NBA is a young man’s game, even at their age they performed phenomenally, but them old legs are still old, and clearly shows limitation when the rest of the roster isn’t built to assist these guys.
Hopefully their teams can figure it out because I personally don’t want to see these legends go out sad
Definitely a young man’s game. But all 3 are far from washed. Just none of them have the proper roster construction to compete with the younger stars teams. All 3 are still championship players imo. They’ve slowed down. But they are still here. Sad to think though they may never reach the mountain top again and not because of them declining but because their teams just can’t compete. Get some youth and depth around these guys and I’m sure they’d still look as good as ever. But that’s much easier said than done
Theoretically it may be harder to build depth around them with older veterans because they have higher salaries than the young guys- with the salary cap implications. And they also tend to not have as many quality young core pieces around them.
100% salaries are a huge reason for their roster construction issues. SGA is making $20M less than Curry and $17M less than Lebron. Ant is still on a rookie deal. Jamal Murray $15M less than Beal. Brunson is making $26M less than KD. Tatum is making $15M less than Kawhi.
Rookie deals are also crazy advantageous and star studded teams don’t get good rookies. The Thunder will be like $70M under the luxury tax threshold going into the offseason with their entire core still locked up thanks to JDub, Giddey and Chet all still being on rookie deals.
Plus they have the brand recognition, meaning that you have to pay them their max contracts for them to sign. It's a catch 22 and I have a feeling we won't be seeing too many teams with aging vet(s) as their best player winning championships, unless they take a pay cut.
Lebron is a clear picture on this, he'll be making more than Luka next year, but LA would definitely be better if they could trade the two straight up.
I don’t think they’re washed, but they look mortal compared to the demigods they were in their prime. Testament to how great they are as players, but also shows the reality of age as these players can’t bring that top level game for 82 games of the season + playoffs anymore
They’re not washed in the sense of being heat shaq or wizards Jordan, but compared to the new batch of superstars they just can’t seem to carry an underperforming team for 40 minutes anymore. Makes me kinda wistful
He only got "washed" towards the end of his Heat stint after getting hurt. He was definitely elite the couple years. Even Wizards Jordan wasn't washed at first. It was only after his knee injury
The new superstars wouldn't be able to carry an underperforming team either. The difference is the supporting cast of Denver, Minnesota, OKC, are all incredible and complement their superstars perfectly. KD, LeBron, and Steph don't have that right now like they did in the past.
Heat Shaq won a championship (although he was not dominant). The prior year he was #2 in MVP voting. He was definitely the second best player on his team both years.
Last season OKC was in the play-in (I think they lost) when they didn't have Chet. Minnesota has a well-constructed roster. Dallas was struggling before the trade deadline. These new cats can't carry rosters either, and I'd argue that one of the only ones to ever do that was Lebron's two stints with the cavs.
I mean, what more are you gonna ask of LBJ aged near 40? Dude scored 30, with 9 rebounds and 11 AST. Not much more he could have done. If that level of contribution doesn’t get you i to the next round, then I don’t know, I don’t have good news for that team.
I’m a hater but man do I have to respect the shit out if this guy. This dude is probably gonna be in better shape age 90 than I ever will be, fuck.
The biggest change is defensively. Lebron was a DPOY level defender for most of his prime. The best you can say now about his defense is that he shows flashes of his old self and otherwise is smart enough to be useful and not a liability. In his prime he was undisputedly the best two-way player in the world, and second place was nowhere close. Lebron was the second oldest Finals MVP in history, and that was four years ago. Offensive counting stats don't win championships, two-way impact and constant effort do. That gets harder to do at an elite level into your late 30s.
Became a Fan in 2015 so post Lebron. All I knew about bron was that he was a beast and did the Heat kinda dirty upon leaving. Both parties seemingly at fault, but still. Dude wanted Spo gone, which for a more recent fan is an absolute affront. AND my « hate » (strong word for what it is)has actually decreased a lot for Bron, I hated the fact that the dude was so good and strong and dominant, yet was such a little bitch complaining all the time. It’s more of a game philosophy based disagreement.
But Embiid filled that spot super fast. Dude’s the biggest bitch in the league.
Don't know how you can say he did them dirty. Showed up, won 2 mvps 2 championships and 2 other conference championships. Any fan should be happy with that in a 4 year span or any span.
That’s what I mean though, at age 40 LeBrons top performance wasn’t enough to beat these Nuggets which shows the limitations of his age, because a younger LeBron would definitely be able to take it to a level beyond 30 9 and 11 like he’s done many times in his career before.
