OPINION: Durant’s team-bailing antics are the reason why no one gutted their team for him

OPINION: Durant’s team-bailing antics are the reason why no one gutted their team for him

Disclaimer: before this article begins, I want to say this, I am a huge fan of Kevin Durant and wanted him as a Phoenix Sun. However, his antics and the baggage that was coming to Phoenix and what was leaving Phoenix were not too enticing. I did not want to give up Cam Johnson or Mikal Bridges, yes when it comes to draft compensation; but not to the other assets, such as Johnson and/or Bridges.

I wanted Durant, but it had to make sense. In the end, it did not make much sense as the Suns are better off keeping their core and not chasing after him. Phoenix did the smart choice, James Jones and that team took the appropriate response to all possibilities surrounding a trade for Kevin Durant.

Am I a bit upset? Yes, but I want to run it back with the core players that took this team to the postseason on a 64-win season. Let’s win a championship with the guys we built from the beginning of The Bubble to the present times.

With all that being said, let us jump into the article.

Introduction:

Kevin Durant is a wonderful player, a true legend of this game, and a unicorn to sum up who he is. However, there has been a common theme about why teams didn’t give up what was required to receive the future HoFer.

He has played for the Warriors, Thunder, and the Nets. Still currently playing for the Nets, but including them because they are the third team. Now, you may be asking, why would this be considered team-bailing when he only played for three teams and beyond two seasons?

I am going to be answering that question and providing reasons as to why no one wanted to go all-in for Kevin Durant.

The OKC Thunder:

Durant spent nine seasons with the Thunder as many saw their chances of winning a title coming to reality. However, the title shot only happened for one season and they never won a title. This roster had a lot of special players, such as Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, and other guys along those lines. The team had many good moments and many bad moments, but Durant focused on the bad moments.

He criticized them for not having many shooters outside of himself, that they could never reach the top of the mountain, and there was some bad blood between him and some players. Players such as Russell Westbrook.

There was a falling out, the relationship ended after his ninth season, and wanted to win a championship. He gave up on one formulated super-team to join another one, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, in his mind, would give them the best chances of winning a championship.

In a way, he became toxic and not the best for the team anymore. Talent-wise, yes. Attitude and commitment to the team, not so much. Honestly, it was better he leave than stay. However, he wasn’t traded and so the Thunder didn’t get anything in return.

The worst part for the Thunder, they failed to have any success, and Harden, Westbrook, Ibaka, and others soon left. This left them disheveled, dismantled, broken, and with a burning hatred for Kevin Durant.

This is a mere summary of what took place between the Thunder and Kevin Durant. If we factored in all their flaws, like the 2016 NBA Playoffs, it would be horrific to match. James Harden was traded after his failure in the NBA Finals, they kept blowing games and becoming unorganized, untimely injuries, and everything else in those nine seasons was truly disappointing and made this so-called “dynasty” underwhelming.

The Golden State Warriors:

So the Thunder was not completely Kevin Durant’s fault as he did give it nine full seasons, however, the Warriors were completely his fault. But y’all want to know the funny part? He didn’t affect the team, he just affected himself and his legacy as a player.

Golden State served him well until it didn’t. Won a championship, got to form a good super-team, made headlines, and got into the spotlight more. Who wouldn’t want that to continue for years to come? One player… Kevin Durant, what a shocker!

There was no clear-cut reason for him leaving The Bay, but it just wasn’t for new scenery (referring to Brooklyn and their franchise). The main problem was Durant and Draymond Green having beef with one another. Green told him to kick rocks and leave, but Durant didn’t like those comments, and you know how the story ends.

Green said those comments because the Warriors won before him and he believed that they could win after him; which is correct, they won again after their disappointing run in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

He explained to Draymond, in an interview/episode, that he thought it was bigger than the argument they had. He thought the Warriors mishandled the situation, didn’t treat it to his standards, and it ultimately rubbed him the wrong way.

You can tell in the final season of his tenure with the Warriors, he was done and had enough. They didn’t compose themselves correctly and a lot of the time looked out of it or disconnected from each other. That is not team basketball, that is not how a team wins championships.

