(07-05-2016 12:12 AM)Tigerfan935 Wrote: (07-04-2016 08:50 PM)Latilleon Wrote: (07-04-2016 08:36 PM)cwise Wrote: (07-04-2016 08:27 PM)NigelTufnel Wrote: MJ and Lebron didn't ride coat tails to championships. KD will never be amongst the elite now.
LeBron didn't ride coat tails to championships? Do you just mean he was the featured guy?
Yeah... Lebron did it first with by joining two other All-NBA talents. He didn't get it done with his team that was a winner but couldn't get over the hump.
Joke. Lebron didn't have near the team KD had in Oklahoma City. He would have never left and had multiple titles by now with Russell.
KD is a good guy. But he will never be on Lebron's level. Ever.
What?
The most successful OKC team (the one that went to the finals) had Durant in his 4th year, Westbrook in his 3rd year, Harden in his 2nd and Ibaka in his 2nd. Kendrick Perkins was their 5th leading scorer at 5 ppg.
The 12-13 team won 60 games but Westbrook was hurt in the playoffs, so that blew a huge chance. Obviously, Durant was out the bulk of the 14-15 season, that that killed those chances. Even in the 13-14 season, Westbrook missed 40+ games, which killed their chances at home court throughout the playoffs.
Plus they play in the Western Conference, which has been an absolute meat grinder of a conference the past five or six years. In the East, essentially only one or two teams have been worth a crap. The Bulls were poised, but Rose's injury messed up that team's shot during the Lebron (Miami) years.
Imagine Miami (or Cleveland) having to face the Grizz in the 2nd round, then have to play an OKC or San Antonio in the WCF, Then have to play another team as good? Pfft.
To say that the OKC team with Ibaka as your third best player and Kendrick Perkins, Reggie Jackson, Caron, Butler, or Jeremy Lamb as your next two best players over a team who either Chris Bosh (ages 26-29) or D-Wade (age 29-32) as the 3rd best player (leaps and bounds better than Ibaka) and Ray Allen (36-37) as the 4th, with other role players equal or better better than Jackson (like Mario Chalmers) Perkins (Haslem), Lamb (Battier) etc.