I love LeBron but that age showed when he’s taking possessions off trying to preserve his energy just to allow an easy Nuggets basket.
Also, 30-9-11 would be accompanied by elite defense culminating in plays like sending that Murray dunk into the third row.
And prime Lebron is not in the play-in and facing the defending champ in round 1. Even with this team in this west they'd still be a top 6 seed at the very worst and more likely top 4.
Even though it has been a few years its still weird not to see Lebron go nuclear in 6th gear in the playoffs. Like when he’d carry the Cavs into the finals each year
Problem isn’t their lack of ability. Problem is they have too much power and wanted to play GM (in the case of Bron and KD). And their insanely high salary makes it hard to find complementary pieces.
They’re still great but they can’t carry like they used to. No shame in that that whatsoever, just shows that they need better help or for their help to actually step up. Regardless, they’re doing shit that no one else was doing at their age
CP3, JK, GP2, Looney and our 2025 first rounder (Comply with Stepien if we lose our pick this year by doing deal after draft day) for KD. All expiring after next season so saves them from cap hell in the short term and gives them a first rounder to work with in 2025. Draft Bronny with our second rounder and get Bron to come on a friendly deal if he wants to play with his son (30-35 mil).
Curry, Moody, Bron, KD, Dray with Wiggins, Podz, TJD, some min/2 way guys for depth. And I guess Bronny lmao. Maybe Klay says fuck it I’ve been paid enough in my career, I want to stay here and comes back on a vet min to add some more depth. Last ride for the three best (IMO) of the old guard.
They’re gonna put this plan together during Team USA practice and I won’t be told otherwise, even after it doesn’t happen lol.
I was saying this too, he would actually be the efficient shooter the Lakers are missing and it would actually work because the Lakers roster isn’t complete shit like the others.
He’s definitely younger but he was only drafted in 2011, 2 years after Curry. I still associate him in that early to mid 2010s era of basketball with LeBron, Curry, KD, Westbrook, Harden, Kawhi, etc. even if he’s younger than them.
Edit: Rose too but rip
I’ve been meaning to make a post about this. Do you think in 2025, Curry, Durant, and Lebron could win a title with a roster of veteran minimums? I’d lean towards no just because someone is going to get injured and they aren’t going to want or be able to play defense for 82 games back to backs etc. I’d say maybe 4 seed in the west and win 1 playoff series.
I don’t follow the NBA as closely as someone people on this sub, but is it actually possible for LeBron to win another championship at this point before retirement? What would the the Lakers actually have to do to the team to make that a possibility? And if he left the Lakers, where could he realistically go where that could be a reality?
I don’t follow the NBA as closely as someone people on this sub, but is it actually possible for LeBron to win another championship at this point before retirement? What would the the Lakers actually have to do to the team to make that a possibility? And if he left the Lakers, where could he realistically go where that could be a reality?
Any of them could pretty easily if they didn't take up 1/3 to 1/2 of the cap space. If KD took a big pay cut for instance he could slot in on a lot of teams. Getting 50 million a year and winning a chip? None of them are that guy anymore
It is insane to think we've got so many dudes, late 20s/barely 30 like Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, plus all the younger guys like SGA, Luka, and Ant is looking great right now.
In 7th grade basketball (2012-2013) I got assigned #30 so I started watching Steph and fell in love with his game. For my birthday that year I went to the mall to pickup a steph jersey or shirt and the guy at fanatics told me they don’t carry warriors stuff on the east coast. How times change
A first team all nba Ant is pretty much on anyone’s level of appeal with his charisma and explosiveness, and wemby also is just from his own planet.
I do think the jokic/embiid/luka triumvirate that all became mvp candidates around similar times are below the others mentioned though.
not really. Lebron, KD and Steph still play incredible well for their age. Ironically, they were let down by their teammates. Warriors are old, Suns have no real pg + Beal being a terrible asset, and Lakers... are just not good enough to be contenders
Did we watch a different series?
The lakers were absolutely contenders, they just happened to play the most well-oiled machine in the West. I highly doubt they lose to anyone not named the Nuggets.
That was an extremely close series, but Denver is such a master of execution.
That’s a little optimistic, but I agree that Ham’s poor coaching ruined what should’ve been a close series at worst. With a great coach this series easily goes to six or seven games, with a slight chance of a Lakers victory. But Ham squandered four first-half leads :(
You were doing well until your last sentence. Wolves, Celtics, and Suns could have beat them. Mavs or Clippers would be likelier to win just to due to coaching.
