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The post Dave Flemming on the Giants' aggressive trade-deadline mindset and the art of dealing with and appreciating Jim Harbaugh (new "TK Show" episode) appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
Yes, I made a quick return from vacation to do this... but only this... and now it's time again to quickly recede back into summer for just a little longer.
But I thought it was well past time for me to talk some baseball (among other things) with my good friend Dave Flemming, the Giants and ESPN broadcaster.
Dave and I talked about the Giants' mindset heading into the Aug. 1 trade deadline, and Flemming emphasized that he believes this front office won't be bashful--Giants execs know that this team can win another World Series if they can make a big move or two in the next week or so.
If that means surrendering a top prospect or two to land a back-end reliever, a starter or even a difference-making position player, Flemming suggested, then Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans & Co. might just pull the trigger because the stakes are so high.
And, since I forgot to ask Flemming about this last time we had him on, I had to bring up his time with Jim Harbaugh, when Flemming was calling Stanford games.
Dave and I have talked about this a few times over meals--neither one of us are buddies with Harbaugh, but we both had very good, very professional relationships with him when we covered him, because we approached it in a similar, direct manner.
Harbaugh isn't about touchy-feely small-talk. He doesn't want to waste his time listening to somebody tip-toe around questions before finally getting to the point.
Harbaugh is about getting from Point A to Point Z as fast as possible--winning football games, winning conferences--and Flemming and I discuss how we approached the Harbaugh Phenomenon.
Now I'm outta here again, maybe back writing once the Giants are right in the middle of the pennant race. As I told Flemming, I think it'd be very cool if it's Giants-Dodgers for one playoff spot, all the way down the stretch.
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The post Taking some time off, I'll be back eventually, theoretically in time for the 49ers' guaranteed 6-0 start appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
From now until some point in August, other than a few scheduled items...
-Podcasts will be sporadic.
-Columns will be intermittent.
-Blog-items, hopefully, will be random.
-TV appearances will be occasional.
-I might Tweet here or there.
Among things I might miss are the start of Raiders and 49ers training camp, most of the preseason (oh no!), the start of the pennant races (I think the A's will forgive me) and yes, the grand Olympics.
Which I always miss. I have largely based my entire career on not caring about the Olympics and that decision has served me heartily well. (I think.)
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The post How the Warriors can sign both Durant and Curry next summer and many more non-hysterical answers to hyper-ventilating questions appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
* There are just a few details known about the circumstances surrounding Draymond Green's arrest in East Lansing, Mich., early Sunday morning, and as always in these kinds of situations, it's best to wait for clarifying facts to emerge, though a key note from police is that there were no injuries.
Green's lawyer told the Merc's Diamond Leung that Green is "completely innocent," and the police noted to reporters that the incident occurred when someone else at the bar--apparently a Michigan State football player--got into an argument with Green and was either struck or shoved. Sources told Leung that Green had allegedly slapped the Michigan State player.
Both the Warriors and USA Basketball issued statements say they were aware of the matter and would have no comment until they learn more. Green is scheduled to begin practicing with the U.S. Olympic team on Monday in Las Vegas--his attorney told Leung that he has waived his right to an arraignment, which had been scheduled for July 20.
-After the mad rush of Warriors playoff games, exits and one mega-signing, I've started slowing things down here on the blog and elsewhere, which many of you probably have noticed already.
So I'm taking some time off and not jumping immediately into Giants and A's trade-deadline analysis or Raiders and 49ers July ponderings or pre-Olympics minutiae.
The relative idling started a few days ago and will last however long I can stretch this, at least through some of the Olympics next month, though there will be some scheduled columns and blog-items dropping in here and there.
As an official pre-vacation primer, here are some Frequently Asked Questions concerning the Warriors' recent addition of Kevin Durant and all it might mean... and my Often Tweeted Answers, re-purposed and expanded for this very item.
-Question: Will the criticism of Durant for leaving Oklahoma City stick with him for the rest of his career?
-My answer: History tells us... no, it almost certainly will not, because there will always be new events and new judgments and... you know... games... to decide things.
This is going to be a recurring theme of this item--the last thing that happened won't be the only thing that ever happens, things change, events occur that re-shape everybody's opinion of major characters.
I think Durant understood that more than anybody else in this whole situation and he reacted by deciding that, in the long run, he was better off absorbing all the anger (that he knew would be coming) and just making the choice that he thought would be better for him over time.
That was his right as a free agent and nobody else could make that call but Durant. You listened to him last week--you think he did this rashly and immaturely?
No chance.
I don't critique people for making their own thoughtful decisions based on their own reasons--that goes for anybody coming to a Bay Area team or anybody leaving one.
Other people might've chosen to stay in OKC; other people might just be talking to make themselves feel better about themselves; other people might know that they might've made the same decision based on many of the same reasons.
It's OK for people to be mad at Durant generally, if that's your thing--he meant a lot to OKC and means a lot to the league--but it's foolish to believe this is about morality or integrity or sustaining the competitive well being of the NBA as a whole.
Those things aren't solely on Durant. They never should be on anyone's shoulders. And if your ideal is for a great player to remain on the same team... OK, but Durant doesn't have to stay true to your ideals just because they're yours.
Also, there's some history of great players remaining in place, but...
Michael Jordan stayed with the Bulls when they made sure he had every reason to... and then he left.
Magic Johnson stayed with the Lakers because they made sure he had every reason to.
Larry Bird stayed with the Celtics because they made sure he had every reason to.
Tim Duncan stayed with the Spurs because they made sure he had every reason to.
Durant, 27, had some reasons to leave the Thunder--a team he didn't choose initially, a franchise that moved from Seattle in his second season and a roster that maybe wasn't ideally suited to the way he likes to play.
He had to stay in OKC forever because it makes some NBA fans and ex-players feel better that way?
No, that's not correct, and it wasn't correct for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Jordan at the end of his career, Moses Malone, Scottie Pippen and yes, even my guy Charles Barkley.
They all were judged not by moving on as free agents or forcing trades... but by what happened over the full course of their careers, before and after changing teams.
I can say this, because I've seen a few of these: Durant won't be judged strictly for this decision, he will be judged on the length and breadth of his career, which is now based in the Bay Area.
Does he win a championship (or two or three) here? Does he play well? Will he fit in?
These are the things he would've been judged on in OKC or anywhere he would've gone, and--like LeBron in Miami and then in Cleveland when he ended up there after major free-agent decisions--this is how Durant will be judged with the Warriors.
He won't be judged on the last thing, even though the angriest fans and executives always seem to believe the last thing is the only thing that could possibly ever determine anybody's legacy or fate.
Durant will be judged on the next 100 or 400 things over the next many years of his career, and he knew that even if the angriest people never got that.
-Question: What's the impact of the recent lowered cap projection of $102M (down from $108M) for next July for the Warriors' ability to fit max salaries for both Durant and Stephen Curry next summer?
-My answer: It's not as big a factor as you'd think.
In fact, in one way, a lowered cap figure (if it really is that low next July, and remember, these things get adjusted all the time) could help a bit, as explained by Danny Leroux here.
Yes, it's true that for the Warriors to know they can give Durant the max next season, presuming he opts-out (which he will), they need to be able to fit such a contract into cap space. And that won't be easy.
They won't have his Bird rights by then, and any lowered cap number makes that trickier given their payroll.
But three things to remember in this case, as Curry and Durant both come up for new deals next summer:
1) The Warriors do have Curry's Bird rights, so they can pay everybody whatever they have to under the cap, keeping Curry at his $16.4M cap hold, and after everybody else is signed--including Durant--THEN give Curry the max above and beyond the cap number.
You can always pay your own Bird rights players whatever it takes... so smart teams add the salary they have to under the cap... and then extend their Bird rights players above and beyond the cap line.
The Warriors might go into the luxury tax by doing this (as they did last season, but won't in this coming season), but they've made a ton of money in the last two seasons.
I think Joe Lacob and Peter Guber can afford going into the luxury tax if that's how they keep Curry and Durant.
2) If there's a huge cap jam up next July and the Warriors can't fit a Durant max, they can always give Durant a 20% raise from his current $26.5M max salary as a non-Bird free agent above and beyond the cap-line.
That's not quite his max, but pretty good... and if they paid him that way, they would not need to fit it under cap space.
Under this scenario, Durant could opt-out next July and get $31.8M for the following season in another 1 + 1 deal, opt-out again, get another 20% raise to $38.2M and then build 7.5% raises off of that in a new four-year deal starting in July 2018.
That's complicated. But none of it would have to fit under the cap, and that's important.
If the Warriors don't have to fit Durant under the cap next July, they can--for instance--keep Andre Iguodala's and Shaun Livingston's cap holds... or negotiate new contracts for beyond 2017 without much concern.
This summer, the Warriors haven't signed any deals (other than Durant) beyond 2017 specifically because they don't want to cut into their potential space for Durant's new contract.
But if they don't have to worry about that... many other things are possible.
If these projections are correct, Durant's max next July would be $33.6M.
