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JPRouve

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Do I sense a bit of salt there by any chance?

James Harden is an incredible talent whatever you think of him. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea but he's going to improve this Nets team tremendously.
Is he though? I don't think anyone doesn't consider that Harden is great, the issue is the potential lack of chemistry and the fact that the Nets don't have a bench anymore. And there is a big question mark on whether that type of roster leads to success.
 

Nou_Camp99

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I dunno about salt but he's the last basketball player I'd wanna watch, just enjoy watching him implode in the playoffs every year.
Giannis didn't do much in the playoffs last year after a flawless season with the Bucks. He's still one of the best.

Harden has been highest point scorer in the entire NBA for 3 straight years and won NBA MVP 2018. Let's not pretend he's not class because he is.

Needs lose some weight though. I hope Nash gets him running laps. Hahahaha
 

Moby

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Giannis didn't do much in the playoffs last year after a flawless season with the Bucks. He's still one of the best.

Harden has been highest point scorer in the entire NBA for 3 straight years and won NBA MVP 2018. Let's not pretend he's not class because he is.

Needs lose some weight though. I hope Nash gets him running laps. Hahahaha
I'm happy to wait and see for a team led by him ever winning a ring. Not holding my breath either.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Is he though? I don't think anyone doesn't consider that Harden is great, the issue is the potential lack of chemistry and the fact that the Nets don't have a bench anymore. And there is a big question mark on whether that type of roster leads to success.
I think Allen will be a miss for sure. However I think this trade will improve our chances though of going further in the EAST and potentially getting to a finals against the Lakers or Clippers. Maybe.

Certainly going to be exciting seeing the Heat, Celtics, Bucks and Nets all battle it out.
 

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Giannis didn't do much in the playoffs last year after a flawless season with the Bucks. He's still one of the best.

Harden has been highest point scorer in the entire NBA for 3 straight years and won NBA MVP 2018. Let's not pretend he's not class because he is.

Needs lose some weight though. I hope Nash gets him running laps. Hahahaha
There is no doubting his talent, but the Rockets were the only team I would actively avoid watching on league pass if they were not playing the Lakers. I just can't stomach his style of play. Trey Young is about to single handedly do the same thing to me with the Hawks, which sucks because I like watching the rest of that team.

I'm not some old basketball purists who think's "back in my day the basketballs was better", but I do disdain the foul seeking that Harden and Young do. It is akin to diving in the box for a penalty and I can not stand either. If the league cracks down on that I think that Harden is not going to age well, especially if he has issues staying in shape. I hope he cuts it out as he is otherwise a brilliant basketball player.
 

Nou_Camp99

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I'm not some old basketball purists who think's "back in my day the basketballs was better", but I do disdain the foul seeking that Harden and Young do. It is akin to diving in the box for a penalty and I can not stand either. If the league cracks down on that I think that Harden is not going to age well, especially if he has issues staying in shape. I hope he cuts it out as he is otherwise a brilliant basketball player.
That's fair. However like in football the rules, officials or perhaps both allow for it to happen. I still think he's got so much more to his game though when you take that away. He's such a consistent scorer which is why he's averaged the most pts 3 seasons running.

Don't think this will make the NETS the best team in NBA either. I'm realistic. However I think they have an outside chance of making a real go of it. If they make the playoffs, which I fully expect them to, and have all the stars fit and healthy if and when they do then they could be a real match for anybody.

As somebody has already pointed out though the second string is looking particularly weak so I expect quite a few losses in regular season when Nash leaves out the big boys.
 

JPRouve

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I think Allen will be a miss for sure. However I think this trade will improve our chances though of going further in the EAST and potentially getting to a finals against the Lakers or Clippers. Maybe.

Certainly going to be exciting seeing the Heat, Celtics, Bucks and Nets all battle it out.
In my opinion that move weakened you for the playoff because it weakened your defense and your depth, I think that you were a more dangerous team before the trade as long as Irving and Durant stayed fit. Now I would consider the Heat, Sixers, Bucks and Celtics as favorites against the Nets in a playoff serie.
 

WI_Red

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That's fair. However like in football the rules, officials or perhaps both allow for it to happen. I still think he's got so much more to his game though when you take that away. He's such a consistent scorer which is why he's averaged the most pts 3 seasons running.