In the end, Durant got caught up in his feelings and that is why he left the team.

Real quick… where does the team-bail jumping come into play?

With the Thunder, OKC could never win a championship – even with four talented players, forming a super team. With the Warriors, Golden State won him a championship and he was ready to move on. Why would he do that? Because not many people believed his legacy was all that and that he was given a ring instead of working for it on his own.

He used the Warriors to get what he wants, he leaves because of the backlash of all these incidents happening. Also, he used the Thunder until he couldn’t win with these teams. He kept team jumping until he wasn’t being criticized, he got what he wanted, championship(s) were being won, and he was considered the “Chosen One”.

The Brooklyn Nets:

Brooklyn has been an abject failure for a long time and not much has changed; unless you want to throw in new faces coming in and out of the organization. Durant moved on from the Warriors and was traded to the Nets. Brooklyn, originally, won that trade after giving up D’LO and some other assets to the Warriors. Nothing significant, however, after it didn’t work for the Warriors, they were able to flip him for Andrew Wiggins. That proved to be a major upgrade for them.

Kevin Durant once more created a super team trying to win a championship. Thinking he can do it all on his own, with some help, and failing repeatedly. Each season was met with the same result: failing in the postseason or not making it. Injuries, medical controversies, and everything else prohibited the Nets Big-3 from performing to the heights they were supposedly supposed to be at.

Long story short, he gets frustrated and wants out. His top request was to go to the Suns or to the Heat. In the end, Durant stays after no one wanted him for the price the Nets were asking. Durant couldn’t believe this and decided to stay. He created a very messy situation and it caused great pain for the Nets.

He blamed coaching, other issues, not himself mind you, and everything else for his reasons to leave. Didn’t win a championship, got ridiculed significantly, and was in the worst situation than when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.

Plus, how does the man repay the team that gave him a new contract while healing from injuries (paying him)? He demands a trade after a collapsing sweep versus the Boston Celtics in the first round of the postseason. No one played well, including Kevin Durant.

The man was trying to jump to another team again, but no one was going to fall for those mistakes again.

The Warriors and Thunder were his victims of that crime. He complains, has serious attitude issues, rarely takes the blame, tries to take the cheap way out of winning a championship, and if all else fails… HE LEAVES THE TEAM!

FACT: every team he has ever been to has been for a super-team formulation

Have you ever noticed that before? Any team, beginning his career to now, has always been joining teams that have three-plus players that have attributes of a good super-team. Truly disappointing that he leaves the team high-and-dry after his demands, his attitude, and what he put those teams through.

Legends don’t act like that, Durant has a lot of explaining to do for those interesting methods to ring-chasing. He is exactly that: a ring chaser. Plain and simple.

That is pretty upsetting if you ask me.

Players he has played with:

• Stephen Curry
• Klay Thompson
• Draymond Green
• Kyrie Irving
• James Harden
• Serge Ibaka
• Russell Westbrook (Prime Westbrook)
• Reggie Jackson
• JaVale McGee
• Steven Adams
• Jarrett Allen
• Blake Griffin
• Landry Shamet
• Cameron Payne
• Jeff Green

Those players he played with are incredible-to-good athletes like he has played for super-team teams.

Concluding why no team wanted to trade for Kevin Durant when he was on the market:

No team, no general manager, and no front office as a collective unit would make the conscious decision of trading for Kevin Durant. He has a good legacy, a damaged legacy now, but it was not worth the headache and having to walk on eggshells.

You didn’t want to go all-in for a player that could potentially want out, want more, demand more, or create more chaos, it just isn’t worth it. The demand by general manager Sean Marks was significant and it would have left those teams putting in, or feeling, offers for Kevin Durant bankrupted or completely defeated for the following season(s).

You never know next what might out of his mouth. Players could be gone, coaching staff or head coaches could be fired, the front office tinkered with, and a lot more headaches. His attitude has gone from a team perspective to a me perspective. One is respectable, one is hatable.

Teams will never tank for a player that is running out of juice, unpredictable, and highly controversial with the things he does or says.

