Listen to State of the Union: sprtspod.fox/Lalas

Joining a 73 win team is the definition of bus riding 🤷🏽‍♂️

the fact that he went to the Warriors makes him a bus rider. If he stayed in OKC he would be considered the 'bus driver'.

Ty lue said they doubled Curry the entire series not kd. Kevin durant is godly when its 1 on 1. the warriors team was so good it allowed him to always play iso. When he has to be that guy and get doubled he cant get it done. everything chuck said was correct.

Why is marcelus ignoring the fact that the team that so happened “needed KD more than KD needed them” beat him when he was in OKC?

So is Mercellus just forgetting that klay was hurt that championship run?

KD was not CLEARLY the reason they won he was just the guarantee

Even KD was injured in 2019 GSW won at a high clip and made it to the finals. They only lost in the finals because Klay got injured too. Let's be real

Why do people try and forget the first 10 years of KD career in OKC. He lost a 3 -1 lead and then left to join a better team. That is a no brainer. When you are on the court with Steph and Klay, KD gets to play one on one basketball.

Kd just made golden state unbeatable. without him they still would have gotten to finals without him

Sometimes we act like we forget what happened in life. KD was beat by Steph

They were one basket away from winning back to back championships before KD joined the team. A team he COULDN'T beat! Steph beat him head to head!

Um, Chuck is right. Durant and Kyrie got a ring from superstars

He won 2 rings on a team that was won 73 games...Kevin's the definition of "The Bus Rider"

KD wasn't getting doubled constantly during the playoffs when he was at GSW, Steph was constantly doubled

I legit still can’t believe a player as great as KD left for a team that BEAT him. A 73 win team.. It’s the definition of “bus rider”

KD is low-key one of the most overrated players ever tbh. I've never seen the media protect a player so much

If KD isn’t a bus rider, why did he get on a bus that was already rolling after just winning 73 games with a pre-established MVP Driver? 🤔

He wasn't wrong Cell. KD was honestly a non factor

Finally someone said everything I've been saying. Warriors never needed KD.

Marcellus I love your takes but KD got hurt in game 5 against the Rockets and then came back game 5 and got injured right away on the first quarter. It was Curry who was the reason they won and closed the Rockets out in game 6 of the WCF when he dropped 23 in the 4th quarter.

When you join the team that beat you (after being up 3 - 1 on them), the BUS ain’t the only thing you RIDING! 🤣🤣🤣

Here's a thought. If Bron was on the Nets right now at the same age KD is which is 33 so a 33 year old Bron with the remaining of the roster the same they would demolish this celtics team. KD not that guy. Sorry KD fans

If you put Paul George, Kawhi, Jimmy Butler on that warriors team they would’ve won also. That’s how good that team was. So now KD is getting double team because he doesn’t have Klay or especially Steph who get double team and therefore KD would be open or have one guy on him. I used to think KD was the second best SF after Lebron but I’m putting Bird over him now

Kd was the rich kid waiting on the chauffeur to give him directions. On foot he's lost

I dont know about those championship years and didnt watch them BUT Barkley speaks truth and I trust his judgement