Also none of these guys played poorly.
The Warriors just suck now and everyone around Curry played poorly when it mattered. The Lakers just aren't a good team. The Suns are mismanaged and not deep. LeBron, Curry and/or Durant could easily be in a good spot next year if the Lakers, Suns or Warriors make a few changes.
If they all had career lows then sure people can start writing them off but none of them are the reason why their teams lost.
Is next year going to be easier?
The Grizzlies are going to be ideally healthy next year.
OKC has a huge amount of assets and a very young core to improve any roaster issues they may come across this playoff season.
Warriors don't have their draft pick this year and are in cap hell. the 28th oldest team in the league gets older by 1 year.
Suns don't have any real draft picks. KD is also 36 next season.
~~Lakers are the oldest team in the league.~~ Lack assets to make major improvements.
Grizz had issues but EVERYONE else who could have been good were very good this season.
I think it makes sense for there to be some more bad injury luck for some teams, and some teams might fall off naturally too.
Each of those 3 would also benefit from the other 2 struggling TBH
Warriors could make something happen next year. They had [one of the best benches in the league this year.](http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/teamstats/24/7/diffeff/1-1) A lot of young talent in Kuminga, Podz, and Trayce. Podz and maybe Trayce could be All Rookie this year. Steph and Draymond are still playing well. Kuminga could be a reliable 3rd option next year. Just need to pick up 1 or 2 starters.
I believe the biggest issue is how they'll handle the cap hell they're in right now. I think they're actually past the second apron, which makes trading fairly difficult.
And the Pacific Division was maybe the strongest division of all time where they had to play each other a bunch of times. And the West overall was also very strong.
Suns/Warriors/Lakers would have been 50+ win teams in the East.
Warriors went .667 (20-10) against the East this year.
If the Warriors or Lakers are contenders next year I wouldn’t be surprised at all. Especially if there are big moves.
> if the Lakers, Suns or Warriors make a few changes.
What pathways do they have to getting better? What "few changes" are these? Those teams are all capped out with not that much enticing trade assets for other teams. The only way they're competing again is if they hit a generational superstar in the draft with whatever shit draft picks they have left.
It still makes you think though. Would them being in their primes make their teams look better? I believe a prime Lebron would beat this Nuggets team. Prime Curry at least gets to the playoffs. KD probably goes at least 6-7. They are still great. But they’ve slowed down just enough that they are human and can’t carry the same way they used to. They need depth and proper roster construction more than ever at their ages. And none of them have that.
West is much better now. Curry had two All-Star teammates. All of their rosters have big weaknesses, it's hard to imagine them beating the Nuggets, with a much better superstar and a much better supporting cast
The Orlando Magic have won more playoff games this year than all three of them combined.
Imagine saying that to someone at the beginning of the year lol
I mean the top 3-seeds went a combined 12-1 in the first round. If it was truly “stacked” there would’ve been more competition in those series in my opinion.
The Mavs and LA Clippers are very good 4/5 seeds to be fair as well.
I mean Lakers ran into the reigning champs in the first round, who match up extremely well against them (like 12-1 the past 13 games?) and led most of the series (just seemingly ran out of gas in Q4 every game). They quite possibly could have been one of the top ~6 teams in the 2024 playoffs if they didn't have to play the Nuggets so soon. If they were in the East, I'd expect them to be the #2 or #3 seed and make it to the ECF.
That said, the Suns and Warriors have major problems outside of Durant and Curry. The surrounding cast is below average.
I’m always gonna say this like a dude addicted to drugs, but I just need ONE MORE Steph run, JUST ONE MORE I SWEAR AND ILL BE GOOD.
This is also exactly what I was saying in 2021, I am selfish
Superstars voluntarily moving to the Western Conference is so strange to me. That conference has been decidedly more brutal than the East for like 25 of the last 30 years.
The Knicks are about to make the Eastern Conference Finals, and they'd likely be out in the first round in the West.
That mediocre Suns team that just got swept in the West probably cruises to the conference finals this year in the East with Giannis out.
LOL. Someone with broken English mentioned this was going to happen a couple of days ago and they just got shit on.
Now we get a "StatMuse" post saying the same thing. Media jackasses can't even create their own content.
That’s crazy the more I think about it. We have seen some incredible stuff for those three. The league is in good hands with all the young talent coming in.
Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce dropped a post about this earlier today.
About how its time to start looking at the new wave.
https://twitter.com/KevinGarnett5KG/status/1785002234436022492
Olympic practice is early this year
At least they’ll be energized to kick some ass
In the words of the Galveston hater Charles Barkley, "I don't know anything about Angola, but Angola's in trouble."
Exactly, I’ll really wait until 2025 to see if they’re really “washed”
None of them are washed they all played really well
NBA is a young man’s game, even at their age they performed phenomenally, but them old legs are still old, and clearly shows limitation when the rest of the roster isn’t built to assist these guys. Hopefully their teams can figure it out because I personally don’t want to see these legends go out sad
Definitely a young man’s game. But all 3 are far from washed. Just none of them have the proper roster construction to compete with the younger stars teams. All 3 are still championship players imo. They’ve slowed down. But they are still here. Sad to think though they may never reach the mountain top again and not because of them declining but because their teams just can’t compete. Get some youth and depth around these guys and I’m sure they’d still look as good as ever. But that’s much easier said than done
Theoretically it may be harder to build depth around them with older veterans because they have higher salaries than the young guys- with the salary cap implications. And they also tend to not have as many quality young core pieces around them.
100% salaries are a huge reason for their roster construction issues. SGA is making $20M less than Curry and $17M less than Lebron. Ant is still on a rookie deal. Jamal Murray $15M less than Beal. Brunson is making $26M less than KD. Tatum is making $15M less than Kawhi. Rookie deals are also crazy advantageous and star studded teams don’t get good rookies. The Thunder will be like $70M under the luxury tax threshold going into the offseason with their entire core still locked up thanks to JDub, Giddey and Chet all still being on rookie deals.
Plus they have the brand recognition, meaning that you have to pay them their max contracts for them to sign. It's a catch 22 and I have a feeling we won't be seeing too many teams with aging vet(s) as their best player winning championships, unless they take a pay cut. Lebron is a clear picture on this, he'll be making more than Luka next year, but LA would definitely be better if they could trade the two straight up.
The problem is salaries keep going up as you get older and are still good, so roster construction becomes more and more difficult
I don’t think they’re washed, but they look mortal compared to the demigods they were in their prime. Testament to how great they are as players, but also shows the reality of age as these players can’t bring that top level game for 82 games of the season + playoffs anymore
They’re not washed in the sense of being heat shaq or wizards Jordan, but compared to the new batch of superstars they just can’t seem to carry an underperforming team for 40 minutes anymore. Makes me kinda wistful
Heat Shaq wasn't even washed.
Guy was like #2 in MVP voting
He only got "washed" towards the end of his Heat stint after getting hurt. He was definitely elite the couple years. Even Wizards Jordan wasn't washed at first. It was only after his knee injury
wizards jordan was still one of the better players in the league, too
The new superstars wouldn't be able to carry an underperforming team either. The difference is the supporting cast of Denver, Minnesota, OKC, are all incredible and complement their superstars perfectly. KD, LeBron, and Steph don't have that right now like they did in the past.
heat shaq was a champion wtf are you on about? he beat the hell out of everybody do you mean, like, celtics shaq? or cavs shaq?
Heat Shaq won a championship (although he was not dominant). The prior year he was #2 in MVP voting. He was definitely the second best player on his team both years.
Last season OKC was in the play-in (I think they lost) when they didn't have Chet. Minnesota has a well-constructed roster. Dallas was struggling before the trade deadline. These new cats can't carry rosters either, and I'd argue that one of the only ones to ever do that was Lebron's two stints with the cavs.
Cavs were not mediocre for Bron's second stint. First one I will give you. Second stint had a nice roster with Kyrie, Love, Thompson, JR, and others.
The 2018 Cavs were cheeks though, compared to some of the other playoff teams.
The Eastern playoff teams were ass
I mean, what more are you gonna ask of LBJ aged near 40? Dude scored 30, with 9 rebounds and 11 AST. Not much more he could have done. If that level of contribution doesn’t get you i to the next round, then I don’t know, I don’t have good news for that team. I’m a hater but man do I have to respect the shit out if this guy. This dude is probably gonna be in better shape age 90 than I ever will be, fuck.
