Was Durant worth it, TBH?

[BD24]

Worth it?

[Mr. Body]

Yes. But they gutted the team. They're soft. All they can do is chuck threes, but then most teams won't be able to handle them. I thought they'd have to trade Klay Thompson to fill out the roster and because he's no longer needed. It'll happen in the summer.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

NO and NO.

They already had enough scoring w/ Curry, Iggy, Klay, Barbosa, etc. It never works when you bring in a guy who main weapon is his scoring. Durant isn't a Lebron James. He is not a great two-way player.

Defense

Barnes better than Durant
Ezeli/Speight better than West and Varejao (shell of himself after all those injuries).
Bogut way better than Zaza
Barbosa, well GS didn't get anyone to remotely place him so the just forces Iggy and Klay to play more minutes (not good in the long run).

Offense

Durant much better than Barnes
Ezeli/Speight combo still slightly better than old man West and injured riddled Varejo
Bogut a wash to Zaza w/ the edge going to Bogut for Offensive Rebound putbacks
Barbosa - nobody on their bench is even close right now to Barbosa.

All GS did, got much weaker defensively and are now forcing their starters to player more minutes.

They are worse off. Only so many shots in a game. And to top it off, GS signs the very player that Kawhi as pretty much owned the past two years.

[ducks]

No they have to protect rim

[Seventyniner]

Fluke game imo, the Warriors will still win 65+ easily.

[TampaDude]

Chances are pretty good that tonight's game was a preview of the WCF. If both teams stay healthy, I don't see anyone else in the West posing a threat. Gonna be Cavs-Spurs or Cavs-Dubs in the Finals. Again, that's IF everyone stays reasonably healthy.

[HarlemHeat37]

They will miss Bogut and they don't have a bench, but this game literally meant nothing outside of 1 game for the standings, tbh..

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

They will miss Bogut and they don't have a bench, but this game literally meant nothing outside of 1 game for the standings, tbh..

This game showed, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

What I find amusing, Jerry West threatened to quit if GS traded Klay for Love b/c Love plays no defense. GS proceeds to gut their bench and let Barnes (a much better defender than Durant) go to sign someone who only Elite part of his game is offense. Irony at its best.

I know this is just one game, but you have to like the Spurs chances after seeing how easy for most of the night it was for them to get to the paint again. Boy is GS going to miss Bogut/Ezeli/Speights combo upfront.

[SAGirl]

NO and NO.

They already had enough scoring w/ Curry, Iggy, Klay, Barbosa, etc. It never works when you bring in a guy who main weapon is his scoring. Durant isn't a Lebron James. He is not a great two-way player.

Defense

Barnes better than Durant
Ezeli/Speight better than West and Varejao (shell of himself after all those injuries).
Bogut way better than Zaza
Barbosa, well GS didn't get anyone to remotely place him so the just forces Iggy and Klay to play more minutes (not good in the long run).

Offense

Durant much better than Barnes
Ezeli/Speight combo still slightly better than old man West and injured riddled Varejo
Bogut a wash to Zaza w/ the edge going to Bogut for Offensive Rebound putbacks
Barbosa - nobody on their bench is even close right now to Barbosa.

All GS did, got much weaker defensively and are now forcing their starters to player more minutes.

They are worse off. Only so many shots in a game. And to top it off, GS signs the very player that Kawhi as pretty much owned the past two years.

Good analysis. They are worse off. They lost too much defensively. This wasn't even a bad game for Durant. He was on fire doing his thing shooting over guys on Iso. He was terrific on defense at times, and on rim protection since D-Worst was so inadequate. GSW got very imbalanced. They were killed inside.

It's better for Kawhi in the end that Durant wasn't signed by Spurs, he would have taken shots away from Kiwi and stolen "his thunder."

Credit to LMA and MVP Kawhi though. Simmons came out balling. Frankly except my boy Kyle who was disappointing, everyone balled out. But they were very much exposed.

[phxspurfan]

Chances are pretty good that tonight's game was a preview of the WCF. If both teams stay healthy, I don't see anyone else in the West posing a threat. Gonna be Cavs-Spurs or Cavs-Dubs in the Finals. Again, that's IF everyone stays reasonably healthy.

The Lillards and Clippers will have something to say about that

[Spur|n|Austin]

Wrong forum.

[phxspurfan]

Fluke game imo, the Warriors will still win 65+ easily.

Yes bc the rest of the league trots out Rodney Hood and Khris Middleton

[BD24]

Sigh. No one got the intent of this thread, not even Harlem....oh well lol.

[-21-]

Fluke game imo, the Warriors will still win 65+ easily.


They will miss Bogut and they don't have a bench, but this game literally meant nothing outside of 1 game for the standings, tbh..

^This. I'm gonna savor this win as much as I can but those who expect the Warriors to play like this all the time is in for a rude awakening. They'll figure it out at some point.

[SAGirl]

Bottom line, Durbeta won't be worth it. They will bounce back from this for sure, bc they just have too much scoring talent, but they will have issues on defense and that matters in the playoffs a lot.

[cd98]

Rim protection and no bench is a problem, but GSW won't turn the ball over that much and they missed a ton of threes.

[TampaDude]

The Lillards and Clippers will have something to say about that

Yeah, but not much. In the end, we all know what's coming, barring a bunch of injuries.

[HarlemHeat37]

Sigh. No one got the intent of this thread, not even Harlem....oh well lol.

I obviously know what you were doing:lol I was replying to the poster above me..