If he opted-out again, that max number isn't projected to go much higher... in other words, there wouldn't be a large
difference between his true max (which would necessitate cap space) and the 20% raise (which doesn't use cap space).
Maybe it comes to this for Durant: The Warriors might need to either sacrifice Livingston or Iguodala to give Durant the full max (with cap space)... or he could take a little bit less (with the 20% raise not using cap space) and they could keep both.
3) Warriors management just figured out how to add Durant to their core four group by opening up a max slot and moving a handful of players while everybody else in the league looked on.
You think the Warriors couldn't figure out a way to fit Durant next July? They would. They're already planning for this. They're good at planning.
Another thing: The lowered number is just a projection for a year from now and it has already changed once.
-Question: Why haven't the Warriors given Curry a renegotiated max extension and raise like Houston just did with James Harden?
-Answer: The only way teams can do that is if they have the cap room to fit the first-year salary, and the Warriors have been over the cap for several years... and only dipped way under a few days ago to sign Durant.
And they gave him all of the room.
Houston had a ton of room after the cap explosion and the Dwight Howard opt-out and they doled it out to new free agents (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon) and also to the Harden extension.
Side note: I've been asked if Bogut could've agreed to take less than his contracted $11M for this season to stay with the Warriors (and fit Durant under the cap).
The answer: No, that is against the rules, even if Bogut was amenable to it, which he would not have been, I assure you.
Players are not allowed to renegotiate their contracts down, only up.
-Question: Wait, Curry is going to be a free agent next July? How big a deal is that for the Warriors?
-Answer: His contract is up next July, absolutely. He can make whatever decision he wants. The Warriors won't know for sure about his long-term future until he signs a deal with them next July, if he does.
The same way OKC last year had to wait and see on Durant.
Curry will let the contract expire before talking with the Warriors--or any team--because that's the only way he can get his full max, which is now estimated to be $28.8M next July.
As stated above, he can't get a renegotiated max deal now because the Warriors don't have the cap space.
That means, to get the max next July, Curry must first become a free agent and if you become a free agent you can do whatever you wish, just as Durant just did.
So there will be that question until Curry re-signs with the Warriors or does whatever he's going to do.
But Curry just spent many weeks recruiting Durant. He flew out to The Hamptons. He is a central part of possibly one of the greatest lineups ever assembled... after that lineup won 73 games and just missed back-to-back titles.
Also, if the rules remain the same next summer (the owners and players can both opt-out of the current CBA next summer, so they might negotiate a whole new CBA for 2017-2018), the Warriors would be able to pay Curry more than any other team, for a longer-term.
Why would anybody think Curry is ready to leave this?
-Question: OK, what's so sure about Durant staying with the Warriors, since he seemed to have everybody in Oklahoma City convinced he was staying--until after he left and then everybody in OKC all of a sudden decided they knew all along that he was leaving?
-Answer: Like Curry, Durant will hit free agency next summer and nothing will be certain until he agrees to terms with somebody.
But I believe Durant when he says he doesn't want to do this again. And I believe he wants to remain with the Warriors for the long-term.
Obviously that might change--if things go sour this coming season, if he just changes his mind. But that's not the plan.
-Question: Won't the other owners try to break up the Warriors and Cavaliers in next year's CBA opener because so many teams have no chance vs. these two super-teams?
-Answer: Yes, the other teams have no chance and everything must be re-written to balance the field because so many teams are hopeless right now.
Just like LeBron leaving Cleveland for Miami in 2010 was evidence that all struggling teams were helpless and hopeless back then, hey just like Cleveland (lost LeBron!) and the Warriors (years of atrociousness).
Hey, wait. The current super-teams were bad teams a few years ago. YES WHAT JUST HAPPENED ISN'T THE ONLY THING THAT CAN EVER HAPPEN.
The Warriors and Cavaliers were near-dead teams that rebuilt themselves using the system that exists now. It's not the Lakers, Knicks and Celtics that created super-teams just by being bigger and richer...
You can change the course of what's happening now. It's possible. We have two examples now, if you just use some perspective.
I know some owners don't think so, but those are the dumb owners, not the smart ones.
This system favors the smart and the fortunate, just like every system does, including whatever way some owners might want to game the CBA next summer.
-Question: The Warriors had to sacrifice their two shot-blocking centers, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli, to get Durant. Will that be a sore spot this season?
-Answer: Certainly the Warriors lost a lot of rim-protection this summer. But do you know who led the playoffs in blocks? That'd be Draymond Green.
Do you know who led the Western Conference finals in blocks? Not Bogut, Steven Adams or Serge Ibaka.
The block leaders in the WCF both had 12--Draymond and Durant.
This doesn't meant Draymond and Durant are elite rim-protectors, but it also doesn't mean the Warriors are without long-armed guys who can challenge shots.
It just won't be the classic 7-foot shot-blocker... unless Damian Jones develops very quickly this season.
-Question: What's the Warriors' projected starting lineup?
-Answer: Right now, with the addition of Zaza Pachulia, I believe Steve Kerr will slot Pachulia into the Bogut slot, which makes the projected starting lineup--C Pachulia, PF Draymond, SF Durant, SG Klay, PG Curry.
With the bench led by Iguodala and Livingston again.
Before Pachulia was on-board, Kerr was toying with the idea of starting Draymond at center and going with the Super-Death Lineup right off, but Pachulia is good enough for the Warriors to just use that Super Lineup in targeted spots.
-Question: Back to the big picture--what might the owners do to prevent this from ever happening again?
-Answer: I don't know. Certainly nothing that's logical over the long-term, but these owners have proven regularly that they don't know how to look at things like this over the long-term.
The Warriors will have a lower payroll this season WITH DURANT than they would've had without him (and re-signing their free agents like Barnes and Ezeli).
How do you legislate against a team that is lowering it's payroll? That's the point I don't get and won't ever get.
-Question: Will the owners try to break up the Warriors limiting teams to only one "max" player at a time as a way to try to force them to choose between Curry and Durant and try to deny them the chance to extend Klay in 2019 and Draymond in 2020?
-Answer: The other owners could theoretically set up a "only one max" rule, but then all Durant or Curry would have to do is take $1 or $100 less, and one of them doesn't have a "max."
Also, there are always unintended consequences to any move like that.
For instance, if there's an "only one max" rule, well... Memphis just maxed out Mike Conley Jr. because Memphis had to, as a smaller-market team that has to overpay a bit to keep stars.
Oh, and Memphis also just maxed-out Chandler Parsons. That's two max deals--so if the "only one max" rule was in effect this summer, a small-market team like Memphis very likely would've not been able to do this.
And probably would've been worse for it. There are other Memphis-like teams out there that could and should plan to do this into the future, though I imagine their owners right now don't even know it and might vote to prevent themselves from doing it.
Which is dumb.
The market is not about "superstars," it's about timing and availability.
And if you limit the salary spectrum, more players will go to the larger, more attractive markets. I mean, I'm not a
Nobel Prize economist, but even I can see that.
So if you try to break up the Warriors by instituting a "only-one-max" rule, you are then actually hurting teams like Memphis or Minnesota (which has a bunch of young players who eventually will command the max) and any good team that can accumulate young talent.
Like OKC in past years, by the way.
Also: Cleveland has three max players--LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. And Tristan Thompson is very close to the max.
Also, also: The Warriors currently only have one max player: Durant. (Klay Thompson took just less than the literal max in his extension two summers ago, Draymond took less than the max in his extension last summer.)
-Question: Still, what if the owners gang up and institute a hard cap to keep the Warriors from keeping all of these stars? Or get rid of salary limits so it'll be hard to keep two or three stars of this magnitude in an open market with a hard cap?
-Answer: Sure, the owners could do all of those thing, but every one of those things--and other issues like possibly giving teams greater rights to re-sign their own guys--will have unintended consequences that will be about what's happening next, not about what just happened.
The owners demanded shorter-term deals. The owners demanded salary limits. The owners demanded minimizing of sign-and-trade advantages.
All those things helped lead to the Warriors adding Durant and putting together a payroll that will be less than it would've been without him.
If owners allowed longer-term deals, Durant probably would still be signed in OKC. But they did away with them, because they were afraid.
And guess who just figured out how the last set of unintended consequences (from the last CBA re-do) could be used to their advantage... to land Durant?
Bad executives want to legislate backwards, because they couldn't see what was about to happen and they don't know how to adapt and when someone else takes advantage of it the bad executives can't believe that what just happened isn't the only thing that could ever happen.
Good executives look forward--and to the unintended openings created by bad executives who want to legislate backwards.
The post How the Warriors can sign both Durant and Curry next summer and many more non-hysterical answers to hyper-ventilating questions appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
The post A relaxed, comfortable Kevin Durant begins his new Warriors journey, and if he's an NBA villain now, so be it appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
---Straight from today's Merc website (MY VERSION)/
OAKLAND--Kevin Durant wanted a basketball in his hands on Thursday, and he wanted to shoot.
A little earlier, Durant wore a sleek suit, strode on stage at the Warriors' practice site, and cheerily moved through all the proper public paces after signing the two-year, $54.3-million deal with the Warriors that shook the league.