Charles was right. 57-59 without Golden State that is KD playoff record. They were 73 and nine before him and already had a championship. He joined a two time MVP a defensive player of the year and the two greatest shooters in the history of the game. Kevin Durant choked against Golden State and now he’s choking again. People just don’t like how it feels to call Keven Durrant a bus rider which is exactly what he was the officers ran through curry and Kevin Durant did not have to worry about playing iso ball all the time and creating his own shot and everything because curry and the offense did it for him. Kevin Durant is one of the only superstars in history they never had his own team has the number one option and got a championship get to go to someone else’s team and bandwagon to get those championships and those finals MVPs. Golden State Lost in seven games because of injuries suspensions and Harrison Barnes not being able to hit the broadside of a barn. Kevin Durant was a free agent and had not said he was returning to the thunder what Golden State was doing was doing its due diligence to be the best team it could what team would not want to get a score at the level of Kevin Durant because they put them over the top where they couldn’t lose that’s just smart teambuilding and unselfishness by curry it doesn’t mean they needed him they had one before him and if they would’ve gotten healthy the next year without Kevin Durant they would have probably won again. The thing that Wiley is missing is that yes Golden State lost in the finals and seven games but who did they beat to come back from down 3 to 1 in the Western Conference finals oh Kevin Durant. I love how when it is with Golden State they couldn’t get it done and that’s why they need to go to Kevin Durant but when it comes to Kevin Durant the same logic is not OK in the reverse because he blew a 3 to 1 lead also with a extremely talented Team. So yes he is the ultimate bus rider. That 2016 finals also had a lot of stuff that led to them losing a healthy team the next year most likely would have won the title and they didn’t need a Kevin Durant they could’ve gotten a good shooter who was a small forward star they could shoot not the level of Kevin Durant and they would have won. The fact is and that finals in game 4 or 5 Bogut tore his ACL Curry had surgery on his hand or wrist after the finals Iguodala was hurt . The fact is also Harrison Barnes couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn I swear he missed like 30 open threes in that series. Draymond the missed a game and still it took even with that depleted team game seven last minute Kyrie hitting a shot to beat the injured team. I find it funny that Marcellus Wiley wants to act like it was the same team that year that Kevin Durant was injured that it was before he got there there’s a tragic flaw in the theory. First of all not only was Kevin Durant hurt Klay Thompson was hurt in that series so it wasn’t the same team also to afford to pay all of the four stars and superstars on the team they had to get rid of a lot of their depth so they were not as deep so when there was an injury there was not a bunch of shooters who could come in and pick up the slack so no it was not the same team because what they were missing and roll players Kevin Durant made up for and the rest of the team for what they were missing but when those two were injured it was not the same team and their depth was sorely lacking. The fact is any team has to if they’re going to have a bunch of stars sacrificed depth that’s why having one or two superstars and having a bunch of death is sometimes better than having three or four stars and super stars and no depth so it wasn’t the same team give me a break. people also forget the Tyronn Lue said after the fact that they doubled curry and gave Kevin Durant one on one. He was the mismatch because you couldn’t just let Curry cook Because he’s a two time MVP

If he was the bus driver he would’ve never went to golden state after they blew a 3-1 lead to them

KD HAS NO RINGS

sometimes people get too caught up in trying to figure out what happened rather than just seeing what happened what happened was KD choked a 3-1 to the warriors in the conference finals, then he said "we'll get them next year" then he did not get them next year, rather he joined them next year, then he left curry for kyrie and never made it back to the conference finals since while the warriors have won a ring without KD and look like they can at least make the conference finals again this year, something KD has not done since leaving the warriors skill wise Ill take KD over curry but leadership wise, KD vs curry is like tom brady vs baker mayfield

You guys are the best duo. You have so much more personality and make things sound more fun to listen to. I hate looking at skip's death face and slow talk. He pauses so much to gather his thoughts and Shannon is cool but nowhere as articulate as you both are. I really like what you both do and I hope you both continue to grow and keep things fresh and young in this industry. We need more people like you. It's time to change the narrative of the sport and you both do such an awesome job guys. I REALLY DIG your analogies and ways of making sense from each point of view you both bring to the table. THANK YOU BOTH!

Acho and Wiley have the best discussions in all of sport. I literally could spend the whole day watching them go back and forth.

Marcellus is always making excuses for KD, this's what happens when you take short cuts to win a championship, it's so sweet to see the Sport Networks taking heads anointed Nets team loose.

Cell ask yourself this what has kd done on his own as the leader of his own team…….. Nothing…. He is the bud driver of this bus and it’s looking for him right now…. Ocho hit it on the head with his opening segment

Two things can be true. Warriors and KD needed each other. If he stayed in OKC he has zero rings. And when you have Steph and Klay it’s easy to just score. KD can’t lead a team, Charles was absolutely right. In other words, without a heavily stacked team KD isn’t winning a championship

They acquired KD for one reason only and that was to beat Lebron

I feel like this guy was just given a print out by the producer for the sake of putting out a differing opinion. He is reading nonsense off his paper. Curry did not need KD. He was a basket away from winning back to back championships.

