NBA 2009-2010 Season Thread

[ConcernedParent]

Originally Posted by limester816

A few things:

1) Durant will be a better player down the road than Lebron, Wade, or Bosh... Kid's only 21 and he almost beat the Lakers this postseason.

Wade? Definitely. Bosh? Already there. There's no way Durant is going to be better than Bron barring a major injury.

 

[Brothersport]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

Clippers announced vinny del negro is going to be the head coach. I guess we can take them out of the running

chrono, arent you a Magic fan? What do you think about Stan Van Gundy? Also, re Vinny: Del Negro didn't even know the first name of Kirk Hinrich, his 3rd guard! Add that to his foibles on the basketball court and this was a

move. Dwayne Casey all the way.

Originally Posted by HRoi

i saw that news that Lebron was announcing the exact date and time of his announcement to maximize exposure. my initial reaction was "what a ******* attention whore," but found out that he's doing it to raise funds/sponsorship for Boys and Girls Club, so he a-ok in my book now
Dude, I love TheBron and I like that he's doing it for charity, but I'm STILL annoyed that he's calling a friggin televised press conference for himself.

Originally Posted by sunror

under the max contract salary restrictions, lebron/wade/paul/howard are huge bargains. they'd be paid much, much more w/o individual player limits
/baseball

Originally Posted by sho'nuff

first of all he was pretty ineffective throughout half the series.
like durant, but +100

 

[djblisk]

Durant can't get to the hole as good as Lebron. See Lakers vs. Thunder.

 

[jet]

lol @ okc

 

[LawrenceMD]

Originally Posted by Brothersport

Also, re Vinny: Del Negro didn't even know the first name of Kirk Hinrich, his 3rd guard! Add that to his foibles on the basketball court and this was a

move. Dwayne Casey all the way.

i actually stood in the security check line in o'hare with vinny del negro right after he was fired last May. i guess he was hightailing right out of the windy city.

he was constantly having to take things out of his carry on and running it back through the x-ray machine. while his hot milf blond wife stood watching embarrassed. vinny looked embarrassed too.

the bosh signing in miami is ominous... its not like Cleveland has the team to go to the championship...

super team in the making on southbeach?

 

[fairholme_wannabe]

Originally Posted by jet

lol @ okc

You're right--locking up the youngest scoring champ in NBA history with perhaps the best work ethic in the NBA was definitely lol worthy.

 

[fairholme_wannabe]

Originally Posted by RFX45

Durant will be great, but I don't think he can be Lebron great, and that is coming from a Lebron hater that respects his game. LBJ practically averages a triple double a game, it'll be hard to top that statistic alone. Not to mention all the records Lebron has broken. Again, Durant will be great but Lebron will be a step ahead of him, except for ungodly reason that Durant gets a ring before him.

Full disclosure: self-professed OKC and Durant Homer

I don't think it's that unfathomable, to be honest. I am more than willing to concede that Durant will never be on LeBron's level as a facilitator (though I think some of LeBron's facilitating greatness is overrated due to his high useage and domination of the ball). However, in all other aspects of the game, sans scoring, Durant should be able to develop a game that is at least comparable to LeBron's.

Durant, IMO, is already the better scorer, and there is no reason to think he won't continue to progress (whereas it seems difficult to imagine LeBron increasing his scoring efficiency that much more giving his 3p% woes). If you look at Durant's TS% over his career, compared to LeBron's, it's really pretty clear to me:

Year Rookie Soph 3rd
Kevin Durant\t51.9%\t57.7%\t60.7%
LeBron James\t48.8%\t55.4%\t56.8%

Additionally, Durant has the type of stroke where it isn't unreasonable to think he can be a career 40%+ 3P shooter.

It's hard for me to imagine how LeBron can get much better without recreating his shot. It's not hard for me to imagine how Durant can get much better, given his work ethic. All that to say, I'm not ready to close the book on the two just yet.

 

[NorCal]

Originally Posted by LawrenceMD

durrant signs for 5 years and $86,000,00+ that could actually be just as important as any of the other big FA movements.
That seems low. If Amare is making 20 mil a year, Durrant should be making at least 25+. Dude might well be the best player in the league in a few years, top 5ish now.

 

[RFX45]

Originally Posted by fairholme_wannabe

Full disclosure: self-professed OKC and Durant Homer

I don't think it's that unfathomable, to be honest. I am more than willing to concede that Durant will never be on LeBron's level as a facilitator (though I think some of LeBron's facilitating greatness is overrated due to his high useage and domination of the ball). However, in all other aspects of the game, sans scoring, Durant should be able to develop a game that is at least comparable to LeBron's.

Durant, IMO, is already the better scorer, and there is no reason to think he won't continue to progress (whereas it seems difficult to imagine LeBron increasing his scoring efficiency that much more giving his 3p% woes). If you look at Durant's TS% over his career, compared to LeBron's, it's really pretty clear to me:

Year Rookie Soph 3rd
Kevin Durant\t51.9%\t57.7%\t60.7%
LeBron James\t48.8%\t55.4%\t56.8%

Additionally, Durant has the type of stroke where it isn't unreasonable to think he can be a career 40%+ 3P shooter.

It's hard for me to imagine how LeBron can get much better without recreating his shot. It's not hard for me to imagine how Durant can get much better, given his work ethic. All that to say, I'm not ready to close the book on the two just yet.