[Nathan89]

Bogut was a huge loss. All his moving screens and pushing/holding in the paint that was never called is a huge advantage. Durant's great offense takes possessions away from other already great offense. Then there is a lot of downgrades at other positions.

I fully expect them to crush the league come playoff time though. Hope I'm wrong.

[sasaint]

Yes. But they gutted the team. They're soft. All they can do is chuck threes, but then most teams won't be able to handle them. I thought they'd have to trade Klay Thompson to fill out the roster and because he's no longer needed. It'll happen in the summer.

Or even the trade deadline. With the bigs they currently have, Dubs would have no chance against the Cavs.

[BD24]

I obviously know what you were doing:lol I was replying to the poster above me..
Glad at least you did, seems to of went over everyone elses head. I imagine there is a Warrior fan somewhere making this thread right now :lol

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Rim protection and no bench is a problem, but GSW won't turn the ball over that much and they missed a ton of threes.

And for this reason I don't expect blowouts like this for the Spurs everytime they play GS. But they just pushed themselves back 2-3 years when the Spurs could score at will on them. They finally started to put it together last year and blew it all up for Durant. They went from a bench that actually owned the highest scoring bench in the NBA last year, to a bench that got completely and utterly owned tonight.

[Captivus]

The stat that im looking is Rebounds, 55 Spurs - 35 Warriors.
Other than that, KD 27PTs, Curry 26, Green 18...Klay a lower than usual with 11.
GSW are gonna kill a lot of teams. Spurs had a great game tonight.

[TampaDude]

The stat that im looking is Rebounds, 55 Spurs - 35 Warriors.
Other than that, KD 27PTs, Curry 26, Green 18...Klay a lower than usual with 11.
GSW are gonna kill a lot of teams. Spurs had a great game tonight.

Yup...but the Spurs aren't one of them. :hat

[313]

When you have a chance to add someone like KD, regardless of fit, it'd be hard for someone to convince you it's a bad idea. However they did gut their bench for him, moreso than the Spurs did last season for Aldridge.

They should start Iggy, and move KD to 6th man to accommodate the bench issue.

Not only did they lose Bogut(Funny how they lost the finals because they lost Bogut, then ship him off...."Light years ahead") and to add insult to injury they add David West. Not sure sure they're going to be able to manage with their shitty big situation.

Nevertheless, they'll still be the favorites, and win 60+ games...If they make some moves like the 2014-2015 Cavs did, they could easily trot to a title.

[Mr. Body]

Or even the trade deadline. With the bigs they currently have, Dubs would have no chance against the Cavs.

They'd have a massive handful with the Spurs first.

[sasaint]

They'd have a massive handful with the Spurs first.

:toast It would seem so after tonight. Bottom line is the Dubs will have to make a move before next off-season if they expect to win a title this season.

[Captivus]

They should start Iggy, and move KD to 6th man to accommodate the bench issue.


I do agree that MAYBE Curry, Klay and Durant is not the best lineup...still..is gonna be hard to tell one of them to start in the bench.

Having said that...the Spurs kicked ass tonight...lets see how they continue. I bet many teams are gonna watch this game to see what the Spurs did.

[DMC]

Too early to tell, but how do you get better than they were? I don't think you can. I don't understand the move, but you cannot pass on KD. You cannot. They should have kept Bogut though.

[DMC]

When you have a chance to add someone like KD, regardless of fit, it'd be hard for someone to convince you it's a bad idea. However they did gut their bench for him, moreso than the Spurs did last season for Aldridge.

They should start Iggy, and move KD to 6th man to accommodate the bench issue.

Not only did they lose Bogut(Funny how they lost the finals because they lost Bogut, then ship him off...."Light years ahead") and to add insult to injury they add David West. Not sure sure they're going to be able to manage with their shitty big situation.

Nevertheless, they'll still be the favorites, and win 60+ games...If they make some moves like the 2014-2015 Cavs did, they could easily trot to a title.

I don't think you can bench KD. I don't see it happening. He's much better than AI was when he agreed to go to that slot.

[Kawhitstorm]

They need to trade Iggy for Ibaka & convert Klay into a 6th man like Manu. They could start McCaw at the 2 & have him play the Harrison Barnes role on offense.

[spursreport]

Bogut was a huge loss. All his moving screens and pushing/holding in the paint that was never called is a huge advantage. Durant's great offense takes possessions away from other already great offense. Then there is a lot of downgrades at other positions.

I fully expect them to crush the league come playoff time though. Hope I'm wrong.

With who as their alpha? A fucking point guard? Kevin "Peyton Manning" Durant? I'll wait for a legit answer.

[AaronY]

Yes bc the rest of the league trots out Rodney Hood and Khris Middleton
Middleton is a damn good player.

[spursreport]

Too early to tell, but how do you get better than they were? I don't think you can. I don't understand the move, but you cannot pass on KD. You cannot. They should have kept Bogut though.

You can't pass on KD like you can't pass on Peyton Manning. Both do amazing things in the regular season, but fold in the playoffs and rely on someone else to bail them out. The only issue is the other alpha is a fucking point guard.

[timtonymanu]

One game obviously, but is Iguodala done? He was a non factor tonight.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

They need to trade Iggy for Ibaka & convert Klay into a 6th man like Manu. They could start McCaw at the 2 & have him play the Harrison Barnes role on offense.

That will never fuckin happen. NO TEAMS are going to help GS at this point mark my words. Most execs this offseason were pissed that even Zaza got only 2mil a year when other teams were offering him 5mil more (full MLE).

