Roc Nation will be launching the Kevin Durant Summer Free Agency Tour, coming to a city near you. This process will be dragged out and dramatic. And ultimately, I think he takes a 1 year deal in OKC.
I still think that it's likely that he takes the 1 year deal in OKC, but he certainly seems very open to listening to offers. If Riley even gets in the room with Durant, that's a win for Miami. This is a man that nearly convinced LaMarcus Aldridge to take the MLE last year. I don't know that Riley can ultimately seal the deal, but he's going to give the Heat a shot at KD.
If analytics is a good way to measure NFL talent then I guess we will see the Browns in the Super Bowl in the next few years
I also see that plan as most likely. If he takes a 1 year deal can OKC pay more on that deal than anybody else or does the 1 year deal option level the playing field for every team?
He won't have to. He has a healthy Kyrie, Love and Shumpert this year. They lost mostly close games last year, that will swing the pendulum towards the Cavs imo.
OKC can still offer more. The CBA is set up to give the home team a better chance at retention, probably because of the fact that a star player in the NBA swings wins and losses more then in other sports imo.
Isn't that why players are going for the one year deals? Get a max deal for a year to transfer your rights to the new team, then sign a max when the cap explodes at the home team rate.
??? The Warriors won three blowouts (21, 13, 8 (led by 20 in each of the games) after splitting two OT games and then losing in a close one. That series was not as close as you remembered it. You are replacing a defensive poss. for poss. style with an open style that will play on the same plane as the Warriors. I hope you are not betting on it.
It's as simple as this..The Cavs do not have the personnel to guard the Warriors, and the Warriors have the personnel to render Kevin Love useless. This is why the Warriors are the 2nd biggest favorite of the last 15 years in the Finals. (where the same favorites last year)
I don't think the Cavs really have a shot - but I disagree with people saying the Cavs can't outscore the Warriors so they need to try to lock them down. There is ZERO chance the Cavs can lock down the Warriors barring something crazy. There is a very small chance they can outscore them, but it's still a better chance. Cavs have an OffRtg of 116 in the playoffs. They have shooters all over the place. Might make more sense for the Cavs to just push and try to launch as many 3s as possible. Hope there's enough flukey shooting to steal a few games. Warriors have incredible shooting from Steph and Klay - but maybe you hope with LeBron and Kyrie scoring a bunch and the shooting of Frye, JR, Love, Delly - you can put so much of a burden on the Warriors' big 2 that you can just outrun them. Cavs just focus on getting in transition, rebounding, just try to get as many possessions as possible. I get that it's insane to think they can beat the Warriors in a shoot-out, but it's way easier to envision than them locking the Warriors down defensively.
I am not aware of any change in this CBA that allows the rest of the league the ability to offer the same deal as the "home team". And you think that the Cavs still would have gotten pasted in the 2 blowouts? And I say 2 because when you lose by 8 that's not a blowout...comebacks happen all the time. Do you think the Cavs couldn't have won 1 more of those games last year had they had Kyrie Love and Shumpert? If the answer is yes then what you really have is a series that could go either way. Like I said, I don't usually bet on things I have no say in the outcome of, but I do think the Warriors are severely overrated, the Cavs are being severely overlooked and that the Thunder laid a little bit of a blueprint in the first 4 games of their series pounding the ball inside offensively to their bigs, slowing the pace a bit, and playing good perimeter d while rendering Draymond close to useless offensively.
Holy ****! The Cavs acquired Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter for this series? Then I change my pick. Cavs in 6. as for the Warriors being overrated...well, they are defending champions that won a record 73 games this year...where do you want them rated?
He can carry them to a couple of wins by himself, especially as rested as he is. He needs his teammates to come up big in two games. I think that can happen.
You are correct - he hasn't shot as well as he did in Miami. But he is having a much easier time getting to the basket this postseason. That said, this is a highly motivated and rested LeBron. He has a team that compliments him very well right now. I think he has a historic series.