Don't think this will make the NETS the best team in NBA either. I'm realistic. However I think they have an outside chance of making a real go of it. If they make the playoffs, which I fully expect them to, and have all the stars fit and healthy if and when they do then they could be a real match for anybody.

As somebody has already pointed out though the second string is looking particularly weak so I expect quite a few losses in regular season when Nash leaves out the big boys.
I think the Heat are an excellent comparison for the Nets when it comes to having a "big ". The only way that worked, and remember it did not work the first year, was by Bosh sacrificing a lot of touches and Wade/LeBron coming to an agreement on how to share Alpha status. The Nets need to do this but I don't see any of them being willing to make that sacrifice. Kyrie left both the Cavs and Celts because he wanted his own team, Harden couldn't make it work with Westbrook or Paul and now he has 2 guys to share with, and KD, who is the most likely to be willing to do what's best for the team, is the LAST ones who should.

Plus there is a 50% chance that Kyrie's take on sharing alpha status is to show up in a wolf costume.
 

Kasper

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I actually think Harden, Kyrie and Durant won`t be as bad of a fit as people are making it out to be. Durant has shown to play well alongside other scorers at GSW, many thought Harden and CP3 wouldn`t work but they made it work, Kyrie can adapt as well.
Rest of the team is the big issue as well as defense.
Either way, I`m with Barkley on this one and hope it`ll all implode haha
 

Sarni

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I was being hyperbolic, but there is some truth to the getting bored part. Take tonight for example. Up by 24 in the second quarter they started trying stupid fancy passes/shots and in minutes it was down to 11. Turned it back on to begin the 3rd and the lead was up to 30. Watching them every night you can see the improvement game to game as the new guys get more comfortable. Again, they are not the Warriors from a few years ago, but they are easily the best team in the league.
They were playing the Thunder.
 

Sarni

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Is he though? I don't think anyone doesn't consider that Harden is great, the issue is the potential lack of chemistry and the fact that the Nets don't have a bench anymore. And there is a big question mark on whether that type of roster leads to success.
This depth thing is exaggerated. They lost three players: LeVert who got directly replaced by a much superior Harden, Allen who was their best center but not a star and Prince who was garbage and negative value. It basically comes down to replacing Allen with an adequate center which like I said they can get for not much these days.
 

Sarni

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I actually think Harden, Kyrie and Durant won`t be as bad of a fit as people are making it out to be. Durant has shown to play well alongside other scorers at GSW, many thought Harden and CP3 wouldn`t work but they made it work, Kyrie can adapt as well.
Rest of the team is the big issue as well as defense.
Either way, I`m with Barkley on this one and hope it`ll all implode haha
Kyrie won’t play much anyway as he clearly has mental issues and doesn’t care at all. I don’t think he’s going to suit up for them in the playoffs or any key games this season. Harden and Durant is fine.
 

Sarni

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I think the Heat are an excellent comparison for the Nets when it comes to having a "big ". The only way that worked, and remember it did not work the first year, was by Bosh sacrificing a lot of touches and Wade/LeBron coming to an agreement on how to share Alpha status. The Nets need to do this but I don't see any of them being willing to make that sacrifice. Kyrie left both the Cavs and Celts because he wanted his own team, Harden couldn't make it work with Westbrook or Paul and now he has 2 guys to share with, and KD, who is the most likely to be willing to do what's best for the team, is the LAST ones who should.

Plus there is a 50% chance that Kyrie's take on sharing alpha status is to show up in a wolf costume.
Harden and Paul worked fine on the floor and almost knocked out historically good Warriors team if it wasn’t for CP3 injury or 27 missed threes. They had chemistry issues towards the end but they definitely proved they could work together.
 

Sarni

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In my opinion that move weakened you for the playoff because it weakened your defense and your depth, I think that you were a more dangerous team before the trade as long as Irving and Durant stayed fit. Now I would consider the Heat, Sixers, Bucks and Celtics as favorites against the Nets in a playoff serie.
I wouldn’t consider Bucks favorites against any top 4 seed before they actually win a series against a team that isn’t awful. All they’ve done since they got good was beat Pistons, Magic and imploding Celtics with Kyrie shooting 3-87 from the floor.
 

