Whats with the lack of durant ring jokes?

[Lebronxrings]

Disgusting. When lebron was that age, everyone made fun of him not winning a ring.


I called Durant and asked him about this... but no ring!

[Myth]

I think it was because LeBron had more expectations. He multiple times had the team with the best record in the league (60+ win teams) and still wasn't able to win.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Because Durant fans don't act like he's the second coming of Jesus.

[navy]

Ringless jokes are dumb. Let players finish their careers. I highly doubt Durant retires ringless.

[KBaller33]

LeBron is put to a higher standard

Pretty much it

[JT123]

Disgusting. When lebron was that age, everyone made fun of him not winning a ring.


I called Durant and asked him about this... but no ring!
:lebronamazed:

[JT123]

I think it was because LeBron had more expectations. He multiple times had the team with the best record in the league (60+ win teams) and still wasn't able to win.
Durant has been on multiple 60 win teams too, but unlike Lebron he has had a top 5 player by his side. :sleeping
The real reason is because Durant is a boring superstar, and because of this no one really cares about him. The league is gonna be in real bad shape once Lebron starts declining and Durant is forced to become the face of the league. :(

[RoundMoundOfReb]

hopefully people realized just how retarded they looked with lebron...criticizing a 25 year old whose best offensive teammate for his 7 years in the league was Mo Williams for not winning a ring :facepalm

[GODbe]

Because Durant isn't overrated and people actually like him:confusedshrug: .

[Kingwillball]

Because Durant isn't overrated and people actually like him:confusedshrug: .


Durant WAAAY more overrated than Lebron ever was.. Lebron is UNDERATED by haters like U actually..

[Im so nba'd out]

non durant fans don't hate him as a person like with lebron...so no need to pile on

[GimmeThat]

he has the lack of ability to cause trouble in the neighborhood for sure.


bang bang.

[JohnMax]

Durant only seperated himself from the pack this year.

Lebron has been a top 2 player since 2009.

[AboutBuckets]

Durant has been on multiple 60 win teams

That statement is incorrect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oklahoma_City_Thunder_seasons

[sammichoffate]

People like ESPN couldn't handle Lebron's dong, so it trickled down to the scum known as his stans.

[kentatm]

I think it was because LeBron had more expectations. He multiple times had the team with the best record in the league (60+ win teams) and still wasn't able to win.

60 wins in the East is like 45 in the West

[ZMonkey11]

Let's see...being dubbed The King and not being humble about it at 17 yrs old, getting a tattoo of "The Chosen One" before winning a championship, using Jordan's number, promising a championship to Cleveland before he left to Miami, promising Miami 6+ rings, his comments about us going back to our regular lives....

I don't know why you would make jokes about LeBron...none at all.

[Jlamb47]

Its media that says that, and Durant dosnt need attention like Lebron

[Milbuck]

Because he wasn't hyped up as some generational physical talent and basketball prodigy the way Lebron was. And understandably so..Lebron warranted all the hype he got in high school, Durant really didn't command expectations to that level. He was a skinny kid that could score with the best of them..we knew he'd be an incredible scorer. But I don't know how many people expected him to be this good overall this soon. The dude just had a season putting up 32/7/6/1/1 on 64% TS..with a near GOAT-level month putting up 37/6/6/2/1 on 68% TS. If you had told me in 2007 that he'd do that at 25, and win MVP over peak Lebron in the process..I'd have a tough time buying that.

Now that we've seen what he's capable of, the expectations are gonna rise. Westbrook's healthy, Ibaka's healthy, and I think this upcoming season is when he's really gonna face the pressure. This past season to me was his 2009 Lebron season, when he put up insane stats and because of it the expectations ramped up another level.

