SU has had a day to reflect on Kevin Durant’s decision to go to Golden State with a 2-year deal for a lot less money than he would have received by staying at OKC. My thoughts:
- Everyone is anointing Golden State to be the NBA champions for the next several years. SU says not so fast. I don’t think there are enough basketballs to go around for this talented group. OK, there will be a “transition” period – that is the consensus opinion. You see this sometimes in the Olympics with the “Dream Teams” as they pass up open shots in order to defer to their other talented teammates. No doubt, there will be a lot of that on Golden State in the beginning.
- The Warriors have had to decimate their roster and they will not be nearly as talented on the bench. What does that mean? In the perfect world, you wouldn’t start either Klay Thompson or Durant, and have one of them play significant minutes with the 2nd unit. Is there a chance in hell that happens? Nope.
- Durant had his reasons for leaving and who knows if he was fed up playing with Russell Westbrook in OKC. If he was, that’s fair. The guy is super talented but is a ball controller who loses his mind on occasion.
- Durant took less money. Sure, he will likely get paid in the long run but he is taking a gamble with a 2-year deal to win a championship. Not everyone does that in free agency (see Carmelo Anthony who took the money over a chance to win now. Nothing wrong with that – it’s a personal preference).
Bottom line: SU is fine with the decision but feels it’s premature to say the Warriors are a lock to win the championship next season. Team chemistry is a tricky thing and in the end, injuries often come into play. SU predicts some other team is going to emerge that will surprise – maybe the Boston Celtics. Coaching matters at some point and they have one of the best.
Meanwhile, should the Cavs now look to move Kevin Love to become more offensive? You know Carmelo would fill that void nicely in the event they meet Golden State in next year’s finals. Love is a poor fit with the Knicks but maybe there is a 3-team deal somewhere that would make sense.
Brandon Jennings has now signed with the Knicks to be a back-up point guard. Positives: he is someone that has always wanted to play in NY. Negatives: another high volume shooter for his position. Probably past his prime. Phil Jackson has assembled a roster that likely make the playoffs this year. Certainly not much youth here and a lot will depend on team health.
Former Michigan player of the year Trey Burke has been traded to the Washington Wizards. Another team for SU to watch. Now OKC needs to move Mitch McGary to the Knicks or the Nets.
So, Met fans, who knew that signing Jose Reyes would have such an impact on the team’s offense? He has inspired the entire team by just playing in the minor leagues. How crazy is baseball?
Over in the Bronx, it’s time to put A-Rod in the line-up every day. Enough with nursing Beltran’s hamstring and waiting to see if Aaron Hicks can hit as high as .220. July will be a really interesting month for Cashman and the Yankees. SU says do the right thing and trade Beltran now before he totally blows out the hamstring and has no trade value.