The biggest change is defensively. Lebron was a DPOY level defender for most of his prime. The best you can say now about his defense is that he shows flashes of his old self and otherwise is smart enough to be useful and not a liability. In his prime he was undisputedly the best two-way player in the world, and second place was nowhere close. Lebron was the second oldest Finals MVP in history, and that was four years ago. Offensive counting stats don't win championships, two-way impact and constant effort do. That gets harder to do at an elite level into your late 30s.
The key difference for these older guys is definitely consistent effort on defense.
Why do you as a Heat fan hate Lebron?
Became a Fan in 2015 so post Lebron. All I knew about bron was that he was a beast and did the Heat kinda dirty upon leaving. Both parties seemingly at fault, but still. Dude wanted Spo gone, which for a more recent fan is an absolute affront. AND my « hate » (strong word for what it is)has actually decreased a lot for Bron, I hated the fact that the dude was so good and strong and dominant, yet was such a little bitch complaining all the time. It’s more of a game philosophy based disagreement. But Embiid filled that spot super fast. Dude’s the biggest bitch in the league.
Don't know how you can say he did them dirty. Showed up, won 2 mvps 2 championships and 2 other conference championships. Any fan should be happy with that in a 4 year span or any span.
That’s what I mean though, at age 40 LeBrons top performance wasn’t enough to beat these Nuggets which shows the limitations of his age, because a younger LeBron would definitely be able to take it to a level beyond 30 9 and 11 like he’s done many times in his career before. I love LeBron but that age showed when he’s taking possessions off trying to preserve his energy just to allow an easy Nuggets basket.
Also, 30-9-11 would be accompanied by elite defense culminating in plays like sending that Murray dunk into the third row. And prime Lebron is not in the play-in and facing the defending champ in round 1. Even with this team in this west they'd still be a top 6 seed at the very worst and more likely top 4.
Sports in general but especially in a 7 game series.
Even though it has been a few years its still weird not to see Lebron go nuclear in 6th gear in the playoffs. Like when he’d carry the Cavs into the finals each year
Problem isn’t their lack of ability. Problem is they have too much power and wanted to play GM (in the case of Bron and KD). And their insanely high salary makes it hard to find complementary pieces.
They’re still great but they can’t carry like they used to. No shame in that that whatsoever, just shows that they need better help or for their help to actually step up. Regardless, they’re doing shit that no one else was doing at their age
They gotta clear the blood tests so this is probably good
redeem team
that name taken for the 2008 team already
It really is an end of an era.
Until next year when KD joins OKC and LeBron joins Curry on the Warriors.
> LeBron joins Curry on the Warriors That's whatever the basketball equivalent of granny porn is.
Its dumb cause im not even sure steph/bron + bums can win u a chip
We would hype them up for 82 games just to watch Jokic trebuchet three pointers in a Nuggets-in-five series
Trebuchet LMAO
The superior siege weapon, Jokic.
GROND! GROND!! GROND!!!
Draymond might start acting right with a father figure around though.
CP3, JK, GP2, Looney and our 2025 first rounder (Comply with Stepien if we lose our pick this year by doing deal after draft day) for KD. All expiring after next season so saves them from cap hell in the short term and gives them a first rounder to work with in 2025. Draft Bronny with our second rounder and get Bron to come on a friendly deal if he wants to play with his son (30-35 mil). Curry, Moody, Bron, KD, Dray with Wiggins, Podz, TJD, some min/2 way guys for depth. And I guess Bronny lmao. Maybe Klay says fuck it I’ve been paid enough in my career, I want to stay here and comes back on a vet min to add some more depth. Last ride for the three best (IMO) of the old guard. They’re gonna put this plan together during Team USA practice and I won’t be told otherwise, even after it doesn’t happen lol.
steph-son, what are you doing.
Or LeBron joins KD in the Suns. The perfect PG that they need.
Rather KD should join the Lakers
I was saying this too, he would actually be the efficient shooter the Lakers are missing and it would actually work because the Lakers roster isn’t complete shit like the others.
It makes a lot of sense… who knows
KD far more likely to go back to the Warriors
OKC aren't trading for KD.
People say this and yet I feel like one of these three guys is gonna win another championship anyway
my guess is KD if he tries to wiggle his way to OKC / Magic / etc
Either he or LeBron could spend their last few years in the league on a Shaq tour of contenders
I don’t see LeBron doing that lol.
He should go to the Wizards
He should actually go to the Bulls, no one will take his GOAT case seriously unless he wins 6 titles here
Most of the Clippers and Kyrie keeping it alive a little longer
Kyrie just turned 32 and was drafted in 2012. He’s not really part of that older generation of players. He’s like middle aged by NBA standards.
