I think it's crap. Especially now adays. You have organizations putting together these "Super Teams". If you aren't in a clique with some of these guys you will never be invited on one of their super teams. Doesn't make you a lesser player. There are going to be a lot of great players not win a ring for the foreseeable future. Shouldn't be held against them.

Only takes one dumbass like Kevin Durant to throw the entire balance of the league off for several years.

Hillbilly wrote:I think it's crap. Especially now adays. You have organizations putting together these "Super Teams". If you aren't in a clique with some of these guys you will never be invited on one of their super teams. Doesn't make you a lesser player. There are going to be a lot of great players not win a ring for the foreseeable future. Shouldn't be held against them.

Only takes one dumbass like Kevin Durant to throw the entire balance of the league off for several years.

Totally agree!! Except for the dumbass part about Durant of course.

These guys are just following and doing what both the league and society points them to. The league makes it doable to load up teams to win championships. And society worships championships.

But totally with you that the Malones, Stocktons, Barkleys and endless other players are great players with or without rings. It is a team sport.

And even individual sports like golf guys get chastised if they haven't "won a major". What crap.

Me personally, just one mans opinion, I have zero respect for Durant. I think he's a big pansy that took the cowards way out. Warriors already had a big 3. Him going there was a cheap way to get a ring.

He should have been trying to recruit a 3rd guy to join him and Russell and beat the Warriors. But no, that might be too hard. Let me just join them since I can't do what it takes to beat them.

He can wear the rings but he'll never be a champion in my book.

Hillbilly wrote:Me personally, just one mans opinion, I have zero respect for Durant. I think he's a big pansy that took the cowards way out. Warriors already had a big 3. Him going there was a cheap way to get a ring.

He should have been trying to recruit a 3rd guy to join him and Russell and beat the Warriors. But no, that might be too hard. Let me just join them since I can't do what it takes to beat them.

He can wear the rings but he'll never be a champion in my book.

And I get that - it's (your view on this) absolutely justified in my book too.

But he's not worried about yours and my book - but history books which will only count rings. So I'm just saying it's a bigger issue.

It often takes absurd garbage like this to get change to happen. Because until it does (both societal and leaguewide) then it will just repeat itself.

Sure I have an ax to grind - but to me our own Tribe is a great example of this view.

This is a classic team, lost in 2016 by a whisker which could have gone either way. I feel REALLY bad for that team.

But unless they get a ring they're a failure - this year included.

I would LOVE a ring. But I also am enjoying watching a first class team and organization which are both highly entertaining. Only 1 of 30 win.

I hope it's us but I love what I am seeing the previous 6 months before October too.

i'm with you tfir. My sports dream while growing up in the 50's and 60's as an Indians lover and apathetic about the Browns after Jim retired, was that the Indians would be a solid competitive team that would be in contention all year and win a pennant on occasion and a World Series some day, too. I had a friend who's father owned a business headquartered in Tennessee and suggested he buy the Browns and move them there.

Mid 90s and the Indians made World Series trips and the Browns disappeared was my goal realized. That we haven't had a competitive team for most of the past 24 years is outstanding and although it would be nice to win the whole thing some time, I'm happy. As for the Browns, if they ever get good, too, I won't complain but feel free for football fans who are living through what I experienced as an Indians several decades ago.

You may not agree with my overall opinion but I think we're getting to the same place in the end.

You can no longer judge guys by rings. When comparing so & so against so & so, or who is the GOAT, I will no longer care about rings.

I mean, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley are two of the greatest power forwards ever. No doubt about it. Combined, 0 rings.

If Karl Malone would have won a ring his final season when he took a cheap route and went to the Lakers would that have made him any better or worse? Absolutely not. Who cares.

We are definitely getting to the same place on that one. Good post!

James cannot do this all by himself. The entire rest of the team is doing next to nothing.

Playoffs seems to be where the loss of Kyrie really shows itself. In today's game it's tough to have a big man (Love) as your #2 option

He is good but Kyrie was 1B to Lebron's 1A and defenses were torn - with Love as the X factor.

Probably just as importantly, without Tristan being the force he was, their defense is not the force it was either.

Add in that 4 major role guys are still relatively new to the team...well...and Indiana with Oladipo has been very good all year.

Terrible match up ! Team is not that good... Coach IMO is not very good at all ! Outside shooting and getting to the hoop by Kyrie is missed terribly.

Lue is horrible. McMillan is really working him over.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/

Front page of the Plain Dealer has LeBron looking at a piece of paper. on the bench during a timeout or end of a quarter.

Any guesses as to what that piece of paper has on it ?

IMO Lue is a good people manager - hence he worked when the team had people that needed managing but enough talent to thrive when the people managing worked.

Lue is still a relative novice and this is NOT Nate McMillan's first go around.