KD is not the piece that makes them better. He simply amplifies their strength and weakness.
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KD is not the piece that makes them better. He simply amplifies their strength and weakness.
Doubling down on shooting will be interesting, but seems risky. But like Phil said, maybe they can get the other elements from veteran minimum contracts.
Rumors about Ray Allen coming out of retirement to join GSW.
Have we heard from Kobe yet?
Honestly heard the Ray Allen rumor on the radio this morning.
bobbydigital
Player Valuation: £1.5m
There is only one ball as they say. Still think they will be scarily good though.
Think they have signed Zaza Pachulia, David West and looking at Ray Allen. Still have Iguodala, Livingston, Ezeli too (I think).
Allen makes no sense but the rest are decent additions.
Ezeli was let go.
I guess the thinking is that he'll be wide open and taking warm up type threes most of the time.
Allen, at best, would be 4th shooter on the team. And he should get 0 minutes in the Finals. GSW shouldn't be signing someone who won't play in the Finals.
OKEvertonian
Player Valuation: £950k
Durant's size makes him a better rebounder and defender than Barnes, so while not the traditional bruiser you might associate with as a fix to their problems, he's definitely an upgrade on some of their weaknesses. One of the reasons OKC pushed Golden State to the brink was the benefit of having Durant as 7 foot tall wing to clog passing lanes, bother shots, and help with punishing them on the glass. Now they're adding those benefits into the role that Harrison Barnes was playing in their "Death Line Up" and that does make them better.
Remember all those open jumpers Barnes was clanking off the rim in the Cleveland series? Now imagine those shots going to Durant. And even if they're not the same quality or quantity of open shots, the stress Durant places on a defense compared to Barnes will open things up for the rest of the team. It's frightening what their offense could be like.
I think the only fly in the ointment to the possible offensive nightmare machine that Golden State could be is how does Durant adjust to playing in their system. One of the few offensive weakness for Durant has been his off the ball movement. Some of it could be laid at the feet of OKC's simplistic offense, but even with all his freakish athleticism and skill for a 7 footer, he's never looked natural moving off the ball. So often players, or at least top guys like Kawhi, Tony Allen, are able to stay on his hip through screens, and then push Durant off his spot before even getting the ball. It's probably something that won't show much in the regular season, as Golden State's barrage of three pointers and passing isn't something teams can figure out in an one off setting, but at least could add some drama to the playoffs.
It will work well if it creates defensive stress for the opponent and forces both teams to play small. Then GSW can rotate their shooters and role players and keep the setup they prefer. But if they're forced to play with a big man to beat an opponent, Durant may not make them much better.
Probably still ends the same--they'll shoot a lot and win when they're on and lose when they're not.
OKEvertonian
Player Valuation: £950k
They've been forcing teams to play small with an inferior small forward. It'll only be even tougher now to stay big.
The Thunder and Cavs were the only two teams to succeed with bigs, and the Thunder are no longer a threat. And while Love had some moments in the Finals, there's a reason they got their first win while he was injured. And especially now that there isn't a guy like Barnes for them to hide Love on. Iggy is now the weakest link, and he's still a quality wing that will space the floor and take advantage of mismatches much better than Barnes.
It'll probably end better, because they're going to be "on" a lot more.
The Thunder and Cavs were the only two teams to succeed with bigs, and the Thunder are no longer a threat. And while Love had some moments in the Finals, there's a reason they got their first win while he was injured. And especially now that there isn't a guy like Barnes for them to hide Love on. Iggy is now the weakest link, and he's still a quality wing that will space the floor and take advantage of mismatches much better than Barnes.
It'll probably end better, because they're going to be "on" a lot more.
Heya Chuck.
Loving that narrative you are selling. Let's not forget that the best player on the planet was limited by an MCL injury which pushed him away from finishing at the hole, where he was one of the most successful players in the league all season until he lost his explosiveness post injury. I reckon they looked like they were settling for forced 3's primarily because Steph lacked his explosive ability to blow by the first defender.
Barnes was a primary reason they lost the series...he was awful.
Anyway Charles...hope you've sorted out that hitch in your golf swing.
Goodnight.
A friend told me tonight I was spitting Buddy for saying they're not better off with Durant. It's entirely possible this is the worst take in all my GOT history. If so, it was the beer talking.
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