There is so much more Kevin Durant can do to a team within a season, it would depress me to bring that all up. Great player, just has gone down a bad road that will affect his legacy tremendously.

His antics are not appreciated, they scare teams away, and his latest demand blew up in his face. This off-season was the perfect off-season to show just how bad Durant has gotten.

I hope this article made sense and you learned something new, as this is just my opinion. Just keep researching and keep watching his style, it gets really frustrating if you are on that team.

Don’t sleep on the Nuggets

Don’t sleep on the Nuggets

The NBA Season is only two months away, if that, and we are gearing up for that. We, as fans, have gone through this offseason with some of the biggest news that took our breath away. However, the Nuggets were there but nothing significant like what the Timberwolves or anyone else was doing. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about them. Why?

It is because they will be one of the most dominant teams in the NBA next season, I bet you that. How so? Well, for starters, the past season was still a good showing for them as they made the postseason by clinching the sixth seed. That is impressive when realizing that they were without two of their top players, or key players, such as Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray.

Back injuries and ACL injuries have been hurting these two athletic players tremendously, but when they return, most likely for this upcoming season, they will be impactfully impressive.

So, that is why (by the name of this article), you should not sleep on the Nuggets. We will explain why you shouldn’t and how that will be accomplished for the 2022-23 season.

A healthy roster

This team has depth and when the roster is healthy, they are deadly. Honestly, who would you take over a healthy Nuggets team? Most likely the Warriors, Suns, but those two teams are about it. When you have a healthy Murray, Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, and KCP, why wouldn’t you take this team to win against majority of teams in the league? It would be mind-numbing if you didn’t.

That is just the starters, they have great-sized depth that will bring the heat all on their own. For example, the combo of Bruce Brown, Deandre Jordan, and Jeff Green will certainy bring the fire (or spark) Denver is looking for. They will be able to carry the momentum as they have done it in the past for previous teams.

Many teams, who has playoff success, have this factor ingrained into their culture. Denver is now adopting that, making it stronger, and will become a powerhouse of destruction with it. Also, let me just say this, the eight men I have spoken about how talent that is being unlocked still or is being enhanced. Michael Malone, head coach, has done a fabulous job and will continue to do a superb job that will ultimately lead them to a Finals apperance.

They have good depth, good chemistry, they are compatible, the only thing that is stopping them is having injured players. If they want to succeed and contend for real, they must stay healthy. Definte must and something that cannot be skipped out on. While they made it to the postseason without those guys, if you would of had those two then it would have been a diferent story with the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the postseason.

Get a healthy roster and you are gold.

Get back to Bubble form

This may sound odd, however, it makes sense from the perspective of how they played when their main guys were healthy. This team was a beast as they made the postseason, took down the Jazz, Clippers, before making it to the final round that would advance them to the NBA Finals. However, they lost to the Lakers – who ended up taking the whole thing by beating the Miami Heat 4-2.

But my main point being is that Jokic wasn’t tapped into fully back then as he is now. They had a different roster, while losing key pieces, they did gain key pieces. For example, the likes of Gordon and KCP. Plus, when Murray played during that Bubble stretch, Jamal played in God-Mode. He was like Michael Jordan on steriods, he was doing things that were supernatural, he played like he controlled the outcome. For example, Murray was getting 50-point nights for fun like it was normal… okay Murray Chamberlain.

The Nuggets rallied, depsite the odds stacked against them, in The Bubble and that is the form they need to get back for this upcoming season. It is pertinent to the success of the Denver Nugget’s organization, why? Because the 2020 Nuggets were dogs, fighters, (had injuries) fought through the defeat, and they came together when it mattered the most.

Imagine if they unlock that mode again for this upcoming season, do you know how powerful that will be? If that happens, then this franchise gets more than 50-wins. Easily. Nikola Jokic is a back-to-back MVP superstar, Jamal Murray will be coming back with vengance, Aaron Gordon is the role player that is sparking the flames, Porter will be here providing and improving his game, KCP will be raining in the shots, as this whole team will come together and be very good.

This is a talented group that should never be taken lightly; and if they rekindle the spark they had in The Bubble, then watch out. That is going to be truly special and heavenly-like to watch. The Nuggets have upgraded for this upcoming season and will be interesting to watch… especially if they get back their swagger like they did in 2020.

