There has never been a more mind****ed ATG player than Kevin Durant

[Shogon]

I have to preface this with...

The entire "rings" argument needs to go away. Teams win championships, not players. I want to make that crystal ****ing clear. And so while I disagree with KD's thought processes completely, I also completely understand why he's doing what he's doing and why he's done what he's done.

Anyways...

1) He leaves OKC who was 1 game away from the Finals to join a 73 win team because he is so desperate for validation in the minds of stupid people in the form of a ring.

2) He wins 2 rings with GSW, but then he doesn't get the validation he really wants in a lot of people's minds so he leaves GSW AT LEAST IN PART because he was so desperate for validation in the minds of stupid people.

3) He comes a literal toe's length away from a Finals appearance with the Nets and possible title, and due to a plethora of injuries and Kyrie not taking a vaccine, he does not win with the Nets. GSW wins a title without him, and it pushes him over the edge to demand a trade to a different contender... once again... desperately seeking validation in the minds of stupid people.


I don't think we've ever seen an all time great basketball player, perhaps even athlete, this insecure and this absolutely mind****ed by the media and by the public. I fully expect this trend to continue as the years go on with the pressure of ceaseless social media in your face if you have a smartphone, but... damn.

I really do hope the guy finds peace. You're an ATG, KD. A top 20 player of all time. Nobody anywhere would disagree. Let that be enough bro. Go in peace.

[SATAN]

No.

[ImKobe]

I have to preface this with...

The entire "rings" argument needs to go away. Teams win championships, not players. I want to make that crystal ****ing clear. And so while I disagree with KD's thought processes completely, I also completely understand why he's doing what he's doing and why he's done what he's done.

Superstars win championships. This had been true for about 90% of the time in league history. You obviously need a team, but you damn well also need a top 5-10 guy to have consistent success in both RS & Playoffs. How many times has a team like the 2004 Pistons won a chip? You NEED that elite guy to put you over the top in the POs, we saw it this year with Boston. They had the most talent or the best all-around team but they didn't have THAT guy while GS did.

[Kblaze8855]

. You NEED that elite guy to put you over the top in the POs

Thing is an awful lot of people who get that status get it once they’re already over the top making it something of a self fulfilling prophecy. Once you put any star who does it in that company it’s hard to say guys not in that company can do it. A lot of people are single shots from having led teams to titles or being in much better position to do so. Some of them the missed shots weren’t even by them. Role players have made or missed shots for the nba title at least 4 times off the top of my head. I mean straight up “Goes in you’re the champ” or “Doesn’t go in you lose and they win” shots. Just finals deciding games not talking about earlier rounds for teams that went on to win.

So much has to go right. So many injuries need to not happen. And in the end we still take the guy who won and assign him the elite status as if we don’t watch the train wreck of injuries ruin almost every season.

Its almost always “How many times is your team healthy and sane at the same time” in this era and all to come where guys move around on a whim and are so rich they don’t even need the money so they might just not show up.

Its almost like the lottery. The best teams have a weighted advantage with better odds to be the ball that drops out but which of them does is still damn near at random.

Giannis last year looked like he tore his acl, mvp, pcl, and llcooj all at once vs the Hawks but luckily Trae got hurt as well so they got by and he wasn’t hurt as bad as he seemed to be. So he gets to have 3 40 point finals games one a 50 burger with all the toppings so now he gets to be an all timer forever when “There’s a clear method to beat him so he will never win” was the narrative before(from stupid people…aka…most fans).

Once hes got the ring hes one of those who proved superstars win. Injury 5% worse he isn’t. The “You need one of those guys” is hard to argue. Especially when being considered one of those guys is often predicated on already having proven it.

[plowking]

I really do hope the guy finds peace. You're an ATG, KD. A top 20 player of all time. Nobody anywhere would disagree. Let that be enough bro. Go in peace.

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

[Wally450]

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

He's a great basketball player, but he doesn't have the intangibles that make him a leader like other all time greats imo.

[warriorfan]

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

I agree and think this is 100 percent true. When you watch KD play you see this fluid moving 7 footer with a ridiculous wingspan who can score with ease from anywhere on the entire floor. At a first glance you conclude that he has a package of skills and talents no one else has. But under closer examination he’s not really a type of dynamic play maker who makes his teammates better. He is inconsistent on effort defensively and when his shot isn’t falling he can disappear. Then when you get into the leadership and mental toughness side, he is severely lacking those intangibles.

As for OP it’s totally true. Him leaving OKC was weak in the first place. But after he did and started rolling with the Warriors… He could have just said **** you to all the whining haters or simply deleted Twitter. Turn off his phone. Tune out and focus on ball. If he did that, GS could have perhaps been the greatest dynasty in the modern era by a long shot. 20 years from now no one would really care about how stacked or unfair it was. They would just remember the dominance and banners hanging from the rafters. KD’s greatest chance at a truly great legacy was staying with Golden State and stacking as many chips as possible. But he threw it away because some loser trolls on Twitter were talking trash to him. His sensitivity and insecurity are just on another level. It’s pretty unbelievable to be honest.