WI_Red

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They were playing the Thunder.
Who had beaten the Nets, in NJ, a few days before.

Regardless, the point stands that last night the only time the Nets made a run is when the Lakers started goofing around. Just go watch the last 5 minutes of Q2.
 

JPRouve

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I wouldn’t consider Bucks favorites against any top 4 seed before they actually win a series against a team that isn’t awful. All they’ve done since they got good was beat Pistons, Magic and imploding Celtics with Kyrie shooting 3-87 from the floor.
Why would you consider the Nets has favorite then? They haven't won a playoff serie either and the reason I wouldn't put the Nets favorite is because I don't see them guard any of these teams in the playoff.
 

JPRouve

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Harden and Paul worked fine on the floor and almost knocked out historically good Warriors team if it wasn’t for CP3 injury or 27 missed threes. They had chemistry issues towards the end but they definitely proved they could work together.
You don't think that Capela, Tucker and CP3 defensive abilities played a big role in that?

I don't remember who was the starting 3, Ariza or Mba a Moute. It was a solid and balanced team.
 

Sarni

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Who had beaten the Nets, in NJ, a few days before.

Regardless, the point stands that last night the only time the Nets made a run is when the Lakers started goofing around. Just go watch the last 5 minutes of Q2.
Doesn’t matter who Thunder have beaten before, they are still one of the weakest teams in the league.
 

Sarni

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Why would you consider the Nets has favorite then? They haven't won a playoff serie either and the reason I wouldn't put the Nets favorite is because I don't see them guard any of these teams in the playoff.
Because they have two of the top 10 players in the league, along with a top 5 point guard (with mental issues) and one of the best shooters in the game next to them. If they can get a decent center who can defend and rebound they will probably have the strongest starting five in the league, and depth doesn’t even matter in the playoffs when it counts.

Of course Nets haven’t won a meaningful series, they haven’t even been in the playoffs with this team.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Allow a guy to dream anyway. I managed to see lot of Nets games in 2009 when living out there and other than Vince Carter (what a guy) they were truly terrible. This is like chalk and cheese now with these guys. I think we might surprise a few this season.
 

JPRouve

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Because they have two of the top 10 players in the league, along with a top 5 point guard (with mental issues) and one of the best shooters in the game next to them. If they can get a decent center who can defend and rebound they will probably have the strongest starting five in the league, and depth doesn’t even matter in the playoffs when it counts.

Of course Nets haven’t won a meaningful series, they haven’t even been in the playoffs with this team.
Fair enough, I still demand to see before declaring that they have improved. :D
 

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Because they have two of the top 10 players in the league, along with a top 5 point guard (with mental issues) and one of the best shooters in the game next to them. If they can get a decent center who can defend and rebound they will probably have the strongest starting five in the league, and depth doesn’t even matter in the playoffs when it counts.

Of course Nets haven’t won a meaningful series, they haven’t even been in the playoffs with this team.
Offensively maybe, but defensively they are likely going to be a train wreck, even if they can get a center who can rebound/defend. This may not matter in the regular season, but in the playoffs it will, especially against the elite teams.

KD was a great defender, and he still may be one, but that was the big concern with the Achilles. However he can't guard both AD and LeBron, or Embiid and Simmons/Harris, or Bam and Butler, etc. They are going to need Harden to step up and play at least average defense over the course of an entire series, something he has rarely done.
 

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It always amazes me how often people react to teams making a big move for a top 10 player with stuff like "they gave up too much" " he doesn't improve them". Whatever. The only time i can remember when a team paired up two top 10 players and didn't get better was the 12/13 lakers, and those two were an aging Kobe and Dwight Howard

Unless Harden is suddenly no longer a top 10 player or he and KD can't stand each other, then of fecking course the nets just got better. Massively so.