Iggy is done. Look at his stats tonight. Nobody in his salary range is remotely worth giving up to get Iggy. Plus Lebron would totally crap on this team w/o him. GS is stuck with what they have this year. Next year, after paying Curry his 30 mil a year. they will have about 20-25mil to fill out 7 roster spots. Considering that Ibaka is going to demand an 18-20 mil a year salary, GS would improve w/ Ibaka but their bench would be even worse off than it is already.

Signing Durant was a huge roll of the dice for the Warriors and right now, it looks like they took the wrong gamble as they have no rim protectors on that team. Spurs got 21 off rebounds and that wasn't a fluke, that's called not having any superior rebounders. Hell, David Lee is better than any rebounder currently on GS roster.

[Kawhitstorm]

That will never fuckin happen. NO TEAMS are going to help GS at this point mark my words. Most execs this offseason were pissed that even Zaza got only 2mil a year when other teams were offering him 5mil more (full MLE). Iggy is done. Look at his stats tonight. Nobody in his salary range is remotely worth giving up to get Iggy.

The Magic gave Jeff Green 15 mill b/c they were desperate for anything resembling a 3&D player. They would take Iggy in a heartbeat.:lol


Plus Lebron would totally crap on this team w/o him. GS is stuck with what they have this year. Next year, after paying Curry his 30 mil a year. they will have about 20-25mil to fill out 7 roster spots. Considering that Ibaka is going to demand an 18-20 mil a year salary, GS would improve w/ Ibaka but their bench would be even worse off than it is already.

They can try combating LeBron by fighting fire w/ fire: Durant outscored LeBron in the 2012 Finals. As far as their bench, McCaw is probably a better scorer than Iggy & Looney is their best rebounder, much better than D-Worst. Livingston can replace Iggy in the Death Lineup & allow Curry to play off the ball.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

The Magic gave Jeff Green 15 mill b/c they were desperate for anything resembling a 3&D player. They would take Iggy in a heartbeat.:lol


But the Magic have been playing Green as their 6th man during the last part of the preseason. I read the article when this trade went down as I was surprised OKC traded him as he was the MAIN advantage OKC had over the Spurs (that was until LMA came to the Spurs). Knowing how much Vogel values defense over anything, I don't see him trading Ibaka unless its for Someone like Drummond.

"The defense we played at Indiana that we hope to bring here to Orlando is predicated on having a guy like Serge Ibaka that can protect the rim and be that lead shot-blocker," said coach Frank Vogel, who joined the Magic last month after his contract with the Pacers was not renewed. "The way the NBA is going, defensive versatility is huge."

[313]

I don't think you can bench KD. I don't see it happening. He's much better than AI was when he agreed to go to that slot.
Well, without trying to overreact too much to one game, I'd say they have two options.

Option one is to trade for pieces to fill out bench. Curry and Durant are untouchable, so they'd likely have to trade Klay or Dray + one of their trash PFs(West, Kevon Looney, McAdoo), and maybe a pick.

If they traded Klay, the only other SG on the team is Ian Clark, so they would still need to get a decent SG in return before even getting a piece for the bench. Their back up PF situation is just as bleak so they would face the same struggle trading Draymond.

Option two, which is more viable IMO, is to move Curry or Durant to the bench to help balance the team. Both have decent back ups in Livingston and Iggy that can be solid in the starting role. Would their ego let them? Probably not.

[313]

They need to trade Iggy for Ibaka & convert Klay into a 6th man like Manu. They could start McCaw at the 2 & have him play the Harrison Barnes role on offense.
No way Orlando would go for that IMO and I'm not sure it would be worth it for GS.

In a potential match up with the Cavs the Dubs would now be short their past two best LeBron defenders in Barnes, and Iggy. KD can't hold him.

[Kawhitstorm]

But the Magic have been playing Green as their 6th man during the last part of the preseason. I read the article when this trade went down as I was surprised OKC traded him as he was the MAIN advantage OKC had over the Spurs (that was until LMA came to the Spurs). Knowing how much Vogel values defense over anything, I don't see him trading Ibaka unless its for Someone like Drummond.

"The defense we played at Indiana that we hope to bring here to Orlando is predicated on having a guy like Serge Ibaka that can protect the rim and be that lead shot-blocker," said coach Frank Vogel, who joined the Magic last month after his contract with the Pacers was not renewed. "The way the NBA is going, defensive versatility is huge."




They gave Biyombo a 4 yr contract & have Vuc as the starting center. I'm not sure they can play Biyombo/Ibaka together considering their starting point guard & wing aren't exactly Curry/Durant.:lol

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

They gave Biyombo a 4 yr contract & have Vuc as the starting center. I'm not sure they can play Biyombo/Ibaka together considering their starting point guard & wing aren't exactly Curry/Durant.:lol

Biyombo was the worse out of the 4 bigs in the preseason. I could see him getting traded first, but not Ibaka, who was the Magic 2nd best player in the preseason overall.

[Kawhitstorm]

No way Orlando would go for that IMO and I'm not sure it would be worth it for GS.

In a potential match up with the Cavs the Dubs would now be short their past two best LeBron defenders in Barnes, and Iggy. KD can't hold him.

Barnes was absolutely horrific against LeBron, Curry fared better when they were switched onto LeBron.:lol In any case, LeBron/Durant were matched up against each other in the 2012 Finals:

http://www.matevzrojc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/durant-james-4th-quarter.png

[808]

https://i.imgsafe.org/04b9471430.jpg

[Kawhitstorm]

Biyombo was the worse out of the 4 bigs in the preseason. I could see him getting traded first, but not Ibaka, who was the Magic 2nd best player in the preseason overall.