[Johnny32]

i'll never justify joining the team that beat you. demanding a trade is also kind of lame but they all do it now.

[Shogon]

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

The answer is both yes and no.

He is perhaps the best 1 on 1 player in NBA history, with Hakeem being the only other guy I would put in that discussion if some magical out of the sky 1 on 1 tournament were to take place in terms of who would win the most games against other players. Well... maybe peak Garnett also. So yes, Durant really is that good. He would absolutely smoke Dominique and George.

But at the same time, the NBA is 5 on 5... and team dynamics both on and off the court matter a lot. KD can do it all and he can do most of it at an time great level. He was even a really good defender around his peak.

If that shot was 1 or 2 inches further back against the Bucks, you likely wouldn't even be asking this question.

KD's biggest shortcoming by far is that he is not a leader even in the slightest and I'm not entirely sure what he does on the court is ENOUGH to offset that fact. And while this has nothing to do with basketball ability, it does indeed make a hell of an impact on a team. Aside from the plethora of bad luck and injuries, this is at least in part why Brooklyn didn't work better. Kyrie was the leader and Kyrie is a headcase.

I can't begin to assign true value to leadership impact. I'm not sure it's measurable in ways that we could figure out. I don't know how and I don't think anyone else is smart enough, either. Maybe an advanced AI will eventually be able to.

[DMAVS41]

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

No. I heard Zach Lowe yesterday he’s “at worst” one of the 15 best players ever. He was calling him top 10 a few months ago.

It’s all subjective of course, but I find that absurd given the results of his career. If he didn’t go to the Warriors and he just continued to lose every year like he would have, Lowe would not be calling him top 10.

[theman93]

He's an even bigger beta than Lebron.

Goes to a 73 win team, then after he leaves and can't win with his own created super team he requests a trade with his top 2 preferred destinations being Miami and Phoenix. Both of whom just finished in first place in their respective conferences. LOL

[warriorfan]

No. I heard Zach Lowe yesterday he’s “at worst” one of the 15 best players ever. He was calling him top 10 a few months ago.

It’s all subjective of course, but I find that absurd given the results of his career. If he didn’t go to the Warriors and he just continued to lose every year like he would have, Lowe would not be calling him top 10.

Zach Lowe is retarded.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Serious question... is Durant as good as people say he is?

We get enamoured by the "pretty" and "fluid" player who seems like he doesn't have many weaknesses, etc.

In a lot of ways that might be true about Durant, but he does a lot of stuff poorly on the court that isn't necessarily with the ball in his hands.

Guys like Gervin and Dominique were great scorers with very few weaknesses too...

To be honest, hearing it from the media, they make it sound almost disrespectful if you consider a guy like Curry or Giannis better players than KD. Just because he is KD... I'd take both of them over him in a vacuum.

You have one of the lowest IQs I've ever seen. Even bringing up Gervin and Dominique shows you have no real understanding

[8Ball]

I agree and think this is 100 percent true. When you watch KD play you see this fluid moving 7 footer with a ridiculous wingspan who can score with ease from anywhere on the entire floor. At a first glance you conclude that he has a package of skills and talents no one else has. But under closer examination he’s not really a type of dynamic play maker who makes his teammates better. He is inconsistent on effort defensively and when his shot isn’t falling he can disappear. Then when you get into the leadership and mental toughness side, he is severely lacking those intangibles.

As for OP it’s totally true. Him leaving OKC was weak in the first place. But after he did and started rolling with the Warriors… He could have just said **** you to all the whining haters or simply deleted Twitter. Turn off his phone. Tune out and focus on ball. If he did that, GS could have perhaps been the greatest dynasty in the modern era by a long shot. 20 years from now no one would really care about how stacked or unfair it was. They would just remember the dominance and banners hanging from the rafters. KD’s greatest chance at a truly great legacy was staying with Golden State and stacking as many chips as possible. But he threw it away because some loser trolls on Twitter were talking trash to him. His sensitivity and insecurity are just on another level. It’s pretty unbelievable to be honest.

I agree.

KD looked all worldly when he joined a 73 win team. Then all the low IQ basketball takes started becoming mainstream about Curry being a beta cuck to Durant and how Curry was overrated.

Now the tables have turned and we see that Steph took a back seat so Durant could be the maximum player he could in golden state.

Durant is a great player no doubt and would fit in any system. But his leadership abilities are suspect, massively suspect.

[AlternativeAcc.]

No. I heard Zach Lowe yesterday he’s “at worst” one of the 15 best players ever. He was calling him top 10 a few months ago.

It’s all subjective of course, but I find that absurd given the results of his career. If he didn’t go to the Warriors and he just continued to lose every year like he would have, Lowe would not be calling him top 10.

One of the lowest IQs on the board.

Aren't you the idiot who brings up net on/off as an argument but say Luka has no help even though the numbers you cite say otherwise?

Durant has carried every team he's ever been on.

People are enamored by narratives and drama, not basketball. You're on of them.