he announced to the media that he will sign a new deal with the nuggets before the deal was even on the table lol

Its an underrated trait but there are also few elite players who are legit franchise pillars that are 'easier' to build a team around. Especially when their game would age very well.

That is a very good point, the locker room stuff especially. Couldn't imagine a LeBron-Kyrie situation with him.

Exactly. GMs value that very much.

The biggest thing is that he stays healthy too. How many of the top guys in the league are just expected to play 60 games?

I remember- there was one year when GMs voted KAT as the player they would sign first if they were starting a franchise.

@tylerholt6828 Sure things could be different but would he still exhibit better character as a leader? I think his run with the Wolves has shown he's peaked as a number 2 guy with a very unique skillset. That just means the number 1 going to be around him has to be elite and the roster has to get around KATs weaknesses.

@tylerholt6828 I seriously doubt it. Those numbers are inflated by his regular season stats. But in the playoffs he shrinks, makes dumb decisions and routinely gets himself in foul trouble. And its a pretty decent sample size of playoff games he's got now, unlike a few years ago when people still believed he could change.

@tylerholt6828Wouldnt change the fact that there is a list of players you would draft over KAT. He wouldnt even be drafted first on his team

KAT has all the tools to be Joker but his personality keeps him from reaching his potential

Ya but you said after a couple of titles

​@@colinobrien631yes, but one is already won. I think he's by far the best player in the NBA, but I still have doubts on his motivation in the long term

I agree. He could retire in 5 years

Good riddance

Was just about to post this same thing. It's at least a distinct possibility that he walks away in 5 years.

even as a sixers fan, i low key hope thats the case lol! petty in the league is funny sometimes lol

I don't even think it's to troll. If he can't vote for his guy (Jokic), then he'd have to vote for the next guy (Embiid) and, in which case, he'd be correct, because the guy is the current MVP.

@@MrPhilbautistaThat’s a very good point. I was thinking the Knicks so that they can credibly tell him he’s the best to lure him to NY.

@@austingreen1274 it's anonymous so this wouldn't work.

@@MrPhilbautistaEmbiid may be the MVP but he could never fill Jokic’s shoes being the focal point of this Denver Nuggets system. Embiid thinks he’s Kobe in a Center’s body. Jokic is so much more than that.

No doubt. If he wants, he can play till he's 50.

The same guy who was locked up against an over the hill Dwight Howard two 3 years ago.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd definitely take SGA over Ant. And seems like the list should be, in some order: Jokic, Giannis, Tatum, and Luka at the top-4. Whomever you want at 5, if you're going with a dumb pick like Wemby or a proven top player like SGA, I don't see how Ant cracks that.

I love SGA and having a guy like Josh Giddey to share primary ball handling and playmaking duties is a huge advantage. The only concern with those two as a combo guard backcourt is obviously shooting. They don't need to be great shooters but I feel like they do need to get to league average on about 5 attempts per game each. When primary ball handlers are shooting challenged it warps the court geometry in a way that makes getting to the basket or dishing to an open man more challenging. This dynamic is exacerbated in the playoffs against locked in game planned D.

i Think everybody hypes Ant cause his ceilling is bigger. But really is far from a certainty

I chat on a timberwolves chat as a wolves fan and i get into debates all the time that Shai is quite a bit better than Ant. And no one agrees with me ever. Dude just had mvp votes and averaged over 31 ppg. He is in elite company. While Ant is really good. Even in playoffs. Ant is still a far cry from Shai and still theory. Shai plays like Kobe out there in the mid range. Yes i know he is older but Ant is still theory. That is where Wolves fans dream Ant can get to. And may. But may not. I am totally fine with him peaking where he was last season. It is still awesome and way better than being a bum or bust at #1 pick. And he shows out for playoffs. That is really all i ask. Anything else is gravy. And they all argue like homers. It is absurd.

@@WheresWaldo05 A very well thought out comment. It's easy to extrapolate what Ant could possibly become because we've seen hyper athletic shooting/scoring guards in pretty much every era of the league. Added to which his phenotype is eerily similar to Dwyane Wade. Shai is a completely different animal in terms of how he goes about breaking down defenders off the dribble. His herky jerky style is not something we've really seen before, at least not to the degree of success that Shai has achieved. Shai is a handful for even the most elite wing defenders because they're never totally sure how to go about locking him down. It's like they don't know how to go about processing the visual information from one dribble to the next. Also Shai will shoot threes but only as kind of an afterthought whereas Ant shoots threes at a pretty high volume. Shai is also a far better defender than Ant is at this point. Ant could very well be an excellent defender but it's theoretical at this point. Bottom line is Ant has a great chance to be a superstar and Shai is unequivocally one right now. It's a shame the TWolves made one of the worst trades in sports history and the odds of him staying in Minnesota for his whole career grow longer every day.

Manhattan Beach legend

Or could be the heat 😂

The Heat ain’t that smart and ain’t that dumb 😂😂😂

It's great vibes

Russillo is an absolute boss. Gotta love him

He won’t be as injury fee as Giannis has been. Gianni’s is the pick.