I still do not see him surpassing Lebron. Lebron is just a more all around player and Lebron can average 40 pts a game if he really wanted to. Lebron has gotten better and still improving. He improved his ft% and icnreased his assist this year. LBJ is an attacker but could also pass real well. He can pull up and have a decent shot from the mid range, not great but good enough. Durant will improve his game but I do see him as being a pure shooter and not much of a slasher/finisher. If Durant can develop a decent post game, he can be dangerous for his length but he doesn't seem interested in that. Again, I think he will be great but he is more a scorer than anything else while Lebron has almost all the facet of the game, even on defense he is pretty good since he is strong enough to take a bump and also fast enough to keep up with most players his size. 2-3 years from now, Lebron will be #1 and Durant will be #2 (although I think Bosh playing with Wade will bump Wade up in the rankings) and it will be like that until Lebron retires.

 

[RFX45]

Originally Posted by NorCal

That seems low. If Amare is making 20 mil a year, Durrant should be making at least 25+.
Dude might well be the best player in the league in a few years, top 5ish now.

Yah, Durant is definitely underpaid but I think that is the max they could give him. Not sure though, but I do remember Durant asking for that extension since he knows the CBA is coming.

 

[LawrenceMD]

i used to think oaklahoma was a bad place to have a professional sports team. but other than collage football there's not much to get into sports wise.

that stadium already produces ear shattering noise levels as is..... its an inherent advantage to have sports fans that into it...

so if they keep KD locked up and have a competitive team fans are going to pack that place and be into the game (just bring your earplugs).

 

[sho'nuff]

Boozer agrees to 5 year -80 million with Chicago Bulls.

 

[StephenHero]

Boozer to the Bulls.

I think that's Lebron's best option. He and Boozer are ready to win now and by the time Lebron starts showing his age Rose will still be in his prime and good enough to keep them winning titles. He'd also have a max contract, which he couldn't have in Miami, as well as a pass first guard and a big man who doesn't need star status.

 

[HRoi]

i agree with you guys - i think the Durant extension might be the best deal yet. he's already a max-deal player, with a shot at being a perennial MVP, and OKC locks him up for the long term at way below market value. and now they have all kinds of cap space to surround him with studs. i take my hat off to that organization, even though their owner still deserves the death penalty for his first degree homicide of basketball in Seattle.

the Bulls are also quietly building a sick team, even if they don't get Lebron. a starting 5 of Rose, xxx, Deng, Boozer and Noah is pretty dam good. if they get Lebron too, then watch out!

 

[fairholme_wannabe]

Originally Posted by RFX45

I still do not see him surpassing Lebron. Lebron is just a more all around player and Lebron can average 40 pts a game if he really wanted to.

So could Durant. Again, the argument isn't about how many points he can score, but about how efficiently he can score in volume. Durant is superior in that regard.

Originally Posted by RFX45

Lebron has gotten better and still improving.

He has indeed gotten better. He has recently improved. But I fail to see how he can continue to improve given his shooting form. I believe that he has peaked as a scorer. He can, however, develop other parts of his game.

Originally Posted by RFX45

He improved his ft% and icnreased his assist this year.

(Re: Italicized bolded) As did Durant, and Durant does it better

Originally Posted by RFX45

If Durant can develop a decent post game, he can be dangerous for his length but he doesn't seem interested in that.

He is interested

On what Durant and the Thunder needs to work on next year: “As an individual, I’m just working on everything. Mainly on my mid-range and post game. That’s what I’ve been keying on this summer. Ballhandling as well.

Originally Posted by RFX45

LBJ is an attacker but could also pass real well. He can pull up and have a decent shot from the mid range, not great but good enough. Durant will improve his game but I do see him as being a pure shooter and not much of a slasher/finisher. If Durant can develop a decent post game, he can be dangerous for his length but he doesn't seem interested in that. Again, I think he will be great but he is more a scorer than anything else while Lebron has almost all the facet of the game, even on defense he is pretty good since he is strong enough to take a bump and also fast enough to keep up with most players his size. 2-3 years from now, Lebron will be #1 and Durant will be #2 (although I think Bosh playing with Wade will bump Wade up in the rankings) and it will be like that until Lebron retires.

I respect that. Like I said, LeBron is definitively the better facilitator, and will always be. That said, Durant and LeBron rebound at a very similar rate. Given Durant's length, he also has the potential to be a plus-defender (albeit a different type of defender) like LeBron, and every bit as good. Given his work ethic, I see no reason why that won't come to fruition, as he has made major strides on defense through his first 3 seasons.

Everything else you mentioned related to facets of scoring. Finishing, shooting, etc. Frankly, it doesn't matter if LeBron is a better slasher/finisher compared to Durant. Even if I agreed with your assessment which seems to indicate that Durant is a questionable slasher/finisher (though I definitely do not; Durant is very good off the dribble given his length), Durant is a more elite shooter and scorer than LeBron is a finisher and scorer.

As a leader, and ultimately as a winner (the true testament of greatness), I'm definitely not sold on LeBron. I lose more respect for him with each passing year. He seems more interested in mystifying and amaze-ing and promoting his own agenda than in winning, and frankly, I wonder if that will ultimately lose itself on some of his teammates. The Cavs indefensibly gave up against Boston--each and everyone them. I guarantee you Ron Artest would never have done that with Kobe. The book is unwritten concerning Durant. But by all accounts, he is very humble, and has the type of personality I could see many players going to battle for.