Heyy love the show ❤️ I think your discussions is GREAT for the NBA & im grateful to be able to watch and listen. Thank you 🙏🏾 Is there anyway you can implement fan interaction??
Gsw ran through the nba except lebron , Check the stats head to head Durant (okc) vs Bron . They both said we cannot beat him separately we need to stop the Jordan run . Someone fact check me
The last 3 mvps prior to kd joining was kd , Steph , Steph (unanimous) and he had a 3-1 lead on him . 2 of the top3 players a great system and defensive player of the year with great hands iggy and klay top 3 shooter all time . Plug any formula it will be the same
I mean all you have to look at is this year Warriors were finally healthy after adding Andrew Wiggins and were able to win a title with a depleting Draymond and Klay. The fact that they think GSW wouldn't have won if you sub in Kawhi or Giannis for KD. After seeing GSW replace KD with Andrew Wiggins and still win is funny. The proof is there but they are caught up in KDs talent and accomplishments thanks to GSW.
it’s hard to hold this against KD when the only reason they got Wiggins bc KD did right by them when he left (sign and trade for D Lo) and acting like the other top teams weren’t weaker this year than in years past is also something that has to be looked at.
Acho is correct . And most people on the comment section agree. People on the comment section are from all over the United States meaning most of the country feels this way about the situation.
Kevin Durant needs to win another title to prove he can lead a team to a chip. The Warriors had already been to the Finals 2 years in a row. All KD did was make an championship team unbeatable, he didn't prove he could lead a team from the trenches into the promised land.
Spot on @ Jeremiah. I 100% agree with you. People just talk about the number, when 2 all nba level player will allow a great player have great number. We saw what happen to KD again the Celtics this year. He looked like a rookie.
If he does it won't be good enough, people will find something to down the man on. Once people don't like you no matter what is done they won't like you
@@vanjones4593 thats not really true people didnt lile curry before he started winning all those titles ya people liked him as a person but they hated him as a player always talking about how he was too small and his style couldnt win and blah blah blah
Acho nailed it. GS didn't 'need' KD. All they needed was an upgrade on Harrison Barnes. Winning this season with Wiggins proves that. KD was a great complimentary piece.
So why put in all the effort to not only ask KD but personally take Draymond and Curry to recruit him? If all they needed was a simple upgrade they could have drafted or traded and not had Curry take a back seat the next two years to someone they clearly knew who's game is best when the ball is in his hands.
@@Ash-lf6to Why would GS not try and add the best player they could to the roster? Isn't that what every team would do if they had the opportunity? However, that doesn't mean they needed someone at KDs level to win. Wiggins level is sufficient.
KD is a better capable offensive player than Curry, heck he should, he is 7 feet tall while Steph is 6'3". But Steph has none to envy those giants thanks to his hard work, intelligence and skills.
@@kanorive better offensive player because of his height lol ... Steph is much more skilled/talented than kd kd got clamped by celtics defense while steph destroyed celtics defense ... Kd never guarded the way steph is guarded until that series vs boston ... In kd's own mouth the series vs the bucks the bucks let kd do what he wants the defense is focus on stopping his teammates .. But the series vs celtics the celtics focus on stopping kd and look what happened he can't perform that good!
@@ejay2075 it was tho. His detractors already said his rings “don’t count” and now it’s even more glaring. Sure he’s still an all time great but nowhere near the top 10 like he would be if he had his own ring(s)
@Nino Brown Nah see how KD’s situation all unraveled is nowhere close to how those players won. KD loses a 3-1 lead in WCF to the 73-9 team then goes and joins them.. the team who was the defending champs. They did not NEED KD is what people just can’t wrap their brain cells around. They could’ve used a Star player.. didn’t need a top 3 player in KD to come and help them or the ridiculous thing ppl say which is ‘save’ them. Kawhi would’ve just as easily made them unbeatable.. the Klaw already beat Bron’s stacked Heat in 2014 and had his own FMVP prior to 2016. He would’ve easily put them over the top
@Nino Brown you do NOT have to cancel out LBJ to win the final; without LBJ, Cavs would not have made the playoffs. 73 wins Warriors took Cavs to game 7 and last possession. All they need was a little upgrade from Barns who missed tons of open look in game 7…… any all star caliber player would do it….. KD made Warriors team unbeatable and the greatest team on NBA history. But, they did not need him to win the titles
@Nino Brown if you have iron man hulk and Thor backing you in a fist fight with a group of mortal men.. you could be MVP of the fight if they let you but that’s NOT head to head…AT ALL in a team sport with the by far best TEAM letting the leagues best scorer just score
@Nino Brown did you see the warriors win the championship with Harrison Barnes before Durant and Andrew Wiggins after Kevin Durant. Any small forward wind the championship with the warriors as long as Steph , Klay and Draymond is healthy 💯
Warriors had Barnes won a chip, replaced Barnes with KD won a chip, replaced KD with Wiggins won a chip. KD was literally extra ammo or attachment. For the warzone heads
@Caveman I can't say "NEED" let's say KD doesn't go there, assuming health warriors and Cavs still meet and instead of a warriors repeat maybe they split? Kyrie always hurt maybe he misses another one, it's alot of what ifs but I'm jus saying the warriors were always gonna be a top 3 title contender every year with or with out KD. And I'm a KD fan love his Twitter and his documentary, and I thought his move to GS was the strongest move but he was a luxury not a necessity.
@Caveman Why bother recruiting him?? He is in a free agency. Talk about ammo anology, KD in free agency it's like the most powerful ammo on sale and got discount. You don't want it?? Adding KD make them unbeatable because Cavs have been using same formula since 2016, double-triple teamed Curry. That's why KD can score easily. Just watch more about Curry gravity video, you can see it.
@Caveman It's 50-50. KD is in FA, he can make his decision. Warriors got injured Bogut which for sure can't be healthy in 2017. HB, not getting any better. They need someone that can cover the paint as well someone that can shoot. KD available at that time and they approach him. So, 50-50.
America can take a poll right now and majority would say he needs to win another to validate that. I swear they are deflecting so bad. And I love Joy Taylor.
GS were highly capable of winning without KD. KD just made it unquestionable Without him it’s more competitive but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have won Replacing Kd can still win titles as wiggins just proved lol
Only took 3 years and a Bracket where SF didn't have to play Phoenix, or Lakers (Lebron) or Clippers ( Kahwl ). SF beat a Cleveland team missing 2 All star starters , then in 2016 suffer the most embarrassing Finals loss in history which prompted Draymond to call KD in the parking lot , a 73 win team flying out to the Hamptons to recruit KD because they got crushed by The KING
@@sharrieffsaalakhan3230 well said 👏🏼 but Warriors fans do not want to remember History 2016 , an unanimous “ mvp” 73/9 win ... crushed by Lebron and Cavs . All the stars in that team went together to recruits him !! Green crying in the parking lot calling KD 😭🤦🏻♀️ but now for some reason... they didn’t needs him !!! Hypocrisy
Harden was coming off bench and wasn't playing well russell westbrook was not playing at an mvp level but kobe although shaq won those 3 mvps he was doing his thing they don't tell you kobe was first or second team all nba in those years that they were together stop with the cap
you really going to listen to Acho really kobe was and still is the youngest nba to ever win three championships and later on in his career won back to back championships as the man what had harden and westbrook has achieved since okc that can come close to kobe are you kidding me? stop with the cap
@@jimmycharlotin7050 my dude he’s not even arguing about whether or not Russ and harden are as good as Kobe, the point is they’re both MVP talents and were young just like Kobe was young. Harden left to Houston and immediately played like an MVP level player. KD left and Russ immediately won an MVP. Even when KD was on the thunder and was injured an entire year Russ had an MVP caliber season without him. Both those guys were great players but weren’t the number 1 option so they didn’t put up the same numbers. To say KD didn’t have MVP level help when he was with Russ and harden is just objectively wrong.
Acho went to work on all three of them. KD made the Warriors unbeatable that doesn’t mean there weren’t at least 10 other players the Warriors could of added and still won the championship. If Paul George went there we wouldn’t call him pandemic P anymore just look how quickly Wiggins narrative changed.
Facts! Put PG on that team and you know how many open shots he gets. He could also use more energy on defense because the offense wouldn't run through him.
Argument could be made that a more system oriented player like Kawhi would have been better for them. If you recall in the first series against the Rockets, the warriors devolved into an iso heavy team because of all the switching that the Rockets did, which stifled alot of the Warriors game plan. Playing right into the Rockets hands
@@MCWon212 That's the effect of KD more so than anything else. The Warriors had to feed KD, he never just joined the system and went for all that movement and work off the ball that Steph, Klay, JP, and Wiggins all work for this season and the seasons before KD. That's why when they went ISO they actually looked beatable, because no one besides KD is a great ISO player on the Warriors.
@@vanjones4593 I actually like that angle if you want to say from a mental stand point . But talent and ability wise they were more than capable . PG would have fit in perfectly for them had he been available . Same with Kawhi .
@Beery so if they didn't need him, why in your opinion from basketball dtand point did they go after KD in free agency? They could have signed another player but didnt
@@vanjones4593 Bro they Gentlemen swept the Cavs 4-1 then Swept them 4-0…. They did not NEED Kevin Durant to win those finals. You don’t need to close games out that much when you have that squad. Big time shots can be made by any of those dudes on the squad. KD made them over powered. They didn’t need to be that OP to win titles
@@vanjones4593 Draymond was the one who ran to the parking lot calling KD let’s get that fact straight. They did have Cavs up 3-1. All they have to do is not choke 3 games in a row and they win. All that takes is Draymond not getting suspended maybe or just an average star player like Paul George… doesn’t require KD
@@vanjones4593 Hypothetical? They won with Wiggins and a subpar Klay/Dray but couldn’t with Kawaii or any other players mentioned? Yeah of course… This isn’t about a definitive conclusion…yeah sure considering the “butterfly effect”could’ve meant that maybe they would’ve all been hit by a bus but that wasn’t the question, it was simply about potential.
Yup. Or PG or even Bradley Beal. Also, Kahwi was already a champion by 2017/18 and a finals MVP. Who says only KD would have made that team unbeatable. Horrible take from everyone except Acho on this show.
@@vanjones4593 Well that was also my point. Of course I agree with you that nothing is guaranteed and changing anything may change everything. Everyone is trying to gauge the idea of “talent replacement” as in much additional help did that 73 win GSW team need to have won those next 2 chips. Did it take someone of KD’s caliber or could any additional solid player have been sufficient? In retrospect, It appears that anyone on a similar level(ie. Kawaii, Giannis, etc.) would’ve been more than sufficient and an overkill.
