The Durant Sweepstakes

[Hoop Head]

Exactly. People were complaining about guys like Vladimir Divac flopping, but I really think it was the only way to defend Shaquille O'Neal without double or triple teaming him to force the ball out of his hands. I mean I'm all for posting up and having a little contact, but just dropping your shoulder right into the center of the chest of the defender repeatedly is BS. I say flop away and Force the call. I was screaming for bridges to do it that entire series because doncic continually just ran him over.

I think Kevin Durant is going to be playing in Brooklyn until at least the trade deadline if not next summer.

Joe

Bridges needs some flopping classes this off-season. He's a great defender as it is but if he flopped a little bit when matchups called for it then he'd really get to another level.

He rarely draws offensive fouls right now. At least I can't recall him getting whistles for that.

Paul can be a flopper. He needs to get others on the Suns to play it up a bit more. It's ugly but that's the modern NBA.

 

[leclerc]

They should pay back what is dealt out instead of laying down or complaining to the refs. Need more toughness on the team, even though we're better in the department now than in quite a long time.

 

[Yuma]

Exactly. People were complaining about guys like Vladimir Divac flopping, but I really think it was the only way to defend Shaquille O'Neal without double or triple teaming him to force the ball out of his hands. I mean I'm all for posting up and having a little contact, but just dropping your shoulder right into the center of the chest of the defender repeatedly is BS. I say flop away and Force the call. I was screaming for bridges to do it that entire series because doncic continually just ran him over.

I think Kevin Durant is going to be playing in Brooklyn until at least the trade deadline if not next summer.

Joe

KD is super passive aggressive. I don't see him forcing his way out. So I think you are right, and the Nets will roll with him as long as they can. I am also starting to respect the Suns just not making the cupboard bare by trading everything they have for KD, Then what if KD leaves us and we have no draft picks, or players left. Then if CP3 retires, Booker is left all by himself.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Same when Shaq was at the Lakers. He literally would knock down not only his defender, but whoever came over to play help defense, too. Refs would let him bully his way to dunks. The NBA has never got to the point I want to see, whoever starts the contact is the person the foul is on.

Eh shaq took an absolute beating too. He bothered me less than Giannis and doncic.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

KD is super passive aggressive. I don't see him forcing his way out. So I think you are right, and the Nets will roll with him as long as they can. I am also starting to respect the Suns just not making the cupboard bare by trading everything they have for KD, Then what if KD leaves us and we have no draft picks, or players left. Then if CP3 retires, Booker is left all by himself.

KD will be under contract for four years. He ain’t leaving us. We would still have Ayton alongside Booker. With KD and Paul contracts coming off books we could land really big star and book is proving to be a good recruiter.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Eh shaq took an absolute beating too. He bothered me less than Giannis and doncic.

For me, Shaq got away with more illegal contact than any player I've ever seen. And he put up with more illegal contact against him than any player I've ever seen. That was probably true of Wilt also but thanks to a tiny TV screen and 60's technology I never really noticed it.

Lebron, for all our bashing, isn't too far away either. He gets away with a lot of fouls but he also gets held, pushed and hammered regularly with no call. But I suspect when you factor in things such as his frequent uncalled traveling violations, being a superstar in today's game works just fine for him.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Doncic is the most guilty of this I've seen since Shaquille O'Neal . he just drops his shoulder right into defenders who have clearly established position, and he does it a lot.

Ayton should do it too. If that is the basketball they allow.

 

[Mainstreet]

Karl Malone probably got away with more contact than any big man I've seen.

 

[Superbone]

Ayton should do it too. If that is the basketball they allow.

He should but he won't.

 

[Big Al]

Ayton should do it too. If that is the basketball they allow.

Luka Doncic would lower that shoulder, back down & even sometimes charged into & attacked the Suns defensive player & with him either getting that shot off or getting rewarded by the refs for free throws or both. And when he & the Mavs weren't doing that they doing those step back, drag, or jump away from from the defense to get those three point shots off. And you can't fault the Mavs as that's the NBA today I guess.

The Suns did neither while the Mavs mixed it up with the threes and the aggressive drives to the basket and the Suns seemed lost for a answer for either.
The Suns are a mid range shooting team and that was taken away with Mikal, Cam J, and the inconsistent Crowder providing our few threes & they too failed during that 2022 playoffs. And Cam & Mikal are good at 3's but we need more consistency from then in the future.

Three things I dislike about today's NBA is the flopping, and as was said the contact allowed by the aggressiveness of certain stars to run over the defensive player to score because it should be called fairly for all and also the traveling with the so called Euro Step that is given the freedom of traveling in a lot of cases today. But even though I prefer the old school NBA of allowing the defense equal opportunity to win a game it's still it's a great game today.

And Durant come on down to the Valley but let's figure a way to keep Mikal Bridges!!! As many draft picks within reason as it takes plus some player.