@@k_hack9441 I love Giannis. He may have the best story of any pro athlete ever. Also he's as dominant on D as he is offensively. I agree he is the most logical, rationale, choice after Jokic. The idea of Wemby being a 7'5" Kevin Durant and also the best defensive player in the league both of which are very much on the table is worth the gamble.

@@Bewbscueseryou nailed it, I think the best comp so far for Wemby is Kevin Durant. So yeah we’re talking about a 7’5 Kevin Durant. For all his physical gifts Giannis can’t shoot or score like KD can, and Wemby has the potential to be an even better defender than Giannis.

@@gnomechomsky2524 I can't wait for the season to start! So many great storylines.

​@@gnomechomsky2524 incorrect. Giannis can't SHOOT like KD can, but he's OUTSCORED HIM for the past SIX YEARS by EVERY SINGLE METRIC YOU'D WANT TO USE: TOTAL POINTS PPG POINTS PER MINUTE POINTS IN THE 4TH QUARTER CLUTCH POINTS kd has such a BEAUTIFUL GAME people have confused that with EFFECTIVENESS. KD getting swept by BOSTON with a FULLY HEALTHY KYRIE while Giannis SET RECORDS AND PUSHED THEM TO 7 without Middleton should have disabused people of this notion.

His ceiling's been projected as high as Gen Z Kareem, so I could see the allure of the potential.

And Luka and Tatum are right there with them, IMO; haven't won a championship but younger. Those 4 seem like the ought to be the obvious top-4, in whatever order, right?

Couldn't disagree with this more. If he couldn't have Jokic, im not sure why he'd tunnel vision with big men just cause he had success with one

Definitely wouldn't be the Nuggets GM. You can see by the players he's brought in and drafted that he wants players that are reliable and selfless.

Embiid has avoided criticism for his body of work in the playoffs because Simmons and Harden have absorbed all the shrapnel. Embiid has under performed his regular season numbers in every playoff he's been a part of. Embiid defenders can point to seemingly valid reasons in each playoffs for Embiids performance but MVP type players with the pedigree to be the best player on a championship team find ways to elevate their team. Embiid is not on that level. If he's going to get a title it'll be as the second banana.

​@@Bewbscueseras a Embiid apologist I completely agree, he's really shot himself and his team in the foot with his playoff "prowess" and if his press conferences echo his leadership it's no wonder why they have as much talent as they do and continue to disappoint

... wut?

Embiid is fresh off the best scoring season since Wilt Chamberlain, ADay-to-day doesn’t compare

💯

He was better than Giannis that year by quite a bit.

I could see him at 5. Wemby ahead of him is insane, but he got 23% of the vote, so... *shrug* Jokic, Giannis, Tatum, Luka seems fair. Tatum has obviously been surrounded by better teammates, probably better coaching, but if you want to argue for the defense and the more manageable usage rate, plus he's won in the playoffs so much more, had his own handful of signature games... I assume I don't have to explain Jokic and Giannis ahead of Luka.

He just needs to meet Lebron's pharmacists and he's gonna take the next step. Sign with Klutch and get all those perks

The nba media just fickle, luka still on track. The mavs roster construction is trash tho.

Luka is being disrespected because he's fat and doesn't stop complaining. It's the same reason I'm disrespected so much.

Luka has a much worse attitude than LeBron did at that age. Unsurprisingly, that does play a role in polls when GMs are asked to pick who they want to work with the most.

Yeah, it's like people think only blocks count for big man defense. Hassan Whiteside had tons of blocks, but was a shitty defender. In fact, chasing blocks can be like gambling on steals, and make you a worse defender. Who was the better big man defender, Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan? Dwight had those highlight reel swats, and Duncan didn't always jump off the screen like that. They are both great defenders, but Duncan wasn't soaring through the air to contest.

@@shorewall 100% agreed. AD was going hard at the DPOY Jackson but was never once bullying Jokic in the WCF. Jokic is also extremely good in the pick and roll and getting guys away from their spots, whereas Boston was putting embiid in the pick and roll the whole game. No doubt also that racism plays a role in how casuals view Jokic defensively, it's sad, but a reality of this world.

Its overrated now when the offense finds ways to draw out the opposing big via screens or mismatches in some cases. Casuals easily miss this and always go for the raw bpg number. But in games if that big can't navigate through screens or play the drop, they are toast. In some cases the big already made it a poor proposition for themselves being out of position. Then inviting needless help which then is just easy pickings for the ball handler get the ball outside or with the big who screened that is either rolling or outside waiting to shoot.

@@t4d0W Completely agreed. This is where embiid was completely exposed and where Jokic was holding his own. All we can do is know basketball and let the evidence show for itself.

Fit they are like Kobe Shaq. Otherwise they are both worse than their historic counterparts.