KD the all time bus rider and just happen to get a mvp of one series, when he wasn’t the mvp in the whole years. Acho graphic proves it👍🏾

steph got double and triple team the whole series that's why Kevin Durant shot better

These two guys alone outclass entire espn..

alot of these guys lie about how the warriors were able to get KD. they had a lot of cap space and KD just happened to be a free agent. he actually could have went anywhere, but he chose the warriors. boston had brady meet with him. the clippers sent DOC. he CHOSE TO COME to golden state because he knew that's where his best chance to win. Curry's bus.

I’m with Acho. KD needed gsw more than they needed him. They were in the finals already they would have went back with out him.

If you watched those playoff games the other teams gameplan was to get the ball out of Steph's hands they were blitzing him as soon as he got past half court. KD never saw so much single coverage in his life. Not to take anything away from him KD he's an all time great and that dude but Steph was the most important Warrior on the floor. People also seemed to always forget that Steph came back on KD down 3-1 in the playoffs and won a chip without him while KD has won nothing without Steph

Charles is right KD won by ring chasing by joining warriors dynasty that beat him

The Pre-KD Warriors had a 3-driver rotation. Driving was done by committee. When KD came it went to a 4-man rotation. This year in Brooklyn no one drove.

just because you have great scoring dont mean your the driver he got on a loaded bus and the warriors gave him the keys to a loaded squad. this series vs the celtics exposed him as a player who cant lead unless its a loaded team period. and i will say again if jason tatum gave the nba the blueprint by bodying him up imagine him playing in the 80s and 90s with all the great defensive teams from those eras. kd wants to ball not lead period

Joining a 73 win team is a desperado rider trying to get where he is going!!!!

Wileys eyes cut across that table so quick when acho said he was going to put things in a way marcellus could understand, he clicked that ball point pen so slightly and immediately. Way to guys, your understanding of each other is wonderful it gives the show greater success

He was a bus rider. Come on. They literally went to 2 finals and won one without him lol smh

No, it's just Durant has always been "this guy" even all the way back to the Thunder. He was never dominated like this, but he's "that guy" he's never really been that clutch. Now he's "the guy" and he's sh!tt'n the bed

2019 KD gets hurt in the rocket series (the team that previously took them to 7 games in 2018) and Steph and klay bring home that series in 6…. Proceed to sweep the blazers to make it back to the finals where if it wasn’t for injuries to klay in game 6, iggy being hurt most of the series etc etc… the warriors potentially could’ve won that series….

What else do you call joining a 73 win team with 3 other all stars? Even when they won, even the GM roasted him for joining a good thing already DURING their celebration ceremony.

I disagree with Wiley. They’ve been downplaying his time in GS since he signed with them. What is he talking about? 😂😂 This isn’t a new narrative just cuz they’re down 3-0 and he’s in a low point lol

All facts Acho

I love this show. It doesn’t matter how you feel about a topic going into it, you’re going to get to hear every angle of it

You guys are the best, all great points, always, and always respectful with each other.

this is like the intellectual version of the undisputed debates

The 73 win team coming up short, we're just down playing the Dray suspension?

*If KD was the bus driver, he would've done so elsewhere. KD only won because he joined a 73-9 team. That's it. Potential is nothing without results. KD has potential, but he hasn't proved it by himself.*

Thank you Acho

Wiley really has no argument here, until KD shows he can take double teams, elevate his squad, 'get his' and lead his team to a chip in the process he's not better than Steph Curry

I think KD didn't do as much as most superstars to win that ring in GS but I don't think Acho did a good job arguing. If we can't look at stats or awards, what criteria are we going by? lol

I salute you Sir Charles Barkley when you concluded that KD is a Bus rider in GSW. Clearly, Steph has always been the Bus driver in GSW. We should not be comparing KD and Steph as it only mocks the accomplishment of Steph.