[J Shuttlesworth]

He's not as high caliber player as Bron, do he doesn't have ring or bust expectations

[kennethgriffin]

durant isnt the poster child of espn and handed 10 league mvps before his first ring or wearing #23 or being nearly as cocky or self centered


plus durant is beta. westbrook is alpha. we dont expect a whole lot from durant because of his mindset


and durant didnt collude or ring chase or recruit.


durant doesnt attract hatred. lebron does.

[Roundball_Rock]

On the 60 win point, yeah OKC has reached 60 wins only once but they have consistently been an elite team and close to 60 wins or a 60 win pace:

2014: 59 wins
2013: 60 wins
2012: 58 win pace over a full season
2011: 55 wins

OKC's ranking in wins (for the league, not just the West)

2014: 2nd
2013: 2nd
2012: 3rd
2011: 7th

So they have had the second best record in consecutive seasons and a top 3 record in three consecutive seasons.

Durant is the consensus second best player in the league and Paul is the most common choice for 3rd. Both play on loaded teams with arguably another top 5 player. Yet neither is criticized for being ringless--or not even making the 3rd round in Paul's case.

The fundamental fact is, despite all the hate LeBron gets, even his biggest haters recognize that LeBron is on another level than every other player in the league and thus is held to a much higher standard. Durant and Paul have done much less with much more and no one bats an eye. Meanwhile, LeBron takes teams deeper than they should go and is crucified for it.

[uber]

Let's see...being dubbed The King and not being humble about it at 17 yrs old, getting a tattoo of "The Chosen One" before winning a championship, using Jordan's number, promising a championship to Cleveland before he left to Miami, promising Miami 6+ rings, his comments about us going back to our regular lives....

I don't know why you would make jokes about LeBron...none at all.

this sums it up nicely

[Milbuck]

The fundamental fact is, despite all the hate LeBron gets, even his biggest haters recognize that LeBron is on another level than every other player in the league. Durant and Paul have done much less with much more and no one bats an eye. Meanwhile, LeBron takes teams deeper than they should go and is crucified for it.
No, he actually isn't. Durant was underwhelming in the playoffs, but all things considered Durant is a lot closer to Lebron than you're willing to admit. 2011 to 2013, I'd agree with you. But Durant this past season was definitely on Lebron's level. I still think Lebron is the better overall player right now, but there was a solid 2-3 month stretch in the winter where Durant was playing at a higher level than Lebron.

[Im so nba'd out]

I dont think lebron stans understand how much people hate lebron.He basically rubs it in people's faces that he is better than them....Most people don't like that

[tontoz]

Haven't seen Durant in a "check my stats" t-shirt.

[I<3NBA]

ring jokes are only made for players who are expected "to win a ring"

Durant isn't expected to win one. so no ring jokes. ever heard one for Melo?

[Hey Yo]

durant isnt the poster child of espn and handed 10 league mvps before his first ring or wearing #23 or being nearly as cocky or self centered


plus durant is beta. westbrook is alpha. we dont expect a whole lot from durant because of his mindset


and durant didnt collude or ring chase or recruit.


durant doesnt attract hatred. lebron does.

Why would Durant ring chase? He did nothing but get Seattle 20 wins his rookie year which ended up getting Westbrook and Serge in the draft for being so bad. The next year he improved the team by 3 wins which turned into getting Harden in the draft.

James got 1 lottery pick his 2nd year. Luke Jackson, 10th overall.

[J Shuttlesworth]

ring jokes are only made for players who are expected "to win a ring"

Durant isn't expected to win one. so no ring jokes. ever heard one for Melo?
Exactly. If LeBron didn't exist, then KD would probably be hearing some ringless jokes since he would be the face of the league. Really only one guy can be seen as "ring or bust" in the league

[J Shuttlesworth]

and durant didnt collude or ring chase or recruit.


What does this have to do with anything? LeBron was getting made fun of for no rings when he was in Cleveland

[lebron06]

no one really cares about betaDurant..

[LongLiveTheKing]

And his teams are stacked af.
Most stacked team of the last 3 years for sure.

[Mr. Incredible]

Because LeBron is much better. Period.