They have streaky shooters and Lebron so I'd say on any given night they have a good chance of winning but in a 7 games series? I see them getting good shooting and winning 2 or 3 but GS is going to have lay one or two serious eggs for Cleveland to win, they did that against OKC so who knows. I wouldn't put money on Cleveland thats for sure.
No, but they do have capable players in Thompson, Love, Frye and Mozgov. Love obviously isn't a great defender but he can be a good offensive player. Additionally, Kanter has never really been a good defender and Adams never much for offense. The Cavs front court is at least as talented. As far as GSW, point taken. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't like Draymond Green. Not even a little. The term pest is adequate.
Are people seriously counting out this healthy Cavs team? Lebron took that team to Game 6 without Kyrie or Love... and we're seriously going to rule them out? okay...
I would say the term pest is not strong enough. The guy is a grade A POS. I'm still rooting for the Warriors, though.
It really isn't. They don't even play Mozgov anymore. Frye is a role player, Thompson is one dimensional and Love is gonna be rendered useless in this series. In Adams, Ibaka, and Kanter you have three guys that could start on 80% of the teams in the league.
I think your overrating Adams a little bit. That series put him on the map, prior, he was no better then any other C not in the top 10 in the NBA.
Your hatred of all things Cleveland is showing. I like the okc guys but stop acting like Adams has some sort of refined offensive game, Kanter has any kind of defensive game, and Ibaka is inconsistent at best. Frye may be a role player but Mozgov and Thompson gave GSW fits last year. Cleveland should and hopefully will use them heavily in this series.
I find it funny how he dug into Mozgov (who was last years Adams in the playoffs [playing above his level]) and failed to mention that but then also went on to say Adams would start on 80% of NBA teams lmao at that rate I guess my guy Whiteside would be a backup to Adams lmao
To be fair, he made DeMarre Carroll look like trash last season too. Against Atlanta, Bazemore isn't exactly All-NBA Defensive team, and Detroit is Detroit. Who has LeBron had to deal with really?
Steven Adams is a 11/10 per 36 min. Center while being +18 in Eff Rtg. and is 22 years old. The ENTIRE league would line up to get him if they could.
I do hate Cleveland as a city, a fan base, and general concept. But my analysis is not clouded. I bet real Dollars on these things. Those guys you posted?.... they are losing minutes to Frye and Love in the name of spacing to run Lue's motion offense. See how that works? Lue is not gonna play 10 guys vs. Golden State..and if he does, he is as dumb as a fence post.
No. Whiteside falls in line with the 20% of teams he would not start on. But you better believe he plays a major role. Mozgov is now 29 years old. There is nothing else to see. They don't really compare. at all.
This is the best bet I found. still holding at -210 or so every where... But I took the game line in the series. I took Golden State at -1.5 games at -105. it is a damn good line for Bovada. (so GS has to win 4-0, 4-1 or 4-2)
Well he's gonna be foolish to play Frye this series because GSW will eat him alive. He's the worst of the bunch. They couldn't guard Mozgov last year at all. Your analysis may not be clouded on betting but it's clouded on player analysis.
I'd love to break out the broomsticks for a sweep of the Cavs but I think they take one or maybe two depending how they play at home.
I think youre SERIOUSLY overrating Cleveland players. This isn't the pansy eastern conference anymore, this is playing the best of the best night in and night out. Outside of Lebron I have 0 confidence in any of their players to play big in a big series.
Are there any wagers on who Draymond will nutkick in this series? I'd probably go with either JR or Tristan Thompson.
I am still predicting this will go to 7 games. There have been 18 game 7 finals in the history of the NBA and 15 of them have been won by the Game 7 home teams so I would pick the Dubs to defend the championship. Could be the most watched NBA game in history.
If they play Mozgov....Golden State just does what they did last year. They really have it covered. Besides, you think Mozgov is playing? Lue seems bent on matching up. I hope he plays Mozgov.