I'm not sure teams are in a hurry to trade for 30 yr old Biyombo & his 70 mill salary when 21 year old Noel is on the trading blocks.:lol

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

I'm not sure teams are in a hurry to trade for 30 yr old Biyombo & his 70 mill salary when 21 year old Noel is on the trading blocks.:lol

He is only 24 yo and he is a better rebounder and rim protector than any player currently on the GS roster. He is actually a very similar player to Bogut, not as big but more athletic and more geared to the defensive side of the ball.

And that's the stupid thing of trading Bogut, now to get someone of similar production, you have to get overpriced player like Biyombo. This is a player I could see GS getting and helping them this year. And boy, do they need it around the rim.

[Kawhitstorm]

He is only 24 yo and he is a better rebounder and rim protector than any player currently on the GS roster. He is actually a very similar player to Bogut, not as big but more athletic and more geared to the defensive side of the ball.

Biyombo can't be traded until December & his salary doesn't match w/ Iggy. Besides, Biyombo's contract would fuck up their cap space next summer when they have to re-sign Durant to a super-max like Lebron. (Ibaka has a lower cap hold)

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Biyombo can't be traded until December & his salary doesn't match w/ Iggy. Besides, Biyombo's contract would fuck up their cap space next summer when they have to re-sign Durant to a super-max like Lebron. (Ibaka has a lower cap hold)

I know this, which is why there is no way in hell Magic are going to trade a guy whose playing value far exceeds his salary at this point in Ibaka for a player whose playing value is lower than his current salary. GS is stuck with what they have this year unless they want to move Klay Thompson, and that is more than likely not going to happen.

[Kawhitstorm]

I know this, which is why there is no way in hell Magic are going to trade a guy whose playing value far exceeds his salary at this point in Ibaka for a player whose playing value is lower than his current salary. GS is stuck with what they have this year unless they want to move Klay Thompson, and that is more than likely not going to happen.

What in the hell are the Magic going to do when Ibaka is a free-agent in the Summer?:downspin:

Seems to me like they signed Biyombo to a long term contract b/c they aren't willing to max out Ibaka.

The Duds could also trade for Tyson Chandler who has a cheaper contract than Biyombo & also get someone like TJ Warren to replace Iggy: http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ha2gbmd

[TheGreatYacht]

OP with the goods, per par :lmao

[Chillen]

They have gotten weaker, losing Bogut hurts them because he gave teams problems in the system they run. To get Durant they lost depth, but they were crazy good last season depsite not winning it all. It's really hard to top a season like that and be better. No team should pass on getting a player like Durant, but really there is only 1 basketball and just like any other team they will have to play as a team to win it all. This team was rolling last season because all of Curry and Thompson's sniper 3's, but alot of that had to do with Green and Bogut. Durant is soft in the paint, always has been but he will come up with the occasional block.

This Spurs team though tonight played great defense and scored when they had to in this game 1 of the season, this is a bad matchup for the Warriors.

[Chillen]

They need to trade Iggy for Ibaka & convert Klay into a 6th man like Manu. They could start McCaw at the 2 & have him play the Harrison Barnes role on offense.

Both Iggy and Thompson are expendable, this is basically Durant and Curry's team now. If I was the Warriors GM I would look to trade one of them, probably Iggy.

[raybies]

Super early, but my thoughts are this.
Anything or anyone that takes shots and time away from Curry and his ability of creativity is gonna be a loss unless it's Lebron James. What makes or made the Warriors so explosive last year was the three ball and I mean the ball movement, the screens, and player movement without the ball getting those catch and shoot threes. Not to mention Stephs brilliance with the ball. KD as good as he is takes away from that. Durant offense is a downgrade from Curry offense imo. I want to see Durant post up. It's not a three. Durant will demand his ISO on mismatches and so does Thompson for that matter but Steph and Klay had a balance. KD is a big wrench the tool box right now. It's not news to anyone but they'll need time to adjust. They'll figure it out but at what cost. We have to hope that Durant doesn't realize he'll need to be completely selfless and let the ball flow. He has to be able to live with scoring in the low twenties and letting Steph and Klay and Draymond have there shots with Steph having the majority. Everyone should get less shots except Steph.

Also the lack of bench is an issue.

[spursistan]

Let's face it you should never say NO to a Top 5 player in the league :lol..but I think the whole summer media have understated the fact they have blown up the bench and the established chemistry of a 73-win juggernaut coming off a title and 67-wins the previous season..this wasn't your run-of-the-mill 55-win team..

[SAGirl]

Super early, but my thoughts are this.
Anything or anyone that takes shots and time away from Curry and his ability of creativity is gonna be a loss unless it's Lebron James. What makes or made the Warriors so explosive last year was the three ball and I mean the ball movement, the screens, and player movement without the ball getting those catch and shoot threes. Not to mention Stephs brilliance with the ball. KD as good as he is takes away from that. Durant offense is a downgrade from Curry offense imo. I want to see Durant post up. It's not a three. Durant will demand his ISO on mismatches and so does Thompson for that matter but Steph and Klay had a balance. KD is a big wrench the tool box right now. It's not news to anyone but they'll need time to adjust. They'll figure it out but at what cost. We have to hope that Durant doesn't realize he'll need to be completely selfless and let the ball flow. He has to be able to live with scoring in the low twenties and letting Steph and Klay and Draymond have there shots with Steph having the majority. Everyone should get less shots except Steph.

Also the lack of bench is an issue.