But now, a few dozen minutes after the media barrage, one of the greatest scorers in history wanted to shoot. He was back in sweats, surrounded by friends, relaxed, refreshed, and he wanted to make the ball go through the net at the Warriors' practice court.
"Let's see if my three-ball is working," Durant announced, before a swish, and another, and a few more.
Then he missed one, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers called out, joking: "Hey, we don't miss shots on this team!"
Durant just laughed and nodded, and pumped a few more in, stepping backwards and backwards, almost to half-court, and the ball kept going through the net.
This was the new scourge of the NBA, the man who enraged the entire state of Oklahoma and infuriated the league after leaving the Thunder to join the Warriors' collection of stars.
But Durant seemed completely at peace as he put up those shots, just as comfortable as he was answering questions and explaining why, at 27, he had decided to move West and join Stephen Curry & Co.
It was about that basketball and that rim--about being happy, about success, about comfort, and about committing to that decision.
And if Durant was shocked or flustered by the fusillade of criticism, he showed no signs of it.
In fact, he said he figured this would happen.
"I knew the dance was about to start," Durant said of his feelings once he decided to go to the Warriors. "I knew it was coming."
So, instead of sounding defensive and resentful, Durant just repeated that he knew the Warriors were the right team for him.
He that he could be the "missing piece of the puzzle" after they barely missed a chance for back-to-back championships a few weeks ago, and he said that he was ready for a new challenge.
Would he have come here if the Warriors were the two-time defending champions?
"They weren't, though, you know?" Durant said. "They weren't. Who knows. We can talk about hypotheticals all day. But they weren't.
"That's one thing I saw as well–they were so hungry to get back to where they were. Obviously they won 73 games. But they didn't really care about that."
Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson just wanted to add Durant so they could win more titles and enjoy the journey together. Durant wanted that exactly.
Owner Joe Lacob, Myers, coach Steve Kerr: All the same, all on the same page, as Lacob told Durant at the Warriors' presentation in The Hamptons last weekend.
The funny thing, Durant said, is that he's being accused of taking the easy way out.
No, Durant said, it's the opposite for him personally--he has to move his family out from Oklahoma City after eight years, he has to figure out where to live and how this all will work on and off the court.
But that's also what seems to energize him about this--if it felt easier, it probably would've been the wrong decision.
And if Durant and the Warriors are destined to be considered NBA super-villains this season and for all seasons they're together, he seemed fairly reasonable about it.
He used to be one of the league's good guys; maybe he can take a lot of people thinking he is the opposite now.
"We live in this superhero comic book world where either you're a villain or you're a superhero if you're in this position, and I know that," Durant said.
"And I know I haven't changed as a person. I don't treat people any differently because I made the decision to play basketball in another city.
"I understand the fans in Oklahoma City and basketball fans around the world are, I guess, upset, but like I said, I made the decision based upon what I wanted to do and how I felt, and it's the best decision for me."
So yes, Durant seemed like a man who had picked up his things and moved far from his old home, but liked where he was.
And even though he plans to opt-out of this deal next July, that's merely to take advantage of the larger money available then. Which the Warriors will pay.
"I don't want to go through that again," Durant said of open free agency. "I plan on being here. I'm committed.
"I'm looking forward to a new era of basketball for me, personally, and it should be fun."
Durant, against the odds, had fun on Thursday, in his suit and in sweats, answering questions and firing up long-distance jumpers.
He was comfortable. He was eager. And the ball kept going through the net, again and again.
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The post Kevin Durant, after the presser on the Warriors: "I'm committed; I'm looking forward to a new era of basketball for me, personally, and it should be fun" appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
OAKLAND--Right to Kevin Durant's very interesting and thoughtful comments to a bunch of us after the presser...
---KEVIN DURANT post-presser gaggle transcript/
-Q: You've faced criticism for coming here to chase championships. But were you more interested in joining these particular players?
-DURANT: Yeah, nothing's guaranteed. I've been through it--getting injured, guys getting traded, guys get moved around. So nothing is for sure in this league.
You can put together the best team you can, but things have to click. I know that.
I was drawn to moreso who they were as a whole organization. It felt like they just loved each other unconditionally, they had fun playing the game of basketball.
Like I said, those four coming to my meeting and talking about the culture and how they built it and how they want to sustain it... it was key.
-Q: You said you wanted to look into their eyes. What did you see?
-DURANT: I just saw a bunch of real guys. Simple as that. That enjoy playing together, that enjoy the game of basketball.
It felt like they weren't in the NBA. It felt like those guys just play pick-up every single day and they just really enjoy pure basketball. That's the kind of feel that I wanted.
All this stuff comes with the game. I know. But what's most important, what's going to last forever, is the game, the game of basketball, and they play it the right way.
-Q: [Didn't hear the question...]
-DURANT: I didn't know. I just heard from the guys, just from the outside looking in, how great this organization is.
It's easy to go back to something you're comfortable with and you know. But I think it's hard.
It may seem like I took the easiest route, but I think this is the hardest route for me. Because people on the outside only see the product on the court.
I've got to find somewhere to live. I've got to move my family out here. Me and my little brother live together, I've got to find out... he doesn't have any friends out here.
So it's the small stuff that people don't know that is going to be a challenge for me. So I'm looking forward to it all.
That's what life is about--it's always progressing, trying to adapt to change.
-Q: You signed a 1 + 1. Obviously things can change, but are you committed to this team no matter what?
-DURANT: Yeah, I plan on being here. I plan... I don't want to go through that again. I plan on being here. I'm committed.
I'm looking forward to a new era of basketball for me, personally, and it should be fun.
-Q: Did you know from the outside what kind of guys these were here?
-DURANT: Yeah, you could see it. A lot of people talk about how tight they are, how much they enjoy each other.
But sometimes that stuff can be fabricated. But to see them together... it was just... you could tell that it was true.
-Q: Was it just you and the players in the room? Or was it everybody?
-DURANT: Everybody was there. We broke up and talked. I asked them, 'How is it there? How's the culture? How do the guys work? How is film session? How is being on the plane?' You know, that stuff. The stuff that you don't really see that goes into the product that you put on the court.
I asked them about that. And it just seemed real to me.
-Q: How much pressure do you feel now as the strong favorites to win the title?
-DURANT: Pressure is... I've dealt with a lot of pressure, more pressure than this, with my family growing up.
So I try to look at this as a game. It's not life or death. You know, we play basketball for a living. We get to take care of our families. I want to enjoy every day. That's all it is.
A lot of people are going to bring pressure in this building and a lot of people are going to expect different things... but every single day just keep building that foundation, brick-by-brick, and there's nothing guaranteed.
Take it a day at a time and see what happens at the end.
-Q: You've got the players who've won the last three MVPs. Does this feel like a super-team to you?
-DURANT: No. What is a super team?
-Q: Four players that are All-Star caliber, two of you have won the last three MVPs. Seems pretty loaded.
-DURANT: It doesn't feel forced; the relationship between me and this team doesn't feel forced.
So it just feels like the missing piece of the puzzle that was missing, I guess. I wouldn't say...
Everybody on the outside, of course, the fans of the game, they see it as a super-team, but we've still got to put the work in. The league has gotten better.
There's a lot of good team that have gotten better this summer with acquisitions. We've got our work cut out for us, but I'm looking forward to the journey.
-Q: With the roots you put down in Oklahoma City, what kind of roots do you hope to plant here in Oakland?
-DURANT: I didn't go to Oklahoma City trying to do anything, not expecting anything. I was just going out there and being myself. And people enjoyed who I was as a person, I guess, and how I played the game of basketball.
Everywhere I go, no matter if I play there or not, I try to impact someone every single day, no matter the city I'm in.
So it doesn't take for you to live somewhere to influence someone. And I know that. I appreciate the platform we have as NBA players to do that. I'm just looking forward to being a part of this community, helping out as much as I can as a basketball player and as an ambassador of just the game of basketball as a whole. I'm just excited to be here.
-Q: Will you open a restaurant here?
-DURANT: Man, it's been three days. So I don't know yet.
[Skipped a question and answer]
-Q: If the Warriors win it again this year and become two-time defending champions, does this maybe not happen like this?
-DURANT: They weren't, though, you know? They weren't. Who knows. We can talk about hypotheticals all day. But they weren't.
That's one thing I saw as well--they were so hungry to get back to where they ewre. Obviously they won 73 games. But they didn't really care about that.
They didn't come in and say, 'Look, we won 73 games, you should be a part of our team.'
It was moreso, 'You would fit in personality-wise, you would love playing basketball with this group of guys. And everybody complements each other on the court.'
Like I said, you could think about hypotheticals all day.
-Q: Was there any doubt that Steph would embrace you coming here, based on what you already knew about him?
-DURANT: In this league, I've seen a lot of guys with crazy egos. And it's a guy that's on top of the world right now; he's the face of the NBA in a lot of people's eyes.
And I wanted to see if he really would embrace me as a player and as a person. And I had no doubts that he would.
He showed that he was all-in on this. He flew away from his family to come to the meeting and be a part of the meeting. That showed me how much he cared, how much he wanted to be a part of it.