Cell literally just has to watch those finals against the cavs to know why KD was winning the finals MVPs. Curry was the focus of the cavs defensively. That’s not me saying that, that’s literally what Ty Lue said, HC of the cavs. He said he’d rather let KD get his than Steph get his. Also, KD literally LOST to Steph and the warriors the season Wiley keeps trying to use against him. And KD was not the only injury in 2019. Klay got injured too. All of Cells arguments can be used against him.

Kd fitted so well in that system that I always felt like he did the right thing…im from okc and when he left i was shocked but i knew he made a good choice.

KD knew it was a punk move and still made it.

This is why I never thought KD was the best player in the world.

half the warriors team was hurt against the raptors. Wiley leaves that part out that's why they could'nt finish the job. i'm tired of this dude lying like the warriors were the only team sending team reps to go court KD. every team that had cap space sent people to go court KD.

Charles is 100% spot on.

What’s KDs excuse? He’s on a team with Kyrie, Aldridge, and Blake griffin, there’s no excuse.

Very first thing said here is already wrong - that we are "retroactively" going back and bringing down KD's achievemnt with the Warriors. No. Many of us called it out THEN. We called it out before he joined the Warriors. We called it out the moment he announced he signed with them. We called it out when he won the title. And we're calling it out again now. KD has always played on stacked teams, and he underperformed every single year. For goodness sake, he was playign with Westbrook, Ibaka and James Harden when they were all in their early/mid 20s and they couldnt get anything done. Then he went over and joined the most dominant team in the NBA - a Warriors team that was so outrageously dominant that many people gave up on even watching the NBA, because they knew that a Warriors title was pretty much a given, and it just seemed pointless to even watch. Instead of trying to show his greatness by going AGAINST that team, he just jumped right on their wagon and said "yeah I'll come along for the ride". Signing there was a guaranteed championship and he knew it - it's like he saw the way guys like Barkley, Ewing and Malone get critiicsed in history for never wwinning a title and he was like "I just need to check this box". Then once he cheat-coded his way to a free championship he then decided he'll go his own way and try to prove he can do it himself, and once again he has fallen short time and time again. KD is soft, he's always been soft, and he probably always will be soft. It's obvious by the lack of success he's had as a leader, and its obvious by how easily and frequently he lets other peoples comments get to his head. He lacks mental toughness, and the only way he was able to win a title was to grab a free ride wiht a team that was already championship bound. He's an amazingly talented player and nobody will ever be able to take that away from him, but he's not a winner...plain and simple.

Can’t believe how a lot of people are missing Chuck’s point. Acho is a smart guy and read between the lines.

Marcus, the reason Steph’s numbers dipped was injury. If you remember he was injured twice and missed a couple weeks of games along the way. Sprained ankle vs Houston, then sprained the knee. You know how long it takes to fully recover from those injuries. Now onto why Warriors lost. NBA prolonged the series with Draymond suspension. Which lost them the home game 5. Then game 6, Cleveland took care of their home court. By game 7, Bogut was injured and Iggy back was injured. Injuries took effect after chasing that 73 wins. Also, don’t discount when KD got hurt in 2019, the warriors beat the rockets and swept Portland in conference finals. In the finals, had Klay not gone down in game 6, warriors take it to game 7. Then experience may or may not kick in. That could be argued.

KD don’t have a Driving License Lebron has a Cdl class A 😂

KD was the e-brake on the bus lol!!! 😂

Assuming all passengers on this bus is responsible for the driver getting a speeding ticket is like assuming KD didn’t win back to back MVPS!!