Also or note: Kyrie is both a headcase and injury prone. There's every chance he won't suit up for the playoffs. He's just not reliable. And KD is only there for another 2 years. Either they can contend, or he's off in 2022. The Nets had to get Harden now
 

Sarni

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It always amazes me how often people react to teams making a big move for a top 10 player with stuff like "they gave up too much" " he doesn't improve them". Whatever. The only time i can remember when a team paired up two top 10 players and didn't get better was the 12/13 lakers, and those two were an aging Kobe and Dwight Howard

Unless Harden is suddenly no longer a top 10 player or he and KD can't stand each other, then of fecking course the nets just got better. Massively so.

Also or note: Kyrie is both a headcase and injury prone. There's every chance he won't suit up for the playoffs. He's just not reliable. And KD is only there for another 2 years. Either they can contend, or he's off in 2022. The Nets had to get Harden now
I was about to say something similar. When was the last team an already good team traded for a superstar and it didn’t work? It was the same when Lakers traded for AD, ‘where is the Seth supposed to come from’, ‘they gave up so much’. Turned out they gave up even more than they thought they were, considering how Ingram has developed into possibly a top 10 win but it was still worth it.
 

Sarni

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Simmons isn’t even among the top NBA themed podcasts anyway. The Mismatch guys from his own crew are far better than him but nothing beats No Dunks for NBA content for me. Those guys are amazing and have grown so much even since their not so distant Starters days. I must say I am enjoying Bell’s and Murdoch’s Real Ones a lot too.
 

JPRouve

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It always amazes me how often people react to teams making a big move for a top 10 player with stuff like "they gave up too much" " he doesn't improve them". Whatever. The only time i can remember when a team paired up two top 10 players and didn't get better was the 12/13 lakers, and those two were an aging Kobe and Dwight Howard

Unless Harden is suddenly no longer a top 10 player or he and KD can't stand each other, then of fecking course the nets just got better. Massively so.

Also or note: Kyrie is both a headcase and injury prone. There's every chance he won't suit up for the playoffs. He's just not reliable. And KD is only there for another 2 years. Either they can contend, or he's off in 2022. The Nets had to get Harden now
It's true that in the NBA stars do make a big difference.
 

freeurmind

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I was about to say something similar. When was the last team an already good team traded for a superstar and it didn’t work? It was the same when Lakers traded for AD, ‘where is the Seth supposed to come from’, ‘they gave up so much’. Turned out they gave up even more than they thought they were, considering how Ingram has developed into possibly a top 10 win but it was still worth it.
Celtics trading for Kyire?
 

freeurmind

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Nets are the easy favourites in the East now but nobody knows if Nash can coach and I want to see if Harden and Kyrie are going to be fine playing second fiddle. That's without mentioning the potential distractions of NY stripclubs for Harden and I guess seemingly anything for Kyrie.
When the Boston and Miami Big 3s got together noone was wondering if any of them were actually going to turn up to games.
 

Jim Beam

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It always amazes me how often people react to teams making a big move for a top 10 player with stuff like "they gave up too much" " he doesn't improve them". Whatever. The only time i can remember when a team paired up two top 10 players and didn't get better was the 12/13 lakers, and those two were an aging Kobe and Dwight Howard

Unless Harden is suddenly no longer a top 10 player or he and KD can't stand each other, then of fecking course the nets just got better. Massively so.

Also or note: Kyrie is both a headcase and injury prone. There's every chance he won't suit up for the playoffs. He's just not reliable. And KD is only there for another 2 years. Either they can contend, or he's off in 2022. The Nets had to get Harden now
Of course they are better. They are so better that they should be judged under the exact same standards as the other team that made massive deal to land superstars just a season ago or the Clippers. Everything except the title is a failure.

As far as their team building they acquired 2 superstars at first. One turned out to be a basket case which was pretty much known even before the deal. He is the same guy that played for that Celtics team, nothing changed. The fact that they gave up so much just to land another superstar and the team can still be fecked by Kyrie makes it, well, a bit hilarious.

All in all, it is a title or bust for them. Bare minimum, they have to get out of the East (assuming KD is healthy of course).
 

JPRouve

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I've always thought he was misunderstood and treated unfairly in the media. I think he is just "special" now.
Agreed. His heart seems to be in the right place, he is just "special" as you said. In fact I like the Nets trio despite my skepticism, I like their quirks with Irving being a weirdo, Harden being a party monster and Durant's thin skin. They are also great to watch for different reasons.