Have we forgotten about the '04 Lakers ?

[Mikaiel]

I don't know why, but everybody is comparing Durant's move to the GSW to LeBron's Decision, even though the comparison is not totally accurate, but no one's talking about Karl Malone and Gary Payton both taking huge pay cuts to join the Lakers who had won 3 of the past 4 NBA Championships.

Also, it should remind us not to crown a champion before the season even begins.

[PejaNowitzki]

A team with old ass over the hill Payton and Malone is not even remotely comparable to a Top 3 player in the NBA in his prime.

[Ben Simmons]

The thing is that the Lakers and the Heat were never as stacked as people said they were.
Those teams won 50 games and 47 games. People just were up in arms about the stars (or perceived stars)

The Warriors won 73 and were 5 points from a championship. If I take Durant off the team, they probably still win the chip.

[SilkkTheShocker]

This Peja dude will be nowhere to be found when GS chokes again

[AngelEyes]

I don't know why, but everybody is comparing Durant's move to the GSW to LeBron's Decision, even though the comparison is not totally accurate, but no one's talking about Karl Malone and Gary Payton both taking huge pay cuts to join the Lakers who had won 3 of the past 4 NBA Championships.

Also, it should remind us not to crown a champion before the season even begins.

No one is talking about it because it's a shit comparison. Malone was 40 going on 41 years old and Payton was 35 going on 36. They were both in steep decline. All four of golden state's best players are in their prime. This is a shitty, lazy comparison.

[jayfan]

Completely different.

Prime v. Done.

[PejaNowitzki]

This Peja dude will be nowhere to be found when GS chokes again


lol. Not even a Warriors fan, just enjoying all the salty tears. People acting like this is going to be the apocalypse for the NBA when the league's entire history is just a long run of dominant teams.


I think this move will be bad for the homers and the real hardcore fans but will bring in a shitload of casual fans, which will be good for the league in the long run.

[artex]

Feel like our move then was to garner support and ticket sales rather than a legitimate shot at a ring run (who am to know tho) . wish I still had my GP lakeshow jersey

[clipps]

I don't know why, but everybody is comparing Durant's move to the GSW to LeBron's Decision, even though the comparison is not totally accurate, but no one's talking about Karl Malone and Gary Payton both taking huge pay cuts to join the Lakers who had won 3 of the past 4 NBA Championships.

Also, it should remind us not to crown a champion before the season even begins.

A lot of people here started to watch the NBA 2 years ago when the Warriors suddenly exploded.

[ScalsFan21]

The other element is the fact that these 4 guys are all team-first guys who are playing under a perfect coach who is a great leader and easy to get behind. This team just wants to win. They got a little sidetracked by the record last year, and you can go back and forth about whether that hindered them or put a level of pressure on them that caused that meltdown, but this year that's in the past.

They were so bored they felt like they needed to go for 73. Dray was so bored he chased triple-doubles. This finals humbling (and yes, choke) has brought them back to earth a bit and now they'll regain laser lock-in focus.

4 superstar level guys who range from top 2 to top 12 in the entire NBA, as well as a lockdown defensive guy in "FMVP" Iggy who has learned how to knock down the long-ball and feeds off and fits into the system perfectly. All unselfish guys willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Contrast that with Kobe/Shaq's feud with Malone hitting on Vanessa Bryant, Payton's inability to fit the triangle and losing several key role players from the threepeat years and it's like... I don't think you can compare this.

THIS is the greatest compilation of talent we have EVER SEEN on an NBA roster relative to era since like... Russell's Cs.

[AngelEyes]

A lot of people here started to watch the NBA 2 years ago when the Warriors suddenly exploded.

You think the Malone/Payton comparison is an apt comparison?

[Mikaiel]

I'd say it's about as different as LeBron's Decision.

Both of them were 20 ppg guys the season before. Obviously not in their primes, but still very capable players.

Anyway, my main point was don't give a team the crown before the season begins. Everyone thought a Laker title in '04 was a done deal. Paper vs reality.

[SouBeachTalents]

You think the Malone/Payton comparison is an apt comparison?

I think even LeBron joining the Heat pales in comparison to Durant going to the Warriors, this comparison is a joke

[moongaze]

I don't know why, but everybody is comparing Durant's move to the GSW to LeBron's Decision, even though the comparison is not totally accurate, but no one's talking about Karl Malone and Gary Payton both taking huge pay cuts to join the Lakers who had won 3 of the past 4 NBA Championships.

Also, it should remind us not to crown a champion before the season even begins.

It's because Malone and Payton were past their prime. Most people viewed it as a flawed team

[Stringer Bell]

I agree that you shouldn't just assume the season and titles are already won, but the teams were different.

Payton was 35 and the hebephile Malone was over 40.

Malone actually played solid ball and provide some interior defense, but his body couldn't handle it anymore.

[no pun intended]

Nah, we haven't forgotten at all. It just doesn't compare lol. Nice try though buddy. You'll get it next time!

[tpols]

This Peja dude will be nowhere to be found when GS chokes again

lmao.. that sounds like you every year bron doesnt win.

[Mikaiel]

It's because Malone and Payton were past their prime. Most people viewed it as a flawed team

Hell no. After/during the season, sure. But when they got those two guys, the general consensus was they were gonna beat the Bulls' regular season record and cruise to an NBA championship.

[AngelEyes]

I'd say it's about as different as LeBron's Decision.

Both of them were 20 ppg guys the season before. Obviously not in their primes, but still very capable players.