Good points. It will be worth observing, the freezing effect that KD has on others. I have to credit the Spurs defense. I know other teams won't be as disciplined. They got fried a few times, but you can't stop everything or everyone in the NBA. It wasn't repetitive times and KD hitting midrange shots over others is not as bad as Curry offense you are right. I didn't watch GSW during the preseason, but it wasn't what we saw last season, every time Spurs faced GSW, the bewilderment, and you are right it was Steph, the screening, the off ball movement, the good chemistry they had. Bc their defense and rebounding has taken a tumble they also don't generate as many TO which cuts their transition scoring opportunities.

They will rebound from this, but they are currently a worse team than last season and might be pretenders. You can't win a championship if you can't stop the elites. Cavs will will them too. Maybe I am too reactionary, but I tend to agree. It is early but they will need to make adjustments.. big time on defense. D'worst will sink them. 10 minutes this game and every minute he was there you knew. Yuck.

[baseline bum]

Yes, Durant is an enormous upgrade over Barnes + Bogut. Especially with Bogut being a china doll.

[exstatic]

55 to 35. That was the rebounding edge. It wasn't just Bogut. They lost EVERY center on their roster from last year. Ezeli and Speights were huge for them.

[SAGirl]

Hmmm I bet there have to be meltdowns in GSW forum lol

[raybies]

Good points. It will be worth observing, the freezing effect that KD has on others. I have to credit the Spurs defense. I know other teams won't be as disciplined. They got fried a few times, but you can't stop everything or everyone in the NBA. It wasn't repetitive times and KD hitting midrange shots over others is not as bad as Curry offense you are right. I didn't watch GSW during the preseason, but it wasn't what we saw last season, every time Spurs faced GSW, the bewilderment, and you are right it was Steph, the screening, the off ball movement, the good chemistry they had. Bc their defense and rebounding has taken a tumble they also don't generate as many TO which cuts their transition scoring opportunities.

They will rebound from this, but they are currently a worse team than last season and might be pretenders. You can't win a championship if you can't stop the elites. Cavs will will them too. Maybe I am too reactionary, but I tend to agree. It is early but they will need to make adjustments.. big time on defense. D'worst will sink them. 10 minutes this game and every minute he was there you knew. Yuck.

Yeah there defense is lacking. What's the point in having perimeter defenders like Klay if you have no one to lead them to. And Durant is not a bad defender. When he's locked in, he's very good. It's just Bogut and Ezeli were great rim protectors. They are vulnerable inside and they have no answers. Offensively, it's safe to assume they'll figure it out, but defensively, they might have no answers. I mean, they can upgrade the bench with minor moves and seeing who gets waived later in the season but inside they are weak and that's are biggest strength suppose we stay healthy.

[raybies]

55 to 35. That was the rebounding edge. It wasn't just Bogut. They lost EVERY center on their roster from last year. Ezeli and Speights were huge for them.

Yup. This.

[Raven]

long term, yes.

[NameLess Scrub]

This game does not make him not worthy.

For now, he's still worth it for them. They won't need the best defense/rebounding to get lots of wins by chucking senseless and playing chaotic.

[Maddog]

55 to 35. That was the rebounding edge. It wasn't just Bogut. They lost EVERY center on their roster from last year. Ezeli and Speights were huge for them.

It was clear that the Spurs front court length gave them troubles. Even though Pau wasn't great- he still bothered them.
Big teams are going to give them troubles to some degree. Although most will not be as disciplined defensively as the Spurs.
I suspect they'll figure out a way to adjust. It's early and just one game.

[Chinook]

No. But it's as I said many many times in the off-season: The Warriors getting KD makes them harder for the Spurs to beat, but it also makes the path to beating them more obvious. The Spurs pretty much put everything into exploiting GS' one weakness, and it paid off. Zaza is a good player and will have better rebounding games. But Gasol was definitely a good get if it means the Warriors are going to have to field a shorter team for every possession.

[spursistan]

More importantly from our perspective: If this game is an indication the Spurs are back to the pre-2015 days of bullying the Warriors inside even at Oracle :wow.

The shipping of Bogut/Ezeli/Barnes and decline of Iggy could really change the dynamic of this match-up for us on that end..Last season we couldn't score for shit..

[John B]

Dubs will still win 65+ games, which they did before. But get beat in a 7 game series by atletic bigs like Clippers. So no they were better last year.

[BD24]

OP with the goods, per par :lmao
:toast

[tbdog]

Warriors D was always good and it fueled their epic offense. Now they can't control the boards, therefore the pace, and therefore the game. If Livingston and Iggy are done, the literally have no bench.

[Spurs9]

The Warriors didn't even really need to get KD, should have kept what they had and maybe added a few pieces. Curry wasn't even healthy that playoffs imo and they barely lost it. They gutted alot of the team, and now they are going to have pay Curry. Curry's low contracts made all of this possible, hes only making $12mil this year, cap will increase next year but not as much as this year. So he will eat up another $17mil next season on his salary alone.

[TheDoctor]

One game obviously, but is Iguodala done? He was a non factor tonight.
I don't think he's done per se. Just that he had a though matchup vs an MVP candidate in Kawhi.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

No one is gonna trade for Iggy. Only hope GS has to improve their front line is trading Klay, and if he continues on last night's trajectory then teams will be ryinking hard about it first. But like someone else said, the front office there has been such a bag of smug dbags to he rest of the league I can see every other front office turning their backs and letting them fail spectacularly.

[Mr. Body]

No one is gonna trade for Iggy. Only hope GS has to improve their front line is trading Klay, and if he continues on last night's trajectory then teams will be ryinking hard about it first. But like someone else said, the front office there has been such a bag of smug dbags to he rest of the league I can see every other front office turning their backs and letting them fail spectacularly.