Just y’all watch.

Denver will be flying under the radar

This could be the scariest sentence in all of sports entertainment. Okay, kind of exaggerating. However, it had to be said. When good teams fly under the radar, that is never good. When teams are said to be dark horses, whether in the regular season or postseason – you guessed it, it is never good. Understand this: Denver doesn’t have pressure, or grand-standing expectations, so that means they can play their style of basketball without the pressure to win it all. That makes a team the most dangerous. When you don’t have to be dangerous, but want to be dangerous, that makes you dangerous.

These group of guys, from what I understand, are out for blood and want to get in their to win. People will be talking about them, but not in the respect of going deep into the postseason. Their goal is to win it all, but that isn’t being pressured onto them.

When teams are able to fly quietly, strike silently, and do their job without it being talked about, that is when you can the differences of a winner and a loser. You can tell the teams that aren’t being talked about, who are winners and who are losers.

Are they a dark horse? Potentially, I’d say yes. But if they get off to a hot start, then watch out. Honestly, that will be a tough team to stop if that happens. You fly solo and you get on top; if that makes sense.

Dangerous teams aren’t always publicly seen. Dangerous teams aren’t always discussed. Remember that.

Conclusion

Those are just three bullet points that prove why you shouldn’t sleep on the Nuggets. This Denver team is looking scarier by the day. I mean that in complete seriousness. The Denver Nuggets are a team that is better in many ways that will impact their future positively.

I am a big fan of the Nuggets and you guys should be too. This franchise, under Michael Malone, is going to be reaching new heights. Exciting heights. Thrilling heights. Now, not everything can be existent in a perfect world. There will be ups-and-downs, uphill challenges, but Denver has been built to withstand that all.

Their culture is unmatched, in many ways. The way players, coaches, front office coexist is truly spectatular. Again, I am excited and this is going to be a fun season for Denver Nugget fans. They have the talent, they have the motivation, the coaches and staff are there, now this team just has to execute.

The real challenges begin in the postseason, however, to see how they perform as an unit, the regular season is key. Again, for the third time, I am excited and will be looking forward to how this team is in the upcoming season.

Two months away, if that, and these are going to be exciting times. Now y’all have something to look forward to as this team is assembled correctly and have their priorities straight.

Is Deandre Ayton Shaquille O’Neal 2.0?

Is Deandre Ayton Shaquille O’Neal 2.0?

People reading this headline is probably thinking to themselves, “why would anyone in their right mind think Ayton is comparable and/or the same as Shaq?” Not a bad question to ask, as I’ve asked the same. However, there are many similar paths and traits these two big-men possess. For example, they both played for their drafted teams for four seasons and went to the NBA Finals. They lost and that pretty much derailed their time with the organization.

Big deal, why would anyone make the assumption that Deandre Ayton is Shaquille O’Neal 2.0? They share the same path (in many ways), were mix feelings by the fanbase of their drafted team, skill-set is similar in many ways, and things along those lines.

In today’s article, I will be breaking down why Ayton may just be Shaq 2.0 and if that means he can win a championship like Shaq did when he left Orlando for Los Angeles.

First up, their beginnings after the NBA Draft.

The beginning journey of Ayton/Shaq:

The 1992 NBA Draft and the 2018 NBA Draft showed a lot of potential for guys, but what made it unique? The top three picks were sealed, locked-in and ready to go. In ’92, Shaq led the way by being the first-overall pick. In ’18, Ayton led the way by being the first-overall pick. Both were about 20-years-old as they stood out as the top guys to get, cornerstone pieces that a franchise can build off of to win a championship – or at least contend for one.

Orlando and Phoenix had the same idea in their mind, that idea? Getting this dominant, massive, good skill-set big that can make their opponents tremble when they come crashing through the lane and grabbing those boards. Both teams loved their talent, loved their energy and passion for the game, and other qualifiers. Now, it was just time to draft Shaq and draft Ayton – of which both were selected with the first-overall pick.

