniable inherent hypocrisy.

I suppose he'd be considered a saint if he'd just stayed in Cleveland averaging a near-triple double for a 20 year career, having won a bunch of MVP but never a FInals MVP... or even a Finals, for that matter, possibly. But to me THAT'S actually the path of least resistance... and certainly the least ambition. No one with a talent like his would do that. Which is why it won't ever happen again... that day is dead.

That said, I'm still glad Kobe retired as a Laker after his 20 year career. So I do still understand the personal appeal of that.

Going to be honest....I'm as big of Kobe fan as they come..... I have almost every Kobe Rookie card there is, I'm talking him wearing his high school jersey on the card, I have multiple Kobe jerseys, and for years believed he was better than Jordan, he was not.

In the last 3-4 years of Kobe's career I HATED KOBE he was a selfish has been getting paid 20+ million to basically go out there jack up bad shots and play no defense to a stunning last place display. Everything that was the end of Kobe's career would be considered an embarrassment to mamba mentality, he had dead legs and had no business collecting a paycheck and held the Lakers ransom because of it.

Kobe didn't take any honorable way out, he embarrassingly limped his way out in pathetic fashion not befit of his character.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Cs would be getting absolutely MAULED by these Lakers lol. GG Cutty Flam Cutty Flam , you take this round but we're coming back on this motherfucker.
Disappointed by the Miami Heat. Injuries are taking the series away from them, but they’re not even playing hard out there. No fight in them, flat play most of the game. Butler isn’t nearly aggressive enough either
 
Ya. What a lopsided finals. How Miami steamrolled their eastern opponents who knows how they did it.

They balled out of their minds for a couple of rounds, Bam and Dragic absolutely killed the Celtics. The Cs lack any real interior presence, so they can't attack the zone properly which demands a tall player making quick reads in between the lines. They tried that with Smart in some possessions, but team wasn't really built to do it and they sort of fuckballed around. The Bucks are not built for post-season success, their defense is reliant on leaving guys open beyond the line which is leading you nowhere.

Disappointed by the Miami Heat. Injuries are taking the series away from them, but they’re not even playing hard out there. No fight in them, flat play most of the game. Butler isn’t nearly aggressive enough either

They're feeling the stage. They were lauching IDGAF 3's midway into the first quarter. They're flat out deer in the headlights right now.

Miami ran a beautiful action against the Celtics that had Bam handling the ball high on the arc with two shooters cutting around him late in the clock after a couple of switches. It was unstoppable from every angle. They haven't done a single thing like that in this series.
 

bender

What time is it?
It's not surprising in a paradigm that values "loyalty" that seeking different opportunities/challenges must be almost automatically classified as disloyal. Hard to adjust to that now, since management has framed the debate this way for decades & the public/consumer has wholly bought in despite no real recognition that this "loyalty" should go both ways, but often doesn't. After all, when a team trades a player there's rarely a conversation about loyalty, yet when an MVP free agent moves or positions for a move it's almost always, at least in part, about loyalty. So these arcane ideas about what it means to have integrity when it comes to a massively global, commercial, franchised game aren't worth much these days, mostly because they're reliant, as least somewhat, on an undeniable inherent hypocrisy.

I suppose he'd be considered a saint if he'd just stayed in Cleveland averaging a near-triple double for a 20 year career, having won a bunch of MVP but never a FInals MVP... or even a Finals, for that matter, possibly. But to me THAT'S actually the path of least resistance... and certainly the least ambition. No one with a talent like his would do that. Which is why it won't ever happen again... that day is dead.

That said, I'm still glad Kobe retired as a Laker after his 20 year career. So I do still understand the personal appeal of that.

-LeBron quits on Celveland in 2010 playoffs leading to "The Decision" (I get wanting out of Cleveland because the owner sucks and they've not been able to put a championship caliber team around you)
-Joining the Heat in 2011 makes sense. You are playing with three other Super Stars who are your friends, an unproven coach but amazing front office plus you are in South Beach (Greener Pastures Episode 1)
-Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, but 4 years before you've sucked the blood out of the stone (4 Finals appearances, 2 Chips) and realized the team peaked the previous year and to compete, it's time to move on.
-2014: "I'm Coming Home" and "Doing for the Land" or rather, since I left the team they've sucked but have been amassing talent and since we are in the East, it's still my easiest path to the finals. Dan Gilbert isn't so bad, right? Plus he let's me be LeGM (Greener Pastures Episode 2)
-Sure he wins a chip and makes four more Finals appearances but along the way he sabotages the organization by getting coaches fired, his lesser teammates paid to ridiculous contracts(who's their agent again?) , and sets of awful trades. I'll just turn out the lights on my way out the door as I get the last laugh, Dan. Good luck working your way out of the mess you allowed me to create. Don't forget to pen another letter.
-2018: LA seems nice. They've stockpiled assets (sound familiar?) and since they aren't Cleveland are a destination city. I've got enough connections now that I can back channel and get on of the Premier talents in the league in a year or so. (Greener Pastures Episode 3). But at least he had the balls to come out West.