Anyway, my main point was don't give a team the crown before the season begins. Everyone thought a Laker title in '04 was a done deal. Paper vs reality.

20 point per game guys on teams that had little to zero chance for competing for anything of any significance. There have been plenty of guys who have average 20+ ppg on average to slightly above average teams. Malone was ancient by 2004 and Payton was very old. Both guys were role players and nothing more by that point and time.

[ScalsFan21]

Steve Kerr also probably is taking cues from Phil regarding managing all the egos, though this is not as tall an order as what Phil had to deal with in '04.

[alanLA92]

Durant is still in his prime along with the 3 all-stars that he is joining. That makes a huge difference than the big 4 that the Lakers had in 03/04.

[AngelEyes]

Hell no. After/during the season, sure. But when they got those two guys, the general consensus was they were gonna beat the Bulls' regular season record and cruise to an NBA championship.

The general consensus by idiot NBA observers. Malone was in his 40's for ****sake. He hadn't won anything of any significance for years by that time. 20 points per game? Who gives a shit? In 2003 he also still had stocked and sloan. Stockton's game was timeless so he could still set up Malone consistently for good looks. Payton also was another guy who hadn't won anything in years by 03' and to any sane, rational NBA observer he was slowing down significantly by that point despite whatever watered down, low impact stats he was putting up in 2003.

[Smoke117]

Malone and Payton were both way past their prime and on the tail end of their careers...stupid ass comparison.

[AngelEyes]

Hell no. After/during the season, sure. But when they got those two guys, the general consensus was they were gonna beat the Bulls' regular season record and cruise to an NBA championship.

Also, NBA writers would consistently say a team would break the Bulls record just about every year after the Bulls reign. You had the 00'-02' Lakers, The 05' Suns, the 06' Pistons, 07' Dallas Mavericks, The Heatles, etc. Doesn't mean a thing. NBA writers are guilty of hyperbole often.

[Mikaiel]

Durant is still in his prime along with the 3 all-stars that he is joining. That makes a huge difference than the big 4 that the Lakers had in 03/04.

I'm not saying this even compares to Durant's decision to join the Warriors. If you want to talk about lame decisions, that's gotta be in its own category. That Heat superteam thing does not come close. All I'm saying is the '04 Lakers are about the same distance away. Not really. But close enough that we should at least mention it. That was the first superteam in NBA history. Although I think there was that Wilt/Baylor/West Laker team, but honestly I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about it.

[AngelEyes]

Malone and Payton were both way past their prime and on the tail end of their careers...stupid ass comparison.

Oh but they scored a lot of points on mediocre teams. That must mean they were still in their prime.

[Mikaiel]

Also, NBA writers would consistently say a team would break the Bulls record just about every year after the Bulls reign. You had the 00'-02' Lakers, The 05' Suns, the 06' Pistons, 07' Dallas Mavericks, The Heatles, etc. Doesn't mean a thing. NBA writers are guilty of hyperbole often.

I'll give you the '06 Pistons and the Heatles, but I don't remember any talk about those other teams breaking that record. Also, only the Heat triggered that debate before the season even began.

[AngelEyes]

I'm not saying this even compares to Durant's decision to join the Warriors. If you want to talk about lame decisions, that's gotta be in its own category. That Heat superteam thing does not come close. All I'm saying is the '04 Lakers are about the same distance away. Not really. But close enough that we should at least mention it. That was the first superteam in NBA history. Although I think there was that Wilt/Baylor/West Laker team, but honestly I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about it.

It wasn't a super team though. Not even close. Broken down, old ass Malone, Gary Payton in steep decline, 32 year old still great but not peak anymore Shaq and near peak level Kobe. Plus a bunch of meh role players that didn't fit with the stars as well as they once did.

[alanLA92]

I'm not saying this even compares to Durant's decision to join the Warriors. If you want to talk about lame decisions, that's gotta be in its own category. That Heat superteam thing does not come close. All I'm saying is the '04 Lakers are about the same distance away. Not really. But close enough that we should at least mention it. That was the first superteam in NBA history. Although I think there was that Wilt/Baylor/West Laker team, but honestly I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about it.

You can argue that the 60's Celtics was the first super team. Then the West era Lakers come to mind.

[AngelEyes]

I'll give you the '06 Pistons and the Heatles, but I don't remember any talk about those other teams breaking that record.

Well that's fine if you didn't but I do and many others do. . . because it happened. The 70+ wins talk always surrounded the Lakers during the Shaq/Kobe era. That same kind of talk also heavily surrounded the Suns when that Nash/Stoudemire/Marion era kicked off and they were killing teams. Same thing about that Dirk team that won 67 games.

[AngelEyes]

I'll give you the '06 Pistons and the Heatles, but I don't remember any talk about those other teams breaking that record. Also, only the Heat triggered that debate before the season even began.

That's not even close to being true. Maybe the Shaq/Kobe era was so long ago that people forget what it was like but that kind of talk was always around them. Before the season, during the season. . . it was always being mentioned.

[VIP2000]

20 point per game guys on teams that had little to zero chance for competing for anything of any significance. There have been plenty of guys who have average 20+ ppg on average to slightly above average teams. Malone was ancient by 2004 and Payton was very old. Both guys were role players and nothing more by that point and time.

They were still All-Star caliber players at that point, hence averaging 20ppg on average/above average teams and had HOF pedigrees by then. So them two joining a Shaq/Kobe duo that had already won 3 championships together, most people had the Lakers pegged as the favorites.

But obviously, it's a lot different than 4 All-Star players (and last 2 MVPs) in their prime playing together.