[Roundball_Rock]

No, he actually isn't. Durant was underwhelming in the playoffs, but all things considered Durant is a lot closer to Lebron than you're willing to admit. 2011 to 2013, I'd agree with you. But Durant this past season was definitely on Lebron's level. I still think Lebron is the better overall player right now, but there was a solid 2-3 month stretch in the winter where Durant was playing at a higher level than Lebron.

I agree. I just want to see Durant back it up before putting him level with LeBron. Remember when Howard was the second best player in the league in 2011 and there were legitimate discussions about whether one would trade LeBron for Howard straight up? Howard is still good, and actually has become underrated, but has been just another top 10 player since. I don't see this happening with Durant. As you and I noted in another thread, Durant is 25 so his peak almost certainly is yet to come. If he performs in 2015 like he did in 2014 I will put him level with LeBron. Right now I have LeBron in a tier by himself, Durant in a tier by himself and then guys like Paul, Westbrook, Griffin, Curry, a healthy Rose, and Carmelo in the next tier.

[LBJ 23]

hopefully people realized just how retarded they looked with lebron...criticizing a 25 year old whose best offensive teammate for his 7 years in the league was Mo Williams for not winning a ring :facepalm


Yes it's absurd really. At one point Durant was playing with Harden, Westbrook and best shotblocker in the league Ibaka. Compared to that Lebron had Mo Wiliams and yet he was held to much higher standards at the same age. Empty stats, Lebron will never win a ring playing ''Lebron ball'',....those are all the things we were constantly hearing till 11' when he was playing for the Cavs. When he was bounced out of the playoffs year after year the hate was on enormous level.

This year and last year people were saying that Durant was better than Lebron at the same age, but how come Lebon was held to like 10x times higher standards than Durant is held now, along with the fact that durant has a top 5 player by his side and one of the best defensive bigs in the league and Lebron had Mo Wiliams?

[Lebronxrings]

Yes it's absurd really. At one point Durant was playing with Harden, Westbrook and best shotblocker in the league Ibaka. Compared to that Lebron had Mo Wiliams and yet he was held to much higher standards at the same age. Empty stats, Lebron will never win a ring playing ''Lebron ball'',....those are all the things we were constantly hearing till 11' when he was playing for the Cavs. When he was bounced out of the playoffs year after year the hate was on enormous level.

This year and last year people were saying that Durant was better than Lebron at the same age, but how come Lebon was held to like 10x times higher standards than Durant is held now, along with the fact that durant has a top 5 player by his side now and one of the best defensive bigs in the league?
agreed with EVERYTHING you said. Durant can never let himself into the top 10 greatest players EVER no matter what. Failing to win a ring with a stacked team like that is worse then lebrons mediocre 2011 finals performance.

[NuggetsFan]

No, he actually isn't. Durant was underwhelming in the playoffs, but all things considered Durant is a lot closer to Lebron than you're willing to admit. 2011 to 2013, I'd agree with you. But Durant this past season was definitely on Lebron's level. I still think Lebron is the better overall player right now, but there was a solid 2-3 month stretch in the winter where Durant was playing at a higher level than Lebron.

This is true. Before Durant just felt like a player people would use and didn't actually expect to win rings and dethrone LeBron. Probably why nobody made a huge fuss about no rings.

Durant was close this year like you said. In the playoffs he slowed down abit atleast compared to his regular season form. I think if that happens next year you'll hear about it alot more, if he continues to be right there with LeBron.

[ILLsmak]

On the 60 win point, yeah OKC has reached 60 wins only once but they have consistently been an elite team and close to 60 wins or a 60 win pace:

2014: 59 wins
2013: 60 wins
2012: 58 win pace over a full season
2011: 55 wins

OKC's ranking in wins (for the league, not just the West)

2014: 2nd
2013: 2nd
2012: 3rd
2011: 7th

So they have had the second best record in consecutive seasons and a top 3 record in three consecutive seasons.