I understand u ancho, no one hates on KDs game. Steph got disrespected and what he do??? went out won a championship and MVP yet KD all he does is tweet
@@jonsnipe5484 Steph didn't join a 73 win team Steph beat him in the WCF I wonder if KD didn't go the golden state for sure up until now he got no rings
Well Acho has a point. Kobe was not an MVP candidate his first years with Shaq he wasn't. IF your going to spurn Shaq and say he had Kobe because Kobe eventually became an MVP then you gotta hit KD, Russ and Harden with it too because they all became mvps
Nope, he's just regurgitating talking points that have been repeated ad naseum. Kobe OUTSCORED AND OUTREBOUNDED Shaq in Game 7 of the 2000 series vs Portland as - which saved Shaq's legacy (and NOBODY talks about this). Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals - Kobe on an injured ankle - carried the Lakers to an OT win when Shaq fouled out of the game (going 4 -5 in OT on a heavy ankle sprain). And he was 12thin MVP Voting that year at age 20-ish. How many 20 year old's have finished top 15 in MVP Voting? It's a short list. Kobe would average 35 in this era. Kobe was a MONSTER. 46 points and 16 rebounds in WCF against a 60 win team in Sacramento at age 21!!!!! WHO does that???? How many players in NBA HISTORY have ever been 4 points and 4 rebounds away from a 50 point 20 rebound game in a CONFERENCE FINALS GAME. Kobe dropped 45 points on Duncan AND Robinson. At 21/22. Shall i CONTINUE? Kobe was the co-driver not the "passenger," the car has two wheels. Kobe is #2 imo all time behind MJ. No Kobe = Shaq Wins ZERO RINGS in LA. Zero. Shaq needed Kobe a LOT.
KD needs one of his own to be regarded as highly as other top 25 players. It doesn’t retract from his legacy as a great player, but he’s not in that category for me until he can do it
@@Brantley_ZA 15 is pushing it, what top 15 plater has only one mvp to build on? his chips, unlike what these clowns argu, majority of people and even many other media membere and players know holds an asterisk.
@@Brantley_ZA kareem, bron, jordan, wilt, magic, bird, duncan, russel, hakeem, steph, shaq, kobe, moses, dr j, kawhi, giannis, dirk, kg, all timeist is not about talent or skill, but accolades and stats, otherwise tmac and kyrie would be way up higher. kd has 2 fake rings and 1 legit mvp
@@youraverage90sguys7 lmao there's no such thing as a fake ring, but for argument sake we can count each ring & FMVP as half a ring and half an FMVP... Which would mean he has 1 of each, And like it or not, talent is actually considered when speaking about the top 10 so of the rip we can say he's above KG & Dirk, Since we penalised KD for winning with another superstar, I think it would be fair if we did the same to all of the other players you mentioned which mean we should penalise: Shaq & Kobe (who'll still have more then 1 each), Magic & Kareem (who'll also still have more than one each), Dr J & Moses Malone (which means they have less than 1 each) In that case, KD is already about 4 people you mentioned... I could argue that on my list I'd put him ahead of Giannis for now but I'd respect anyone who has it the other way round, otherwise... KD is top 15.
Kd just needed overwhelming odds to get a championship. Completely different from what lebron did Miami was not a championship team. They didn't need to make the playoffs the year before he got there. All KD did was go to the Warriors and be a great scorer It's easy to do that when you don't have to worry about double teams and you're not the main focus of the offense. KD without the Warriors He's Karl Malone Charles Barkley Patrick Ewing. But the Warriors without KD Would still be champions
The dude was a four time scoring champ before he ever got to the warriors on a team with Russell Westbrook!!! And he took them to the finals a player LeBron couldn't even get into the playoffs!!!
I dont remember this many coming to bat for Steph Curry, I don't wanna hear it. KD gotta prove he can do it without Steph the same way Steph had to prove 'again' that he didn't need KD.
KD needs another title to HAVE a legacy. He has a top 10 all time talent, can't dispute that, but when it comes to legacy, he'll be remembered most for blowing a 3-1 lead to the 73 win Warriors and then joining them. Yes his numbers was great with the warriors, but it's easy to have great numbers with Steph and Klay on your team. Had he stayed with OKC, he would've had a legacy. But now he needs a title with Brooklyn asap.
A top 10 all-time talent, but not even remotely close to a top 10 all-time greatest player though. He needs to lead the Nets to two titles to be in that conversation of top 10 all-time greatest list.
Haha the hate is real KD is a 2 TIME CHAMPION AND 2 TIME FINALS MVP AND ITS NOTHING ANYBODY CAN DO TO CHANGE THAT. YOUR THOUGHTS DONT CHANGE HISTORY!!!!!
Magic never won without kareem and was on a stacked team in a trash conference. Yet magic is greatest pg ever. People knock kd for it but don't hold magic to same standards. Funny how inconsistent people are.
Why do they keep saying Durant filled in for all the pieces they lost? The Warriors lost all those pieces BECAUSE they signed Durant and couldn't afford a deep bench anymore. It's not as though they lost everyone, and Durant stepped in to save them. Before Durant, the second unit was almost as good as other teams' first units.
Did you watch them? They were a great second team because they put together a team of selfless players. The second team as starters wouldn't make playoff unless they had the first team coming off the bench and at best they're a 5th or 6th seed
With out kd this would be curry and them second ring. Kd help curry the load for that team. Green and them needed him. Lot of people didn't like KD's move I agree but LeBron made it into a tread. LeBron team up MVP candidates and former MVP, multiple doy the listen does on
@@nature-kv3xe No. Curry didn't need KD. They only needed a player better than Harrison Barnes and that's it. Any decent wing would of done the job. KD needed Steph though. As you can see, KD can't get the job done with Kyrie, Harden or Russ. Warriors most likely still have 4 Rings if they get a good wing player.
@@DayDaysWorld316 just out of curiosity, why doesn't Curry need to do the or close to the same? Obviously Steph is great, but he also has Klay, Draymond, now Wiggins, and a bench that could start for some teams. Just cause he was drafted there doesn't change the talent level surrounding them.
@Beery Ok so if everything you said is true, then Kd never went to a superteam and his championships, finals mvps are as legit as anyone elses, and was the best player on those teams the two years.
give the warriors pg kawhi jokic giannis siacam any top 15 center or forward and they win another title that's why the league was so mad bc they knew getting durant made them unbeatable but if they got any other player they still would be title favorites every year and thats what acho saying they didn't need the second best player in the nba if they had a top 25 -30 player they still beating the cavs at least once out of those two meetings in the finals which means they didn't need kevin durant, acho is the only one with common sense they making it seem like the warriors got blown out they lost by a late shot by kyrie bc everyone was tired so stop this they would have been just fine but they wanted to maximize their chance by getting kd as you can see with Wiggins he can help them win a ring and nobody considered him an allstar level player before this year
They went crying 4 kd when they lost 2 Cleveland they need kd stop u crackhead they needed kd and when curry won the the finals without kd the first time love and Irving was hurt
@@bobbytasir4394 it is irrelevant who is injured or why they are not there. Stay healthy is part of the game. if you can't be there to compete, then too bad, you can't win. there is no ifs in history. Warriors won without and with KD. In KD's 14 years, he only won twice with the warriors. In OKC, he didn't win with Harden and Westbrook. In Nets, he didn't win with Irving and got swept.
The problem is that wing player on the level of Demar Derozan or Bradley Neal likely would have got the job done. KD ensured that they couldn’t lose. There’s really no similarity between what he and Lebron did besides changing teams.
Neither of those players woulda got it done lol. The warriors woulda needed a KD or Kawhi level player to match up with what Lebron and Kyrie were bringing
@@gabelincoln3608 Exactly. People acting like they forgetting who the warriors were actually facing lol. Kyrie was averaging like 29 ppg that finals along with a prime Lebron.
KD would have never won a title without going to the Warriors. Plus, all that talent but so fragile, how can you even rank him that high when he hasn't played more than 50 games every season. Warriors winning this one just proves that they never needed him, he needed them.
Where are you getting your stats from? KD haven’t played more than 50 games everyone? Your basketball IQ pretty low. I guess you’re god now to say he would have never won. Smfh!
You can't compare KD to the other greats because it doesn't match up, objectively. It just doesn't. Edit: Tracy McGrady definitely wins at least rings if he was with the Lakers. Vince Carter at LEAST gets one.
This topic and the tiptoeing around on this topic lets me know the media is poisonous, the same people that were driving the narrative that Steph needed a finals MVP to cement/validate his legacy are trying to say a player with 2 less rings who hasn't won without Steph doesn't need another title to validate his legacy smh.... Toxic bs
Joy trying to quickly silence Achoo with the gr8 point he just made. Nobody is saying KD isn't gr8 but,PG,Kawhi, Giannis then, Butler all not as good as Durant still would have won with GSW if they replaced KD. And remember KD was not regarded as the unquestionable Best in the world b4 he joined Warriors,he was one of the best but got this adulation of the best after the 2FMVP also cos it was against Lebron. Hasn't done anything on that Level since then either. KD should feel more gr8ful to the warriors than they shld, without those 2 rings he'll just be James Harden type player now.
Even a solid small forward and a better bench would have won those titles when KD was there. Remember Harrison Barnes left and the bench got weaker and weaker until this year. Any small forward that could average 12-16 points in that slot....it would have been the same outcome.
Dude giannis on warriors? Its game over for the league ... Giannis is the perfect fit for steph ... Wiggins proved it that the warriors can win with a decent player like him not even on the same tier of kd!
But here's the problem though Slick, you say KD made the Warriors unbeatable. I agree. But if KD made them unbeatable, any other halfway decent player would have still at least made them a very good team. Which is enough to contend and potentially win a championship, like they just did. So at the very least the question becomes, if KD doesn't go to GS, does he even have a championship to begin with. Steph has proven he can win without KD. Can KD win without Steph. Time will tell, but if Steph wins another championship and KD doesn't... 😅
Totally agreee!!! Everyone gets hung up in the fact that he made them unbeatable but that isn't really the point. All rings are not the same and I certainly don't have any. But all the champions talk about is the adversity and the journey they had, that made the ring so worth it. That adversity is not only on the court but off it of course. And u can actually credit KD for balling with all the of the court pressure. Because with the move from OKC it was immense. And I think that is actually what he wanted. We know KD isn't a fan of the offcourt stuff and just wants to hoop. The GSW situation allowed him to do that. Simply just do what he loves which is playing basketball at the highest level. The problem is that for all the fans the adversity on the court is what we can see and some if not most probably respect the most. On the biggest stage with two sort of evenly matched teams on the court. Which superstar can propel their team to victory. For example this year with GSW and Boston. And u don't get that with KDs finals wins. U get a team that is so superior to the other teams. That most B to B+ SFs could win with. And when all this nuance is brought into the convo u cant value his rings the same as most others. Because at least on the court it was just easier with all the talent on that team
Joining a historically monstrous 73-9 team is giving up and jumping into the bus as a passenger and the bus was already being driven on the championship track. Durant really changed nothing. KD just made things easier for the Warriors... He was like "invulnerability" code for them. KD was just a cherry on top. Durant and his legacy is still a work in progress. KD is one of the best scorers to ever play, no question about that. He is a great player, he is still and probably will be missing some of the intangible attributes the people on the NBA Mt Rushmore have... There are plenty of great players that have played and have had incredible impact on the court, but of the top of the top people, only a few of them have been able to lead and win on sheer willpower alone... And these guys are on Rushmore. LeBron, MJ, Magic, Kareem. Who knows what Bill Walton might have been if his legs didn't fail him? Who knows what the OKC might have been if they didn't trade Harden? Who knows if the Cavs ran it back with Kyrie that they wouldn't have won another one? If Jordan didn't retire after 98? If Shaq got injured like Zion? The game is highly competitive and the pool of talent keeps on getting wider and deeper with time. In these last playoffs, of the teams in the conference semifinals, you could see any of them eventually winning it all. Memphis was maybe a step behind the rest as they were so young, but it wouldn't have been a huge controversial upset if they did... Warriors have a shot again next year, but there are plenty of teams coming and I believe it will be even more competitive next year... It is a really good time to be a basketball fan! That's all I have to say! The social media interaction that you can have with these players too is unprecedented. I just hope they can find a way to help the players stay more healthy...