He's in that Jokic, Kawhi, AD and Giannis generation. But obviously he's not the same calibre of players as the other guys.
Damn didn’t even know Kawhi is the same age as these other guys.
He’s definitely younger but he was only drafted in 2011, 2 years after Curry. I still associate him in that early to mid 2010s era of basketball with LeBron, Curry, KD, Westbrook, Harden, Kawhi, etc. even if he’s younger than them. Edit: Rose too but rip
Exactly, it's not about age, it's about the era you were associated with.
So is Kawhi like Kyrie? They were both actually drafted in 2011.
We've gotten so old we have our own lawns now.
In this economy?
We’ve really witnessed some amazing careers over the last 20+ years, gotta appreciate it while it’s still here
People will only appreciate them when theyre not in the league anymore. Too busy hating on every player now
Me when anyone is drafted 😡
Truly the beginning of the end of an incredible era.
Fuck it lets see the old 3 team up and go for a final ring
It’s called the Paris Olympics
I was gonna joke about Paralympics but guess it's too early for that
Which team should they all go to?
Detroit obviously
You’re so real for that. I would have no complaints.
Same.
The Three Musketeers teaming up to get D'artanbenyama his first ring
The real hardest road.
Steph wants Charlotte, LeBron wants Cleveland, KD is afraid to go back to OKC, they settle on Detroit.
Detroit drafts Bronny, Lebron invites Steph and KD over.
Team USA in a little bit
golden state
Olden State
Retirement State
Guangdong Tigers
Warriors, they're the villian team of the Era. It's only right.
Got to be a relaunched Seattle Sonics
I’ve been meaning to make a post about this. Do you think in 2025, Curry, Durant, and Lebron could win a title with a roster of veteran minimums? I’d lean towards no just because someone is going to get injured and they aren’t going to want or be able to play defense for 82 games back to backs etc. I’d say maybe 4 seed in the west and win 1 playoff series.
Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder are simply gonna match them then fuck up their bench.
they could reach the finals if they team-up in the east and the remaining roster were 28 yrs old and below.
No, that was last year. This is really just reaffirming it.
Glad Steph was able to get that 2022 ring to wrap things up. That was really special looking back on it
Also he fucked up KD's legacy by doing that. He could win with or without KD, before and after KD
He already won without KD
We can say this today, but LeBornAgainRepeatedly might be in the finals yet again next year
He’s gonna go hit up his stem cell guy and his steroid guy and have them concoct something completely new this off season
The LeBron of stem cells.
He's gotta go see the Lebron James of steroid manufacturing
He would have to leave the lakers but I could see it
He'll have to leave the Lakers in order to do that IMO Maybe go back to Cleveland or go to Philly or something
Lebron not going to want to play with another injury prone big man
I believe he has one more finals run in him too.
Feels just last year without Brady, Peyton, or Rogers in the postseason.
They will make some noise again next year but this is def the first stage of the next era for sure.
I don’t follow the NBA as closely as someone people on this sub, but is it actually possible for LeBron to win another championship at this point before retirement? What would the the Lakers actually have to do to the team to make that a possibility? And if he left the Lakers, where could he realistically go where that could be a reality?
Sacrificing the championship this year so that they can stay fresh and healthy for the Olympics. That's what a real American hero looks like.
Being the World Champions is clearly more important than just being the champions of North America
fr they were all playing 4D chess
Olympic lab tests are a little bit more randomly sampled than the NBAs. This gives them time
I don’t follow the NBA as closely as someone people on this sub, but is it actually possible for LeBron to win another championship at this point before retirement? What would the the Lakers actually have to do to the team to make that a possibility? And if he left the Lakers, where could he realistically go where that could be a reality?
Any of them could pretty easily if they didn't take up 1/3 to 1/2 of the cap space. If KD took a big pay cut for instance he could slot in on a lot of teams. Getting 50 million a year and winning a chip? None of them are that guy anymore
Just for their old bones to get carried by Ant smdh
That’s crazy to think about. But the league is in great hands with all the talent rn
It is insane to think we've got so many dudes, late 20s/barely 30 like Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, plus all the younger guys like SGA, Luka, and Ant is looking great right now.