Two or three days after they'd left, those guys were blowing my phone up, from Mr. Lacob to 'Dre to Draymond to Klay--like I said, who I thought didn't even own a phone... to Steph, and to Shaun Livingston.
So I felt like they wanted me to be here.
-Q: Did going through that seven-game series give you a better feel for this team?
-DURANT: Yeah. You know, that competitive edge that we had. We competed, and I respect anyone that plays this game and that competes on the court.
We can talk about... all this other stuff... but if you go out there and play the game the right way and respect the game, I respect you.
And those guys respected the game of basketball--they played with passion and fire, just like I did, and I respected them.
-Q: What was your feel for Steve Kerr in this? What was your relationship with him like before this?
-DURANT: One thing that stood out to me was All-Star Game in 2015, he did something that I hadn't ever seen before. And I thought it was unique.
He had his video guy come in right before the All-Star Game and he showed pictures of every one of the players--he showed a picture of James [Harden], Russell and I and he said one thing that stood out.
He said, 'I know you guys played a lot together; you're not on the same team any more, but I know it's going to bring back a lot of memories. We're going to put you guys on the court together.'
That made me feel like he had things in perspective and we could talk about basketball, his X's and O's, but that stood out to me. That shows the type of man he is.
-Q: When you told your family you'd made your decision, was it a huge load lifted from you?
-DURANT: Yeah, but I knew the dance was about to start. I knew it was coming.
But they trusted me, they trusted my decision; I trusted them throughout this whole process. I knew they would love me no matter what. I tried to stick to the love, man, and just hold onto that part of it. I'll make my decision and I did and I'm happy I'm here.
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The post How did the Warriors land Kevin Durant? Will the league try to break this group up? Asked and answered on "Warriors Plus Minus" (guest-starring ESPN's Marc Stein) appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
The post How did the Warriors land Kevin Durant? Will the league try to break this group up? Asked and answered on "Warriors Plus Minus" (guest-starring ESPN's Marc Stein) appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
The post Warriors owner Joe Lacob on what it took to sign Kevin Durant, the new payroll realities, and that "light-years" quote (new "TK Show" episode) appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
There aren't many moments like this for any team owner, at any time, and there was some basking in that, of course.
But while Lacob detailed how this all happened during this appearance on "TK Show" today--minutes after the Durant presser--Lacob was also looking ahead, as he almost always does.
He was looking ahead two years ago when the Warriors brass first started contemplating the idea of chasing--and perhaps landing--Durant this summer.
I asked Lacob about his infamous "light-years ahead" comment from the New York Times Sunday magazine story a few months ago, I asked him about making all these changes to a roster that won 73 games and I asked him how the meeting went with Durant earlier this month in The Hamptons.
There's a lot of detail in here.
But the larger picture: There just aren't many days in a the history of a team, and the Warriors have now had a few of them under Lacob, which you couldn't say about the previous administration (or many of the other ownership groups in this league).
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The post Kevin Durant presser: "When I met these guys, I felt as comfortable as I've ever felt; it was organic, it was authentic, it was real, and it was feelings I couldn't ignore" appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
OAKLAND--That was a relaxed, happy Kevin Durant up on the dais for his introductory presser with the Warriors.
That was my main thought as he went through the official part of it--opening statements, answering a few questions--and that continued to be the mood through his less formal remarks with a group of us afterwards.
We shall see how this all works out, but for now, Durant certainly didn't seem fidgety about all the criticism he has received for leaving Oklahoma City to join this super-team and he looked absolutely comfortable with the spotlight that he has now drawn to himself and this team.
--Here's the transcript of the official part, as provided by the Warriors...
BOB MYERS: I still can't believe I'm sitting next to him to be honest. Our job, my job, Joe and I talk all year long, but basically we just try to -- myself with the rest of the front office, we just try to get better every time we -- every day we wake up, and you never expect to get this much better. But yeah, I mean, Kevin Durant, we love people that love to play basketball. We love people that are high-character people, and you can't find a better embodiment of that than the guy sitting next to me.
We all can dream. Most of the time the dreams don't come true, but I've admired Kevin as a basketball fan, just as somebody who loves basketball, watching him play. So honestly, Bob, to be totally honest, until he called me and told me he was coming, I didn't think he was coming.
But we did the best we could. We tried and we met, and we were hopeful that he would recognize us as a team that would be a team he could succeed with and enjoy going to work every day with and just love being a part of this organization.
So we're thrilled. I'm thrilled. What I'm most excited about is when you don't play for us, you don't get to see guys play as much, but I get to see our team play all the time. I'm just excited to watch you play. I'm so honored that you're here, and I'm so honored you chose us to play for. It's a wonderful feeling, so thank you.
BOB FITZGERALD: Steve, the style that you've encouraged in terms of unselfishness and good shots becoming great shots, being the leading scoring team, being an elite defensive team, basketball-wise, how does Kevin Durant fit in with the Warriors and that incredibly talented core that was already here?
STEVE KERR: Well, I haven't made the decision yet, but he might start. I think it's safe to say Kevin would fit into any style, but I think with our players, the guys that we have already, and Kevin could probably talk more about this, I think that was attractive to him to be able to play with Draymond and Steph and Klay, because of the way those guys play. We have guys who are not just shooters, not just ball handlers. We kind of have a bunch of basketball players, and that's what's made our team really good the last couple years.
So to add another guy who is so talented and not just a shooter or not just a defender, he's a basketball player, and we think the style fits him perfectly. We think he suits us perfectly, and the combination of all these guys playing together should be a lot of fun to watch.
BOB FITZGERALD: KD, you wrote that the last two weeks have been some of the most challenging of your life and that this decision reflected your basketball career but also your growth as a man. Tell people about these two weeks and just anything that jumped out at you and how that whole process went.
KEVIN DURANT: Oh, it's been hectic. You know, there's a lot of attention that comes with being in this position, and I knew that. When I met these guys, I felt as comfortable as I've ever felt. It was organic, it was authentic, it was real, and it was feelings I couldn't ignore. I made a decision to come and play for these guys, and I feel great, and I feel excited about this opportunity.
BOB FITZGERALD: When you look at your relationships in international play, even with Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala, you're playing against a Draymond Green, a Klay Thompson, they wanted you and welcomed you. How much of the personality fit was important as well as the basketball fit for you?
KEVIN DURANT: I was shocked that those four guys came to meet me a couple of days ago. The team won 73 games and a championship before. I didn't think they would be interested in a player like me because they've had so much success. But to see them together, they all walked in and it looked like they were holding hands. It was just a family.
I could tell they enjoyed being around each other, and like I said, that was something I couldn't ignore. It was just a great vibe throughout the whole day. I'm glad I'm here, man. Like I said, I'm excited, and I'm just ready to play ball.
BOB FITZGERALD: Steve, you're having a little fun with Kevin. His career high is 54 against the Warriors, and he had 30 plus in the first half in a game at Oracle before he twinged his ankle a little bit. You said your defense got much better after Kevin wasn't on the floor. Having to stop him and now having to use him, I would think that's a nice turn of events.
STEVE KERR: Yeah, and then the other factor is everybody talks offense all the time. We had a pretty tough time in the Playoffs with Kevin's length and versatility defensively, and of course that's kind of been our calling card as a defense the last couple years, the versatility, the ability to switch, and Kevin fits perfectly into that style.
It really does feel like it should be seamless, and that probably won't be the case. There's always some bumps. But it does feel like it's a perfect fit at both ends and that we should hit the ground running, and that's the hope.
BOB FITZGERALD: Bob, as you put a roster together, you always talk talent evaluation, but the people, and you mention Kevin as a person, his reputation in the league and just how he's viewed among basketball, did that click right away in pursuing him and seeing that he would fit in the Warrior organization as a person and with the Bay Area and with the team?
BOB MYERS: I got lucky; when Kevin and his agent Rich Kleiman called me and said he was coming, I said, can I come out there right now, so I got to spend the last couple days with him and I got to know his father, brother, got to know Rich Kleiman really well and I got to know Kevin a little bit. I didn't know him. I knew who I thought he was, and the best thing I can say is he is actually better. It's rare to meet someone of Kevin's stature and to have them exceed your expectations because I think the whole league and fans of basketball know who you are and know what you're about, but to get up close, most of the time you're disappointed, to be frank, but I was -- like I said, he's better than I thought.
Like I said, I mean, we try when we put a team together to have people that are high-quality, care about each other, unselfish, and most importantly, just love going to work every day and playing basketball.
All Kevin wants to talk about is basketball, and that's fantastic because being around people that are passionate about what they do, it's enjoyable, being around somebody that wants to talk about how he can fit into our team. The only problem we had was I told him Steve wasn't going to play him 39 minutes, and he wants to play more, but they can figure that out. But it's been tremendous, and everybody in the NBA would be lucky to have a guy like this on their team.
BOB FITZGERALD: Kevin, you talked about your growth as a basketball player. Third highest scoring average in NBA history. The other two guys have first names, Wilt, Michael, you. Eight rebounds a game, actually led the Thunder a year ago in rebounding, and then Steve mentioned the defense in the Playoffs where your length, your shot blocking at the rim was incredible. What do you want for the next stage basketball-wise as player? We know you can score like breathing, but what else are you really looking for in this next stage?