KD is in the conversation of the greatest players of all time. Those discussions and debates inevitably come down to splitting hairs....and as long as we're splitting hairs, him joining a 73 win team to win his only titles will always be a knock
Let us Look at GSW 2022 and 2017 1. Curry/ Klay/ Green/ Iggy are 5 years older 2. Curry and Klay went through major injuries 3. Warriors replaced KD with Wiggins in the starters GSW still wins the title relatively easily and we know how good the team was. Conclusion: KD made Warriors unbeatable. But with Kawhi, Giannis, PG or even Beal, Wall, Butler, they would have won the titles. Now, Giannis 2021 and Curry’s 2022 champion make KD look like a 🤡 If KD end his career without another title, he will be ranked somewhere around Dirk (18-20) Solution: KD can find a way joining Celtics this summer……..
Just my opinion, but GSW had a chip when KD got there....I do not feel he would have gotten 2 chips without joining them. I agree, KD is a great player, but he does need to win one on his own.
(If you’ve got 5 mins to read, then buckle up!) Here’s the issue with KDs legacy… Within 10-20 years after he retires, he’ll start sliding down the GOAT list like a lubed-up slide, and he’s wearing socks and a wet bathing suit. He’ll fall out of the top-10, if he even makes it, and he’ll likely fall out of the top-15 all-time because what is KD really? A great scorer. That’s it. He’s not “great” at anything else. He’s solid elsewhere, but what is he? A great scorer. Just look at Kareem’s fall from No.1 all-time. How far has Kareem fallen down the list of GOATs since the offensive boom of the 2000’s+2010’s+2020’s, even though he statistically ISSSSSS the greatest scorer of all-time? He lost #1 to MJ. He lost, likely, #2 to LeBron. He’s still top-5, but people need to argue for him - someone who was once devoutly considered the GOAT - to remain in the top-3, if not the top-5. HOWWWWW KD won will always be disputed by those who matter, those who really know. No one will ever forget or forgive that he abandoned OKC for GS and won on a team that needed very little to regain a title. I agree that it’d take a special player to fill all the gaps left in GS after they went 73-9. But Acho is right. If PG3 or Kawhi went to GS the year after they went 73-9, they would’ve absolutely still won the title, if not titles, they won with KD. KD put them over the top. That’s all. He put them over the top in a way that, yes, no one but LeBron would’ve put them over the top. But that’s the problem. That’s why there will always be scrutiny toward his legacy. Unless he wins on a team that’s truly HIS, he will never have a truly validated legacy. OKC Kev and Post-OKC Kev have 2 different legacies. That is indisputable. They absolutely do. And the final question becomes, well, how much of the story do the stats tell? Anyone with any decent basketball background and knowledge will instantly agree that KD’s success as a GSW was made easy by the pieces around him. That team was already so dominant that the only thing that would’ve hurt KD’s legacy more than winning is losing. If he went there and didn’t win the way he did, his legacy would never achieve him a top-20 GOAT vote. The facts are, even though he had to work for it and there’s no physical asterisk, KD took the easy way out. Lastly, consider this: What did Steph and GS do post-KD? Dealing with players leaving and major injuries, they built a team and within 3 years, won another title. They may not have won the titles they did with KD, but they would’ve won again, as they’ve proven now, and it wouldn’t have taken them 5+ years to do it. Trust me, they miss the ease that KD brought to the game, but they don’t miss KD. See, Steph changed the game for the better. His deep shooting has made versatility an absolute must at every position. It has even given six-men longevity that, aside from Manu G. and Jamal Crawford, few players ever achieved coming off the bench. If you can come in and knock down threes, scoring 9-15 points in only a few shots and a few minutes, you’ve got a job for life in the NBA. Steph has forced defenders to come to the perimeter and beyond. He’s created a whole new element to the game that no one has ever done in the same way. Yes, there have been great shooters and dead-eye 3-shooters, but none like Steph. His presence alone opens up the floor in ways the NBA has never seen before. On the other hand, KD has not changed the NBA for the better. He has solidified the era of ring-chasing, and if not the era, then the time within one’s career that ring-chasing becomes a must and loyalty goes out the door. Other than versatility on the offensive side and big men becoming shooters and moving between SG and PF, which he was not the founding father of, KD hasn’t left the NBA better than he found it. He’s solidified that there’s no need for loyalty anymore. If you can produce, you’ll find a home, and make a bag no matter what. LeBron played a hand in that too, but he did it, arguably, in the right way. He joined DWade and brought over Bosh and some role players and proved that a coach on the court can overtake the coach on the bench. See, he changed the NBA for the better with his influence and dominance. KD hurt the NBA, which is why he absolutely needs to validate his legacy by changing it.
I don’t know what more people need to see! If you’re not a leader after 5, 10 years, you ain’t picking up that attribute anytime soon. KD is a follower, not a leader. It’s a reason why he’s not recruiting to Brooklyn and it’s also another reason why he was the one who followed Kyrie to Brooklyn. Great offensive weapon, but he falls woefully short with the intangibles. He’s just not that guy.
If curry needed validation, then so does Durant. Absolutely. If there’s this convo that the warriors didn’t need Durant, or did, then definitely. Granted I’m a curry fan, but it should go both ways…
See this is where joy is wrong……KD’s rings are tainted bc he went to GS to get them THEY DID NOT NEED KEVIN DURANT!!!!!!!! Them boys won before he was there and it’s real easy to talk 💩to Lebron in the finals “saying let’s go I’m here now!!!!!!!!” When you got curry Thompson Andre and green backing you up…….he wasn’t talking that noise the first time he faced lebron in the finals with James harden and Russell Westbrook so until he wins a ring ON HIS OWN……..with him being the main guy it ain’t good I agree with slick a title on his own will change his legacy for the better he’s already a dawg in scoring finals MVP etc but his rings will always be tainted until he wins one on his own with his own squad not one that was made already before him……..just imagine someone like Isaiah Thomas joining MJ and the bulls in the 90’s winning titles that way……people would rip him for decades for it
@@eatravi5533 the Dame statement people say about KD it goes for GS, they could of said no qnd looked elsewhere. I didn't mind the move, but it seems popele focus all this negative energy on KD and just turn a blind eye for the Dubs who had a say in this as well
It just doesn’t look good on paper historically. They won before him, they won with him, and they won after him. It’s like he didn’t matter. He just needs to win a championship on a team where his presence actually matters and the pressure is on him to deliver.
Steph allowed KD to be the best player in those finals. Period. He is great but he’s not as great as Curry! He’s not the best leader & he can’t win a championship w/o an mvp caliber player that demands the attention Steph & add Klay; requires! Russ was great in OKC and they did great things but didn’t win the title & lost to Stephs warriors after going up 3-1. When Durant went to golden state. It was clearly still Stephs team for many reasons. He’s who you prepare your game plan against. This is an eye test argument that has nothing to do with facts when u compare the 2 in terms of greatness. They are equal in dominance but Curry is a little better for the “team” sport which is Basketball.
Why are some in the media so adamant on defending KD now? Yall afraid he will @ you? Its quite clear that if u added any top 10 player on that GSW team they could have won more rings. Bogut was injured, Dray smacked Brons balls and no one wants to talk about this but they chased the 73 games win and started the playoffs a month ahead of everyone else because of it.
If y’all think anybody on the All NBA team couldn’t have went to golden state and did exactly what Kevin Durant did, players have different game styles but along with Steph the players would have still won 2 championships! How can KD get so much credit for golden state rings but now without a player like Steph he has not been to the finals in his 2 healthy years with Kyrie and James harden. And Steph has now won another ring without a mvp or top 75 player get real. Kevin Durant good and an all time scorer but he not on Steph level no where near. So many players could have done what KD did, thanks Andrew Wiggins !
What happened, the defense changed Andrew Bogut the rim protector hurt his knee and did not play the last 3 games, iggy hurt his back the main defender on LeBron and Draymond was suspended other than that it is a Gentlemen's sweep, oh yeah the fact that they were up 3 games where all of them were blowouts with Kyrie and Love.
They really sitting there saying the warriors needed KD to win again? So disingenuous to say Paul George or Kawhi wouldn’t have made them the overwhelming favorite as well is laughable.
@@ME-vy1sf Paul George freezes up when the pressure is high and he is supposed to win. A good example is the bubble. He played well in the 2021 playoffs only after Kawhi got hurt which took a lot of the pressure off PG. I have serious doubts that PG would perform in the finals. That warriors team would’ve lost to the Rockets with PG for sure. I mean they already went 7 games with KD!
@@AC-ns4gu With George instead of KD the outcomes would be different. I’m not saying they wouldn’t I’m saying with George they would’ve been heavy favorites to win still. Also the team would’ve played completely different with him then they did with KD. They let KD play how he wanted. In OKC he hardly brought the ball up the court. He got so much mid post ups where he could easily get double teamed. Golden state let him be the player he wanted. In golden state he had such a light load. Close to no double teams either. He was playing with a lot of people would consider 3 of the top 15 players in the league at that point. Have you ever played basketball where your team talent wise was clearly superior to the opponent? The pressure is much less. How has KD performed before and since he left golden state? When he had a heavier load. Its not all time great level that’s for sure
@@AC-ns4gu also before you misunderstand I’m not saying George>KD or even George=KD. I think KD is great. Hard to determine greater or best but if I was a gm and I could draft players playing now he would be in the top 3 easily. It would depend on preference between him lebron and Giannis. Those 3 would be the easiest player to build around
KD was like Scottie. KD needed steph and the warriors. Scottie needed MJ and the Bulls. Both left and joined "super teams" and it blew up in their face. Kd had to deal with kyrie and Scottie had to deal with Charles.
@@newrecruit100 if that ain't a KD burner😂 KD has done nothing without the warriors. Hes an offensive threat in an era where defense is primarily illegal. And he just got bullied by the celtics in the first round, while the warriors went ahead and tore that celtics team apart. He fell apart like scottie did when MJ left. Too bad the warriors dont want him back huh?
He’s a great but I’m with him… literally had a amazing team to win those titles… they still count🤷🏽♂️ but sounds better knowing he wins another without curry. I feel like any player can go under curry and klay win titles. When he does a 2018 Lebron run alone ! Even making finals he won’t even be on Lebron level
The main thing is that he doesn't have that measurement chip. We can't evaluate his greatness because the rings he won provided us no means of measuring how great he actually is. Every great needs that, otherwise they fall into the Clyde Drexler category of guys who won rings but we're not sure they could be the catalyst. KD's career outside of GSW is no better than Harden's.
