Author Topic: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?  (Read 3071 times)

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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2019, 11:41:39 AM »

Offline Eddie20

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There are issues that people are dismissing as them being bored.

1. Draymond just can't shoot (41.2 from the field and 23.7 from 3's) and teams are just daring him to.  This allows his defender to sag off him and act as a free safety. Green was very effective because his shot was at least decent and he could be a playmaking 4 from the top of the key. However, his shooting has continued to get worse and this year it's sunk to new lows.

2. Durant is likely gone after this season and teammates know it. This has caused issues with Green and the togetherness the entire team used to play with is gone.

3. Age and/or mileage are catching up. The Warriors' core has been playing really long seasons and are trying to reach their 5th straight Finals. Durant's 30, Curry is turning 31 in a couple of months, and Iguodala (a huge piece of their team) will be 35 this month. Again, the amount of games could be catching up.

Not true, his statement pretty much said that he's looking to get a fat paycheck. Warriors can offer that, also the age/mileage might be true, but it's also because their lack of depth/bench is worrisome. Iggy huge piece of their team is 35, and looks like he just turned 40.

California has the highest income tax in the country, so when you factor that with the overall cost of living, then it would be beneficial to him to sign elsewhere. For example, why not sign with Dallas (Texas has no income tax) and join forces with Doncic, a good friend of his in Jordan, Barnes, Smith, and be coached by one of the best coaches in the game, a good owner, and a franchise willing to spend? I mean he did go to college in Austin, which is a few hours away from Dallas, so it's not like he's unfamiliar with Texas.

Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #16 on: January 04, 2019, 11:45:20 AM »

Offline Monkhouse

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There are issues that people are dismissing as them being bored.

1. Draymond just can't shoot (41.2 from the field and 23.7 from 3's) and teams are just daring him to.  This allows his defender to sag off him and act as a free safety. Green was very effective because his shot was at least decent and he could be a playmaking 4 from the top of the key. However, his shooting has continued to get worse and this year it's sunk to new lows.

2. Durant is likely gone after this season and teammates know it. This has caused issues with Green and the togetherness the entire team used to play with is gone.

3. Age and/or mileage are catching up. The Warriors' core has been playing really long seasons and are trying to reach their 5th straight Finals. Durant's 30, Curry is turning 31 in a couple of months, and Iguodala (a huge piece of their team) will be 35 this month. Again, the amount of games could be catching up.

Not true, his statement pretty much said that he's looking to get a fat paycheck. Warriors can offer that, also the age/mileage might be true, but it's also because their lack of depth/bench is worrisome. Iggy huge piece of their team is 35, and looks like he just turned 40.

California has the highest income tax in the country, so when you factor that with the overall cost of living, then it would be beneficial to him to sign elsewhere. For example, why not sign with Dallas (Texas has no income tax) and join forces with Doncic, a good friend of his in Jordan, Barnes, Smith, and be coached by one of the best coaches in the game, a good owner, and a franchise willing to spend?

I mean, I could see that happening, but Dallas is probably nowhere on Durant's list. I see him heading towards a big market area like NYK, Clippers, or staying back with GSW. Sure the tax would suck, but Durant says he loves the Bay area.

I also don't think you understand what Durant's meaning behind getting paid means.

He wants to be given the max contract, it's about the understanding that since he's a superstar, he should be paid like one. He took a pay cut, which would insult any other superstar, or probably never happen. It's more about the fact that he wants the max contract recognition. KD already boasts high sales in his endorsements/shoe deals.
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2019, 12:08:29 PM »

Offline Eddie20

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There are issues that people are dismissing as them being bored.

1. Draymond just can't shoot (41.2 from the field and 23.7 from 3's) and teams are just daring him to.  This allows his defender to sag off him and act as a free safety. Green was very effective because his shot was at least decent and he could be a playmaking 4 from the top of the key. However, his shooting has continued to get worse and this year it's sunk to new lows.

2. Durant is likely gone after this season and teammates know it. This has caused issues with Green and the togetherness the entire team used to play with is gone.

3. Age and/or mileage are catching up. The Warriors' core has been playing really long seasons and are trying to reach their 5th straight Finals. Durant's 30, Curry is turning 31 in a couple of months, and Iguodala (a huge piece of their team) will be 35 this month. Again, the amount of games could be catching up.

Not true, his statement pretty much said that he's looking to get a fat paycheck. Warriors can offer that, also the age/mileage might be true, but it's also because their lack of depth/bench is worrisome. Iggy huge piece of their team is 35, and looks like he just turned 40.