Kobe and Shaq????? In terms of quality, we had KD+Curry just a few years ago. Also, Lebron and AD still exist? A better duo right now. Not to mention Jokic and Murray Be for fucking real

Yeah give me Jokic over Giannis and playoff Murray over Dame all day

@@steelwall4396i didn't say in terms of quality. the comparison is role based

@@Guacamully In what sense? Just a guard and big? That's about all they've got in common

And they def let embiid know it was them too lmao

Took me a second to notice what you were referring to. But yes. I agree. I did notice it subconsciously and now that I really see it it's especially annoying.

@@WheresWaldo05 Meh. We can debate. But I see the Smart-Jrue comparison as the classic empty calories vs. real heft. That's probably a little harsh on Smart. By counting stats Smart is "better." And yet I am 100% certain Jrue is a guy who will make his whole team better. True NBA fans know these guys when we see them. (And I think counting stats are frequently misleading.)

Everything you said us common knowledge. Acting like these are some amazing insights that you've gleaned from your occupation is cringey. "I do numbers of a living," lol. Yes, a lot of people do (well, "for" a living). It doesn't make your opinion any more insightful or intelligent.

@@BigBoyToys-ce5qg Oooh, dick swinging. Yeah, statistics expertise does make a living in a world where most people are effectively innumerate.

No.

because of they kind of did !

Jokic game can age through age 34 season i feel. Luka is a less team friendly game and harder to build around. I take Jokic.

I mean... in the last five years, besides '22, all the Finals MVPs and regular season MVPs have been tall and/or strong players since then.

Delusional lol. Prime lebron is was literally what Giannis is right now shooting 40% from 3 and a better passer.

@@boong2872 and a better 1v1 defender to boot. these anti-lebron guys are nuts lol

lol the comment is a really really really hot take at least or worse but you two answering are just ... - giannis was defensive player of the year and beeing as good with a wrong % is not really a good argument^^ its so easy lets talk about that 3 rings later^^

@@denigster rudy gobert won dpoy 3 times, do you think he's a better 1v1 defender than giannis? or prime lebron? if you do, then ok, at least you're being consistent...if you don't, then re-read my comment

Yeah, it’s his favourite backdrop to do unnecessary bicep flexes against 😅

Calling others weirdos when you’re on the internet exposing where this man lives 🗿

@@jesstiss222 He talks about where he lives pretty regularly on his podcast its not some secret

I think one big problem either of those teams are gonna have is when he asks out Philly is gonna be hesitant to trade him to another Easter conference team. Usually when stuff like that happens they try to send them to the other conference so their own team doesn’t have to compete against him much if it goes bad and he instantly makes that new team contenders and they go on a title run. And another issue is what they’ll have to give up to get him. Philly just got burned by Simmons and then harden so they’re gonna want the farm for embiid. It’ll be hard to trade for him and keep your current team intact. I guarantee Philly would ask for 3-4 first round picks rj barret, Julius randle and maybe 1 more guy which is a ton

Not the same thing though, pretty obviously different actually

And he deserved it. An easy western path, health, and playoff Jamal Murray made the difference. Jokic is not as good as Giannis. At least with Embiid, Jokic is so much more healthy.

​@@k_hack9441Right. Jokic is not as good as Giannis. He is better.

@@WheresWaldo05 he’s not. Passing is not more important than defense. Jokic had the easiest path to a title in 20 yrs and sidekick who played like Michael Jordan. It was a perfect storm.

That is 350million decision. He not retiring until he gets that

you should make that comment about wemby beeing good^^ thats the part we dont know^^ the captain obvious part is because everybody acts as if its s done deal - damn there are people talking about championships

totally agree! as a warriors fan I would prefeer very much play Denver than the lakers in the last postseason. Just a better machup for us

As a Warriors fan, I seriously doubt anyone will call last year's champion a fluke. Best record in the regular season and dominant run in the playoffs. Congrats on a well deserved chip.

@@MrPhilbautista i appreciate that and im with you but ive already seen people calling it a fluke saying we only beat 8 seeds and play-in teams which is honestly such a casual b.s. take

@@Jsch23 Yup. The Heat knocked out the East top seed Bucks. They were in the ECF last year and made it to the Finals in 2020. They were a solid team for the past half decade and their Finals stint isn't a fluke. The Lakers won the chip in 2020 behind Bron and AD, who were both healthy this year and good enough to get to the WCF. All championships are hard earned and well deserved. No asterisks.

Idk man. I feel like this could be the year they actually make a run. If you can get back some assets from Harden, Maxey takes a step and Obure.

The Sixer’s got a great team

And then stretches to what age? 33-35? Or I guess it depends cus some players have short like 3-4 year primes while others have a 6-9 year prime. Some fall off hard past 35 then some don’t and are still 80-90% of what they were for a couple more years

its not like the irving part makes your argument better - its more like irving was again the reason why his team under achieved

Yep, Manhattan beach

pretty easy why dude is crying about an mvp and forgets totally whats important, team sucess - and than he is the reason why his team is bad in the playoffs 3 years in a row - at some point he has to take responsibility