KEVIN DURANT: I really don't know. I just want to go out there and whatever I need to work on I'm sure is going to avail itself. But I want to keep getting better. I want to learn from these guys. I want to come in and lead as best as I can and just be myself. I don't know what's going to get better throughout the year, it's just going to happen. That's how I approach the game. I play with instinct and real spontaneous when I'm out there, so whatever it is, man, I'm just trying to grow and get better and enjoy playing the game.
BOB FITZGERALD: Steve, the way the Warriors play, you said Kevin is a perfect fit there. Do you see a way a team can deal with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green in that unselfishness, in that movement? I mean, offensively this should be one of the most exciting offensive teams that the league has seen.
STEVE KERR: Well, that's the idea. That was the idea behind bringing him here. We knew what kind of team we already had. We knew we could get better, and we lost in The Finals. We want to get better. Bob said it, we want to get better every year, but we lost in The Finals this year. We want to do better.
You can't do much better -- you can't do any better than adding KD to the current crew, and our staff is excited. We're already talking about different ways we can put the pieces together, and it's going to be a lot of fun once we get rolling.
Q. Kevin, our minds are already going crazy with the possibilities with the Warriors, but I know you were deeply rooted in Oklahoma City, too. How difficult a decision was this for you over the last several weeks?
KEVIN DURANT: Oh, it was difficult. Being in a place for so long and the relationships that I've built, it was hard. You know, I went back and forth for two or three days, and it was tough. Like I said, I've been there for so long, but this new journey I'm excited for, I'm looking forward to. Those nine years you can't erase. That love doesn't fade. Those memories don't erase.
It's always going to be a part of who I am, but this next step in my life, I want to conquer it and get better every single day.
Q. Kevin, you talked about the last two weeks being intense. There's a lot of layers to a decision like this, but when you get near the end and you got clarity, what thoughts and emotions drove you to the decision the most?
KEVIN DURANT: I just felt like this group of guys, when they came in to see me, everything was real. You know, you hear on the outside looking in, you hear nothing but great things about this organization, and you never know how it is until you get face-to-face with these guys, but to see Steph, Klay, Andre, Draymond walk in the house I was at, I could tell they were about business.
Like I said, they were a huge family walking in. Everybody was excited, and the conversation was just -- it was just effortless. It was a great fit, and I felt like this was the best fit for me.
Q. Kevin, in your letter that you wrote describing your decision to come to the Warriors, you mentioned some things about your growth as an individual, as a man and so forth. Could you elaborate on what you mean in terms of what this area might be able to help you with in that area?
KEVIN DURANT: I was more speaking on making a decision that I want to make. In this life you tend to base things on the outside crowd and opinions of everybody else, so I tried not to worry about that and sit down and focus on what I wanted as a player and as a person, and I figured this was the best place for me.
Q. This is obviously a big moment in your career and in your life, but what is your message to those that will vilify you for the decision that you made to come here?
KEVIN DURANT: I can't control that. All I can control is how I come to work every single day and what I do to help this team win. I knew that was a part of this whole deal. That's just the life we live. But every single day all I can control is how I work. I can't really worry about the outside noise.
Q. What was your conversation like with Jerry West? A lot has been made out of that. But maybe what were some of the things you asked him and some of the things he shed light on for you?
KEVIN DURANT: We just talked about the Warriors and how I would be a great fit and how I would love the guys and the whole organization. Nothing more than that. I know it's Jerry West and I know he's the logo, and you're expecting a sexier conversation, but it was more so about the team and how I could fit in and how great the coaching staff was. Yeah, so that's just about it.
Q. Kevin, after your last game here you said that these three guys up front were going to be the guys you made the decision with. Did you really delve in with your father and the two guys here, or did you come up on the final decision yourself, and when did you make that decision and what was that call like to OKC?
KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, we sat down and we went through the pros and cons of every team, every situation. We looked at it all. But they were here to support me, to be there for me. You know, I trusted them, and I think the 3rd, the night before 4th of July, we were talking and I was just torn, and I told them I wanted to sleep on it, and when I woke up, I woke up about 7:00 in the morning, and I walked in their rooms, they were all asleep, and I woke them up, and I just said, I want to go to the Warriors. We all gave each other hugs and we moved on from there. We knew a lot of tension was going to come with it, but we just stuck to what I wanted to do, and we moved on.
That call to Oklahoma City was the hardest thing to do I've ever had to do in my life. Tears were shed, but this is, like I said, a new journey for me, testing the unknown, and I trusted it. I trusted my gut. I trusted my instincts. It's the unpopular decision, but I can live with it.
Q. Kevin, you said you're not going to listen to the outside noise. You alluded to the unpopular decision. What is your response to those who are saying that you're trying to take a shortcut to a championship?
KEVIN DURANT: Nothing in this league is easy. There's no shortcuts. We've still got 82 games to play. It's an adjustment period.
I think this is the hardest road because I don't know anybody here. I've never lived in this community, never played for this team, and I took a leap. Steph was one guy that said, texted me a couple days before, just trust what we're saying. It took me a couple hours to really think about that, and it's hard for me to just trust somebody I just met and just talked to and making this huge change, but like I said, I went with my gut and my instincts and I trusted the situation, and it's not the easy situation because I'm out of my comfort zone. Like I said, I'm looking forward to learning and getting better every single day, and I know it's going to be ups and downs throughout the season. I know we're expected to be perfect every single day, but I know that's not realistic. I'm super excited, man. I'm pumped to get started.
Q. A lot of people have expressed resentment about you joining the Warriors as if you've done something morally wrong. Do you feel guilty?
KEVIN DURANT: No. I mean, we live in this superhero comic book world where either you're a villain or you're a superhero if you're in this position, and I know that, and I know I haven't changed as a person. I don't treat people any differently because I made the decision to play basketball in another city. I understand the fans in Oklahoma City and basketball fans around the world are, I guess, upset, but like I said, I made the decision based upon what I wanted to do and how I felt, and it's the best decision for me, so I can't really control how you feel. I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm going to continue to live my life. Life goes on, and I've got a short amount of time left to play basketball. I just want to enjoy every single day of it.
Q. We first started hearing about and maybe writing about this possibility two years ago, maybe even longer than that. When did this possibility, you coming to the Warriors, first kind of enter your mind seriously? Was it that long ago maybe? Was it a progression in your mind to kind of convince yourself that this was the right place over a long period of time?
KEVIN DURANT: I think it was 7:00 on July 4th I knew this was a possibility. I've been in Oklahoma City for eight years, been with the organization for nine years, and it was like the toughest day of my life. But you know, I figured that it was a time for me to try something new and try a new challenge, and there's no better place to do it than here.
Q. How big a factor were the relationships you had with players on this team before you made this decision? Like does it happen without Draymond? Does it happen without some of the other guys on the team?
KEVIN DURANT: I wanted to see those guys face-to-face, so the meeting that they had was very important. I wanted to look Steph in his eyes and ask him how he felt about a guy like me joining this team and the rest of the guys and Klay. Klay, I didn't even expect him to be here. I didn't think --
BOB FITZGERALD: We didn't, either. You never know.
KEVIN DURANT: He texted me. I didn't know he had a phone. (Laughter.) So he exceeded my expectations as a person.
But yeah, those guys, like I said, they came in, it felt like they were hand in hand and they just wanted to let me know how much I fit in with their group personality-wise. They're different guys, but they all come together and make it work. Like I said, it was natural. It was authentic, and it was real. I just felt like I needed to be a part of it.
Q. How important specifically was your relationship with Andre Iguodala? It was reported that he got very emotional in that meeting, and also Ron Adams, sitting to my right here, how important was your relationship with him because you've spoken very highly of him in the past?
KEVIN DURANT: Ron Adams was the only reason why I came. (Laughter.)
But Andre was huge. He spilled it out. He said that it would be the most fun you'll have in your life, and the guys all love to play basketball, they love each other, they love the environment, and he was just real, man, and I believed him. He was genuine.
And Ron, he just -- playing under him for a couple of years in OKC, he just taught me so much about the game of basketball. I'm excited to get back on the floor with him, as well.
BOB FITZGERALD: Bob, when does Ron Adams' extension kick in?
BOB MYERS: Yeah, we're going to talk about that in 15 minutes. (Laughter.)
Q. You talked about your existing relationships with members of the Warriors. Three fifths of the starting lineup, assuming Steve starts you, will be on the Olympic team, and I'm wondering how much that will -- that experience will go toward bonding, getting the chemistry going, kind of jump starting next season.
KEVIN DURANT: Well, it definitely helps. It helps, just being around Klay and Draymond for a month. I know what that experience is like and I know how close it brought me and a few guys in 2012, so to have two teammates part of this experience with me, it's going to be amazing, just getting to know them outside of basketball. I know all about them on the basketball court, but as people I'm looking forward to getting to know them even more.
