The Best of the Day: March 7th, 2021

SINCE LEAVING OKC, KD JOINED THE 2 MOST STACKED TEAMS OF ALL-TIME

When Kevin Durant left a title-contender in Oklahoma City to join the 73-9 Warriors that had just eliminated his Thunder in the 2016 WCF, it was considered the weakest move ever by an NBA superstar. KD deciding to leave that juggernaut for New York was respected by his peers much more at the time since it created balance in the NBA again.

However, if they had known the Nets were going to use their assets of draft picks, young players, and cap space to then add 9x All-Star James Harden and 6x All-Star Blake Griffin to pair with the already premier duo in the Eastern Conference of 7x All-Star Kyrie Irving and 11x All-Star Durant, it likely would’ve led to even more criticism. Just two years after the Warriors dynasty ended, the new-look Nets might have built a better lineup than even Golden State had with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and a hampered DeMarcus Cousins. 

Championships have become a major factor in a player’s overall legacy which is why top players have joined loaded rosters as they go ring chasing. Nobody can better exemplify that now than KD himself. From joining what would’ve been considered the greatest team of all-time in 2016 (had it not been for Draymond’s suspension or Steph/Iggy’s nagging injuries, or Barnes‘ historically awful shooting) to now forming a new superteam in Brooklyn, KD is the new face of this generation’s new option to take the easy path.

It doesn’t mean those championships aren’t legitimate. They still have to win 16 playoff games like everyone else. However, basketball is a TEAM sport. Crediting ONE player significantly because he’s on a stacked roster doesn’t make much sense. So in this era of “who’s greater,” the fact that Durant won 0 championships while playing alongside 1 Hall of Famer (Russell Westbrook) will be taken into account if the only time he won a title was while playing on one of two most stacked teams of all-time.

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Breaking: Free agent Blake Griffin has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets for the rest of the season, his agent Sam Goldfeder tells @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/O06ENhzC3j

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2021

Brooklyn Nets are the 2nd team to average 120+ PPG & 50%+ FG at the All-Star Break in NBA history, joining the 1981-82 Nuggets https://t.co/qlkTXQnqRA

— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 6, 2021

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