Also, and I know this sounds crazy, but some people really do like improving and growing, and playing for GS was clearly beneficial for him in terms of elevating his game.

Call it "selling out" if you want, but he's got 2 chips and 2 FMVPs while most of his vocal critics are sitting their asses on the couch or @ing him on Twitter.

I don't think anyone is saying that the "KD is a snake/soft" argument is completely invalid- it's just kinda petty and childish and something haters say.

^ 31M for rehabbing sounds pretty good to me, but won't he earn even more if they win? What about if he gets FMVP again?

[Edited on June 12, 2019 at 2:01 PM. Reason : .]

6/12/2019 1:59:18 PM

Quote :

"You keep arguing that Warriors were a BETTER fit than the thunder, not PERFECT fit. Also kd might have "more room" but his fga and assist rate barely changed. He shot slightly less and assists slightly more. Seems like his personal fit didn't change much "

the were a better fit AND perfect in the sense that it gave him the best chance to win/be happy (I keep mentioning his happiness because he has said as much in his 6 podcasts with Bill Simmons

Quote :

"my money says he takes that and goes to free agency NEXT summer. But we'll see."

same

6/12/2019 2:03:53 PM

yeah i'd take $31 million to not play a year as well.

6/12/2019 2:31:17 PM

Quote :

"playing for GS was clearly beneficial for him in terms of elevating his game."

[citation needed]

6/12/2019 3:36:52 PM

Yeah he clearly stagnated on the Warriors. If anything, he got worse!

6/12/2019 4:14:36 PM

"stagnated" isn't that bad when you're already one of the best players in the world. His stats are almost identical to his OKC days. In what ways did he elevate his game?

6/12/2019 4:20:47 PM

By winning two championships and two finals mvps?

Did you see his stats during this latest playoffs run?

By either metric, he’s accomplished more than he did before, so...

6/12/2019 4:24:41 PM

Elevating his game vs elevating his legacy.

I suppose his playoff shooting percentages are better now then at OKC. Those percentages don't seem to translate to reg season though, I suppose your theory is that he's more locked in during the playoffs now? Or focused on taking better shots? Is any of that based on getting more open shots/fewer doubles bc of playing with curry and Thompson? And I suppose not being guarded by draymond?

I suppose it's possible that he has elevated his playoff shooting, I don't see evidence for much else.

6/12/2019 4:39:54 PM

I think he will end up signing with a team like the Knicks for a max deal even with them knowing he likely won't play next season at all. Makes more sense than opting in for him and a desperate team like NY will still offer him a max contract.

6/12/2019 4:40:32 PM

^^ are you really trying to argue about this?

^ his IG post sounds kinda pro-Ws to me. Maybe we can try and read between some imaginary lines since speculating is fun. EASY MONEY sounds like he’s taking the 31M, but maybe it’s some type of Jay-Z/NYY reference.

6/12/2019 4:47:28 PM

I mean not really. Just curious if you were interested in backing up your claim. I now assume that your argument is that he shoots better in the playoffs now. That's a fact these last 3 years so if you say that is a result of him elevating his game in playoff shooting, I'll allow it. It's arguable but I don't have the desire (ability?) to find data to make the counter argument.

6/12/2019 4:50:27 PM

Seemed like common sense to me, but I’d rather speculate on that IG post tbh.

6/12/2019 4:57:58 PM

True. Common sense. No chance going from playing with no elite shooters to two elite shooters could help determine how open you are. Or playing in a system better designed to get open looks.

Also seems like Steph always has a worse % in the playoffs vs regular season. And his playoff % have dropped the last few years. Wish the dubs would give him some of that elevation juice.

[Edited on June 12, 2019 at 5:15 PM. Reason : E]

6/12/2019 5:07:47 PM

The word “elevate” in the way I was using it just means “improve”. To improve just means to get better.

And since you’re a Harden fan, let me break it down for you.

If Harden can lead the Rockets to a title, let alone another finals, I’d say he “elevated” his game, too. It’ll mean that he improved aspects of his game like consistency, leadership, teamwork, and getting over the mental and emotional barriers that have somehow managed to get in his way. Winning championships is hard!























That’s never going to happen though

6/12/2019 5:17:41 PM

Unless Harden sells out and goes to muh Dubs, which he would only do for happiness or something.

6/12/2019 5:21:26 PM

Quote :

"If Harden can lead the Rockets to a title, let alone another finals, I’d say he “elevated” his game, too. It’ll mean that he improved aspects of his game like consistency, leadership, teamwork, and getting over the mental and emotional barriers that have somehow managed to get in his way. Winning championships is hard!"

I would need way more info about the champ run to answer that question. If the Rockets trade PJ tucker for LeBron James and trade capela for Anthony Davis, I feel like he could maybe win without elevating his game. Occasionally, championships are more than a solo effort.

6/12/2019 5:31:01 PM

^^Zing!

[Edited on June 12, 2019 at 5:31 PM. Reason : Seriously. IG discussion plz]

6/12/2019 5:31:15 PM

^^^well actually, yes if he leads the Rockets to a champ WHILE playing for the Warriors, I would be very impressed.

Btw I enjoy the strategy of throwing out statements that are clearly opinion based and, MAYBE, a little biased, and then acting like any disagreements are absurd on their face.

6/12/2019 5:34:22 PM

But you don’t even really disagree anyway Besides, it wasn’t supposed to inspire some logical/stats based debate, and clearly I was sharing my opinion if you look at all my signal phrasing beforehand in the post(s) that set it all off:

“I don’t know KD personally”
“I could be wrong but..”
“Again, this is just my opinion but...”
“I know this sounds crazy”

6/12/2019 6:23:34 PM

I'm glad you clarified, because I think we were all under the assumption that you were close friends with KD

6/12/2019 6:25:59 PM

Man, I wish!