Q. You're coming to a team with a different style, kind of unique style of play. How is that adjustment going to work? How long is it going to take, and how hard is it going to be to make that adjustment?
KEVIN DURANT: However long it takes. I don't want to put a time limit on it, but I'm a veteran player in this league and I feel like I know the game pretty well. I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm going to listen as much as I can and try to get things as quickly as possible and just be me, man. They told me just to be myself. I don't want to go out there and try to be extra vocal or be too quiet or not shoot the shots that I normally shoot. I just want to be myself and enjoy this process, and I know it's going to take some time because it's all fresh and new, but it's going to be all worth it.
Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Russell Westbrook yet, and also, what could you say about where that relationship truly was at the end of your tenure there?
KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, I talked to him. I talked to him. It's tough. Obviously we were teammates for so long and I had a lot of great memories. I'm sure he wasn't happy about the decision, but he respected it as my friend.
And the relationship was great. You know, we had great years, something that you'll never take away from us. But like I said, I wanted a new chapter in my life. I felt like it was time for it, and I made the decision. I couldn't consider totally everybody's feelings at this point because it would be hard to, so I just tried to focus on me but also realize the relationships that I had I still wanted those to be -- I'm sure they won't be the same, but I still wanted to go out there and leave with some class and some dignity, but hopefully I did, hopefully he understands, and I'm sure we'll talk again.
Q. This is Steph Curry's country; what makes you comfortable coming to play with him, and what did he say to you to make you feel like he was welcoming to you?
KEVIN DURANT: He doesn't care about that stuff from what it feels like. He just wants to play. He wants to win. He's a point guard. It's not like I play the same position as him and we have to figure out how we're going to play together. I think it would be his players' game. He wants to pass. But I think we complement each other because we both can play off the basketball. We both can shoot, both can make plays. You know, it is what it is. I know he was excited. He just texted me right before I walked up here, so he's looking forward to it, as well.
Q. You had mentioned not having any connections here and not knowing anyone. Is there anything on your checklist that you're looking forward to doing as a new California resident, and that extends also to your mom?
KEVIN DURANT: It's been, what, three days since I've been a part of this team. No, we'll see. I've got a busy summer ahead with the Olympic team, so I'm sure when that's over I'll figure all that stuff out. But just excited to be a part of this organization and play with these great players and play in front of these unbelievable fans and try to do the best I can as a player to help win games.
STEVE KERR: I just wanted to say one more thing. Just as we've talked about how much Kevin is going to miss Oklahoma City and the people and the relationships that he built there, I know I speak on behalf of Bob and Joe and our entire organization when I say how much we're going to miss the players who are moving on now as a result of the shift in the roster. I want to say thank you to Andre Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush and Festus Ezeli. It's a lot of really good people who are moving on who helped us win a championship and helped create what is here and what is represented by a lot of these photos on the walls here.
But this is the NBA, and players move on, players play for different teams, teams try to get better. It's all kind of part of the business as we know, but it's always important to just remember the relationships that have been built and the fact that those don't change once people change uniforms.
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The post 10 Twists of Fate that helped lead Kevin Durant to the Warriors, starting with Steph Curry landing on the 2010 national team appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
This is not fun news for the rest of the league, obviously. The Warriors are loading up--but that was what they presumed when they gutted the bottom half of their roster to make room for Durant, anyway. They figured solid veterans would want to join them at whatever dollars the Warriors could come up with, the same way vets joined the Showtime Lakers or Bird-McHale-Parish Celtics.
And it's happening.
We know the major recent reasons Kevin Durant decided this week to leave the Thunder and come to the Warriors and I think Marcus Thompson II and I have written probably 40,000 words combined on it the last few months or years...
-The presence of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala at the face-to-face team pitch to Durant in The Hamptons on Friday;
-Jerry West's phone conversation with Durant on Saturday;
-Joe Lacob, Peter Guber and Bob Myers' overall rebuilding and re-branding of the Warriors into a new version of the
Lakers or Celtics;
-Durant's interest in the Silicon Valley venture-capitalist mindset of this franchise;
-Durant's eagerness to try something new and re-set the NBA landscape with a core group ready and hungry to create a dynasty.
But any event this large takes many dozens of things happening just perfectly and almost randomly along the way; stretching back at least six years, there were absolutely many other interesting twists that helped lead to this.
Let's take a look at some of them, in chronological order...
1. Stephen Curry made the 2010 US team in the World Championships (played in Turkey), putting him alongside Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.
It was after Curry's rookie season with the Warriors, when he was 22 and the ankle problems hadn't yet started cropping up.
Curry was picked mostly to groom him for future teams, not for anything he'd done yet as a pro--certainly not in the Warriors' dreadful 26-56 campaign his rookie season (alongside Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, Vladimir Radmanovic and Anthony Randolph, among others).
And he was treated like it: Curry was one of the last guards off the bench in the tournament, behind Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Chauncey Billups, among others.
During the run-up to the tournament and through the games, Iguodala (then-26) and Curry became good friends and workout partners, which was a key part of Iguodala's decision to join the Warriors in 2013--right after the Warriors defeated the Nuggets in the playoffs.
And the star and by far leading scorer of that 2010 Team USA was... Kevin Durant, 22 at the time, coming off his third NBA season and first trip to the All-Star Game
Guess who fell right in with Curry and Iguodala during those workouts... and kept in touch with those two separately (while Iguodala was still with Denver) and then together (when Iguodala moved to the Warriors in 2013).
Coincidentally, right after the Warriors defeated Durant's Thunder in this year's playoffs... another 2010 teammate agreed to join up with Curry (and Iguodala).
If Curry doesn't land on that team, and find a kinship with both Iguodala and Durant, maybe the Warriors would've had a shot either either guy... but it would've been a lesser shot.
--Also on that team: Kevin Love, Danny Granger, Lamar Odom, Tyson Chandler and Rudy Gay.
2. Curry signed a way under-market, four-year, $44M extension in October 2012.
We all know the reason why Curry took less than Ty Lawson ended up with ($48M) or just about the same as DeMar DeRozan ($40M)--Curry, then-24, was in the middle of his ankle issues, hadn't yet made an All-Star team, and wanted some security as he entered his fourth season.
The Warriors had just turned the team over him by trading Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut in March of that year and Curry was ready to commit to the franchise now... knowing that he was still in line to get a monster deal in 2017.
Well, two MVPs and one title later, Curry is absolutely in line for a contract that will start at over $30M next July, and the Warriors will happily give it to him.
But Curry has out-performed his salaries by so much that it enabled the Warriors to easily fit in extensions for Klay Thompson (4 years, $69M) and Draymond Green (5 years, $85M) in the last few years.
And Curry's $12.1M salary for this coming season--instead of, say, James Harden's $16.8M salary (from the same draft class)--worked perfectly for the Warriors as they planned to create that $26.5M max space for Durant this
Every dollar counts, especially when the Warriors had extreme math issues for the last several years, as they built to the moment when they could sit down with Durant.
They could keep Curry, Klay, Draymond and Iguodala (and Shaun Livingsgton)... and still add Durant; that was the pitch that sealed this and it would not have been possible without Curry making so much less than he is worth.
3. Dwight Howard did not agree to a four-year sign-and-trade offer from the Warriors in July 2013, and instead chose to sign outright with the Houston Rockets.
It would've still been possible for the Warriors to chase Durant if Howard had been on their team the last three seasons, but who knows what the chemistry would've been like.
And who knows if the Warriors would've had the same kind of success after having to ship out Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, among others, to the Lakers, to make the sign-and-trade work for Dwight.
We know that Dwight opted out of his deal with Houston after three seasons--after twice losing to the Warriors in the playoffs--became a free agent, and agreed to a new deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
And now we know that, after realizing they couldn't get it done with Dwight in 2013, the Warriors quickly turned around and agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with Denver to land... Andre Iguodala.
4. Neither Harrison Barnes nor Ezeli accepted the Warriors' final extension offers last October.
It was reported that Barnes turned down 4 years, $64M ($16M per), and it is not known what Ezeli could've gotten from the Warriors back then (almost certainly more than $10M per).
The Warriors could've still maneuvered to land Durant this summer even with Barnes and Ezeli under contract (they would've had to make room elsewhere or put one or both into trades to clear the space), but it would've been more complicated.
They would've either had to add Barnes and Ezeli to Bogut among the players they traded away for nothing, or they would've had to figure out how to put Barnes and/or Ezeli into a sign-and-trade package with the Thunder for Durant, and those are pretty complicated these days.
5. Festus Ezeli was hurt and limited for much of the regular season and was horrible in the playoffs.
It was pretty clear the Warriors were always ready to sacrifice Barnes in whatever way possible if it meant landing Durant--hey, Durant plays the same position, only at a Hall of Fame level.
The nagging question for the Warriors last summer was what they do with Ezeli, who, after his solid playoff performance in 2015, was logically viewed as their future starting center, once Bogut moved on.
The Warriors weren't sure about walking away from Ezeli as a player and as a value, as a young shot-blocking center, though they weren't sure what price they could pay for him and if that price would fit into any roster that included Durant.