Steph curry is the most valuable player in every warriors title runs even with KD on the team. Should be MVP each finals but we all know they don’t want to give them to curry because the media loves Lebron too much to give curry the better career accolades over their lord and savior Leflop. Media is too lazy to tell everyone truth. Curry was double teamed even with KD and Klay on the team and still put up numbers

*Some people need to realize that potential means nothing without results. KD has the potential to lead a team to a championship, but the truth is, he hasn't done it yet. Giannis, Steph, LeBron, and others have done it; KD is not in that argument.*

KD has never been doubled or game plan against his entire career, he had a prime Westbrook, he had curry getting chased around all game and him playing 1-1, now he's the PG and responsible to set up, and KD choking in carrying this team, even last year harden wasn't scoring but he was the one setting up. the picture going around of curry having 5 guys on him and KD in the corner by himself shows KD whole time in golden state.

The guy in purple suit loves Durant soooo much Lmao

Anytime anybody starts talking about "what Kevin Durant did in Golden State," a team the previous season went for a record 73 wins and *beat* Kevin Durant in a ridiculous playoff series comeback, I immediately stop listening. He didn't do anything for GS except make them effectively unbeatable.

KD can only be on a bus that leads to a finals, with at least 1 other top 75 NBA greatest player. One final in OKC with Harden and Westbrook (2 top 75 NBA great players). And GSW, with Steph Curry. Last year, he wasn't able to get to the finals with Harden and this year 🤔🤷🏽‍♂️

Wiley is way off base on this one. Klay got hurt in 2019, KD has won nothing with out GSW

Love these guys. I see both arguments 🤷‍♂️. 👏

I just want to say thanks for the intelligent debates you guys bring to the table

Was KD the best 1vs1 player on the GSW? Yes. Was KD the best offensive player on the GSW? No. It was Curry

I disagree from Wiley's first sentence! No one's "lowering" what KD "achieved" in GS. Those FMVPs and rings BEEN worthless... nobody outside of KD stans EVER respected what he did in GS. GS only needed another scorer because they were going up against a top 3 player OF ALL TIME in Lebron.

Marcelus is obviously ignoring the fact that the reason the warriors couldn't close without KD against Toronto is that KD AND Klay where injured. You can be a bus driver but without gas or tires that bus ain't going anywhere.

Man that bus driver analogy got ran into the ground fast

Imagine holding 2019 against steph. 4/5 starters hurt, and still went to 6 games one shot away from going 7. Now if you want to hold the fact that he missed that shot against him, it is what it is but don't act like he aint ball.

I remember Steph pushed GS in the off season without KD. Steph went to god mode and won and brought the Warriors to the Finals. Onion-skinned KD forced himself to return for a couple of minutes to play and gets injured again just to prove that he is needed by the Golden State. Because people are starting to notice that Steph can do it without him. Calling out KD. Also, take into account Steph's broken finger. He played through it. If you like stats, checkout Steph's stats when KD was out. I believe that the reason KD scored more when he was in Golden State is simply because Steph was so unselfish and the Warriors as a team, let KD score more. Even that trey KD did in front of Lebron was just empty points and KD attempting to regain his "being the bus driver" since they are already winning and Steph played better than KD on that specific game.

Chuck was talking about leadership. KD was the best player skills wise but we have seen you need more than skills to win chips.

Why didn't he just win one in OKC Marcellus??????

Cell lost that debate big time

KD achieved cheap superteam rings that don't count thanks to Steph Curry. Since leaving Warriors KD won nothing because he is not leader but only a scorer that need a superteam to win.

3-1 suspended Draymond Green, we saw what happens when Draymond leaves the game with 6 fouls.. crazy how lost this is when people bring up losing in the Finals. Not to mention Lebron was cruising to the finals vs Demars Raptors for like 6 years.

Ohh my god,, chuck just gave the whole NBA a new template of judging players.. man now we will be analysing players on the basis of whether they are bus drivers or riders.. chuck is a legend for this one

it still blows my mind that people defend KD for his lay away rings and time spent in GS. burner bob is a chump

They could’ve have done it without him. They lost because they burned themselves out chasing the regular season record. They recruited KD because they could, he took that team from contender to unbeatable when healthy. He was the best player though, 2 FMVPs to prove it.

At 6:40 Wiley proved Acho’s point. Lol