6/12/2019 6:27:40 PM

^^^well I didn't really mean all the stuff about kd having heart or being happy or whatever the fuck. As a fan I can't really see that stuff. I just meant his EL-E-VA-TION WOOOOHHH

6/12/2019 7:36:50 PM

Actually, I meant KD gets high AF on that Oakland chronic. Glad we're speaking the same language

6/12/2019 7:50:37 PM

wonder what UJW thinks about Max Kellerman's take that the Warriors rushed KD back to try and get one more title out of him since they knew he'd be playing elsewhere next year.

6/12/2019 9:00:27 PM

That is also my take.

They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by rushing him back.

[Edited on June 12, 2019 at 9:03 PM. Reason : Spoiler alert: I'm actually Max Kellerman]

6/12/2019 9:02:38 PM

It’s a dumb take. If KD was 100% sure he was leaving, why on earth would he take even the remotest chance of risking injuring himself for a team he’d already moved on from? It’s a nice way to try and paint KD as some bumbling idiot who can’t think for himself, while discounting the heroics of his actions, let alone his own agency as a world class athlete. If anyone actually saw him during warmups and throughout the game, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.

Max is even worse than SAS as far as contrarians go, so there’s that.

6/13/2019 11:11:19 AM

Except the people who saw him workout like 2 days prior to the game and said he looked awful.

Also, no one is calling kd bumbling idiot. The take is that the team/doctors told him he wouldn't get hurt any worse by playing. Yes, he made the final decision to play, but the team should have never let him back on the court (especially if they gave half a shit about him beyond this series.)

6/13/2019 1:26:30 PM

Quote :

"why on earth would he take even the remotest chance of risking injuring himself for a team he’d already moved on from? "

This is the easiest question ever, the answers are Legacy, Pride and, gosh, maybe even heart??

6/13/2019 1:36:30 PM

Who is "the people who saw him"? People on the internet?

He had three different doctors clear him, including his own, and his agent OKed it as well. He's an adult and decided for himself.

Y'all dumb as hell and it's sad that you WANT the narrative to be this way. SMDH

6/13/2019 2:08:27 PM

is he gonna join Kyrie in Brooklyn?

6/13/2019 2:32:08 PM

Durant's got thin (for a pro athlete) limbs and I wonder if that leads to him breaking down sooner in his career. Curry isn't the biggest guy but has staved off major injury although it's widely accepted he wasn't 100 percent in the 2016 playoffs.

6/13/2019 2:37:29 PM

No way. Aside from the calf injury, he'd never been injured before. Especially not during the playoffs!

6/13/2019 3:15:51 PM

he had a pretty serious foot injury while with the Thunder

6/13/2019 3:32:30 PM

^ he has a foot full of screws. In fact, it was big knock on him when the rumors started about him wanting to play for the Ws before he even signed. "He will never be the same player"

6/13/2019 3:40:08 PM

If you think his previous foot injuries and this Achilles rupture are even in the same ballpark, I don't know what to tell you. An Achilles rupture is orders of magnitude more serious, and it's not one of those things where if he just has enough "heart" or some BS he'll come back just as strong.

KD is obviously a greater shooter, but one of things that make him a godlike player is his ability to create space and his exceptional mobility for a guy his size. If he loses some of that mobility, he still has the ability to be an impactful player, but the chances of him being as dominant are substantially reduced. There's no way to know or predict at this point how he will recover.

6/13/2019 3:47:29 PM

I'm aware of how serious an Achilles is. The point, which some people still refuse to accept, is that he's had a pretty lengthy history of injuries and he's always come back.

Here's some light reading if you're interested:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/10/durants-history-after-injuries-says-hell-excel-for-warriors-monday/

6/13/2019 3:50:03 PM

what kind of logic is that though? if anything, having multiple injuries makes it more likely that he wont recover...

6/13/2019 4:56:53 PM

Oh I’m not suggesting he will come back completely fine. It’ll be at least a year, if not 2 before he’s even to play.

I’m just pointing out that he’s had a history of injuries, and that he’s always bounced back. Seems like he knew the risks and played anyway.

Also, he doesn’t seem to be angry/blaming anyone on social media. Sounds like he’s feeling a lot of love from the fans and his teammates.

[Edited on June 13, 2019 at 5:07 PM. Reason : Note the date of the article- it was BEFORE game 5]

6/13/2019 5:05:22 PM

Quote :

"Also, he doesn’t seem to be angry/blaming anyone on social media."

On his main/official accounts anyway

6/13/2019 5:44:13 PM

Yeah, KDaintn0snake1 has really been going hard on Twitter.

6/13/2019 5:52:26 PM

On BART right now and Raptors fans are straight trash.

Drunk as fuck, loud as hell, and already talking shit.

I predict gun violence

6/13/2019 8:30:35 PM

Dubs fans probably love Patrick Monahan

6/13/2019 8:56:41 PM

^^ oh so they're the same as any other fanbase. good to know.

6/13/2019 9:42:26 PM

if Draymond gets a technical foul this game, he'd be suspended for a would-be game 7, fyi

6/13/2019 10:06:34 PM

man

6/13/2019 10:52:53 PM

Thompson out, ugh

6/13/2019 11:11:12 PM

What the fuck is draymond green doing. As he ran the ball up the floor into the corner I just knew it was a turnover

6/13/2019 11:26:56 PM

I remember when we thought Sidney Lowe might bring Cousins to State

6/13/2019 11:34:50 PM

6/13/2019 11:42:33 PM

I’m gonna say that that’s a terrible play call with 9 seconds left

[Edited on June 13, 2019 at 11:43 PM. Reason : .]

6/13/2019 11:43:36 PM