Then Ezeli got hurt again (he has played only 92 regular-season games in the last three regular seasons), was way out of rhythm when he got back, and with the exception of a game or two, was largely awful throughout the playoffs, including his disastrous defensive yips in Game 7.
I'm not sure how Steve Kerr could've ever put Ezeli back into a pressure game after that.
That made the Warriors' decision to renounce Ezeli to make room for Durant a lot easier. They probably would've done it anyway, but it made it a complete no-brainer.
6. The salary cap for this coming season landed at $94.1M, up from the projected
$84.7M $89M of just over a year ago, which opened up a lot more flexibility for the Warriors.
In some models from a few years ago, I projected that the Warriors wouldn't be able to open up max space for Durant because the numbers didn't work, that they'd have to try a sign-and-trade, or possibly dump Iguodala and/or Shaun Livingston--but that was using a cap figure in the 80s.
Once the cap was projected above $90M, cap-cleaning models that did not involve losing either Iguodala or Livingston became possible, and that was a total green light for Lacob, Myers & Co.
Would Durant have balked at joining a team without Iguodala or Livingston? I'm not sure, but the Warriors never had to worry about that once the cap rose to $94.1M.
7. The Warriors avoided elimination by winning Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City two months ago, thanks to Klay Thompson's incredible shooting barrage.
The Warriors had to finish off the come back from a 3-1 deficit by winning Game 7 at Oracle Arena, but Game 6 was the desperation moment.
Game 6 was when they plucked themselves out of the Thunder's clutches.
Yes, Durant was the Thunder's leading force... and if Oklahoma City had survived this, it seems it'd be a lot less likely that he'd be ready to join the team OKC just beat in the WCFs, no matter what the Thunder would've done against Cleveland in the Finals.
And if the Thunder had gone on to win the title, well, Durant wouldn't be leaving then, you wouldn't think.
In the WCFs, Durant saw that OKC was close enough to the Warriors to almost beat them, but maybe he saw that the Thunder, as constructed, with Westbrook dominating the ball for many possessions, might never quite have what it takes to knock off Curry, Draymond, Klay & the rest, if that group was staying together.
8. The Warriors couldn't score in the last 4 minutes of Game 7 of the Finals against Cleveland, and blew a shot at back-to-back titles after going up 3-1 last month.
Specifically, I think Durant probably was very interested in the last the last four minutes of Game 7, watching Curry scurry around the three-point line, Klay out there, too, and the Warriors begging for anybody else to step forward and find a shot, any shot, that would help them win the championship.
If the Warriors had figured out how to score once or twice more--or won Games 5 or 6--they would be back-to-back champions and I think the attraction for Durant would be diminished greatly.
He would just be another player added to a mini-dynasty. A great player, but another player to a group that had proven it was the best over a 73-win regular season and through the playoffs. Again.
But the Warriors losing to Cleveland, and the way they did, opened up a clean avenue for Durant to come in and bring this franchise another title, to be the versatile offensive scorer and under-rated defender who could be difference between just failing and holding another parade, and maybe another, and another...
9. After being recruited by Durant to come to OKC, free-agent big man Al Horford decided late July 2 to sign with Boston, not Oklahoma City.
The Warriors did not want to see Horford end up in Oklahoma City, obviously, because that almost certainly would've been followed by Durant agreeing to stay.
But Horford reportedly wasn't going to commit to OKC without knowing if Russell Westbrook (a free agent next summer) or Durant (who was only going to sign a 1 + 1 short-term deal, as he did with the Warriors) would be around long-term.
And if Durant saw that the Thunder couldn't land Horford... and if Westbrook didn't show up for OKC's pitch to Durant... what did that tell him about what his future might be with the Thunder if he bypassed this chance, right now, to jump to the Warriors?
There is at best a 50-50 shot that Westbrook stays with the Thunder, I've been told, and I think that's being nice to the Thunder's chances on this one, especially after Durant's departure.
Durant had to be looking for any and all signals, and Horford's decision could not have been a positive one for any thought of OKC remaining a power in the West for a long time, even if Durant stayed.
10. The Warriors collected a gross postseason gate approaching $125M for 14 home games, including 4 apiece in the Western Conference finals and NBA Finals, as they increased the prices exponentially.
The Warriors' ownership group is very rich. That's a given. They got into this six years ago rich, and they are only richer now, with plans to move into a state-of-the-art arena in San Francisco in a few years.
But this last postseason run was a cash bonanza that the NBA had never before seen--and, I was told in the middle of it, frankly stunned the rest of the owners as they watched the Warriors charge unprecedented ticket prices and smash the record for a cumulative postseason gate by the middle of the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors tied the record for the highest playoff gross during last season's title run. I'm told they just about doubled that total by the time the receipts from Game 7 of the Finals were all tallied up.
The best estimate on GSW profit from the postseason: Around $30M.
Again, that's profit. Many, many NBA teams don't make that much profit in an entire season; the Warriors just added $30M to whatever other profit they accumulated last season.
So, while Lacob, Guber and the rest were going to go after Durant no matter what--of course, they'd planned this for at least two years and were already in the luxury tax this year, anyway--this latest cash infusion could only make it easier for them to plot out any financial course necessary to land him.
--Interestingly, the Warriors were into the tax for the first time this past season, but almost certainly will NOT be in the tax this coming season, even after signing Durant.
--It's because they had to dump all the contracts that put them into the tax in order to create space for Durant, and then they were limited in what contracts they could add after that.
With this kind of profit, there is no Warriors fear of the double-max deals they'll have to give to Durant and Curry next July, or that those deals plus the need to keep adding on around them will possibly take the Warriors into the luxury tax for many seasons after that.
This ownership can afford it. Going deep into the playoffs every season, with all those home dates, will help fund it, and by adding Durant to Curry and the rest, the Warriors have set up what is potentially the greatest, and most successful, money machine North American sports has ever seen.
They might win a few games, awards, trophies (you name it), too.
--Some honorable mentions...
-Shaun Livingston taking a three-year deal, $16M deal two summer ago, guaranteeing they'd have a solid back-up for Curry and another veteran who fits perfectly with Durant.
-Hiring Ron Adams, one of Durant's favorite coaches from their time together in OKC, as one of Kerr's main assistants two years ago.
-James Harden getting traded by OKC in October 2012 for financial reasons, which set up an era when the Thunder was always good (with Durant and Westbrook) but eternally searching for that key third scorer.
The post 10 Twists of Fate that helped lead Kevin Durant to the Warriors, starting with Steph Curry landing on the 2010 national team appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
The post Joe Lacob's Warriors: Maybe you like his style, maybe you don't, but this is the biggest, boldest Bay Area team since the 49ers Dynasty appeared first on Talking Points.]]>
One former long-time member of the 49ers organization from the Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., days texted me a little bit after Kevin Durant announced he was signing with the Warriors to say this:
"What the Warriors did reminded me of what 49ers used to do. Lacob is Bay Area's new Mr. D."
I checked in with another veteran of those days with that idea and he just said: "Yep."
Maybe that just sounds like normal conversation, but if you know how much 49ers people from those days revere Eddie D. and how much they enjoyed those moments (and, most dramatically, his signing of Deion Sanders to set up the 1994 Super Bowl run), you know this is not said lightly by anybody associated with those times.
If these guys are saying Lacob is becoming the new Eddie D---and obviously, there are many more titles to be won before the Lacob/Guber Warriors can be truly comparable to the five-trophy 49ers Dynasty--then everybody else can contemplate it, too.
Because it is happening, and Durant's arrival is the loudest crackle and bang to signify it.
You don't have to be enamored with Joe Lacob's style, or his "light-years" declarations, or his aggressive front office, or the Silicon Valley venture capitalist credo, or the ticket prices, or the intended move to San Francisco, or any of it, if you wish.
You might love it, too--whatever. That's not the point right now.
This is about what I always point to when I discuss Lacob and Peter Guber...
Don't get stuck on what you hear or see from them on camera or on speaking panels, look at what they're doing, look at the rebuild of the Warriors franchise, look at what they inherited and look at what they have now.
They bought the team in 2010 after Chris Cohan had run this franchise into the ground, burned the surrounding hillsides and pillaged everything he could take.
When Lacob/Guber took over, no good player wanted to be part of this and the bad ones wanted to be overpaid to be a part of it.
They had Curry--drafted in 2009, against his wishes--they had Don Nelson under contract, and that's about all they had.
And now: It's a franchise that has built up a young core that had been lobbying Durant for months, had his ear, flew out to the meeting together, and convinced Durant that he had no other choice but to join what was going on here.
It's a franchise that had Bob Myers, who kept the books flexible enough to do this, and it had Steve Kerr and a coaching staff that Durant could embrace.
It's a franchise that finally had Jerry West for the final push, in a telephone conversation with Durant on Saturday, and none of the other contenders had anything like that.
If Lacob was as bombastic and terrifying to work for as some believe... would these players, coaches and executives fight so hard to add to his franchise? No, they would not.
And some of the same people actually defended Cohan and Robert Rowell back in the 2000s... I never understood why... and you can ask: What great players and executives did they have fighting for them?
None. They had none.