........ You have no clue what you are talking about. Harden's playoff career is atrocious. Never compare James Harden to Kevin Durant. Durant actually shows up in the playoffs. Harden is barely more efficient than Westbrook in the playoffs. Harden goes from MVP level numbers in the playoffs to barely a starter in the playoffs. Stop it.
Correction!!! They didn’t lose Igudala for the 2 years Durant was there! That made them even more dangerous! Iggy was traded after his book came out and he talked about how they handled their injuries!!
I think Acho's argument is flawed... Because I think there's teaming up with a former MVP and teaming up with an MVP caliber player. D-Wade... MVP Caliber Kobe... MVP Caliber (before he won it) Paul Pierce... MVP Caliber So I'm glad he made the argument because now I'm like... Is Kyrie Irving an MVP caliber player? If not, KD's chances to win go down a lot unless they get another all-star or Ben Simmons can snap out of it.
@@bobbydigital3421 But Acho's argument was that Shaq won a chip without an MVP level player. He won with a hurt Kobe, who clearly wasn't an MVP level player when he was hurt, so Acho's point is valid.
All negated by being shut down by the Celtics in the first round. Plus, shutting down KD shouldn't have been that effective because the Nets had Kyrie. Kyrie and KD was supposed to show the world that they are the greats above Tatum and Brown but they failed miserably. The only way they can recover is to run it back and get the Celtics again in the playoffs and absolutely demolish them. KD's legacy so far is that he couldn't get rings and fmvps without Steph Curry's Warriors.
@@bwp2bruce So forget OKC I guess. KD can retire right now and be a first-ballot hall of Famer and will be seen as a top 25 to 30 player ever. Stop all these narrative conversations.
Imagine if Lebron left the Heat. Gets swept in the first round and the team that swept him Dwade and the Heat beats that team in 6, and Wade has a historic finals performance and wins FMVP.💀 They would destroy Lebron 😂
Saying kd has to win without another mvp is a weak take. Nobody says magic couldn't win without a mvp teammate even though he never won without kareem. Nobody says kareem couldn't win without an mvp teammate even though he never won without magic or Oscar Robertson. Yet magic and kareem in everyone's top 10 if not 5 all time. Stop moving the goal post for today's players.
@@Hopper830 kareem literally only missed the last game of the finals in magics rookie year. Kareem averaged 33 points and 14 rebounds on 55% fg% over 5 of the 6 finals games in that finals. Only missed 1 playoff game so what's your point?
@@elishieaorr2097 my point is that GSW did not need a guy who could give 35 ppt a game to win the final. A guy slightly better than Barns would be enough. KD was great and deserved the FMVP and he made that team the greatest team in history.
@@sandworld1432 what finals were you watching 🤔 because golden state needed every single point from Kd. Even with Kd scoring like that u would think that'll put the Cavs away in 4 or 5 but they didn't because of Bron and kyrie alone was a superior duo itself
Warriors without KD would’be beaten Kyrie and Bron in 6 or 7 games instead of sweeping them like when they had KD. The degree of difficulty for Warriors would’ve been higher.
I think you have to consider how we would view KD today had he not won those two chips in GS. Also, bringing up LBJ to MIA as comparison is poor analysis. Miami was a first-round exit team for four years following their 06 chip whilst GS went to the Finals the previous two seasons and was literally coming off the greatest regular season record in NBA history. Think about how differently we would look at Harden or Westbrook if they had two chips right now. Their careers would be validated because they have rings. What's more, they would be glorified like KD as two of the greatest players ever, and like KD, they would be in many people's top 10, 15, or 20 players of all time lists. Again, had it not been for those chips in GS, I think we would look at KD very similarly to the way we looked at Melo during his prime - a phenomenal scorer that has yet to win a chip. I'm sorry but KD's chips with a team that - prior to his arrival - went to the Finals two years in a row (winning one) and suddenly return to the Finals and win just a few years after his departure is not legitimate.
Gobsmacked? I didn’t see him change anyone’s mind. Anyone who watched those warriors teams with Steph/KD knew KD was the best player on the team. People are only saying Steph is better NOW that he won, which has nothing to do with 2016-2019
@@RustyShackleford997 By no means is this a diss to how good KD but it was 10x easier to shine on that team when for the last 2-3 seasons everyone playing GS was worried about Curry and Klay going off. He also had the benefit of being to play his own game and not worry about setting up offenses like in OKC.
@@MrFreakazoid23 If they didn’t have KD teams would key in on Steph and Klay. It works both ways. I’m not trying to say KD didn’t have help, but to say KD wasn’t the Number One Option on that team is a lie. Because trying to compare KD’s impact to Steph AND Klay together isn’t fair. And the fact that you need Steph, Klay and the rest of the team’s impact to compare to KD proves my point. If Steph really was the best player, he would be able to Stand alone against KD and claim it, instead of needing Klay and everyone else’s contributions and spacing to make a case
@Beery So I guess NBA analysts and announcers are casuals too, because all of them said KD was better at the time too. Stop with your revisionist history. One coach’s “game plan” doesn’t prove KD or Curry is better.
Listen to The Skip Bayless Show podcast: sprtspod.fox/SkipBaylessShowPodcast
Heyy love the show ❤️
I think your discussions is GREAT for the NBA & im grateful to be able to watch and listen.
Thank you 🙏🏾
Is there anyway you can implement fan interaction??
Gsw ran through the nba except lebron ,
Check the stats head to head Durant (okc) vs Bron . They both said we cannot beat him separately we need to stop the Jordan run . Someone fact check me
Any top 10 player could have did what he did
The last 3 mvps prior to kd joining was kd , Steph , Steph (unanimous) and he had a 3-1 lead on him . 2 of the top3 players a great system and defensive player of the year with great hands iggy and klay top 3 shooter all time . Plug any formula it will be the same
His legacy is not valid
They all jumping on him when he’s absolutely right. What KD did wasn’t impressive
💯
Yup. KD went to golden state to get easy rings . Giannis one ring is more impressive than KD’s two rings combined.
@@MarioMartinez-tt9ly Right on points; big time! ;)
@@MarioMartinez-tt9ly u sound dumb. He won two back to back. That’s impressive
Facts. This is exactly why it doesn’t matter what other people think. It only matters what you think.
I mean all you have to look at is this year Warriors were finally healthy after adding Andrew Wiggins and were able to win a title with a depleting Draymond and Klay. The fact that they think GSW wouldn't have won if you sub in Kawhi or Giannis for KD. After seeing GSW replace KD with Andrew Wiggins and still win is funny. The proof is there but they are caught up in KDs talent and accomplishments thanks to GSW.
thank you 💯💯
it’s hard to hold this against KD when the only reason they got Wiggins bc KD did right by them when he left (sign and trade for D Lo) and acting like the other top teams weren’t weaker this year than in years past is also something that has to be looked at.
If they would've had Kawhi instead of KD I'm not sure that they wouldn't have been even better TBH 🤔
Beal/ Wall/ Butler would be enough
@@leighwright3450 honestly that defense with Giannis and then the PnR on offense might’ve been the deadliest duo ever
He went to a 73 win team. He will always be viewed with a question mark not a asterisk.
A 73 win team that didn't finish the job but that gets overlooked.
No, history never remembers the circumstances behind titles, just the number of titles.
Stay in school, kid
@@mitchell4530 that's not true at all but ok.
After Draymond Green called him in the parking lot after losing to LeBron in Game 7.
@@mitchell4530 one shot away from becoming the greatest team in NBA history added the 2nd best player in the league. You’re a fool
I’m shocked at how many Ls the other three took here. Like acho is supposed to be the insane one
Acho is correct . And most people on the comment section agree. People on the comment section are from all over the United States meaning most of the country feels this way about the situation.
Kevin Durant needs to win another title to prove he can lead a team to a chip. The Warriors had already been to the Finals 2 years in a row. All KD did was make an championship team unbeatable, he didn't prove he could lead a team from the trenches into the promised land.
How about Durant just makes the Finals again before we say he needs to win another chip.
Spot on @ Jeremiah. I 100% agree with you. People just talk about the number, when 2 all nba level player will allow a great player have great number. We saw what happen to KD again the Celtics this year. He looked like a rookie.
Ima remember him as a baller
If he does it won't be good enough, people will find something to down the man on. Once people don't like you no matter what is done they won't like you
@@vanjones4593 thats not really true people didnt lile curry before he started winning all those titles ya people liked him as a person but they hated him as a player always talking about how he was too small and his style couldnt win and blah blah blah
Acho nailed it. GS didn't 'need' KD. All they needed was an upgrade on Harrison Barnes. Winning this season with Wiggins proves that. KD was a great complimentary piece.
Facts insert any decent player they still win. Example Andrew Wiggins
Agreed
So why put in all the effort to not only ask KD but personally take Draymond and Curry to recruit him? If all they needed was a simple upgrade they could have drafted or traded and not had Curry take a back seat the next two years to someone they clearly knew who's game is best when the ball is in his hands.
@@Ash-lf6to Why would GS not try and add the best player they could to the roster? Isn't that what every team would do if they had the opportunity? However, that doesn't mean they needed someone at KDs level to win. Wiggins level is sufficient.
Exactly people excuse how awful he was in the finals
Simple:
1. KD without Steph = 0 Championships
2. Steph without KD = 2 Championships
KD is a better capable offensive player than Curry, heck he should, he is 7 feet tall while Steph is 6'3". But Steph has none to envy those giants thanks to his hard work, intelligence and skills.
It’s simple but KD lovers and Lebron lovers are joining together to make it more than what it is lol
@@kanorive naw KD is a better 1v1 offensive player. Steph is a better 5v5 offensive player. Basketball is not a 1v1 game
Had Steph gone to Brooklyn and KD stayed in GS, you think Steph is winning that next ring before KD?
@@kanorive better offensive player because of his height lol ... Steph is much more skilled/talented than kd kd got clamped by celtics defense while steph destroyed celtics defense ... Kd never guarded the way steph is guarded until that series vs boston ... In kd's own mouth the series vs the bucks the bucks let kd do what he wants the defense is focus on stopping his teammates .. But the series vs celtics the celtics focus on stopping kd and look what happened he can't perform that good!
KD absolutely needs a title on his own -- his legacy was OBLITERATED this year.
no it wasn't
@@ejay2075 it was tho. His detractors already said his rings “don’t count” and now it’s even more glaring.
Sure he’s still an all time great but nowhere near the top 10 like he would be if he had his own ring(s)
@Nino Brown different expectations at that level, can't sniff a top 10 if you can only ride coat tails
no it wont lol yall be saying on the internet
@Nino Brown Nah see how KD’s situation all unraveled is nowhere close to how those players won. KD loses a 3-1 lead in WCF to the 73-9 team then goes and joins them.. the team who was the defending champs. They did not NEED KD is what people just can’t wrap their brain cells around. They could’ve used a Star player.. didn’t need a top 3 player in KD to come and help them or the ridiculous thing ppl say which is ‘save’ them. Kawhi would’ve just as easily made them unbeatable.. the Klaw already beat Bron’s stacked Heat in 2014 and had his own FMVP prior to 2016. He would’ve easily put them over the top
Acho was 100% right on this one. Add any all NBA player and they win
@Nino Brown you do NOT have to cancel out LBJ to win the final; without LBJ, Cavs would not have made the playoffs. 73 wins Warriors took Cavs to game 7 and last possession. All they need was a little upgrade from Barns who missed tons of open look in game 7…… any all star caliber player would do it…..