The draft was set up the same exact way for both classes, what do I mean? What I mean is that you had the first three picks locked in, and then it trickled down to other talented guys later in the first. In some ways, both draft classes are mirrored exactly because of the order guys went in and how much talent (and years played) was spread across the board.

Why is the draft so important to note?

You can already see the similarities in mindsets of the teams involved, player’s age, player’s talents, what teams wanted the former first-overall picks to accomplish and do within the franchise, and different things like that. Plus, when you see how the draft was laid-out and how teams prepared, it is a lot like these two draft classes were one-in-the-same.

Also, I may add, coverage on these two and scouting reports on these two were very promising and that is why people and teams were led to believe these guys deserved to be the first pick in their respected draft classes. Analytics pointed towards it, teams’ needs pointed towards it, all the signs were lining up.

In a way, Shaq and Ayton were seen as the saviors to advance and push this team into contention for a title. Get this, and this proves why the draft is so important, Devin Booker and Nick Anderson needed help. Anderson was the leading player for the Magic back before Shaq came along, but they couldn’t push forward without the help of another superstar-like player. Here comes Shaq and all of a sudden the franchise, and the fanbase, believe they have found that additional superstar to push the team to higher than ever before.

Now, take this perspective in year 2018. Devin Booker is balling out, doing his thing, but he can’t take the team to the next level. So what does the Phoenix Suns think needs to happen? Get another star-like player to pair up with Devin Booker and that failing team (at the time). Both teams were failing, they needed another superstar-like player and they found that answer through a big-man.

Do you guys see how things are adding up and how things have played out through the franchise before these two big-men were selected? Want to hear another interesting fact about these two teams and the big-men?

What’s going on before the draft took place?

Before the draft rolled around, something crazy happened. The Orlando Magic went 21-61 that season. Phoenix went 19-63. Do you guys see how creepy that is that two teams with almost identical records, needed a superstar-like player in the draft, choose a big-man, and made a push for the postseason, that is something that cannot be made up.

Just think of the significance real quick. Truly mind-blowing and we are only getting to the draft to start things off.

Strange coincidence…

When both Shaquille O’Neal and Deandre Ayton went to the NBA Finals, and lost, they were both 22-years-old. They were both in their third-year of their contract. At the time of these two going to the NBA Finals and making their way through the playoffs; guess what happened? The Media and their respective franchise thought this was the year their former first-overall pick was going to go off and win them a championship.

For O’Neal and Ayton, they had the spot light put on them nationally and locally. Made incredible plays, highlight reels were happening, etc. Overall, things were happening. It could not be denied, even if you tried. The two teams were putting more trust into their franchise-stars as they were ready to compete. Both battled, both failed.

Again, for all my statistic people out there; Orlando was 57-25, Phoenix was 51-21. Almost having the identical record in terms of wins and losses, despite the Suns not competing in ten games due to league rules and policies.

For an even more strange coincidence, we had both Shaq and Ayton have a rough last season. Things seemed different within the locker room and how things translated to the court; as moments did occur, especially for Suns’ fans that do not want to be reminded of last season. Both teams did make the playoffs in their final season, but lost in brutalizing fashion. Shaq was swept and Ayton had to endure a brutal Game 7 after collapsing past Game 2 versus the Dallas Mavericks.

See how those coincidences add up? Almost like Ayton is becoming Shaq 2.0 through the journey they have endured.

The four seasons with Shaq and Ayton:

Throughout these four seasons you will note that Shaq had more stats and was more physical in a lot more situations than Ayton. However, a lot of this can come down to the Suns using Ayton in a different capacity than what the Magic did. Both men were having breakout seasons and showing tremendous upside.

“I would say Deandre Ayton. The only thing that I would like to see Deandre Ayton do is be more aggressive. Don’t be tentative. When Shaq got that ball on the post, all hell would break loose.”

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-deandre-ayton-is-like-shaquille-oneal-on-the-orlando-magic-former-shaq-teammate-makes-bold-claim-on-the-suns-center-amidst-stalled-contract-talks/

Nick Anderson, who saw Shaq play in all four seasons with the Magic, said Ayton is most likely the closest thing we have to a modern-day Shaq. You can understand why he said that and you can agree-to-disagree with him; or just take a side and stick with it. Shaq was very different, more commanding offensively and a bit less powerful defensively. However, where you can start to draw the comparisons would be through strength, athleticism, and some skills.