I've been saying all summer that the addition of Durant meant that Klay Thompson would someday get traded. But I agree, he's so inconsistent it's hard to tell what he's actually worth.

[cjw]

Rim protection and no bench is a problem, but GSW won't turn the ball over that much and they missed a ton of threes.

Revert both teams back to last year's 3pt% and the Spurs lose 9 points, and the Warriors gain 20 points. That's makes up for the full 29 point difference. Durant, Steph and Klay were 5 for 19, so would have to go back and look at how closeouts were and how many were open misses.

But turnovers? GS turned the ball over 10% more than the Spurs last year adjusting for pace. Turnover differential and fast break points in the game were both close.

GS is going to have to outshoot teams by hitting more threes and scoring in transition, because their rebounding and post defense is seriously deficient. Imagine Adams and Kanter feasting out there, or Jordan and Griffin, or the Utah bigs.

[Captivus]

Lets assume what happend yesterday is a real problem...GSW cant rebound and they have big issues in the next games.
What do they really have to offer to other teams to get another big presence in the paint?
I dont see what player they have that could be traded...

Lets see what happens, if this is a problem (and not against most temas, agasint the best teams) they will start looking for big men in the development league.

[NameLess Scrub]

The Warriors didn't even really need to get KD, should have kept what they had and maybe added a few pieces. Curry wasn't even healthy that playoffs imo and they barely lost it. They gutted alot of the team, and now they are going to have pay Curry. Curry's low contracts made all of this possible, hes only making $12mil this year, cap will increase next year but not as much as this year. So he will eat up another $17mil next season on his salary alone.

Agreed. It didn't make sense to make so many changes.
But having Durant available, almost anybody would take it.
However, if it doesn't work out it might come up that they were a championship team before changing the roster for Durant.

[NameLess Scrub]

Lets assume what happend yesterday is a real problem...GSW cant rebound and they have big issues in the next games.
What do they really have to offer to other teams to get another big presence in the paint?
I dont see what player they have that could be traded...

Lets see what happens, if this is a problem (and not against most temas, agasint the best teams) they will start looking for big men in the development league.

They have Klay to offer. Questions is if they will dare to trade him, and if other teams are willing to help them or actually could use Klay as the missing piece.

[024]

:lol of course it was worth it. Not only did they add an MVP player in his prime but they also weakened the WC team that almost eliminated them in the playoffs.

They might suffer this year since they had to gut the bench but they'll get stronger in the future with more FA signings and more drafts/younger players developing. Some above average ring chasing big nearing his mid 30's will inevitably sign with the Warriors through the MLE and the Warriors will have plugged that weakness. Just like how Ray Allen ran to the Heat. The Warriors have all the time in the world since their core is 26-28.

[spursistan]

Bump..

getting raped inside by Nance and Randle :lol..

The Warriors might have shot themselves in the foot (at least for this season)..Short of a trade for legit big, I am confident in saying they won't reach the heights of last year--and not just defensively, their offense flows from the stops they get..Durant elite volume-scoring won't offset the intangibles guys Bogut/Eezli brought to the table in screening/rolling to open up the corner 3s for shooters. Curry efficiency has already dipped and Klaynus is just barfing up off-rythym shots to get his.

[SAGirl]

good points spursistan... keep preaching...

[MaNu4Tres]

Bump..

getting raped inside by Nance and Randle :lol..

The Warriors might have shot themselves in the foot (at least for this season)..Short of a trade for legit big, I am confident in saying they won't reach the heights of last year--and not just defensively, their offense flows from the stops they get..Durant elite volume-scoring won't offset the intangibles guys Bogut/Eezli brought to the table in screening/rolling to open up the corner 3s for shooters. Curry efficiency has already dipped and Klaynus is just barfing up off-rythym shots to get his.

Glad people are starting to recognize this aspect of the game.

I think its inevitable that the Warriors make a move at the deadline to bring in help in the front-court. They have S Liv and Iggy to use as semi-expendable pieces.

[timtonymanu]

:lmao gutting your team that was one win away from a championship. A team that was dominant for two seasons in a row.

Of course, if I chose between getting Durant or Barnes, I go with Durant. But the Dubs lost a lot of their chemistry and depth (bogut/ezeli/speights/barbosa). They still have a whole season to figure it out, but I'm not one to call the Dubs the favorites just yet just because they have Durant and Curry.

[spursistan]

Glad people are starting to recognize this aspect of the game.

I think its inevitable that the Warriors make a move at the deadline to bring in help in the front-court. They have S Liv and Iggy to use as semi-expendable pieces.

794953914382577664

The Spurs suffered a similar dip with the shipping of Tiago/Baynes and later decline of Timmy-- almost zero rolling to suck in the weakside defenders from shooters. Hopefully these Warriors become Exhibit A for "if aint broke don't fix it" Championship teams :toast..

[SpurPadre]

The real question for the Dubs is: which team(s) will they use as their farm system by the trade deadline, when they will get the big(s) they need for a bag of chips?

[TD 21]

No matter how this turns out, I don't care how good you are, you don't pass up the consensus 2nd or 3rd best player in the world, especially when it decimates your closest conference competition.

It might take 1-2 years to find the type of center they need (Jones could grow into it) and they might lose out on a title because of it, but it'll be worth it if it leads to more long term, which is likely.

Besides, Bogut is so broken down that he's probably nearing the end of his best before date and despite his relative youth, Ezeli might be too.