KD made Warriors team unbeatable and the greatest team on NBA history. But, they did not need him to win the titles
@Nino Brown They swept LeBron. Don't act like they won 4-3.
@Nino Brown if you have iron man hulk and Thor backing you in a fist fight with a group of mortal men.. you could be MVP of the fight if they let you but that’s NOT head to head…AT ALL in a team sport with the by far best TEAM letting the leagues best scorer just score
@@sandworld1432 yes
@Nino Brown did you see the warriors win the championship with Harrison Barnes before Durant and Andrew Wiggins after Kevin Durant. Any small forward wind the championship with the warriors as long as Steph , Klay and Draymond is healthy 💯
Warriors had Barnes won a chip, replaced Barnes with KD won a chip, replaced KD with Wiggins won a chip. KD was literally extra ammo or attachment. For the warzone heads
well said
@Caveman I can't say "NEED" let's say KD doesn't go there, assuming health warriors and Cavs still meet and instead of a warriors repeat maybe they split? Kyrie always hurt maybe he misses another one, it's alot of what ifs but I'm jus saying the warriors were always gonna be a top 3 title contender every year with or with out KD. And I'm a KD fan love his Twitter and his documentary, and I thought his move to GS was the strongest move but he was a luxury not a necessity.
@Caveman Why bother recruiting him?? He is in a free agency. Talk about ammo anology, KD in free agency it's like the most powerful ammo on sale and got discount. You don't want it?? Adding KD make them unbeatable because Cavs have been using same formula since 2016, double-triple teamed Curry. That's why KD can score easily. Just watch more about Curry gravity video, you can see it.
@Caveman It's 50-50. KD is in FA, he can make his decision. Warriors got injured Bogut which for sure can't be healthy in 2017. HB, not getting any better. They need someone that can cover the paint as well someone that can shoot. KD available at that time and they approach him. So, 50-50.
He just beat 3 people on the panel by himself. That's why Shady walked off
America can take a poll right now and majority would say he needs to win another to validate that. I swear they are deflecting so bad. And I love Joy Taylor.
GS were highly capable of winning without KD. KD just made it unquestionable
Without him it’s more competitive but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have won
Replacing Kd can still win titles as wiggins just proved lol
Wiggins is a number one pick 😂😂😂
And with depleting KD and Iggy
Only took 3 years and a Bracket where SF didn't have to play Phoenix, or Lakers (Lebron) or Clippers ( Kahwl ). SF beat a Cleveland team missing 2 All star starters , then in 2016 suffer the most embarrassing Finals loss in history which prompted Draymond to call KD in the parking lot , a 73 win team flying out to the Hamptons to recruit KD because they got crushed by The KING
@@sharrieffsaalakhan3230 well said 👏🏼 but Warriors fans do not want to remember History 2016 , an unanimous “ mvp” 73/9 win ... crushed by Lebron and Cavs . All the stars in that team went together to recruits him !! Green crying in the parking lot calling KD 😭🤦🏻♀️ but now for some reason... they didn’t needs him !!! Hypocrisy
@@5starathlete804 doesn't matter lol, he's not as good as KD which means they weren't a KD level player away from title contention
The Kobe versus Harden and Westbrook is valid. Kobe was a kid just like they were. Whether better or not the argument is valid from Acho
Harden was coming off bench and wasn't playing well russell westbrook was not playing at an mvp level but kobe although shaq won those 3 mvps he was doing his thing they don't tell you kobe was first or second team all nba in those years that they were together stop with the cap
@@jimmycharlotin7050 Harden was clearly better than Thabo and came off the bench to add a spark to the second team.
you really going to listen to Acho really kobe was and still is the youngest nba to ever win three championships and later on in his career won back to back championships as the man what had harden and westbrook has achieved since okc that can come close to kobe are you kidding me? stop with the cap
@@jimmycharlotin7050 my dude he’s not even arguing about whether or not Russ and harden are as good as Kobe, the point is they’re both MVP talents and were young just like Kobe was young. Harden left to Houston and immediately played like an MVP level player. KD left and Russ immediately won an MVP. Even when KD was on the thunder and was injured an entire year Russ had an MVP caliber season without him. Both those guys were great players but weren’t the number 1 option so they didn’t put up the same numbers. To say KD didn’t have MVP level help when he was with Russ and harden is just objectively wrong.
@@jimmycharlotin7050 he was not arguing Harden and Russ were better than Kobe. BYW, they were better than year 2000 Kobe
Acho went to work on all three of them. KD made the Warriors unbeatable that doesn’t mean there weren’t at least 10 other players the Warriors could of added and still won the championship. If Paul George went there we wouldn’t call him pandemic P anymore just look how quickly Wiggins narrative changed.
Facts! Put PG on that team and you know how many open shots he gets. He could also use more energy on defense because the offense wouldn't run through him.
Cp3 rockets would have beat them if no kd.
Facts
Argument could be made that a more system oriented player like Kawhi would have been better for them.
If you recall in the first series against the Rockets, the warriors devolved into an iso heavy team because of all the switching that the Rockets did, which stifled alot of the Warriors game plan. Playing right into the Rockets hands
@@MCWon212 That's the effect of KD more so than anything else. The Warriors had to feed KD, he never just joined the system and went for all that movement and work off the ball that Steph, Klay, JP, and Wiggins all work for this season and the seasons before KD. That's why when they went ISO they actually looked beatable, because no one besides KD is a great ISO player on the Warriors.
Harrison Barnes vs KD vs Wiggins come on KD wasn't needed that much . All they need was a wing defender who could score . There offense is too good .
They needed KD to.close the game against a top notch Cavs squad who had the mental edge on GS after winning the previous year
@@vanjones4593 I actually like that angle if you want to say from a mental stand point . But talent and ability wise they were more than capable . PG would have fit in perfectly for them had he been available . Same with Kawhi .
@Beery so if they didn't need him, why in your opinion from basketball dtand point did they go after KD in free agency? They could have signed another player but didnt
@@vanjones4593 Bro they Gentlemen swept the Cavs 4-1 then Swept them 4-0…. They did not NEED Kevin Durant to win those finals. You don’t need to close games out that much when you have that squad. Big time shots can be made by any of those dudes on the squad. KD made them over powered. They didn’t need to be that OP to win titles
@@vanjones4593 Draymond was the one who ran to the parking lot calling KD let’s get that fact straight. They did have Cavs up 3-1. All they have to do is not choke 3 games in a row and they win. All that takes is Draymond not getting suspended maybe or just an average star player like Paul George… doesn’t require KD
Acho preaching!
There’s no way you can say Kawhi couldn’t replace KD on that team
Yea you can, because hypothetical statements like Acho made are.just that until proven. The facts KD won while on GS it was good for them and Him
@@vanjones4593
Hypothetical? They won with Wiggins and a subpar Klay/Dray but couldn’t with Kawaii or any other players mentioned? Yeah of course… This isn’t about a definitive conclusion…yeah sure considering the “butterfly effect”could’ve meant that maybe they would’ve all been hit by a bus but that wasn’t the question, it was simply about potential.
Yup. Or PG or even Bradley Beal.
Also, Kahwi was already a champion by 2017/18 and a finals MVP. Who says only KD would have made that team unbeatable.
Horrible take from everyone except Acho on this show.
@@datsumcrzysht I didn't say they couldn't have happened its just people say things like it's guaranteed which ots not, because you can't prove it
@@vanjones4593
Well that was also my point. Of course I agree with you that nothing is guaranteed and changing anything may change everything. Everyone is trying to gauge the idea of “talent replacement” as in much additional help did that 73 win GSW team need to have won those next 2 chips. Did it take someone of KD’s caliber or could any additional solid player have been sufficient? In retrospect, It appears that anyone on a similar level(ie. Kawaii, Giannis, etc.) would’ve been more than sufficient and an overkill.
I understand u ancho, no one hates on KDs game. Steph got disrespected and what he do??? went out won a championship and MVP yet KD all he does is tweet
KD is the softest superstar, probably ever
@@Christian-xr7hc NOPE! That honer ,according to Kobe Bryant belongs to Dwight Howard! Kobe called him"S-O-F-T!"
Yeah if steph needed a finals mvp then he need to win without a 73 win team
Steph is the system why all of a sudden need to go to other team idiot
73 don't have logic cuz it's his team.. but he did prove he didn't need KD for this ring. So KD need to do a Kobe without Shaq and get one himself
@@jonsnipe5484 Steph didn't join a 73 win team Steph beat him in the WCF I wonder if KD didn't go the golden state for sure up until now he got no rings
@@arvinaguila2156 I said that.. please read and listen to your teacher who says understand what you are reading
Well Acho has a point. Kobe was not an MVP candidate his first years with Shaq he wasn't. IF your going to spurn Shaq and say he had Kobe because Kobe eventually became an MVP then you gotta hit KD, Russ and Harden with it too because they all became mvps
Yeah they didnt wanna hear that part without jumping in his throat.. 😂
Nope, he's just regurgitating talking points that have been repeated ad naseum.
Kobe OUTSCORED AND OUTREBOUNDED Shaq in Game 7 of the 2000 series vs Portland as - which saved Shaq's legacy (and NOBODY talks about this). Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals - Kobe on an injured ankle - carried the Lakers to an OT win when Shaq fouled out of the game (going 4 -5 in OT on a heavy ankle sprain). And he was 12thin MVP Voting that year at age 20-ish. How many 20 year old's have finished top 15 in MVP Voting? It's a short list.
Kobe would average 35 in this era. Kobe was a MONSTER. 46 points and 16 rebounds in WCF against a 60 win team in Sacramento at age 21!!!!! WHO does that????
How many players in NBA HISTORY have ever been 4 points and 4 rebounds away from a 50 point 20 rebound game in a CONFERENCE FINALS GAME.
Kobe dropped 45 points on Duncan AND Robinson. At 21/22. Shall i CONTINUE?
Kobe was the co-driver not the "passenger," the car has two wheels.
Kobe is #2 imo all time behind MJ.
No Kobe = Shaq Wins ZERO RINGS in LA.
Zero. Shaq needed Kobe a LOT.
KD needs one of his own to be regarded as highly as other top 25 players. It doesn’t retract from his legacy as a great player, but he’s not in that category for me until he can do it
Nah he is already top 25 without ever winning anything else... And I'd even argue that he's top 15 as well.
@@Brantley_ZA 15 is pushing it, what top 15 plater has only one mvp to build on? his chips, unlike what these clowns argu, majority of people and even many other media membere and players know holds an asterisk.
@@youraverage90sguys7 Name 15 people who you think are better than him and I'll tell you who I'd take out.