Durant is the consensus second best player in the league and Paul is the most common choice for 3rd. Both play on loaded teams with arguably another top 5 player. Yet neither is criticized for being ringless--or not even making the 3rd round in Paul's case.

The fundamental fact is, despite all the hate LeBron gets, even his biggest haters recognize that LeBron is on another level than every other player in the league and thus is held to a much higher standard. Durant and Paul have done much less with much more and no one bats an eye. Meanwhile, LeBron takes teams deeper than they should go and is crucified for it.

Like I said before, that was all after heat big three. Had they not done that, there is no reason to think kd wouldn't have won a ring.

-Smak

[Roundball_Rock]

Like I said before, that was all after heat big three. Had they not done that, there is no reason to think kd wouldn't have won a ring.

-Smak

Are you sure? They lost in the West three times during those four years, although one was after Westbrook went down in the playoffs. Are you sure they would win in 2012, though? The Heat backdoor swept OKC; the Celtics took them to 7 games. That could have been due to match ups but BOS was far more competitive with MIA than OKC was.

[chazzy]

Are you sure? They lost in the West three times during those four years, although one was after Westbrook went down in the playoffs. Are you sure they would win in 2012, though? The Heat backdoor swept OKC; the Celtics took them to 7 games. That could have been due to match ups but BOS was far more competitive with MIA than OKC was.
Bosh was a non-factor in that ECF until G7 due to his injury

[Lebronxrings]

Are you sure? They lost in the West three times during those four years, although one was after Westbrook went down in the playoffs. Are you sure they would win in 2012, though? The Heat backdoor swept OKC; the Celtics took them to 7 games. That could have been due to match ups but BOS was far more competitive with MIA than OKC was.
brooks would outcoach rivers.

[rule1223]

simply put, lebron ruined the value of a ring, if durant wanted to, he'd just jump teams and get a ring. Back then if u couldnt win a ring, you werent good enough, now if u cant win a ring, its because u chose the the wrong team to play on.

[raprap]

Forget about durant, its all about westbrook.

[Lebronxrings]

simply put, lebron ruined the value of a ring, if durant wanted to, he'd just jump teams and get a ring. Back then if u couldnt win a ring, you werent good enough, now if u cant win a ring, its because u chose the the wrong team to play on.
no one in league history would have won with the supporting cast lebron had in cleveland. Hell, they may not even win with the one he had in miami.

[christian1923]

He doesn't have the "chosen one" tatted across his back

[Myth]

Durant has been on multiple 60 win teams too, but unlike Lebron he has had a top 5 player by his side. :sleeping
The real reason is because Durant is a boring superstar, and because of this no one really cares about him. The league is gonna be in real bad shape once Lebron starts declining and Durant is forced to become the face of the league. :(

That is not true. Durant was on 1 60 win team (60 exactly), which was the 2nd highest record that season. LeBron was on 2 60+ win teams (66 and 61 wins) and both of those times his team had the highest record in the league. And you mention Westbrook, but the peak of LeBron jokes were after 2011 when LeBron lost with Wade (still a top 5 player at that time) and Bosh (a top 10 player at that time). Additionally, this followed LeBron talking about how easy winning rings would be, which is something Durant has never done. These things, combined with him being a general douche that talked in the 3rd person about himself, all contributed to the jokes at LeBron's expense.

[I<3NBA]

Exactly. If LeBron didn't exist, then KD would probably be hearing some ringless jokes since he would be the face of the league. Really only one guy can be seen as "ring or bust" in the league
well, if Lebron didn't exist, Durant would already have one ring.