[spursistan]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C04enTxVEAAODO_.jpg
814621542151847936

[james evans]

No matter how this turns out, I don't care how good you are, you don't pass up the consensus 2nd or 3rd best player in the world, especially when it decimates your closest conference competition.

It might take 1-2 years to find the type of center they need (Jones could grow into it) and they might lose out on a title because of it, but it'll be worth it if it leads to more long term, which is likely.

Besides, Bogut is so broken down that he's probably nearing the end of his best before date and despite his relative youth, Ezeli might be too.

yes you do turn it down. When you've been to the finals 2 years in a row and had the best record in the league 2 years in a row, you don't gut your defense and entire bench to sign another offensive player that DOESN'T PLAY GOOD DEFENSE to add to your team when you're already the best offensive team in the league. For example, had the 92-93 bulls at the start of the season picked up one of the best scorers in the league at the time(and in NBA history) Dominique Wilkins, but got rid of Grant, Armstrong, Perdue, King, and Williams, who does the dirty work? All of you thought that just because they were adding Durant that his 29 ppg were just going to be added to their current scoring hahaha. Now all of you see what I meant all summer when I was saying, "THERE IS ONLY ONE BALL!!!!"

[TampaDude]

Cavs-Spurs Finals.

Y'all know it's coming.

[BillMc]

Cavs-Spurs Finals.

Y'all know it's coming.
:flag:

[Nathan89]

Fetus is done so the deal changes more in favor of acquiring Durant. Bogut is injury prone as well and old. They kept their best 2 bench players. West replaces Speights. Basically you get Durant for Barnes, Barbosa, and injury prone Bogut. Durant is the much safer choice.

[HarlemHeat37]

They've been ridiculously good, so far, tbh..#1 offense and #2 defense in the NBA, despite Curry being in a shooting slump(and Klay was in one earlier in the season)..

[spursistan]

They've been ridiculously good, so far, tbh..#1 offense and #2 defense in the NBA, despite Curry being in a shooting slump(and Klay was in one earlier in the season)..
Beating up on the dregs of the league...not as impressive vs.the elite this year (expect the Clippers per par)...

[james evans]

They've been ridiculously good, so far, tbh..#1 offense and #2 defense in the NBA, despite Curry being in a shooting slump(and Klay was in one earlier in the season)..
they've been HORRIBLE on interior defense(what I predicted this summer btw) and once the Cavs started driving the lane christmas day, there was nothing the could do to stop it.

[spursistan]

Durant with the triple double while Curry continues to look like shit (relatively)..Really surprised by the gulf of performance between these two..It is officially KD's team..

[Mr. Body]

Durant with the triple double while Curry continues to look like shit (relatively)..Really surprised by the gulf of performance between these two..It is officially KD's team..

Which is problematic for various reasons, but mostly because Durant hasn't had a great playoffs in years.

[cutewizard]

Cavs-Spurs Finals.

Y'all know it's coming.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

:whine


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8u4VLk0iTI

[TD 21]

yes you do turn it down. When you've been to the finals 2 years in a row and had the best record in the league 2 years in a row, you don't gut your defense and entire bench to sign another offensive player that DOESN'T PLAY GOOD DEFENSE to add to your team when you're already the best offensive team in the league. For example, had the 92-93 bulls at the start of the season picked up one of the best scorers in the league at the time(and in NBA history) Dominique Wilkins, but got rid of Grant, Armstrong, Perdue, King, and Williams, who does the dirty work? All of you thought that just because they were adding Durant that his 29 ppg were just going to be added to their current scoring hahaha. Now all of you see what I meant all summer when I was saying, "THERE IS ONLY ONE BALL!!!!"

They're ranked 2nd in defensive rating, a locked in Durant is an above average defender (and a lesser offensive load helps to aid this) and the gutting of their bench, while somewhat true, is also being overblown, especially considering they will likely have at least one superstar and star on the court for all meaningful minutes in the playoffs.

Superstar talent is by far the most difficult and important asset in sports. Virtually everything else can be replaced. Even if their weakened depth costs them this season, in the long run, they'll be better off.

[Robz4000]

They're ranked 2nd in defensive rating, a locked in Durant is an above average defender (and a lesser offensive load helps to aid this) and the gutting of their bench, while somewhat true, is also being overblown, especially considering they will likely have at least one superstar and star on the court for all meaningful minutes in the playoffs.

Superstar talent is by far the most difficult and important asset in sports. Virtually everything else can be replaced. Even if their weakened depth costs them this season, in the long run, they'll be better off.

Not necessarily when you look at what Durant/Curry are going to command in the off season. Both will take up half of GS' salary cap with Raymond/Thompson taking another 35%. That's an exceptional core, but not unbeatable (especially if you take into mind their postseason choking habits). Outside those four they can only build the roster with draft picks/cheap vets. It worked out for the Heat because they had Lebron and all three of Lebron/Wade/Bosh took paycuts to afford better than average vets. Adding Durant was the right move, but unless they're willing to part with one of the other three they may not last as overwhelming Finals favorites.

As for this year it doesn't seem like it'll work out since their only true rival (Cleveland) now matches up much better.

[TD 21]

Not necessarily when you look at what Durant/Curry are going to command in the off season. Both will take up half of GS' salary cap with Raymond/Thompson taking another 35%. That's an exceptional core, but not unbeatable (especially if you take into mind their postseason choking habits). Outside those four they can only build the roster with draft picks/cheap vets. It worked out for the Heat because they had Lebron and all three of Lebron/Wade/Bosh took paycuts to afford better than average vets. Adding Durant was the right move, but unless they're willing to part with one of the other three they may not last as overwhelming Finals favorites.

