Its even worse than I thought. Tell me no one re-wrote a Beatles song with Heat oriented lyrics.....at least tell me that.
[video=youtube;KUf4gSoCO1A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUf4gSoCO1A[/video] LOFL! go to 1:24 for Scott Foster himself.
Durant already saying there will be no free agency tour... wants long term contract. People are saying he does not want to risk a 1 plus 1 deal because of his previous injuries. Most likely re-signing with OKC.
If he isn't going with a 1+1, then I'd actually say that increases the odds he leaves. Too much uncertainty with Westbrook.
I could see him maybe going somewhere under a wink wink condition that they make room for and sign Westbrook the year after.
I'm not sure sticking with Westbrook would be a priority for Durant. I don't get the impression they're that close. They seem like very different personalities. Obviously he'll want to go someplace that he feels gives him a chance to win and you could do worse than teaming with a player the caliber of Westbrook, but it hasn't worked thus far. I don't think it's all Westbrook's fault or anything, but I could see Durant looking for a different mix. I actually think the bigger factor on whether Durant stays in OKC or not is his relationship with the coach. If Donovan has sold him that they're moving in the right direction and can bring in the right pieces and another star if Westbrook leaves then he may stay.
Could be, but Westbrook has to be on board, and so much can change in a year. LA could be the most likely place if that were the case, though. The more I think about it, the more I just don't buy the report that he won't take a 1+1, though. It gives him the best shot at making the most money and gives him the most flexibility as well. I don't buy the worry about injury either, because unless it's some catastrophic injury, teams are going to give him the max regardless IMO. That's how good he is, and there is more money than talent out there. If guys like Reggie Jackson can get the max, then Durant even coming off of an injury easily can.
Well the Wizards seemed to think that hiring Brooks might give them a chance to sign Durant, I kind of doubt it but as a Wizards fan obviously I'm all in on giving Durant whatever he wants. I actually think Durant and Wall is an interesting combination to ponder. Who really knows if Durant and Westbrook get along? I mean they seem to and they give that impression in public but who really knows. OKC was obviously very close to the Finals this year, it would be hard to envision Durant leaving to go to a team that wasn't close like the Wizards or Boston. None of us really knows, I do think if he is really close with Westbrook that would be a factor.
I'd be shocked if he didn't stay in OKC or go to a place ready made for a title run like San Antonio or maybe Miami. I don't know about the 1 +1 though, he is a big guy with foot issues, there are teams that wouldn't give him the max if he missed an entire season with a foot injury. Granted there would be others that would but who knows. Its easy for us to sit here and ponder someone risking a hundred + million but I don't blame him if he doesn't want to risk it. Look at Bosh, if he had signed a one year deal thinking he'd get paid later he'd be out tens of millions of dollars.
Igoudala stands at 1% HOF probability. Unless he wins this series 1-v-5, the needle probably doesn't even move to 5%. Sent from my SM-J500M using Tapatalk
I heard a rumor somewhere that Durant's reps or somebody close to him has put the word out that non-contending teams shouldn't bother contacting him. I can't remember where I heard it, but whomever was relaying this speculated that the top contenders were OKC, GSW, Spurs, Miami and maybe Boston. I don't know if they meant that list to be exhaustive.
The Spurs are interesting, they have some players in Duncan, Gianobli and Parker that are right at that retirement age and a trio of Aldrige, Leonard and Durant would be rough if they can get shooters around them. Miami is interesting but Bosh's uncertain situation might keep a max player like Durant away, who knows, I never count out Riley.
I'd be shocked if he went somewhere other than that too. I was just speculating if he had some kind of plan with Westbrook, that would be a good candidate. As for the 1+1, it's definitely a risk, and I'm certainly not trying to tell him what to do. But I think it's a risk he'd be willing to take. There is that 1/100 chance something happens like what happened with Bosh, but we're talking about a fairly young player who is a dominant player. I think teams will take that chance as long as it's not a catastrophic injury. We'll see though. I certainly couldn't blame KD if he took the guaranteed money.
I imagine if the Cavs lose tonight the series will be over in 5. They need to steal this one to have a shot to win the series IMO.