California has the highest income tax in the country, so when you factor that with the overall cost of living, then it would be beneficial to him to sign elsewhere. For example, why not sign with Dallas (Texas has no income tax) and join forces with Doncic, a good friend of his in Jordan, Barnes, Smith, and be coached by one of the best coaches in the game, a good owner, and a franchise willing to spend?

I mean, I could see that happening, but Dallas is probably nowhere on Durant's list. I see him heading towards a big market area like NYK, Clippers, or staying back with GSW. Sure the tax would suck, but Durant says he loves the Bay area.

I also don't think you understand what Durant's meaning behind getting paid means.

He wants to be given the max contract, it's about the understanding that since he's a superstar, he should be paid like one. He took a pay cut, which would insult any other superstar, or probably never happen. It's more about the fact that he wants the max contract recognition. KD already boasts high sales in his endorsements/shoe deals.

I understand that completely, but I don't think you realize just how extreme the income tax is. For example, based off 2017 salaries Steph Curry's contract of $34,682,550 caused him to pay city/state taxes of $4,105,453. Harden's contract was $28,299,399, but he only paid $623,561 in city/states taxes because his earnings are in Texas. So just because Durant's gross pay is higher by re-signing with Golden State, doesn't mean he'll net much more if he signed with Dallas. Especially if he does a one-plus one and opts out to take a full 5 year max from Dallas in the summer of 2020. Again, you also have to factor in the cost of living. According to the site below, living in San Francisco is 86.8% more expensive than living in Dallas.

https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/dallas-tx/oakland-ca/100000

If max contract is your point of contention, Dallas has the cap room to offer Durant a full max. However, since Golden State could offer him a 5th year with a higher percentage increase, on paper he could gross more from them than any other team. That said, as indicated above, there are ways around that and other variables to factor.

Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2019, 12:24:51 PM »

Offline bdm860

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There are issues that people are dismissing as them being bored.

1. Draymond just can't shoot (41.2 from the field and 23.7 from 3's) and teams are just daring him to.  This allows his defender to sag off him and act as a free safety. Green was very effective because his shot was at least decent and he could be a playmaking 4 from the top of the key. However, his shooting has continued to get worse and this year it's sunk to new lows.

2. Durant is likely gone after this season and teammates know it. This has caused issues with Green and the togetherness the entire team used to play with is gone.

3. Age and/or mileage are catching up. The Warriors' core has been playing really long seasons and are trying to reach their 5th straight Finals. Durant's 30, Curry is turning 31 in a couple of months, and Iguodala (a huge piece of their team) will be 35 this month. Again, the amount of games could be catching up.

Not true, his statement pretty much said that he's looking to get a fat paycheck. Warriors can offer that, also the age/mileage might be true, but it's also because their lack of depth/bench is worrisome. Iggy huge piece of their team is 35, and looks like he just turned 40.

California has the highest income tax in the country, so when you factor that with the overall cost of living, then it would be beneficial to him to sign elsewhere. For example, why not sign with Dallas (Texas has no income tax) and join forces with Doncic, a good friend of his in Jordan, Barnes, Smith, and be coached by one of the best coaches in the game, a good owner, and a franchise willing to spend?

I mean, I could see that happening, but Dallas is probably nowhere on Durant's list. I see him heading towards a big market area like NYK, Clippers, or staying back with GSW. Sure the tax would suck, but Durant says he loves the Bay area.

I also don't think you understand what Durant's meaning behind getting paid means.

He wants to be given the max contract, it's about the understanding that since he's a superstar, he should be paid like one. He took a pay cut, which would insult any other superstar, or probably never happen. It's more about the fact that he wants the max contract recognition. KD already boasts high sales in his endorsements/shoe deals.

I understand that completely, but I don't think you realize just how extreme the income tax is. For example, based off 2017 salaries Steph Curry's contract of $34,682,550 caused him to pay city/state taxes of $4,105,453. Harden's contract was $28,299,399, but he only paid $623,561 in city/states taxes because his earnings are in Texas. So just because Durant's gross pay is higher by re-signing with Golden State, doesn't mean he'll net much more if he signed with Dallas. Especially if he does a one-plus one and opts out to take a full 5 year max from Dallas in the summer of 2020. Again, you also have to factor in the cost of living. According to the site below, living in San Francisco is 86.8% more expensive than living in Dallas.

https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/dallas-tx/oakland-ca/100000

If max contract is your point of contention, Dallas has the cap room to offer Durant a full max. However, since Golden State could offer him a 5th year with a higher percentage increase, on paper he could gross more from them than any other team. That said, as indicated above, there are ways around that and other variables to factor.


The counter to all that is the Warriors are located in Silicon Valley (and even more so next year with the move from Oakland to San Francisco), so there's those start-up/venture capitalist dollars to invest in and network connections to make.

