Why would durant come here?

[Moranis]

let's remember last year. OKC without Durant isn't a playoff team in a competitive western conference.
Celts without Durant are. I

We would not have been a playoff team in a competitive Western conference.

You don't think the Celtics could finish ahead of Dallas, Memphis, and Houston?

The comment was for last season, and the Thunder missed the playoffs with 45 wins, so no, I don't think we would've made it.

This season yeah, I think we'd get in. I don't think we'd get 48 wins though.

Boston was 17-13 against the west this year, so probably gets in though it certainly helped that Boston played in the division with the 3 worst teams in the east, two of which, were in the bottom 3 in the entire league (Boston was 10-6 against the Atlantic and 21-15 against the rest of the East). 

Last year, Boston was 12-18 against the West and made the playoffs below .500.  So yeah, no way Boston makes the playoffs in the West last year since it took 45 wins and a tiebreaker to do it.

[Donoghus]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

Washington has John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Which doesn't exactly equate to a brighter future than Boston's.

I think it does as John Wall is clearly better than any Celtic and Beal might be as well.  And it isn't like they are old guys.

Beal essentially is. He's basically on a career-long minutes restriction.

Not to mention they had both of those guys last season and didn't make the playoffs (you know, like the Celtics did), currently don't sit as pretty with first rounders, available cap space, & I'd argue their peripheral guys are less appealing on the trade market also.  Looking at the supporting casts of the two, you can argue the Celtics are slightly stronger there also.

[Endless Paradise]

People are still criticizing Waiters and Kanter as if they haven't proven to be key players during this entire playoff run? At some point, you need to let the narratives go and actually pay attention to what's happening on the court. For all the talk about their "weak supporting cast," no one's even bothering to note that OKC is largely making their way through the playoffs despite Durant AND Westbrook playing well below their standards at different points during the postseason. Durant had his worst postseason outing ever against Dallas and, prior to the last two games, Westbrook was playing terribly against the Spurs. Yet, they still finished off Dallas in five games and now own a 3-2 lead against the 67-win Spurs, including two road wins where San Antonio lost all of once in 41 games during the regular season. Look no further than contributions from guys like Adams, Kanter, Ibaka, Waiters, and Roberson for an explanation.

[Endless Paradise]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

  Who would be the #1 if not Durant??

Durant's not supplementing Curry in Golden State in any circumstance unless Steph suffers some serious injury. And I say this as someone who still believes KD is a better player than Steph. That's Steph's team, through and through. Given his recent ascendence in the past two seasons, it's even more apparent.

San Antonio is more arguable, but if the Thunder manage to finish off the Spurs, one would have to wonder why he would leave his team for the team he just eliminated from the playoffs.

[alldaboston]

People are still criticizing Waiters and Kanter as if they haven't proven to be key players during this entire playoff run? At some point, you need to let the narratives go and actually pay attention to what's happening on the court. For all the talk about their "weak supporting cast," no one's even bothering to note that OKC is largely making their way through the playoffs despite Durant AND Westbrook playing well below their standards at different points during the postseason. Durant had his worst postseason outing ever against Dallas and, prior to the last two games, Westbrook was playing terribly against the Spurs. Yet, they still finished off Dallas in five games and now own a 3-2 lead against the 67-win Spurs, including two road wins where San Antonio lost all of once in 41 games during the regular season. Look no further than contributions from guys like Adams, Kanter, Ibaka, Waiters, and Roberson for an explanation.

These 2 have had very little impact. Ibaka has been relegated to standing in the corner mostly and Spurs are basically playing 5 on 4, they don't consider Roberson a player. Leave him completely and go to help defend Westbrook or durant.

[walker834]

I think we are the most attractive destination for him outside of those 2.  I just still think it's somewhat of a long shot.  Positivity is good and I don't mean to be a party pooper either but just being realistic.  I wouldn't bet on Durant coming here.  I'm smart enough to realize the media frenzy is a bit warped in it's own way with it's own agenda is all. 

It's a different situation than KG and Ray in general.  I think getting a guy like Howard is realistic potentially.  Why not sign a guy like that but continue to build through the draft? I think that's our most realistic course of action.  We might be able to steal a guy like whiteside but even that is a long shot.  Mahinmi we might have to overpay for etc.

I think these Durant, Cousins, Love scenarios are longshots. Love is probably the most realistic if i had to rank them but even that one.

Butler may be able to be had.  I'm not a huge proponent for selling all our assets for any of these guys.  I think we should build through the draft.

If Durant were to come here to put a team around him etc we need our draft picks anyways.

[Endless Paradise]

People are still criticizing Waiters and Kanter as if they haven't proven to be key players during this entire playoff run? At some point, you need to let the narratives go and actually pay attention to what's happening on the court. For all the talk about their "weak supporting cast," no one's even bothering to note that OKC is largely making their way through the playoffs despite Durant AND Westbrook playing well below their standards at different points during the postseason. Durant had his worst postseason outing ever against Dallas and, prior to the last two games, Westbrook was playing terribly against the Spurs. Yet, they still finished off Dallas in five games and now own a 3-2 lead against the 67-win Spurs, including two road wins where San Antonio lost all of once in 41 games during the regular season. Look no further than contributions from guys like Adams, Kanter, Ibaka, Waiters, and Roberson for an explanation.