He'll chip again this year because everything worked out perfectly for him. He's also got to be the greatest athlete to ever play the game. With as much mileage he has on his league and as god damned good as he is, that's hard to deny. But you also can't deny that he took the easy route as much as humanly possible. Switching teams isn't bad as you don't pick where you are drafted and for a lot of #1 picks, you end up going into bad situations, but in his quest to be the greatest ever he's always run to a more favorable position when the times got tough which in my view (worth absolutely nothing) diminishes his all time standing.
 
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-LeBron quits on Celveland in 2010 playoffs leading to "The Decision" (I get wanting out of Cleveland because the owner sucks and they've not been able to put a championship caliber team around you)
-Joining the Heat in 2011 makes sense. You are playing with three other Super Stars who are your friends, an unproven coach but amazing front office plus you are in South Beach (Greener Pastures Episode 1)
-Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, but 4 years before you've sucked the blood out of the stone (4 Finals appearances, 2 Chips) and realized the team peaked the previous year and to compete, it's time to move on.
-2014: "I'm Coming Home" and "Doing for the Land" or rather, since I left the team they've sucked but have been amassing talent and since we are in the East, it's still my easiest path to the finals. Dan Gilbert isn't so bad, right? Plus he let's me be LeGM (Greener Pastures Episode 2)
-Sure he wins a chip and makes four more Finals appearances but along the way he sabotages the organization by getting coaches fired, his lesser teammates paid to ridiculous contracts(who's their agent again?) , and sets of awful trades. I'll just turn out the lights on my way out the door as I get the last laugh, Dan. Good luck working your way out of the mess you allowed me to create. Don't forget to pen another letter.
-2018: LA seems nice. They've stockpiled assets (sound familiar?) and since they aren't Cleveland are a destination city. I've got enough connections now that I can back channel and get on of the Premier talents in the league in a year or so. (Greener Pastures Episode 3). But at least he had the balls to come out West.

He'll chip again this year because everything worked out perfectly for him. He's also got to be the greatest athlete to ever play the game. With as much mileage he has on his league and as god damned good as he is, that's hard to deny. But you also can't deny that he took the easy route as much as humanly possible. Switching teams isn't bad as you don't pick where you are drafted and for a lot of #1 picks, you end up going into bad situations, but in his quest to be the greatest ever he's always run to a more favorable position when the times got tough which in my view (worth absolutely nothing) diminishes his all time standing.
Everything you said can be spun in the other direction.
He gets drafted by his hometown team with enormous expectations. Over the course of those 7 years, he reached the Finals once and his team is clearly outmatched by the Spurs. But he pushed himself and wins two MVPs. There are trade targets that could’ve put them over the top in 2010, but the front office refuses to pull the trigger (Amare Stoudemire). Thus the impression is that they won’t make the moves necessary to put together a championship roster.
In frustration he decides to join two other stars in Miami, a team that missed the playoffs the year before. The first year together, he has the only shit Finals loss of his career. But ends up winning 2 in his four years there.
In that fourth year, he saw the writing on the wall with Wade’s knees and no roster flexibility. He knows he still has unfinished business in Cleveland. Goes back, the team finally has the balls to make a trade and gets Kevin Love. Finally delivers on a promise of a championship to his hometown and brings him peace as a player. And let’s be honest, would’ve delivered 4 if Kyrie and Kevin didn’t get hurt the first year.
You talk about taking the easiest possible path, but I love how there was no mention of Durant joining a 73 win team in order to finally get a ring. If that doesn’t happen, we are talking a four-peat in Cleveland. But, things are the way they are. Kyrie wants out and is traded. Lebron wills the 2018 team to the Finals.
He leaves for LA, not because of their young assets and promise. But because he wants his sons to go to school there and he wants to build his entertainment brands so that he will one day have the finances to own a team.
The talk of him taking the path of least resistance is horse shit. If that was the case, he would’ve joined the Lakers in 2010. He would’ve joined the Spurs in 2014. He would’ve joined the Celtics in 2018. He is in his 17th NBA season and is still the best player on the planet. His longevity is unprecedented. And if he decides to move again a year from now, it certainly won’t be into the path of least resistance.
 