From ESPN:
Quote
When Kevin Durant moved from Oklahoma City to the Bay Area, he didn't just do it to win a title -- he did it to reap the benefits of the technology investment capital of the world. Less than two years later, Durant has gone from holding the most endorsements in the NBA (at one time more than 10) to owning one of the most wide-ranging investment portfolios in the league.

Similar article from NY Times: "How Kevin Durant Became Silicon Valley’s Hottest Start-up."

And I've seen the same kind of stories about Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, etc.

Now personally, I've never really bought that reasoning (chalked it more up to the media needing a story/puff pieces).  Sure, it's probably easier to make off court power moves in places like NYC, LA, and SF, but I don't buy it really makes a substantial difference.  You can invest and make moves in Silicon Valley all the way from Pakistan if you wanted to.  For these already rich and connected athletes, with private jets, assistants, and a personal management team, not playing in San Francisco is not going to stop you from getting those opportunities if you really want them.

Ironically enough, the perfect place to access to the tech world while having no state income tax would be Seattle.  If only they had a team and could land a talent like Durant...

« Last Edit: January 04, 2019, 12:31:45 PM by bdm860 »

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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2019, 01:49:36 PM »

Offline Moranis

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Back to the 1 seed out West after blasting the Nuggets last night.  Just in time for Cousins to come back on Friday.
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #20 on: January 16, 2019, 02:13:26 PM »

Offline tazzmaniac

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Back to the 1 seed out West after blasting the Nuggets last night.  Just in time for Cousins to come back on Friday.
Quality rises to the top eventually. 

Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #21 on: January 16, 2019, 03:02:10 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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I don’t expect anyone to even touch a healthy warriors team in the playoffs. 

Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #22 on: January 16, 2019, 04:40:09 PM »

Offline SparzWizard

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LeBron and Rondo could knock on their door. They blew 'em out in Oracle on Christmas Day!


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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #23 on: January 16, 2019, 04:45:13 PM »

Offline Moranis

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I don’t expect anyone to even touch a healthy warriors team in the playoffs.
Yeah.  If Cousins is even 80% of what he was and he can adapt to their system, then they might not lose a playoff game if they are healthy.  All of those are obviously big ifs, but they might very well be the greatest team ever assembled this year. 
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #24 on: January 16, 2019, 04:45:23 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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LeBron and Rondo could knock on their door. They blew 'em out in Oracle on Christmas Day!

They're not doing it in a 7 game series.


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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #25 on: January 16, 2019, 04:52:46 PM »

Offline Moranis

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LeBron and Rondo could knock on their door. They blew 'em out in Oracle on Christmas Day!

They're not doing it in a 7 game series.
I'd honestly be surprised if they won more than 1 and would put the highest odds as a 4 game sweep.  I'm not really convinced the Lakers are any better than the Cavs were last year and the Warriors should actually be a better team this year.

I think the 2 teams in the West that have the best shot against them are Oklahoma City and Houston, but neither of those 2 teams should win more than 2 games.  I'm frankly not sure any team in the East can really challenge the Warriors, but I'd peg Milwaukee as the team most likely to as I don't really think the Warriors can guard Giannis (and he is just about the only player in the league that that applies to).  I could see Giannis having an epic series in which he wills the Bucks to a couple of wins.  That said, I don't believe the Bucks come out of the East.  Right now I'd favor the Raptors and I don't see them challenging the Warriors much at all. 
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #26 on: January 16, 2019, 05:18:01 PM »

Offline Big333223

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Currently with the 16th best defense in the league and they're still the #1 team in the West. The defense will pick up in the postseason, too.

I think there's a possibility some Western conference team could catch them sleeping but they're probably still a safe bet against the field to win it all again.
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #27 on: January 16, 2019, 05:36:18 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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older , more satisfied,  kinda lost the hard core edge ....LeBron is always revved up to hang another banner if they lay back

Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #28 on: January 16, 2019, 05:50:09 PM »

Offline gouki88

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I still think there’s a good chance they don’t make it out of the West
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Re: Anyone notice the warriors aren’t the same this year?
« Reply #29 on: January 16, 2019, 05:56:36 PM »

Offline celticsclay

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I am not sure the Warriors are better this year than other years, unless cousins is truly a starting caliber center. Iggy used to be a very good player for them, but he can play very limited minutes and is definitely slowing down at 35. He only averages 5 points in 25 minutes this year. Livingston also does not look like the same player to me. I think in years past they had a few more sparkplugs behind their stars that really made a difference. Draymond also looks to have regressed.

I realize this could all look like a foolish post in a few months to talk about this stuff on the margins and they end up steamrolling the league behind their big 4 or big 5, but this is kind of the year i have had more doubts about them.