@@Brantley_ZA kareem, bron, jordan, wilt, magic, bird, duncan, russel, hakeem, steph, shaq, kobe, moses, dr j, kawhi, giannis, dirk, kg,
all timeist is not about talent or skill, but accolades and stats, otherwise tmac and kyrie would be way up higher.
kd has 2 fake rings and 1 legit mvp
@@youraverage90sguys7 lmao there's no such thing as a fake ring, but for argument sake we can count each ring & FMVP as half a ring and half an FMVP... Which would mean he has 1 of each,
And like it or not, talent is actually considered when speaking about the top 10 so of the rip we can say he's above KG & Dirk,
Since we penalised KD for winning with another superstar, I think it would be fair if we did the same to all of the other players you mentioned which mean we should penalise: Shaq & Kobe (who'll still have more then 1 each), Magic & Kareem (who'll also still have more than one each), Dr J & Moses Malone (which means they have less than 1 each)
In that case, KD is already about 4 people you mentioned... I could argue that on my list I'd put him ahead of Giannis for now but I'd respect anyone who has it the other way round, otherwise... KD is top 15.
Kd just needed overwhelming odds to get a championship. Completely different from what lebron did Miami was not a championship team. They didn't need to make the playoffs the year before he got there. All KD did was go to the Warriors and be a great scorer It's easy to do that when you don't have to worry about double teams and you're not the main focus of the offense.
KD without the Warriors He's Karl Malone Charles Barkley Patrick Ewing.
But the Warriors without KD Would still be champions
The dude was a four time scoring champ before he ever got to the warriors on a team with Russell Westbrook!!! And he took them to the finals a player LeBron couldn't even get into the playoffs!!!
Wrong comparison. More like Tracy McGrady than Barkley or Malone.
@@ryanuy7118 wasn't comparing play styles
@@coocool85 okay I got it. Yours was a better comparison due to the fact that your guys were able to reach the finals at least unlike T. Mac.
I dont remember this many coming to bat for Steph Curry, I don't wanna hear it. KD gotta prove he can do it without Steph the same way Steph had to prove 'again' that he didn't need KD.
FAX!
They need to protect their Nike asset
KD needs another title to HAVE a legacy. He has a top 10 all time talent, can't dispute that, but when it comes to legacy, he'll be remembered most for blowing a 3-1 lead to the 73 win Warriors and then joining them. Yes his numbers was great with the warriors, but it's easy to have great numbers with Steph and Klay on your team. Had he stayed with OKC, he would've had a legacy. But now he needs a title with Brooklyn asap.
That’s my point he joined the team he lost to. And being up 3-1 that has to mean something
A top 10 all-time talent, but not even remotely close to a top 10 all-time greatest player though. He needs to lead the Nets to two titles to be in that conversation of top 10 all-time greatest list.
Haha the hate is real KD is a 2 TIME CHAMPION AND 2 TIME FINALS MVP AND ITS NOTHING ANYBODY CAN DO TO CHANGE THAT. YOUR THOUGHTS DONT CHANGE HISTORY!!!!!
This is true. & The only reason he left Golden State is because he knows it’s true.
Magic never won without kareem and was on a stacked team in a trash conference. Yet magic is greatest pg ever. People knock kd for it but don't hold magic to same standards. Funny how inconsistent people are.
1 against 3… 1 had definitely the best answer.. KD needs a title without jumping on a championship team.. he didn’t drive the bus..
Why do they keep saying Durant filled in for all the pieces they lost? The Warriors lost all those pieces BECAUSE they signed Durant and couldn't afford a deep bench anymore. It's not as though they lost everyone, and Durant stepped in to save them. Before Durant, the second unit was almost as good as other teams' first units.
@Nnamdi Achebe still a huge contract
Did you watch them? They were a great second team because they put together a team of selfless players. The second team as starters wouldn't make playoff unless they had the first team coming off the bench and at best they're a 5th or 6th seed
With out kd this would be curry and them second ring. Kd help curry the load for that team. Green and them needed him. Lot of people didn't like KD's move I agree but LeBron made it into a tread. LeBron team up MVP candidates and former MVP, multiple doy the listen does on
@@nature-kv3xe No. Curry didn't need KD. They only needed a player better than Harrison Barnes and that's it. Any decent wing would of done the job. KD needed Steph though. As you can see, KD can't get the job done with Kyrie, Harden or Russ.
Warriors most likely still have 4 Rings if they get a good wing player.
It's not about legacy It's all about win a title without Curry
And klay and dray along with depth*
its about winning a title without curry for his legacy.
@@DayDaysWorld316 just out of curiosity, why doesn't Curry need to do the or close to the same? Obviously Steph is great, but he also has Klay, Draymond, now Wiggins, and a bench that could start for some teams. Just cause he was drafted there doesn't change the talent level surrounding them.
@Beery Ok so if everything you said is true, then Kd never went to a superteam and his championships, finals mvps are as legit as anyone elses, and was the best player on those teams the two years.
@Beery Just trying to keep the train of logic consistent.
give the warriors pg kawhi jokic giannis siacam any top 15 center or forward and they win another title that's why the league was so mad bc they knew getting durant made them unbeatable but if they got any other player they still would be title favorites every year and thats what acho saying they didn't need the second best player in the nba if they had a top 25 -30 player they still beating the cavs at least once out of those two meetings in the finals which means they didn't need kevin durant, acho is the only one with common sense they making it seem like the warriors got blown out they lost by a late shot by kyrie bc everyone was tired so stop this they would have been just fine but they wanted to maximize their chance by getting kd as you can see with Wiggins he can help them win a ring and nobody considered him an allstar level player before this year
Warriors won NBA without KD. KD demonstrated that he needed Warriors to win. He couldn't win before and after the Warriors.
They went crying 4 kd when they lost 2 Cleveland they need kd stop u crackhead they needed kd and when curry won the the finals without kd the first time love and Irving was hurt
@@bobbytasir4394 Warriors won 2015 and 2022 without KD.
@@williamyeh6925 2015 Irving and love was hurt and they would not have beat Cleveland them 2 years without Durant u do know that right
@@bobbytasir4394 it is irrelevant who is injured or why they are not there. Stay healthy is part of the game. if you can't be there to compete, then too bad, you can't win. there is no ifs in history. Warriors won without and with KD. In KD's 14 years, he only won twice with the warriors. In OKC, he didn't win with Harden and Westbrook. In Nets, he didn't win with Irving and got swept.
@@bobbytasir4394 .mate are u dumb..injuries happen all the time...we are in 2022..deal with it!!!!
The problem is that wing player on the level of Demar Derozan or Bradley Neal likely would have got the job done. KD ensured that they couldn’t lose. There’s really no similarity between what he and Lebron did besides changing teams.
Well said. The warriors pick up KD to guarantee a win.
Neither of those players woulda got it done lol. The warriors woulda needed a KD or Kawhi level player to match up with what Lebron and Kyrie were bringing
They need kd when they going against prime goat lebron
@@gabelincoln3608 Exactly. People acting like they forgetting who the warriors were actually facing lol. Kyrie was averaging like 29 ppg that finals along with a prime Lebron.
@@dominiquerobinson8888 prime lebron was different. He would destroy any of these teams. I even think that team would beat this warriors in 6
Acho has came a longgggg wayyyy and formulates his point in a very calculated manner.
Hes become one of my favorite analyst, good ish acho
KD would have never won a title without going to the Warriors. Plus, all that talent but so fragile, how can you even rank him that high when he hasn't played more than 50 games every season. Warriors winning this one just proves that they never needed him, he needed them.
? The whole reason they got KD was because they felt they needed him to beat Cleveland
Where are you getting your stats from? KD haven’t played more than 50 games everyone? Your basketball IQ pretty low. I guess you’re god now to say he would have never won. Smfh!
And warriors would never win a title if every team they played didn’t have an injured superstar
@@RustyShackleford997 the whole reason why kd went to warriors was because he knew he would never get past them😂
@@stylescasino1006 no star on the Celtics we’re injured kiddo
Everything KD's won has been on a stacked team. His standalone legacy is almost 0 :)
Imagine Jordan joining the Bad Boy Pistons? Bron joining the Celtics.. Shady tales are trash btw
Yup that whole part bro.
And then saying no one else could have won of those Championship with the Pistons lol
With all this arguments, I wish draymond never called KD smh then we’d see what happens after. Acho is schooling them and their points are invalid
Whenever created the Draymond (most like skip) called KD narrative is crazy. They was targeting him the season before lol. But Acho did school them.
Durant himself understands that he needs to win without GS.
That's the only reason that make sense as to why he left.
You can't compare KD to the other greats because it doesn't match up, objectively. It just doesn't.
Edit: Tracy McGrady definitely wins at least rings if he was with the Lakers. Vince Carter at LEAST gets one.
This topic and the tiptoeing around on this topic lets me know the media is poisonous, the same people that were driving the narrative that Steph needed a finals MVP to cement/validate his legacy are trying to say a player with 2 less rings who hasn't won without Steph doesn't need another title to validate his legacy smh.... Toxic bs
Thats exactly my thoughts too
They just scared of KD's tweets
It’s simple KD doesn’t go to warriors no rings no finals mvps
It’s simple Lebron doesn’t goes to Miami, no rings 🤷🏽♂️
@@therealloco379 the heat didn’t win 73 games and make it to game 7 of the finals they weren’t even a playoff contender. Lebron didn’t join BOSTON 😂😂😂
Joy trying to quickly silence Achoo with the gr8 point he just made. Nobody is saying KD isn't gr8 but,PG,Kawhi, Giannis then, Butler all not as good as Durant still would have won with GSW if they replaced KD. And remember KD was not regarded as the unquestionable Best in the world b4 he joined Warriors,he was one of the best but got this adulation of the best after the 2FMVP also cos it was against Lebron. Hasn't done anything on that Level since then either. KD should feel more gr8ful to the warriors than they shld, without those 2 rings he'll just be James Harden type player now.
Even a solid small forward and a better bench would have won those titles when KD was there. Remember Harrison Barnes left and the bench got weaker and weaker until this year. Any small forward that could average 12-16 points in that slot....it would have been the same outcome.
Dude giannis on warriors? Its game over for the league ... Giannis is the perfect fit for steph ... Wiggins proved it that the warriors can win with a decent player like him not even on the same tier of kd!
But here's the problem though Slick, you say KD made the Warriors unbeatable. I agree. But if KD made them unbeatable, any other halfway decent player would have still at least made them a very good team. Which is enough to contend and potentially win a championship, like they just did. So at the very least the question becomes, if KD doesn't go to GS, does he even have a championship to begin with. Steph has proven he can win without KD. Can KD win without Steph. Time will tell, but if Steph wins another championship and KD doesn't... 😅
Totally agreee!!! Everyone gets hung up in the fact that he made them unbeatable but that isn't really the point. All rings are not the same and I certainly don't have any. But all the champions talk about is the adversity and the journey they had, that made the ring so worth it. That adversity is not only on the court but off it of course. And u can actually credit KD for balling with all the of the court pressure. Because with the move from OKC it was immense. And I think that is actually what he wanted. We know KD isn't a fan of the offcourt stuff and just wants to hoop. The GSW situation allowed him to do that. Simply just do what he loves which is playing basketball at the highest level. The problem is that for all the fans the adversity on the court is what we can see and some if not most probably respect the most. On the biggest stage with two sort of evenly matched teams on the court. Which superstar can propel their team to victory. For example this year with GSW and Boston. And u don't get that with KDs finals wins. U get a team that is so superior to the other teams. That most B to B+ SFs could win with. And when all this nuance is brought into the convo u cant value his rings the same as most others. Because at least on the court it was just easier with all the talent on that team
💯, for comparison, they won and went 73-9 with......... Harrison Barnes in KD spot😂😂😂
Harden was a MVP when he played with KD. Did they forget they've played together the last 2 seasons
KD is the most media protected superstar of all time
Terrible analogy McCoy, comparing KD to Peyton is dumb
Thank you.