As for this year it doesn't seem like it'll work out since their only true rival (Cleveland) now matches up much better.

Clark, Looney, McCaw and James, all have the makings of inexpensive rotation players and they'll always be ring chasing veterans willing to take the minimum. Unless James develops into it, starting center could be the one significant weakness for a while, but 29 other teams would trade for their "issues".

The previous 2 iterations of the Warriors weren't unbeatable either and both Bogut (age) and Ezeli (injury) are nearing their best before date anyway.

How does it not "seem like it'll work out" this season? Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but by every conceiveable metric, they're the clear cut best team in the league and unfortunately, barring the unforeseen, they're going to be championship favorites for the foreseeable future.

[Robz4000]

Clark, Looney, McCaw and James, all have the makings of inexpensive rotation players and they'll always be ring chasing veterans willing to take the minimum. Unless James develops into it, starting center could be the one significant weakness for a while, but 29 other teams would trade for their "issues".

The previous 2 iterations of the Warriors weren't unbeatable either and both Bogut (age) and Ezeli (injury) are nearing their best before date anyway.

How does it not "seem like it'll work out" this season? Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but by every conceiveable metric, they're the clear cut best team in the league and unfortunately, barring the unforeseen, they're going to be championship favorites for the foreseeable future.

Cleveland would beat them as of right now in a series if all things remained the same (sans JR Smith coming back from injury). Meanwhile, the Dubs were a Raymond suspension or Bogut injury away from winning in 5 last year. They managed to match up with Cleveland in the past due to their depth and cohesion/chemistry, but this year they've gone massively top-heavy instead. Unfortunately, going top-heavy against the team with the best player (and star players close enough to match their own) isn't the same. Too soon to tell if another team arises to challenge the Dubs out West, but the Cavs will be there to beat them down in the Finals for the next few years.

[TD 21]

Cleveland would beat them as of right now in a series if all things remained the same (sans JR Smith coming back from injury). Meanwhile, the Dubs were a Raymond suspension or Bogut injury away from winning in 5 last year. They managed to match up with Cleveland in the past due to their depth and cohesion/chemistry, but this year they've gone massively top-heavy instead. Unfortunately, going top-heavy against the team with the best player (and star players close enough to match their own) isn't the same. Too soon to tell if another team arises to challenge the Dubs out West, but the Cavs will be there to beat them down in the Finals for the next few years.

I'd lean Warriors, but if that ends up being true, was Barnes, another year older Bogut and Ezeli (who hasn't and won't play a game this season), changing that?

People talk about the Warriors bench, but the Cavaliers are paper thin and reliant on a bunch of old role players, who could (and in some cases, might already have) lose it at any time.

[Robz4000]

I'd lean Warriors, but if that ends up being true, was Barnes, another year older Bogut and Ezeli (who hasn't and won't play a game this season), changing that?

People talk about the Warriors bench, but the Cavaliers are paper thin and reliant on a bunch of old role players, who could (and in some cases, might already have) lose it at any time.

Who are their old roleplayers outside HWSNBN? The Dubs were reliant on some older players, but as I said the chemistry built between them was what made them scary. On top of that, as some people said, with the addition of Durant Curry has been relegated to second option on top of Klay/Green being dropped down another notch. Despite how they may say otherwise it does have an effect on their games/mentality; they were already a mentally fragile nucleus before, and adding another softie in Durant can't help matters (obviously the talent jump is huge, but whose going to step up when the going gets tough?). There's also the possibility that they could've sought out roleplayers to better enhance Curry/Thompson/Green rather than gone all-in on adding Durant.

Obviously, any team would've jumped at the chance to add Durant and when the Dubs did I was sure they'd own the league for the next five years. Now, however, having a large enough sample size, Durant and Curry talking about getting paid, and with the new CBA and everything it entails I'm not so sure.

[TD 21]

Who are their old roleplayers outside HWSNBN? The Dubs were reliant on some older players, but as I said the chemistry built between them was what made them scary. On top of that, as some people said, with the addition of Durant Curry has been relegated to second option on top of Klay/Green being dropped down another notch. Despite how they may say otherwise it does have an effect on their games/mentality; they were already a mentally fragile nucleus before, and adding another softie in Durant can't help matters (obviously the talent jump is huge, but whose going to step up when the going gets tough?). There's also the possibility that they could've sought out roleplayers to better enhance Curry/Thompson/Green rather than gone all-in on adding Durant.

Obviously, any team would've jumped at the chance to add Durant and when the Dubs did I was sure they'd own the league for the next five years. Now, however, having a large enough sample size, Durant and Curry talking about getting paid, and with the new CBA and everything it entails I'm not so sure.

Smith (not so much age as mileage, since he came out of high-school), Frye, Dunleavy, Jones and probably whatever backup point guard and depth big they ultimately acquire to replace Williams and Andersen, respectively. Of the bunch, only Frye and Jones, a non rotation player, have played well this season.

Even though their core is still relatively young, they have to start putting more youth around them. The Warriors have already begun the process, even though none of the four I mentioned are more than fringe rotation players this season.

I don't disagree with a lot of what you've said, but the reality is, it was a no brainer, they're still the favorites for this season and barring the unforeseen, will be for the immediate future.

[spursgu]

He was worth it. It took away their biggest threat out in the West, which was OKC. The personnel and identity of their team is different and they are probably more vulnerable than before but you don't say no to a top 3 player in the league.