Mannix on WEEI talking about Durant to Boston possibility

[crimson_stallion]

Very interesting.

I had been taking the whole "KD isn't coming here" side because it just felt too good to be true (and this is Boston, we never get that type of luck! lol) but starting to sound like there is some very legit interest there.

If he came here...wow.  Adding KD and a legit center (Horford, Cousins, even Dwight) I think we could legitimately scare Golden State and San Antonio. 

Especially given that San Antonio are pretty much renting their success right now until Duncan/Parker/Manu retire.

[rondohondo]

The thing about Durant is he is going to age much better than Lebron . His game isn't predicated on athleticism . He has the length and Shooting ability to be at least a # 2 option well into his late 30's. Reminds me of Dirk in that respect .

That gives us about an 8-10 year window to contend year after year .

I know, I'm just dreaming 

[rondohondo]

this is from tonight

[Quetzalcoatl]

this is from tonight

Ah man that just makes me want him even more.  Basketball is so fun to play that it really baffles me so many pro players seem to resent that they are essentially forced into doing it for the money.  I guess they have been forced into doing it day in and day out for their entire lives, but man, bball is just so fun.  I play like 5 hours a week minimum and I look forward to it every time.

TP for the quote!

[straightouttabahstun]

this is from tonight

 [dang it]. Stuff like this makes me want KD even more too. He really just wants to play. And I feel like you can't get any more "Basketball" than playing for the Boston Celtics. Hed be such a good fit here, especially with this current team. He even mentioned the importance of the TRADITION.

[CoachBS#1]

I remember back when durant going into the draft that ainge has some kind of relaitionship with one of his parents, if I remember well I think it was in a Texas game that Ainge was sitting right next to a Durant family member, if I remember well Ainge was fined for that.

[CoachBS#1]

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2803589

[LooseCannon]

I want a guy who loves basketball so much that he spends more time studying game video than he spends on the court.

[JOMVP]

I love our current team, and I can't wait to see what we can do in the playoffs fully healthy. But I can't hide my excitement for free agency and the draft this summer, I just want it now.

[jpotter33]

FYI, Kevin Durant has been trending on Facebook all day due to the talk of him going to Boston. Where there's smoke.... I don't think we can legitimately say this is a pipe dream scenario anymore. As long as we don't look horrible in the playoffs, we have just as good of a chance of signing him as anyone not named OKC. And that isn't a knock on us either, because the incumbent home teams almost always have an advantage over other teams.

http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/boston-celtics-kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-thunder-031616

[tankcity!]

Durant coming to Boston is legit. We need the Thunder to not make it to the Finals basically. At the end of the day, players go where they can win. Boston can beat Cleveland if they get Durant. Plus, we have the guards to fend GS. I mean this team is built to beat a team like Golden State. So I do like their chances.

San Antonio and GS aren't realistic to be honest. Leonard and Durant basically play the same position. Also, they would need to kind of gut their team to offer him the Max. We also know Spurs owner doesn't like going over the tax threshold. As for the Warriors, he's not going to join a team after losing to them. I don't think Durant is that type of cat. I don't understand why Durant would even want to play with Curry? Does he not want to be the best player in the NBA? I mean it would hurt his legacy from a standpoint that Durant couldn't lead a team.

[crimson_stallion]

The thing about Durant is he is going to age much better than Lebron . His game isn't predicated on athleticism . He has the length and Shooting ability to be at least a # 2 option well into his late 30's. Reminds me of Dirk in that respect .

That gives us about an 8-10 year window to contend year after year .

I know, I'm just dreaming 

I have to agree regarding Durant. 

I feel he does rely quite a bit on athleticism, but even after that fades I do think he'll still have the length and the skill to remain a very effective player.

[chambers]

So do we keep Crowder in the starting line up and go small with Durant here? Or do we bring  him off the bench?
Or do we trade him and guture Brooklyn picks for another key piece?

[greece66]

- Bird rights help OKC trying to retain him, says they can sign other free agents and then use bird rights to re-sign Durant,( is this true? I thought you couldn't do that?

The whole point of Bird rights is that they are a cap exception, so sometimes you can use them to sign one of your players and go over the salary cap after signify free agents.  However, in this case, that is not how they work (in all likelihood).  In order to use Bird rights, you need to keep a cap hold for the player, which is based on his prior year salary.  Because Durant currently makes so much, his cap hold would equal what his max salary could be, unless the salary cap comes in significantly higher than forecast (I'm talking 10s of millions higher, not 3-5 like some people think).  So while it is possible to use Bird rights to go over the cap after using cap room on other free agents, that is only true when you are paying the player more than his cap hold.  This is what we did with Crowder last year (his cap hold was $1.1 million and he's getting paid about $6.6 million this year, so we waited weeks to officially sign him while we used our cap money).  On the other hand, it's not what we did with Jerebko, who had a cap hold of $9.5 million but signed for only $5 million.

The basic answer is no, not true.  You can't wait to sign your own player last with the idea that you will go over the salary cap to sign him because of cap holds. In other words, even though Durant will not be under contract, his cap hold will count against OKC's salary cap anyway until they sign him or renounce him.  So no accounting tricks will open up more room for OKC.

This is true, but it will be his current contract not the higher one he will presumably sign with OKC. So, they can save a few mill dollars to spend on a free agent.

I still think OKC is the favourite to re-sign Durant, and I still think this a pity.

SAS in the West and C's in the East would make a lot more sense if he wants to join a good organization with a real shot at  winning championship. Esp. the former, but one has to dream etc...

[LooseCannon]

So do we keep Crowder in the starting line up and go small with Durant here? Or do we bring  him off the bench?
Or do we trade him and guture Brooklyn picks for another key piece?

Not a fan of starting Crowder at SG and bringing Bradley and Smart off the bench?