bender

What time is it?
Everything you said can be spun in the other direction.
*edited out as it's not counter to anything I said*
And let’s be honest, would’ve delivered 4 if Kyrie and Kevin didn’t get hurt the first year.
You talk about taking the easiest possible path, but I love how there was no mention of Durant joining a 73 win team in order to finally get a ring. If that doesn’t happen, we are talking a four-peat in Cleveland. But, things are the way they are. Kyrie wants out and is traded. Lebron wills the 2018 team to the Finals.
He leaves for LA, not because of their young assets and promise. But because he wants his sons to go to school there and he wants to build his entertainment brands so that he will one day have the finances to own a team.
The talk of him taking the path of least resistance is horse shit. If that was the case, he would’ve joined the Lakers in 2010. He would’ve joined the Spurs in 2014. He would’ve joined the Celtics in 2018. *edited out again as it's not counter to anything I've said, in fact I mentioned how god damn amazing he is*

-Would have been 4 championships? I'm not sure how you equate injuries in the first year into 4 championships.
-Why would I mentioned KD's weak ass move when talking about LeBron always bolting for greener pastures?
-Of course there are other benefits to LA, but LeBron's not dumb. His legacy is set. Who had the better chance of putting together a championship roster? The Lakers or the Cavs that made all the wrong decisions largely in part to appease LeBron?
-The Greener Pastures narrative isn't horseshit, it's obvious. LeBron isn't dumb so he was never going to make himself the cherry on top of an 80b sundae (see Durant to GSW). LeBron cares (probably a little too much) about his perception a lesson well learned from The Decision. That's why he never made the type of move that KD made (there, I mentioned KD. Happy?), it's just too weak of a move and he's aware of the blowback. Maybe he'd have done that later in his career had he never won a championship.

Everything LeBron does is calculated and he's largely been successful (he just played in his 50th!!! Finals Game). He's an all time great and I understand people calling him the GOAT. But we also shouldn't gloss over his flaws. He cares (probably a little too much) about his legacy and how he is perceived. I will not argue against maximizing your opportunity but if you are a team sports fan and not a LeBron fan, he's kind of hard to root for. I cheered like hell for him as he was coming out o high school and got drafted in Cleveland. You could just tell he was going to be special. But that fandom waivered after some of his antics, team moves and passive aggressiveness. I can still marvel at the player and be even more impressed with him as a man, it's just too bad that his off court basketball decisions are beneath the greatness of him as a player, an activist and a father.
 
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That to me is why Lebron is nowhere near MJ. You have to make shit up to make his case.
I don’t understand how anyone can reasonably say that LeBron is “nowhere” near MJ. I think MJ is #1 and LeBron #2. But if Lebron continues to win championships and continues this unprecedented longevity, he will be 1A in my book.
 

EruditeHobo

Member
LEBRON STUFF

I think I already said I didn't want to go through the whole bit by bit about LeBron... mostly because we can just disagree, and I for sure admit that on some level you have a point; Bron is a player of his age, he's been in some more than a few ways selfish and myopic and petty. But... I mean, he gets more stick for it than basically any superstar ever. The Last Dance barely scratches the surface on what a dickhead MJ was. We don't necessarily admire these players because of their blemish-free personalities, after all.

Everything you said can be spun in the other direction.

Yeah, this is the issue here IMO. Really uncharitable take. Doesn't mean it's completely untrue...

And I am not a LeBron super fanboy, honestly... I'm a Laker fan for over 30 years, and this was the guy that everyone was praising and saying was better than Kobe for a number of years near Kobe's peak... so I actually kind of hated him. But we can't deny the player he is overall. And he did it against what is perhaps the highest difficulty curve in the history of sports/expectations/sports media.

I still think MJ is the GOAT as I've said here before, but LeBron is not far off him IMO.
 
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I don’t understand how anyone can reasonably say that LeBron is “nowhere” near MJ. I think MJ is #1 and LeBron #2. But if Lebron continues to win championships and continues this unprecedented longevity, he will be 1A in my book.

I wouldn't put Lebron at #2. I think that's Kareem. Then Magic. And then Lebron.
 

EruditeHobo

Member
Kobe didn't take any honorable way out, he embarrassingly limped his way out in pathetic fashion not befit of his character.

It's because of who he is that he pushed to keep it going to that degree, his character for good or ill has always made him what he is/was. Whether or not it was prudent of the Lakers as an organization to do that, that's a very specific discussion with a lot of moving parts, but I'd rather they take care of the guy that took care of them, and showed him that financial and deferential respect, instead of signing a few other guys with extra cap space after playing hard ball with one of best Lakers ever and parlayed that into a few 5-6 seeds in the playoffs or whatever.

He deserved to go out his way after what he delivered, and where he took the franchise, and it was not necessarily pretty but the records along the way, and him wrapping it all up and retiring a Laker after 2 decades, makes it worth it in the end. He took it as far as he could, and only when he knew he really had nothing left to give he made the call and had his farewell. And that's him, love it or hate it. That money and respect, even if it was a lot (which it was) was paid on services rendered.