Joining a historically monstrous 73-9 team is giving up and jumping into the bus as a passenger and the bus was already being driven on the championship track. Durant really changed nothing. KD just made things easier for the Warriors... He was like "invulnerability" code for them. KD was just a cherry on top. Durant and his legacy is still a work in progress. KD is one of the best scorers to ever play, no question about that. He is a great player, he is still and probably will be missing some of the intangible attributes the people on the NBA Mt Rushmore have... There are plenty of great players that have played and have had incredible impact on the court, but of the top of the top people, only a few of them have been able to lead and win on sheer willpower alone... And these guys are on Rushmore. LeBron, MJ, Magic, Kareem.
Who knows what Bill Walton might have been if his legs didn't fail him? Who knows what the OKC might have been if they didn't trade Harden? Who knows if the Cavs ran it back with Kyrie that they wouldn't have won another one? If Jordan didn't retire after 98? If Shaq got injured like Zion? The game is highly competitive and the pool of talent keeps on getting wider and deeper with time. In these last playoffs, of the teams in the conference semifinals, you could see any of them eventually winning it all. Memphis was maybe a step behind the rest as they were so young, but it wouldn't have been a huge controversial upset if they did...
Warriors have a shot again next year, but there are plenty of teams coming and I believe it will be even more competitive next year... It is a really good time to be a basketball fan! That's all I have to say! The social media interaction that you can have with these players too is unprecedented. I just hope they can find a way to help the players stay more healthy...
KD is in the conversation of the greatest players of all time. Those discussions and debates inevitably come down to splitting hairs....and as long as we're splitting hairs, him joining a 73 win team to win his only titles will always be a knock
Good point...but KD is Not in the GOAT conversation
Your first sentence is woefully invalid. Wrong category of classification.
Kd in the coversation of goat? Lol thats funny not hating on durant .. He got the talent/skill tho.
There is nothing good about joining a finals favorite team .
He is not...greater scorer/he has won nothing!
Let us Look at GSW 2022 and 2017
1. Curry/ Klay/ Green/ Iggy are 5 years older
2. Curry and Klay went through major injuries
3. Warriors replaced KD with Wiggins in the starters
GSW still wins the title relatively easily and we know how good the team was.
Conclusion: KD made Warriors unbeatable. But with Kawhi, Giannis, PG or even Beal, Wall, Butler, they would have won the titles.
Now, Giannis 2021 and Curry’s 2022 champion make KD look like a 🤡
If KD end his career without another title, he will be ranked somewhere around Dirk (18-20)
Solution: KD can find a way joining Celtics this summer……..
KD a bus rider 😂!!!! If he wants to be a bus driver, he needs to win a chip on his own, PERIOD!
Just my opinion, but GSW had a chip when KD got there....I do not feel he would have gotten 2 chips without joining them. I agree, KD is a great player, but he does need to win one on his own.
(If you’ve got 5 mins to read, then buckle up!)
Here’s the issue with KDs legacy… Within 10-20 years after he retires, he’ll start sliding down the GOAT list like a lubed-up slide, and he’s wearing socks and a wet bathing suit.
He’ll fall out of the top-10, if he even makes it, and he’ll likely fall out of the top-15 all-time because what is KD really? A great scorer. That’s it. He’s not “great” at anything else. He’s solid elsewhere, but what is he? A great scorer.
Just look at Kareem’s fall from No.1 all-time. How far has Kareem fallen down the list of GOATs since the offensive boom of the 2000’s+2010’s+2020’s, even though he statistically ISSSSSS the greatest scorer of all-time? He lost #1 to MJ. He lost, likely, #2 to LeBron. He’s still top-5, but people need to argue for him - someone who was once devoutly considered the GOAT - to remain in the top-3, if not the top-5.
HOWWWWW KD won will always be disputed by those who matter, those who really know. No one will ever forget or forgive that he abandoned OKC for GS and won on a team that needed very little to regain a title. I agree that it’d take a special player to fill all the gaps left in GS after they went 73-9. But Acho is right. If PG3 or Kawhi went to GS the year after they went 73-9, they would’ve absolutely still won the title, if not titles, they won with KD.
KD put them over the top. That’s all. He put them over the top in a way that, yes, no one but LeBron would’ve put them over the top. But that’s the problem. That’s why there will always be scrutiny toward his legacy. Unless he wins on a team that’s truly HIS, he will never have a truly validated legacy.
OKC Kev and Post-OKC Kev have 2 different legacies. That is indisputable. They absolutely do.
And the final question becomes, well, how much of the story do the stats tell? Anyone with any decent basketball background and knowledge will instantly agree that KD’s success as a GSW was made easy by the pieces around him. That team was already so dominant that the only thing that would’ve hurt KD’s legacy more than winning is losing. If he went there and didn’t win the way he did, his legacy would never achieve him a top-20 GOAT vote.
The facts are, even though he had to work for it and there’s no physical asterisk, KD took the easy way out.
Lastly, consider this: What did Steph and GS do post-KD? Dealing with players leaving and major injuries, they built a team and within 3 years, won another title. They may not have won the titles they did with KD, but they would’ve won again, as they’ve proven now, and it wouldn’t have taken them 5+ years to do it. Trust me, they miss the ease that KD brought to the game, but they don’t miss KD.
See, Steph changed the game for the better. His deep shooting has made versatility an absolute must at every position. It has even given six-men longevity that, aside from Manu G. and Jamal Crawford, few players ever achieved coming off the bench. If you can come in and knock down threes, scoring 9-15 points in only a few shots and a few minutes, you’ve got a job for life in the NBA. Steph has forced defenders to come to the perimeter and beyond. He’s created a whole new element to the game that no one has ever done in the same way. Yes, there have been great shooters and dead-eye 3-shooters, but none like Steph. His presence alone opens up the floor in ways the NBA has never seen before.
On the other hand, KD has not changed the NBA for the better. He has solidified the era of ring-chasing, and if not the era, then the time within one’s career that ring-chasing becomes a must and loyalty goes out the door. Other than versatility on the offensive side and big men becoming shooters and moving between SG and PF, which he was not the founding father of, KD hasn’t left the NBA better than he found it. He’s solidified that there’s no need for loyalty anymore. If you can produce, you’ll find a home, and make a bag no matter what. LeBron played a hand in that too, but he did it, arguably, in the right way. He joined DWade and brought over Bosh and some role players and proved that a coach on the court can overtake the coach on the bench. See, he changed the NBA for the better with his influence and dominance. KD hurt the NBA, which is why he absolutely needs to validate his legacy by changing it.
I don’t know what more people need to see! If you’re not a leader after 5, 10 years, you ain’t picking up that attribute anytime soon. KD is a follower, not a leader. It’s a reason why he’s not recruiting to Brooklyn and it’s also another reason why he was the one who followed Kyrie to Brooklyn. Great offensive weapon, but he falls woefully short with the intangibles. He’s just not that guy.
If curry needed validation, then so does Durant. Absolutely. If there’s this convo that the warriors didn’t need Durant, or did, then definitely. Granted I’m a curry fan, but it should go both ways…
See this is where joy is wrong……KD’s rings are tainted bc he went to GS to get them THEY DID NOT NEED KEVIN DURANT!!!!!!!! Them boys won before he was there and it’s real easy to talk 💩to Lebron in the finals “saying let’s go I’m here now!!!!!!!!” When you got curry Thompson Andre and green backing you up…….he wasn’t talking that noise the first time he faced lebron in the finals with James harden and Russell Westbrook so until he wins a ring ON HIS OWN……..with him being the main guy it ain’t good I agree with slick a title on his own will change his legacy for the better he’s already a dawg in scoring finals MVP etc but his rings will always be tainted until he wins one on his own with his own squad not one that was made already before him……..just imagine someone like Isaiah Thomas joining MJ and the bulls in the 90’s winning titles that way……people would rip him for decades for it
GS needed KD after their 3-1 loss in the finals or if not why did they go after him. They could have went after another 3 at the time.
@@vanjones4593 kd came to them bro ..
@@vanjones4593 they went after him becausehe was available
@@str8duval but they just beat him, so why would they think they need q man they just beat! Once again they could have signed others but didnt
@@eatravi5533 the Dame statement people say about KD it goes for GS, they could of said no qnd looked elsewhere. I didn't mind the move, but it seems popele focus all this negative energy on KD and just turn a blind eye for the Dubs who had a say in this as well
It just doesn’t look good on paper historically. They won before him, they won with him, and they won after him. It’s like he didn’t matter.
He just needs to win a championship on a team where his presence actually matters and the pressure is on him to deliver.
Steph allowed KD to be the best player in those finals. Period. He is great but he’s not as great as Curry! He’s not the best leader & he can’t win a championship w/o an mvp caliber player that demands the attention Steph & add Klay; requires! Russ was great in OKC and they did great things but didn’t win the title & lost to Stephs warriors after going up 3-1. When Durant went to golden state. It was clearly still Stephs team for many reasons. He’s who you prepare your game plan against. This is an eye test argument that has nothing to do with facts when u compare the 2 in terms of greatness. They are equal in dominance but Curry is a little better for the “team” sport which is Basketball.
If Kobe had to prove it after shaq left a team he was drafted to then KD have to prove it after leaving a team he joined
Why are some in the media so adamant on defending KD now? Yall afraid he will @ you?
Its quite clear that if u added any top 10 player on that GSW team they could have won more rings.
Bogut was injured, Dray smacked Brons balls and no one wants to talk about this but they chased the 73 games win and started the playoffs a month ahead of everyone else because of it.
If y’all think anybody on the All NBA team couldn’t have went to golden state and did exactly what Kevin Durant did, players have different game styles but along with Steph the players would have still won 2 championships! How can KD get so much credit for golden state rings but now without a player like Steph he has not been to the finals in his 2 healthy years with Kyrie and James harden. And Steph has now won another ring without a mvp or top 75 player get real. Kevin Durant good and an all time scorer but he not on Steph level no where near. So many players could have done what KD did, thanks Andrew Wiggins !
The only other players at that time that coulda helped that warriors team were either Kawhi or Giannis
13:20 is when Acho made all them feel like idiots. Look at their faces as they finally sit in silence 😂😂😂
KD is a co-pilot never a true bus driver
Acho spittin’ that 🔥🔥🔥⛅️
At the end of the day Steph’s ring weigh more than KD 🤷🏽♂️sorry to all your feelings but Acho is right.