These 2 have had very little impact. Ibaka has been relegated to standing in the corner mostly and Spurs are basically playing 5 on 4, they don't consider Roberson a player. Leave him completely and go to help defend Westbrook or durant.

Ibaka was huge during the Dallas series. He was shooting like 60% from 3.

Roberson's obviously a negative on offense, but the combined defensive impact he's had with Waiters on Kawhi is undeniable.

It's patently false to say they've had "very little impact." Ibaka's not had much of an impact this series, but he's made his presence known in the context of the entire playoffs. Similarly, Roberson's still bringing his trademark tenacious defense, which is a large part of why Kawhi's faded down the stretch recently. KD hasn't started guarding Kawhi until the fourth quarter in the last two games.

[Endless Paradise]

Regular season narratives (some true, some that were largely overblown) that need to be put to bed for this postseason:

* Kanter is unplayable against the Spurs.
* Waiters is just unplayable, period.
* OKC can't play defense when it matters.
* OKC can't close games out (they have the best fourth-quarter scoring differential of all teams in the postseason).

[walker834]

Maybe Durant just can't stand Westbrook and wants out.  That would be a shocker lol.  There's always hope.

I can see Durant taking the time to weigh his options and he might find Boston really appealing because of the guys we have.  Who knows. 

I'm guessing his agent might see it otherwise though.  Boston to me is like why not want to play here.  We are the celtics he has a chance to be an alltime great celtic etc..  It's a guaranteed good situation most the most part. But Durant isn't that young and we'd have to put a team around him pretty quick.

[jpotter33]

Regular season narratives (some true, some that were largely overblown) that need to be put to bed for this postseason:

* Kanter is unplayable against the Spurs.
* Waiters is just unplayable, period.
* OKC can't play defense when it matters.
* OKC can't close games out (they have the best fourth-quarter scoring differential of all teams in the postseason).

To be fair, uncharacteristic and terrible Spurs play has also contributed to them finishing better. Poor decisions, mental mistakes, and the fact that Aldridge has suddenly lost his shot in the fourth quarter, even wide open ones.

[SHAQATTACK]

To come to a team with an ESTABLISHED NBA history , one with best young coach , and city that cares about winning.

[Endless Paradise]

Oh, yeah, one more:

* Donovan is a terrible coach. If you've watched this series closely, you should have noticed that Donovan has arguably outcoached Pop. Since the Game 1 blowout, he's had the Thunder playing defense at a level they've failed to do at all during the regular season, he's gotten his closing rotations down, he's made in-game adjustments that have flummoxed the Spurs, AND he's gotten the Spurs to abandon their identity as a team predicated upon ball movement in favor of one that's relying on much more stagnant iso play. The Spurs have actually been more like the Thunder than the Thunder have been this series.

Meanwhile, Pop's shown no counter to the Thunder's twin tower lineup, he's still trotting out an awful bench rotation to start pivotal points of games, and he's been pretty stubborn about their gameplan on offense.

Regular season narratives (some true, some that were largely overblown) that need to be put to bed for this postseason:

* Kanter is unplayable against the Spurs.
* Waiters is just unplayable, period.
* OKC can't play defense when it matters.
* OKC can't close games out (they have the best fourth-quarter scoring differential of all teams in the postseason).

To be fair, uncharacteristic and terrible Spurs play has also contributed to them finishing better. Poor decisions, mental mistakes, and the fact that Aldridge has suddenly lost his shot in the fourth quarter, even wide open ones.

You can't discredit the effect the Thunder's defense is having on this. The Spurs have now blown two double-digit leads at home against the Thunder... they never did that even once during the regular season. Wide-open shots in the fourth quarter are also a lot harder to make when you're more fatigued from playing against stifling defense for three quarters.

Like, give the Thunder - and Donovan - some credit here. The Spurs are shooting themselves in the foot when it matters, but the Thunder are putting themselves in position to take advantage of that when the situation arises.

[walker834]

To come to a team with an ESTABLISHED NBA history , one with best young coach , and city that cares about winning.

This I agree with.  It's a guaranteed good situation for the most part.

[Endless Paradise]

To come to a team with an ESTABLISHED NBA history , one with best young coach , and city that cares about winning.

Maybe Durant wants to carve out his own NBA history by bringing unprecedented success to a market that's never experienced it. Who knows? All I can say is that I guarantee some people in this thread didn't give the Thunder a shot to win even a single game against the Spurs, yet here we are. It's the playoffs.

[PaulP34]

Honestly, we r beating this topic up so bad I'm kind of sick of reading about it. No offence to the OP just been seeing posts like, why would Durrant come here, Durrant this, Durrant that. We don't know what Currants gonna do. But its like a bunch of panic attacks going on in Celtics country because of Durrant. I'd be fine if we didn't get Durrant. Danny Ainge is going to do the best he can with what he's got. He's got a lot of assets. Be patient. We will have a better team next year then we did last year so just be happy with what we got...