Again, you don't have to love Lacob's braggadocio or audacity, but if you don't have that, I don't think you plot for two years for Durant, and then land him, or swing for Dwight Howard three years ago and land Andre Iguodala as a secondary plan.
If you don't aim for the highest goals possible, you will never achieve those things, and if Lacob at times has looked a little reckless doing it... he will take it, the team will take it, his employees will take it, and Durant just embraced it in a moment he could've gone to any team in the league.
* I keep hearing that the Warriors are risking everything by adding Durant because it will cost them most of their bench--and Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, who both look like they're headed to Dallas-- and the whole "Strength in Numbers" thing.
But as I have said repeatedly, the "Numbers" slogan was mostly a myth during the recent playoffs, when the Warriors got almost nothing out of Festus Ezeli, Anderson Varejao, Ian Clark, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights... and, in the Finals, Barnes.
Simply, the Warriors weren't actually that deep this past season, not when they were playing the best teams.
The stats say that the Warriors were incredible last season when Curry and Draymond played (usually together). And very not-incredible when they didn't.
Now with Durant on-board, and with no motivation to go after any wins record, Kerr can comfortably rotate rest games for Curry, Draymond, Klay, Durant or Iguodala without a ton of worry.
And Kerr can probably go with the Super-Death Lineup of Draymond at center, Durant at PF, Iguodala at SF, Klay and Curry...
Because there won't be a C or SF on the roster good enough to logically keep Iguodala out of the starting lineup--and remember, one of the main reasons Kerr put Barnes into the lineup ahead of Iguodala was to keep Barnes' confidence up by giving him immediate minutes with Curry, Draymond and Klay.
Kerr can just start the best 5, sub out in stages, and make sure the Warriors always have either Curry or Durant (or both) on the floor.
I can see Kerr subbing Durant out at the 6-minute mark (for who, not yet known--probably a real center), Klay at the 4-minute mark (for either Leandro Barbosa or whoever they sign as a back-up SG), and letting Curry and Draymond play the whole first quarter.
Then Kerr can start the second quarter--a major weak spot last season, along with the start of the fourth--with Durant as the key scorer (yes, that's better than Barnes in that role), get Klay in there relatively quickly, then finish off the half with Super-Death.
And run the same rotation again in the second half.
* There is one under-the-radar point: Kerr tends to avoid putting inexperienced players into his rotation, but this coming season he might have to get used to it with at least a couple of this bunch: Kevon Looney, Damian Jones, Patrick McCaw and whoever else they acquire for minimum deals.
* Andrew Bogut did a lot for GSWs. He was the center they lacked for years and he gave them a physical presence at the rim they will miss.
But even if they didn't land Durant, I think they were moving on from Bogut. Just seems like the Warriors decided his time with them had come to an end.
And yes, Barnes was absolutely very valuable.
As I repeatedly said, he was the team's starting SF, back-up PF, and a key member of the Death Lineup for two landmark seasons here, and he just turned 24.
There weren't many guys who could step into that role and be better than Barnes.
But they got one of them, and he's a lot better.
* The Warriors are facing a bit of a salary complication next July, when Curry will be up for a max deal (starting at over $30M, with full Bird rights) and Durant will be eligible for over $35M if/when he opts out.
The Warriors won't have Bird rights on Durant, so they will have to carve out that $35M in space to sign Durant to the long-term deal he will be seeking in a year.
This is doable--Curry's super-max deal, for instance, can be timed after the Warriors sign Durant, so there are no salary-cap implications with doing both deals.
But to fit Durant's deal under the cap (they can always sign him to 20% of this season's deal, but he will be able to get more because he will be eligible for a greater max as a 10-year vet), some maneuvering is in order.
For instance, you likely won't see them sign any long-term deals to fill the roster this summer, just to preserve that space for next July.
And the Warriors might talk to Iguodala about a short-term extension to knock down his July 2017 cap-hold of about $16M.
* I recently asked GSW official if team was ready to become super-villains by signing Durant.
Answer: "Aren't we considered villains already?"
The Warriors person meant that they've been the marquee team for 2 years and others always want to knock off the marquee team. Now, of course, that'll be amplified even more, especially when they go to OKC, Cleveland or basically wherever.
But the best team is always a villain on the road. The very best teams are hated.
The Warriors are going to be incredible... and incredibly hated. And they're OK with that. Because they're audacious enough to have set themselves up to do this for years.
The post Joe Lacob's Warriors: Maybe you like his style, maybe you don't, but this is the biggest, boldest Bay Area team since the 49ers Dynasty appeared first on Talking Points.]]>


text:
Comment Re:How is this paid for? (Score 2) 1291
So you're saying if you got a little bit of money every month, you wouldn't work? It's lazy people like you that's ruining the country.
"What if" is a trademark of Hewlett Packard, so stop using it in your sentences without permission, or risk being sued.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|By PR Newswire
Article Rating:
|April 16, 2014 10:00 AM EDT
LYNDHURST, N.J., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SpeechTrans Inc., provider of the world's most advanced translation technology, announced today that the company's updated SpeechTrans Ultimate app for Windows 8.1 is the first to offer real-time text and voice translation over Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo! and AIM. By finally allowing speakers of different languages to have fluid and accurate conversations over popular social networks, SpeechTrans has eliminated language barriers between speakers of 26 different languages. With the new SpeechTrans Bluetooth Wristband Watch, the company has also brought instant translation to phone conversations in the car or on the move.
As an innovator of real-time, automated speech-to-speech translation over any device, SpeechTrans powers conversations for governments, militaries, educators, students, travelers and global businesses. In the latest updates to SpeechTrans Ultimate for Windows 8.1, the company has launched new features that make the most powerful global communication tool available even more versatile, productive and accessible for users.
Real-Time Translation on SpeechTrans and Social Networks
With the new SpeechTrans "Chat" feature, users can now enjoy via speech-to-speech translation during instant messaging with other SpeechTrans users from around the world. SpeechTrans Ultimate's social integration also provides real-time translation over Facebook Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! and AIM. With the ability to translate speech-to-speech, speech-to-text, text-to-speech and text-to-text, users get seamless, accurately translated conversations in whichever format they prefer.
SpeechTrans' speech recognition technology allows Windows 8.1 users to eliminate language barriers and facilitate conversations across the world. Only one person in a conversation needs SpeechTrans Ultimate since the app can translate outgoing messages before they are delivered and translate incoming messages before they are received.
"SpeechTrans Ultimate is a communication 'Swiss-Army Knife' for global travelers, students and businesspeople," said John Frei, CEO of SpeechTrans. "The app is quickly becoming the new lingua franca, and we're proud to bring an improved version to Windows 8.1 users."
Dictation and Cloud Storage
SpeechTrans Ultimate now allows Windows 8.1 users to dictate notes, reminders, emails and more, eliminating the frustration of typing on error-prone mobile keyboards. SpeechTrans Ultimate securely saves previous dictations and translations in the cloud for easy retrieval from any web device.
Wearable SpeechTrans Bluetooth Wristband Watch
Users can now make and receive phone calls and translate conversations in real-time using the new SpeechTrans Bluetooth Wristband Watch. The wristband vibrates if users walk 30 feet away from their device, ensuring that users won't forget their phone while relying on Bluetooth. While the wristband is ideal for answering calls in the car, it can also play mp3 music and features an audio jack if users wish to keep conversations private or listen to music with regular headphones.
The SpeechTrans Bluetooth Wristband Watch is compatible with all smartphones, PCs and tablets with Bluetooth capabilities. The bracelet offers 3 hours of talk time, 60 hours of standby time, an LED caller ID display with contact list synchronization, a noise cancelling microphone and a very loud speakerphone.
SpeechTrans Ultimate is the only app that offers military-grade translations and voice recognition without a tedious training process. SpeechTrans is the only startup in the Northeast that belongs to the Microsoft Managed Partner program, and the Windows 8.1 app was developed in conjunction with Microsoft's development team.
Download the SpeechTrans Ultimate Windows 8.1 app at http://speechtrans.com/product/speechtrans-ultimate-windows-8-1/
Order the new SpeechTrans Bluetooth Bracelet at http://speechtrans.com/product/wearables/
About SpeechTrans
SpeechTrans is the world's most advanced speech-to-speech translator. Used by the U.S. Army, governments, educators, physicians, lawyers, international businesses and consumers worldwide, SpeechTrans offers real-time translation with outstanding clarity and minimal processing delay. SpeechTrans services are available on PCs, smartphones, tablets, social networks, telephones, wearable devices and more. As a member of the ngConnect Program and a Microsoft Managed Partner, SpeechTrans works closely with the Microsoft development teams and has partnered with HP, Dell, Nokia, Intel, Nuance, VerbalizeIt and Spoken Translation to eliminate language barriers worldwide. Learn more at www.speechtrans.com.
SOURCE SpeechTrans Inc.
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Allendale Shopping LLC Overview
This profile for Allendale Shopping LLC is located in Pittsfield, MA.Allendale Shopping LLC industry is listed as Nonresidential Building Operator Ret Shoes.
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Allendale Shopping Center, L.P.
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