Big props to Acho for standing his ground. Talk about thinking for yourself. 😂 💪
I see Shady is the opposite of Pat Bev. He stands up for every player🤣
my question is what if kd didnt join gsw will kd be ranked one of the greatest plyer of all time or be just as great player
What happened, the defense changed Andrew Bogut the rim protector hurt his knee and did not play the last 3 games, iggy hurt his back the main defender on LeBron and Draymond was suspended other than that it is a Gentlemen's sweep, oh yeah the fact that they were up 3 games where all of them were blowouts with Kyrie and Love.
Kobe averaged like 16ppg in their first nba finals… shaq mainly carried them to that first championship and i love kobe
Hope everyone else is putting in as much work on their own legacy, as they do on commenting on KD’s
Kd doesn't need another title he's already in the hall . The haters and media need kd to get another one even after that they will still hate on him .
Somebody with sense. They’re only hating (media) because he stop Leoverated from getting 2 titles
They really sitting there saying the warriors needed KD to win again? So disingenuous to say Paul George or Kawhi wouldn’t have made them the overwhelming favorite as well is laughable.
Kawhi? Yes. Paul George? No way.
@@AC-ns4gu so you think the 73 win warriors needed to add a top 7ish player to be favorites?
@@ME-vy1sf Paul George freezes up when the pressure is high and he is supposed to win. A good example is the bubble. He played well in the 2021 playoffs only after Kawhi got hurt which took a lot of the pressure off PG. I have serious doubts that PG would perform in the finals. That warriors team would’ve lost to the Rockets with PG for sure. I mean they already went 7 games with KD!
@@AC-ns4gu With George instead of KD the outcomes would be different. I’m not saying they wouldn’t I’m saying with George they would’ve been heavy favorites to win still. Also the team would’ve played completely different with him then they did with KD. They let KD play how he wanted. In OKC he hardly brought the ball up the court. He got so much mid post ups where he could easily get double teamed. Golden state let him be the player he wanted. In golden state he had such a light load. Close to no double teams either. He was playing with a lot of people would consider 3 of the top 15 players in the league at that point. Have you ever played basketball where your team talent wise was clearly superior to the opponent? The pressure is much less. How has KD performed before and since he left golden state? When he had a heavier load. Its not all time great level that’s for sure
@@AC-ns4gu also before you misunderstand I’m not saying George>KD or even George=KD. I think KD is great. Hard to determine greater or best but if I was a gm and I could draft players playing now he would be in the top 3 easily. It would depend on preference between him lebron and Giannis. Those 3 would be the easiest player to build around
Acho so ryt and apt. Kd hasn't done nothing without Steph. Steph destroyed him in WCF in 2016
He “destroyed” him is a stretch 😂😂
Where's Wiley tho?
Why do we act like 2015 didn’t happen lmao jus cuz Steph didn’t get FMVP doesn’t mean he wasn’t the best player on his team
A leader of a team that won a title is the notch to be added.
💯 Simple as that
ACHO THE ONLY ONE WITH SOME SENSE!! GET EM ACHO
KD was like Scottie.
KD needed steph and the warriors.
Scottie needed MJ and the Bulls.
Both left and joined "super teams" and it blew up in their face.
Kd had to deal with kyrie and Scottie had to deal with Charles.
Comparing KD and Pippen just shows far stupid fans have gotten when it comes to this.
@@newrecruit100 if that ain't a KD burner😂
KD has done nothing without the warriors. Hes an offensive threat in an era where defense is primarily illegal. And he just got bullied by the celtics in the first round, while the warriors went ahead and tore that celtics team apart.
He fell apart like scottie did when MJ left. Too bad the warriors dont want him back huh?
Rick... everything you said is WHY he needs to do it without the warriors🤷🏾♂️
Love this episode! I love seeing how passionate they all are about this topic.
Thank God for Acho. Can't wait until he is increased at this network and guys like Skip Bayless and Rob Parker are decreased.
Acho right. 😐
He’s a great but I’m with him… literally had a amazing team to win those titles… they still count🤷🏽♂️ but sounds better knowing he wins another without curry. I feel like any player can go under curry and klay win titles. When he does a 2018 Lebron run alone ! Even making finals he won’t even be on Lebron level
The main thing is that he doesn't have that measurement chip. We can't evaluate his greatness because the rings he won provided us no means of measuring how great he actually is. Every great needs that, otherwise they fall into the Clyde Drexler category of guys who won rings but we're not sure they could be the catalyst. KD's career outside of GSW is no better than Harden's.
........ You have no clue what you are talking about. Harden's playoff career is atrocious. Never compare James Harden to Kevin Durant. Durant actually shows up in the playoffs. Harden is barely more efficient than Westbrook in the playoffs.
Harden goes from MVP level numbers in the playoffs to barely a starter in the playoffs. Stop it.
@@ralx225b that doesn't mean his career is better than harden's lol they were both getting bounced in the 2nd round or wcf
Correction!!! They didn’t lose Igudala for the 2 years Durant was there! That made them even more dangerous! Iggy was traded after his book came out and he talked about how they handled their injuries!!
Acho made them look crazy. Lol they did not need that much help and then he had the names of the four who was free lol
I think Acho's argument is flawed... Because I think there's teaming up with a former MVP and teaming up with an MVP caliber player. D-Wade... MVP Caliber
Kobe... MVP Caliber (before he won it)
Paul Pierce... MVP Caliber
So I'm glad he made the argument because now I'm like... Is Kyrie Irving an MVP caliber player? If not, KD's chances to win go down a lot unless they get another all-star or Ben Simmons can snap out of it.
I don't think Kobe was MVP caliber for the first chip. He literally averaged 15 ppg in the finals, then took the leap the next year
@@kevineiford2153 Kobe played hurt vs The Pacers. He was 21, not prime but Kobe was top 10 player even that young.
@@bobbydigital3421 But Acho's argument was that Shaq won a chip without an MVP level player. He won with a hurt Kobe, who clearly wasn't an MVP level player when he was hurt, so Acho's point is valid.
@@kevineiford2153 exactly. And other players in the league at time at the very least won 1 title with Shaq
I feel like his legacy is already set. One of the most talented players ever, but he's just not "that" guy like LeBron is.
All negated by being shut down by the Celtics in the first round. Plus, shutting down KD shouldn't have been that effective because the Nets had Kyrie. Kyrie and KD was supposed to show the world that they are the greats above Tatum and Brown but they failed miserably. The only way they can recover is to run it back and get the Celtics again in the playoffs and absolutely demolish them. KD's legacy so far is that he couldn't get rings and fmvps without Steph Curry's Warriors.
@@bwp2bruce So forget OKC I guess. KD can retire right now and be a first-ballot hall of Famer and will be seen as a top 25 to 30 player ever. Stop all these narrative conversations.
Tmac would have won with Shaq for sure
The three are so wrong. There’s a difference between easiest path and an harder path.
Imagine if Lebron left the Heat. Gets swept in the first round and the team that swept him Dwade and the Heat beats that team in 6, and Wade has a historic finals performance and wins FMVP.💀 They would destroy Lebron 😂
Saying kd has to win without another mvp is a weak take. Nobody says magic couldn't win without a mvp teammate even though he never won without kareem. Nobody says kareem couldn't win without an mvp teammate even though he never won without magic or Oscar Robertson. Yet magic and kareem in everyone's top 10 if not 5 all time. Stop moving the goal post for today's players.
Steph just won without another MVP. If KD can't do it then his legacy takes a hit.
@@Hopper830 So kareem and magic must not be top 10 all time for you cause neither won a championship without a teammate that's won mvp.
@@fredmiller2335 Kareem was injured when magic won a title his rookie season.
@@Hopper830 kareem literally only missed the last game of the finals in magics rookie year. Kareem averaged 33 points and 14 rebounds on 55% fg% over 5 of the 6 finals games in that finals. Only missed 1 playoff game so what's your point?
@@fredmiller2335 Was Kareem on the floor for the closeout game? Magic won without him
That Kobe - James harden and Russell Westbrook point was valid! Most valid point in here. Why were the others trying to shut him up!
Yep . Westbrook won the mvp 1 year after KD left. Kobe won his 4 years after Shaq left
“Either he was, or he wasn’t” -Joy
Only a Sith deals in absolutes
The Warriors without Kevin Durant would've split with the Cavs or lost 1-3 in those series against Bron and kyrie simple
What if Warriors add an all star caliber player instead KD, such as Kawhi, PG, Butlet, Beal or Wall…..
@@sandworld1432 if they can give 35 points a game in both finals then yea but no I highly doubt it
@@elishieaorr2097 my point is that GSW did not need a guy who could give 35 ppt a game to win the final. A guy slightly better than Barns would be enough.
KD was great and deserved the FMVP and he made that team the greatest team in history.
@@sandworld1432 what finals were you watching 🤔 because golden state needed every single point from Kd. Even with Kd scoring like that u would think that'll put the Cavs away in 4 or 5 but they didn't because of Bron and kyrie alone was a superior duo itself
Warriors without KD would’be beaten Kyrie and Bron in 6 or 7 games instead of sweeping them like when they had KD. The degree of difficulty for Warriors would’ve been higher.
I think you have to consider how we would view KD today had he not won those two chips in GS. Also, bringing up LBJ to MIA as comparison is poor analysis. Miami was a first-round exit team for four years following their 06 chip whilst GS went to the Finals the previous two seasons and was literally coming off the greatest regular season record in NBA history.
Think about how differently we would look at Harden or Westbrook if they had two chips right now. Their careers would be validated because they have rings. What's more, they would be glorified like KD as two of the greatest players ever, and like KD, they would be in many people's top 10, 15, or 20 players of all time lists.
Again, had it not been for those chips in GS, I think we would look at KD very similarly to the way we looked at Melo during his prime - a phenomenal scorer that has yet to win a chip. I'm sorry but KD's chips with a team that - prior to his arrival - went to the Finals two years in a row (winning one) and suddenly return to the Finals and win just a few years after his departure is not legitimate.
Acho!!!!!! You're spot on......
Acho is right they need to get off KDs nuts
Thank you acho any all nba player would of won that title
Acho gobsmacked three people 🔥
Gobsmacked? I didn’t see him change anyone’s mind. Anyone who watched those warriors teams with Steph/KD knew KD was the best player on the team. People are only saying Steph is better NOW that he won, which has nothing to do with 2016-2019
@@RustyShackleford997 By no means is this a diss to how good KD but it was 10x easier to shine on that team when for the last 2-3 seasons everyone playing GS was worried about Curry and Klay going off. He also had the benefit of being to play his own game and not worry about setting up offenses like in OKC.
@@MrFreakazoid23 If they didn’t have KD teams would key in on Steph and Klay. It works both ways. I’m not trying to say KD didn’t have help, but to say KD wasn’t the Number One Option on that team is a lie. Because trying to compare KD’s impact to Steph AND Klay together isn’t fair. And the fact that you need Steph, Klay and the rest of the team’s impact to compare to KD proves my point. If Steph really was the best player, he would be able to Stand alone against KD and claim it, instead of needing Klay and everyone else’s contributions and spacing to make a case
dipankar Joshi • facts brotha preach he bodied them with facts💯
@Beery So I guess NBA analysts and announcers are casuals too, because all of them said KD was better at the time too. Stop with your revisionist history. One coach’s “game plan” doesn’t prove KD or Curry is better.
At last, some beauty on the set. Love Joy Taylor