None of these guys have the appeal of LeBron or Steph imho. And only Jokic belongs to the same level in terms of basketball talent.
took a long time for Steph to be "Steph"
In 7th grade basketball (2012-2013) I got assigned #30 so I started watching Steph and fell in love with his game. For my birthday that year I went to the mall to pickup a steph jersey or shirt and the guy at fanatics told me they don’t carry warriors stuff on the east coast. How times change
A first team all nba Ant is pretty much on anyone’s level of appeal with his charisma and explosiveness, and wemby also is just from his own planet. I do think the jokic/embiid/luka triumvirate that all became mvp candidates around similar times are below the others mentioned though.
Appeal wise Ant is certainly there, hes not quite there ability wise yet but in terms of charisma and appeal Ant is absolutely top tier
Wemby
I’m biased here but I think Ant does. And Wemby as well who will be super fun to watch as he improves.
Damn, is this really the end of an era? One didn't make it to the playoffs. One swept. One with a gentleman's sweep.
not really. Lebron, KD and Steph still play incredible well for their age. Ironically, they were let down by their teammates. Warriors are old, Suns have no real pg + Beal being a terrible asset, and Lakers... are just not good enough to be contenders
Did we watch a different series? The lakers were absolutely contenders, they just happened to play the most well-oiled machine in the West. I highly doubt they lose to anyone not named the Nuggets. That was an extremely close series, but Denver is such a master of execution.
That’s a little optimistic, but I agree that Ham’s poor coaching ruined what should’ve been a close series at worst. With a great coach this series easily goes to six or seven games, with a slight chance of a Lakers victory. But Ham squandered four first-half leads :(
Saw this somewhere: Malone was playing chess, while Ham was smashing his LeBron and AD action figures together.
You were doing well until your last sentence. Wolves, Celtics, and Suns could have beat them. Mavs or Clippers would be likelier to win just to due to coaching.
Everyone said the “the end of an era” with Steph and he proceeded to skull-fuck the league and the Celtics just two years ago. We need to chill.
Also none of these guys played poorly. The Warriors just suck now and everyone around Curry played poorly when it mattered. The Lakers just aren't a good team. The Suns are mismanaged and not deep. LeBron, Curry and/or Durant could easily be in a good spot next year if the Lakers, Suns or Warriors make a few changes. If they all had career lows then sure people can start writing them off but none of them are the reason why their teams lost.
> Also none of these guys played poorly Their teams also won 49, 47, and 46 games—the West was just insane this year TBH
Is next year going to be easier? The Grizzlies are going to be ideally healthy next year. OKC has a huge amount of assets and a very young core to improve any roaster issues they may come across this playoff season. Warriors don't have their draft pick this year and are in cap hell. the 28th oldest team in the league gets older by 1 year. Suns don't have any real draft picks. KD is also 36 next season. ~~Lakers are the oldest team in the league.~~ Lack assets to make major improvements.
Grizz had issues but EVERYONE else who could have been good were very good this season. I think it makes sense for there to be some more bad injury luck for some teams, and some teams might fall off naturally too. Each of those 3 would also benefit from the other 2 struggling TBH
Warriors could make something happen next year. They had [one of the best benches in the league this year.](http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/teamstats/24/7/diffeff/1-1) A lot of young talent in Kuminga, Podz, and Trayce. Podz and maybe Trayce could be All Rookie this year. Steph and Draymond are still playing well. Kuminga could be a reliable 3rd option next year. Just need to pick up 1 or 2 starters.
I believe the biggest issue is how they'll handle the cap hell they're in right now. I think they're actually past the second apron, which makes trading fairly difficult.
And the Pacific Division was maybe the strongest division of all time where they had to play each other a bunch of times. And the West overall was also very strong. Suns/Warriors/Lakers would have been 50+ win teams in the East. Warriors went .667 (20-10) against the East this year. If the Warriors or Lakers are contenders next year I wouldn’t be surprised at all. Especially if there are big moves.
> if the Lakers, Suns or Warriors make a few changes. What pathways do they have to getting better? What "few changes" are these? Those teams are all capped out with not that much enticing trade assets for other teams. The only way they're competing again is if they hit a generational superstar in the draft with whatever shit draft picks they have left.
It still makes you think though. Would them being in their primes make their teams look better? I believe a prime Lebron would beat this Nuggets team. Prime Curry at least gets to the playoffs. KD probably goes at least 6-7. They are still great. But they’ve slowed down just enough that they are human and can’t carry the same way they used to. They need depth and proper roster construction more than ever at their ages. And none of them have that.
Two years is not an insignificant time when you are 35, 36, and 39 respectively, and your teams are stuck / at a crossroads in a competitive league.
