The legacies of super-teams and ring-chasers...does it really matter?

[Superbone]

Interesting discussion. It is definitely a large conglomeration of factors.

[Superbone]

<Seinfeld video removed>

I remember the Seinfeld joke as rooting for laundry. Here's a reference from a Suns/Steve Nash bent:

https://valleyofthesuns.com/2012/09/15/ ... r-laundry/

[pickle]

1) I completely agree that there is no need to justify why you feel one way or the other about this.
2) My questions about why you value player loyalty to a team more than owner loyalty to a player isn't about saying you are wrong. I am really trying to understand that sentiment. I know I used to feel that way too, but as I reflect now I don't. So I am just trying to learn from those that do.

I don't value player loyalty over owner loyalty. Again, I think those are two independent discussions and I can and do have strong opinions on both sides. I hate Sarver as an owner. If he did something to alienate the players, that does factor into my feeling about the player. I'm not a Morrii defender, by any means, but I'm less upset with Markieff than most people on this board I think (Marcus is an asshole, period). While I feel Goran's comments towards the Suns were immature post-departure, that he was so frustrated that he demanded a trade was not something I was upset with.

I don't follow the other teams as closely as I do the Suns, so perhaps I'm not factoring in the owner situation enough in judging their moves. But I don't think the owners had anything to do with a guy like David West or Karl Malone blatantly ring-chasing, and I think the OKC situation was covered quite thoroughly and while an argument can be made that the team should have kept Harden and paid a luxury tax, it was quite apparent to me that they'd done everything they could to keep Durant over the past 2 years or so. In fact to me they were the favorites coming into this season had Durant stayed. Their dominance on the boards and Westbrook's fierceness on the court were enough of an edge that I think they could have dispatched the Warriors and Cavs, and for a guy like Durant, one of the absolute top 5 players in the world, to walk away from a situation where he could lead his team to the promised land, rather choosing to go to a situation where the pressure is off, hurts his legacy as a top historic player in my mind. I don't think Jordan would be the GOAT if he left the Bulls to join the Pistons or Lakers.

I should mention that, yes I'm aware that in the 70s and early 80s there was no free agency, so a lot of those earlier greats stayed with one team not out of their own will.

[Hermen]

I think talking about legacy may be premature with Durant for now, he has (hopefully) a lot of years of his career left. It's like when James went to Miami, I'm guessing his legacy was at question then and I'm pretty sure it's not anymore. The finals were amazing, and, heck, this year I might even root for him (for the first time, and probably last) if Cleveland meets Warriors in the finals again. Would his legacy be better or worse if he stayed in Cleveland entire career and won one championship?