After 5 rings, all the buckets, all his injuries, the last game he had in STAPLES... that's worth it IMO. It puts a button on his legacy, and it's one of the best in the history of professional sports.
 
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bender

What time is it?
I think I already said I didn't want to go through the whole bit by bit about LeBron... mostly because we can just disagree, I can see that on some level you have a point. But just glancing at this post displays a hugely uncharitable view of LeBron's career, and indeed admittedly some of his lowest public moments and faults. Either way, I don't know how much this is worth going back and forth over. I respect you opinion but think if we are discussing LeBron and that is a summary of how you feel about him overall... I just don't think that makes any sense.

Put another way:



And I am not a LeBron super fanboy, honestly... I'm a Laker fan for over 30 years, and this was the guy that everyone was praising and saying was better than Kobe for a number of years near Kobe's peak so I actually kind of hated him. But can't deny the player he is, overall.

I still think MJ is the GOAT as I've said here before, but LeBron is not far off him IMO.

FIGHT ME

Everyone has warts except Dirk. Also I'm not programmed for spin, only the truth.

From a basketball standpoint, I wish LeBron had a little bit more Kobe or Mike in him. He's just not that type of killer which probably makes him a better human being and more fun to play with. I don't hate the guy either which I hope is obvious. At the same time, I'm not going to gloss over those warts. Sports are about conversation. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind and I love you all unless you are a human and then I plan on killing you.
 

Hinedorf

Banned
Does anybody think it's rather weird Kyrie is taking passive aggressive shots at LeBron while LeBron is headed towards another ring and Kyrie's career trajectory has headed downward the moment he bailed on the Cavs.

Like.....is there anybody who's going to say "Kyrie is SO RIGHT"....... how fucking delusional is this kid?
 
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diffusionx

Gold Member
Does anybody think it's rather weird Kyrie is taking passive aggressive shots at LeBron while LeBron is headed towards another ring and Kyrie's career trajectory has headed downward the moment he bailed on the Cavs.

Like.....is there anybody who's going to say "Kyrie is SO RIGHT"....... how fucking delusional is this kid?

As a Brooklynite, I wasn't happy when the Nets signed him. The guy's behavior and attitude in Boston should have told everyone that he is NOT ready for prime time. And sure enough you saw all that start to happen last year. I think Nash is going to get steamrolled even if Kyrie signed off on the hire.

The thing that gets me is.... all the sports media people are like, "well obviously if you have the chance to sign Kyrie you HAVE TO DO IT." And sure, I get the reasons why... but the reasons why not.. that he is a horrible teammate, a chemistry killer, has a bad attitude, and will quit on you... does that count for anything?
 
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Cutty Flam

Banned
As a Brooklynite, I wasn't happy when the Nets signed him. The guy's behavior and attitude in Boston should have told everyone that he is NOT ready for prime time. And sure enough you saw all that start to happen last year. I think Nash is going to get steamrolled even if Kyrie signed off on the hire.

The thing that gets me is.... all the sports media people are like, "well obviously if you have the chance to sign Kyrie you HAVE TO DO IT." And sure, I get the reasons why... but the reasons why not.. that he is a horrible teammate, a chemistry killer, has a bad attitude, and will quit on you... does that count for anything?
Nash is going to have some very stressful days ahead of him. He can be the coach, but I don't know how he's going to manage. When he was on the Lakers and we saw him in the limelight a little bit more, he was a very carefree and joking type dude. Loved to have fun and take things lightly. An even during his Phoenix Suns days, I never saw him command with any true authority. He let Mike D'Antoni take control, he put his best in, and that was how he played. So I definitely am interested to watch the Brooklyn Nets next season. I cannot wait to watch them and see what Nash will bring. The way that guy used to thread the needle in the pick n roll? It was like nothing I've ever seen before. Probably the best passer in the game to ever live not named Magic Johnson. Kind of going off topic but to wrap up my thoughts, I'm really excited to see their high powered offense next season. Their roster is filled to the brim with talent ready to push for a title next season, imo
 
I wouldn't put Lebron at #2. I think that's Kareem. Then Magic. And then Lebron.
I respect your rankings, but I’d like an explanation for them as well.
For me, Lebron is clearly ahead of those guys. I know he doesn’t have the same number of rings (yet), but the totality of his accomplishments puts him at #2 for me. The career numbers in almost every major statistical category, the all-NBAs, all-stars, MVP finishes, etc. 17 years and still going strong. And the thing is, he evolved and adapts as he moved through different phases of his career. From his post up and power game in Miami to his all around game when he came back to Cleveland and to now with the Lakers at what should be the tail end of his prime. In his 17th season he led the league in assists. As Father Time continues to strip away his physical abilities, he seems to adapt and dominate with his brain.
 
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