Cant imagine the league will let this series end in 5 games. Who is officiating tonight? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
That was my thought as well. I felt the Cavs needed to steal one of the first two. They may win in Cleveland (one or even two) and the public sentiment would switch. It almost always a pendulum that swings too far to which ever team won the last game. But IMO GSW was always the better team and with the home court advantage was going to win this unless the Cavs broke the pattern. I don't believe that the Cavs have the players or the coaching to make an adjustment likely to steal a game later in the series (other than bad officiating, luck in terms of injury or atypical shooting nights for either team which are always a variable), so they need(ed) to get their stolen game early.
If the cavs lose tonight i dont know what else Lebron can do with that team he is in... They have zero room for improvement.
Lue has found a solid gritty lineup. Who knew Bron and some scrubs is the way to go? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When you have Richard Jefferson getting big minutes its time to pack it in and get ready for next year.
Honestly i watched more of the Miss USA Pageant than this boring slaughter in the Oracle.. Theres no room for improvement for Cleveland after this season, they have the mini MLE and nothing else. I am starting to see Lebron leaving as a huge possibility. I mean theres NOTHING more Cleveland has to offer.. Curry and klay could be out this series and golden state probably still wins in 6
Nah. Pretty sure he and his wife are emotionally tied to the area, for good now. Also, even after this free agency, the East will still the most pathetically easy path to the finals for him w/ the cavs.
Tyronn Lue is likely fired after this series is over.. any smart coach would have started Frye and Mozgov, benched thompson after game 1.
I think this is a good time to remind folks that Ty Lue and the rest of America practically believed that LeBron finally had the kind of help he hadn't had at any point in his career. This was something that was actually said. What a complete joke. If it wasn't for the fact that he completely tied himself to that dumpster fire in Cleveland, LeBron would flee as soon as this series ended. The people that said Kyrie and Love were better than Wade and Bosh should be absolutely ashamed with themselves. At this point I even feel a little sympathy for the fans in Cleveland, but then I remember that scumbag that owns the team and how they treated LeBron when he left in 2010. They are getting what they deserve, especially King Comic Sans. I am very openly enjoying every bit of this. #HEGONE
Barring something crazy happening in this series I see them making a trade or two in the offseason. The need to get better defensively. Their defense was inconsistent all year and with the East being so weak they could get by like that but they need to have some real defenders, there are way too many stupid lapses on defense for them to even keep these games close.
Cavs are a lottery team without LeBron. Heat were within 1 game of being in the Conference Finals. Two franchises couldn't be any more different. I could totally see Cleveland blowing up the team this offseason and trading BOTH Love and Kyrie. LeBron knows he needs to put together something like he had in Miami to have a real chance. He can't just bring over a franchise's culture/success through osmosis. Does a Kyrie-Chris Paul swap move the needle? Do the Clippers hang up the phone?
I really thought Tony Brothers, and Scott Foster would make a difference. The 14 extra free throws barely made an impact. They should have just repeatedly T'd up Green or something.
What do they have to trade, though? Unless they move Love and/or Kyrie, they won't be getting anything useful back. And if they trade those guys, they'd be starting all over again. If this series continues down this road, I think you do have to seriously wonder if LeBron leaves. Because I'm not sure it will get much better than the roster they currently have. Cleveland is not a draw, and they don't have a GM that is going to swindle other teams.
Boy, Thompson looked positively Adamsesque tonight. Frye channeling his inner Ibaka. And boy, Mozgov is really smooth on offense, reminiscent of Enes Kanter even. Sent from my SM-J500M using Tapatalk
As I pointed out, who have the Cavs had to beat? This close series talk felt a lot more like wishful thinking rather than thoughtful analysis of reality. Everyone's a hater until a 33 point blowout. Then, you just become right. The Cavs are who I thought they were and some of you guys tried to let them off the hook. Sent from my SM-J500M using Tapatalk
They have Love and Kyrie, I don't think they need to start over if they traded those players for veteran players that can play defense and fit into a system better. Cleveland isn't really that far off despite how bad this series looks. Golden State is an all time great team, people forget that. People act like dominating the Eastern Conference is a joke but Cleveland has made 2 Finals in a row which isn't that easy so they have something but they don't have a team that matches up with GS which is obviously a huge problem.