[KyleKong]

Because Durant is not an all-time great

[JT123]

That is not true. Durant was on 1 60 win team (60 exactly), which was the 2nd highest record that season. LeBron was on 2 60+ win teams (66 and 61 wins) and both of those times his team had the highest record in the league. And you mention Westbrook, but the peak of LeBron jokes were after 2011 when LeBron lost with Wade (still a top 5 player at that time) and Bosh (a top 10 player at that time). Additionally, this followed LeBron talking about how easy winning rings would be, which is something Durant has never done. These things, combined with him being a general douche that talked in the 3rd person about himself, all contributed to the jokes at LeBron's expense.
Come on man. The Thunder won 59 games this year, despite Westbrook missing half the season. They were essentially a 60 win team. And the Lebron jokes were at their peak after the 2011 Finals, but they were still pretty bad before he left Cleveland. He was getting ripped apart for losing to a team with 4 future Hall of Famers in 2010, while Durant continues getting a free pass for coming up short, despite playing with a much better supporting cast than Bron could have ever dreamed of during his original Cleveland days. :no:

[Legends66NBA7]

Because Durant is not an all-time great

Not at all, he already is an all-time great even without a title on his resume.

[ILLsmak]

Are you sure? They lost in the West three times during those four years, although one was after Westbrook went down in the playoffs. Are you sure they would win in 2012, though? The Heat backdoor swept OKC; the Celtics took them to 7 games. That could have been due to match ups but BOS was far more competitive with MIA than OKC was.

How can I be sure? I'm just pointing out that a legit super team was formed before all of the years you listed and we all feel there is no way okc beats mia in a series. It's something you have to take into account especially since they played them once in the finals.

The implication is durant doesnt get shit on like bron, but all of the bron attention is still on bron and moved with him to mia when he was winning. The whole landscape changed and every time the heat lost, even last year imo, it was a huge surprise. The thunder have never been favored on that level. Now its more open. We shall see. Durant likely will win a ring in his career. I am not "sure", but it's hard to imagine not.

-Smak

[BlkMambaGOAT]

Call me went Durant colludes with other players and promises that team "not 1, not 2, not 3..."

[BoutPractice]

That is not true. Durant was on 1 60 win team (60 exactly), which was the 2nd highest record that season. LeBron was on 2 60+ win teams (66 and 61 wins) and both of those times his team had the highest record in the league.

Technically true but OKC from 2012 to 2014 was a better team than Cleveland in 09 and 10, despite winning less regular season games... reached the Finals in 2012, had a better point differential in 2013 and 2014, and did it all playing in the West.

It was also more top heavy, which matters in the playoffs where you typically need a great second option to be a true contender. On paper, Cleveland's depth balances out with OKC's top trio. In practice, when your depth turns out to be Mo Williams and several players worse than Mo Williams bricking shot after shot while Westbrook is out there averaging a near triple double and statistically outperforming the reigning MVP in many games, you're not getting a fair deal. If you're going to have depth instead of star power, it had better be elite. Cleveland's was not elite.

I agree with your point about 2011, though. Durant hasn't put himself in a similar position as LeBron in 2011 yet. But if you were stupid enough to mock LeBron in 2009, I don't see why you wouldn't mock Durant now. Of course I'd advocate mocking neither...

[S13M]

Because Durant is not an all-time great

This. NBA is in a bad state if Durant is considered a top-10 player.

[imdaman99]

That is not true. Durant was on 1 60 win team (60 exactly), which was the 2nd highest record that season. LeBron was on 2 60+ win teams (66 and 61 wins) and both of those times his team had the highest record in the league. And you mention Westbrook, but the peak of LeBron jokes were after 2011 when LeBron lost with Wade (still a top 5 player at that time) and Bosh (a top 10 player at that time). Additionally, this followed LeBron talking about how easy winning rings would be, which is something Durant has never done. These things, combined with him being a general douche that talked in the 3rd person about himself, all contributed to the jokes at LeBron's expense.
Great post, everything is pretty much spot on :applause:

[aboss4real24]

kds wife won a ring b4 him

[tmacattack33]

It's because Durant is not and will never be the caliber player that Lebron was at age 26 or so (which is when the ring jokes started).