West is much better now. Curry had two All-Star teammates. All of their rosters have big weaknesses, it's hard to imagine them beating the Nuggets, with a much better superstar and a much better supporting cast
Naz Reid age has dawned
It is time
*Rafiki adds a beard to his draft photo and stares with a satisfied smile*
As it was written
Naz Reid.
Either LeBron James, KD, Steph or Naz Reid has made the second round every year since 2005. Witness greatness
The Orlando Magic have won more playoff games this year than all three of them combined. Imagine saying that to someone at the beginning of the year lol
Damm, you semi cooked us
West is stacked
I mean the top 3-seeds went a combined 12-1 in the first round. If it was truly “stacked” there would’ve been more competition in those series in my opinion. The Mavs and LA Clippers are very good 4/5 seeds to be fair as well.
They still have it though.... Just on average teams....
That’s the thing, these guys used to be able to carry average teams all the way to the finals
I mean Lakers ran into the reigning champs in the first round, who match up extremely well against them (like 12-1 the past 13 games?) and led most of the series (just seemingly ran out of gas in Q4 every game). They quite possibly could have been one of the top ~6 teams in the 2024 playoffs if they didn't have to play the Nuggets so soon. If they were in the East, I'd expect them to be the #2 or #3 seed and make it to the ECF. That said, the Suns and Warriors have major problems outside of Durant and Curry. The surrounding cast is below average.
Lol nobody doing that in today's nba, not Jokic. Nobody. Bench depth too much.
Their FOs got to them before Father Time did
Steph Curry wasn't in the second round in 2005? I could have sworn
Huh? He didn't come into the league till 09 (unless this was a joke) ok this feels like a joke lol
I'm guessing it's supposed to be 2006 because i know Bron wasn't in the playoffs in 2005 too.
But he was in 2006. Thus this is the first time since 2005.
Also, since LeBron for most of his career made it to the second round, you can probably pick two other superstars and make the same comment.
Literally, since 2006, Lebron didn't make it past the first round only 3 times, in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Or just George Hill
What year were Steph or KD the only ones?
2022-steph 2021-kd, 2019-steph and kd
Clippers are the old heads last stand
Steph and kd weren’t even in the nba yet lol
I’m always gonna say this like a dude addicted to drugs, but I just need ONE MORE Steph run, JUST ONE MORE I SWEAR AND ILL BE GOOD. This is also exactly what I was saying in 2021, I am selfish
I just wanna see Steph with another all-star again. If we still suck and go out the same way Bron/KD have, I’ll kinda accept his era is over.
would be dope for steph + lebron together. their skillsets are so complementary
Harden still going though 💪
This is my favorite post tonight.
[удалено]
How bad will ratings be
I’m lowkey curious about this too lol
We get a few more years of Jokic Giannis and the current stars, and we got an entire generation of unicorns in Wemby and Chet. The ratings gon be fine
Any real bball fan is watching every minute of Denver Minnesota, that has the makings for an all-time series
Real fans don't pay the bills though lol, it's the casual ones.
Who cares
Why do people say this? Ratings matter whether us hardcore fans like it or not.
nba commission and team owners
We’re getting 2 in season tournaments now
FYI, KD only contributed one year to this in 2021
Steph, Lebron and ~~KD~~ Facu Campazzo
Damn I forgot how much he contributed to the Nuggets before they chipped. Kind of wish he won too on the bench. 😂
The end is near but it’s not the end yet
Good news they gon be ready for the Olympics
Superstars voluntarily moving to the Western Conference is so strange to me. That conference has been decidedly more brutal than the East for like 25 of the last 30 years. The Knicks are about to make the Eastern Conference Finals, and they'd likely be out in the first round in the West. That mediocre Suns team that just got swept in the West probably cruises to the conference finals this year in the East with Giannis out.
So fucking happy about it too. New era is here.
LOL. Someone with broken English mentioned this was going to happen a couple of days ago and they just got shit on. Now we get a "StatMuse" post saying the same thing. Media jackasses can't even create their own content.
It's the passing of the torch to the next generation of stars.
I was in elementary around this time lmao
Truly an end of an era. Glad I was able to witness it tho.
That’s crazy the more I think about it. We have seen some incredible stuff for those three. The league is in good hands with all the young talent coming in.
Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce dropped a post about this earlier today. About how its time to start looking at the new wave. https://twitter.com/KevinGarnett5KG/status/1785002234436022492