 

[GatorAZ]

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[Phrazbit]

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Welp... if that is true they've got zero leverage now. I can't imagine being Sean Marks on trade calls... demanding the Moon and then being reminded that if he doesn't move or make peace with Durant he is almost certainly getting fired.

Now we just need him to make it clear he wants to come to Phoenix.

 

[Muggz]

Wouldn't be surprised if Nash stepped down Marks gets canned and KD stays a Net until DA can be traded.
It may be time to move on from KD and fill out the roster.

 

[1tinsoldier]

With KD and Paul contracts coming off books we could land really big star and book is proving to be a good recruiter.

Booker will be paid like our "really big star" whether he is or not in 2 years and it's unlikely we'll be able to afford another, unless Ayton and Bridges are also gone. And in that case, why would Booker + big star be anything special. The Nets and Lakers didn't have any luck with their triple, Big Star + Big Star + Big Star formula.

It takes a balanced team. The warriors are multi-starred with balance in their positions. The Suns were too with Booker, Paul, Ayton and Bridges.

Also, btw, Booker's "good recruiting" was just this season's hype stemming from him being underrated. That's over. The best recruiters will always be pass-first guys like Magic, Kidd, Nash and Paul, who make teammates better.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Wouldn't be surprised if Nash stepped down Marks gets canned and KD stays a Net until DA can be traded.
It may be time to move on from KD and fill out the roster.

i'm sure Durant has had enough of Kyrie too but won't say so publicly.

 

[boisesuns]

Got paid nicely to recover from a major injury, tried to build a super team, then fusses at said team who had some questionable guys in the first place.

amazing player, but seems wise to…..

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[Phrazbit]

Wouldn't be surprised if Nash stepped down Marks gets canned and KD stays a Net until DA can be traded.
It may be time to move on from KD and fill out the roster.

Marks just signed an extension last month.

Probably to avoid the perception that his employment hinges on Durant...

Oops.

 

[Phrazbit]

The Nets should have traded him within days after word of his demand broke. Whatever their best offer was it almost certainly no longer exists in anywhere near the previous capacity.

If I'm the Suns I am offering a choice of Cam Johnson and a 2 or 3 picks and cap filler or cap filler and the full bevy of picks. I don't see the Heat beating that offer, unless the Nets love the idea of Herro on a max deal.

I also don't think the Nets want to deal with the Celtics and I don't think Durant will be willing to play for the Raptors.

 

[TJ]

Still think you gotta throw in Mikal to make it work, so if I’m Jones, I call Marks back today and present Mikal, picks and filler and highlight the Nets’ lack of leverage

 

[Covert Rain]

If Durant didn't mention the Suns I have to question if the Suns were ever the team. Sounds to me Durant simply requested a trade. Not a trade to the Suns.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Still think you gotta throw in Mikal to make it work, so if I’m Jones, I call Marks back today and present Mikal, picks and filler and highlight the Nets’ lack of leverage

You've trashed Mikal pretty consistently over the past two years, why do you think, if Bridges is so mediocre, that he'd be the difference maker for the Nets in this deal? And whether they value Bridges as I do or whether they view him as you apparently do, I have to think they'd much prefer Brown and that deal isn't going down either.

And I'll say it again, I wouldn't trade Mikal straight up for Durant. KD's contract should be viewed as a huge negative. Wanting KD because we think he might get us a championship makes sense but using that to justify paying for him as if he were prime KD is still nonsensical IMO.

 

[Phrazbit]

Still think you gotta throw in Mikal to make it work, so if I’m Jones, I call Marks back today and present Mikal, picks and filler and highlight the Nets’ lack of leverage

Hell no. There is no way I’m giving them bridges. Frankly, I think Cam and 4 for firsts is an overpay.

This is the time to low ball the hell out of them.

Marks is in a soiled bed of his own making. The idea of “fair value” is long out the window.

 

[Raindog]

Well, the Nets pretty much have to move him now. Otherwise, both sides are in a situation where either the star player or the organization would have to back down... and that never really happens in these circumstances. Pretty certain he will be traded before training camp regardless if the Nets feel like it's a "fair" deal.

 

[Cheesebeef]

You've trashed Mikal pretty consistently over the past two years, why do you think, if Bridges is so mediocre, that he'd be the difference maker for the Nets in this deal? And whether they value Bridges as I do or whether they view him as you apparently do, I have to think they'd much prefer Brown and that deal isn't going down either.

And I'll say it again, I wouldn't trade Mikal straight up for Durant. KD's contract should be viewed as a huge negative. Wanting KD because we think he might get us a championship makes sense but using that to justify paying for him as if he were prime KD is still nonsensical IMO.

Steve, how come you get to call other people’s takes nonsensical but get passed off when someone says the same about your opinion?

 

[Mainstreet]

Nets ownership says they will stick with their front office and coaching staff.

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