While not as physical as Shaq. Ayton has embodied the work of a post-player, working down-low, and potentially shooting some quick jump-shots ten-or-so feet from the basket. You saw Shaq have success in the paint, Ayton is growing and have had success in the paint. You saw Shaq hit some easy jumpers, same can be said for Ayton throughout his time with Phoenix.

They are both athletically sound and gifted. Plus, if Ayton wanted to, he could reach the heights of Shaq just by becoming more aggressive/physical with his opponents and becoming a monster to reckon within each game.

What else can be taken away from their four seasons before moving on?

Deandre Ayton and Shaquille O’Neal both improved in each season. That is the truth as they both became a double-double machine with great upsides for their respective franchise. Also, both have proven to be winning pieces that have proven their worth as a former first-overall pick. Despite all the failing their teams had in the beginning before success happened; they were rocking-and-rolling, without fail.

The two athletic big-men were just that good and proved it in the postseason. Not a lot of teams could stop Shaq and Ayton, that is the scary part. Something to think about when you see a huge big-man charging your way about to lay that ball into the basket.

Overall, when looking at each other’s four seasons, you can see a lot of similarities. For sure. The way they began and the way they are exiting is almost one-in-the-same. Things were great in the beginning, but towards the end relationships were being soured on and priorities changed. That is a life within the NBA and in life in general.

Concluding the “Is Deandre Ayton Shaquille O’Neal 2.0?” Section

The interesting history is there to look up further and to reread again. Ayton, in my mind, is Shaq 2.0 when you see the journey both men have taken early on in their career. Ayton wants to be valued more, same goes for Shaq when he left Orlando for the Lakers. You saw both men get better and better with each passing season under their rookie contract. This is a fair comparison when you look at the almost identical beginnings of Shaq and Ayton, and just looking at things from the NBA Draft.

While you can argue Shaq is better than Ayton, especially in his Orlando-days, that is true, however, the main intent of this article was to show the similarities both big-men have over their teams, where that has taken them, interesting facts that can’t be denied, etc.

Skills-wise, Ayton is not there. In the journey, yes. Yes a thousand times over, why? Due to the fact that Ayton started out in the draft like Shaq. The respective drafts are very comparable and looks almost the same in talent, etc. Then you go down to the ages, the same ages, of when they got drafted and went to the NBA Finals. Plus, to make things even more interesting, not only were they the same age but in the same year under their rookie contract. Talk about craziness.

Share this with friends, family, and even strangers as this is a fun piece to look at to get a really good conspiracy theory going about the second-coming of Shaq – if you wanted to put it that way. In the end, we could be seeing Shaq 2.0. Would people get upset about that, especially if the next team he goes and joins has to prosper that? Not at all. It would be incredible and they would be lucky to have his services to their full disposal.

Thank you guys for reading this, and I want to get one thing cleared up before you click off.

Ayton is most likely not staying with the Suns

Most likely he is going to go to the Pacers or another team that is interested in him. The Suns could have given him the max offer two seasons ago, or even this past season. However, they opted not to give him it. From that point on, they have been trying to find a new team to dish him off to.

So when taking into consideration the odds of him being like Shaq and stuff; I factored this into it because there is a higher probability of him going to the Pacers than him staying with the Suns. My take on it as things have been cooking up since Brogdon’s trade became official and they have more money to go through a sign-and-trade to get their franchise-star.

Plus, go check out our podcast episodes as you can see where this would benefit the Pacers a lot. Also, it would benefit the player too. It gives more Shaq qualities to the situation as he goes, becomes number one option in many respects, and now can be paired up with Tyrese Haliburton. You can see the Shaq comparisons grow as this would give him a chance to become a mini-Shaq. So, go check out the podcast episodes detailing that all for more on Ayton, Pacers, Nets, Suns, etc.

Is Deandre Ayton Shaquille O’Neal 2.0?