No, you need both offense and defense. Cj for Butler or Lillard for Butler is a lateral move. Simply because CJ + Butler or Lillard + Butler doesn't bring Portland any closer to a ring than Lillard+CJ. Portland has 4 years left on Lillard+ CJ's contract. Unless your bringing back a better player who puts you in championship contention now. There is not reason to make moves, just to make moves. How many top 10 defensive teams, who weren't also a top 10 offense won it all in the past 20 years? You must have offense and defense to win in the playoffs, teams who settle for one or the other don't win.
We do not need help in the backcourt. We need help at PF and to a lesser extent at SF. This clamoring for Butler makes no sense to me.
Yep. Defense wins championships. Chandler, Brewer, Butler, Marion all great to above average defenders. We have? Nurk.....maybe?
Because he can play small forward? Because we have a plethora of other players that can play two guard? Because Butler is arguably a better and more well rounded player than CJ? Because...... I can't believe it's not butter?
It still does. There was something like only one basket in the last 2-3 minutes of game 7 last year and that was a long jumper by Irving. They were combined with the best player on the planet in the last 10 years. We have nothing close to that on this roster.
But the fact is their team defense improved surrounded by different players and a different defensive strategy. Hell they even had Love starting along with them. So my point is their defense or lack of is not set in stone like the poster wrote. They don't need a Lebron to improve their D, but yes stud teammates are needed to make a jump.
you cant just say he wasnt the reason when he lead the team in EVERY STATISTICAL CATEGORY SMH with this fucking guy Cavs brfore lebron 19-63//21-45//24-58//33-49 After 53-29(lost in the finals)//57-25 (Champs) learn basketball then post
What are you talking about? The post was comparing Kyrie and JR Smith's defense compared to CJ and Dame. It was said by you and I quote : "It is fair to say that these two together will not be able to cut it defensively, because to date they haven't been. It's that simple." Well IMO it's not that simple. I pointed out that Kyrie and JR actually did get better defensively and they started on a championship team. Of course Lebron was a huge factor but so was the scheme, and it was also because they put more effort into it. If you knew basketball as much as you claim you do you would know players can get better defensively. Just look at every player who gets traded to SA. They all improve significantly. Patty Mills is a great example. If he can, so can Dame and CJ, especially surrounded by better defensive players. And I never said Lebron was not the reason they won the championship. Of course he was. How about you learn how to read and then fucking post?
You dont even read what you post do you? You asked how I could 'ever explain Kyrie and JR winning a chip if they are so bad defensively' and I answered you with what is obvious to anyone who actually watches basketball that when you have a top-3 player all time who has made 7-8 consecutive finals appearances its pretty easy to discern why. The crux of your argument is that if we had lebron or kawhi or KD then it wouldnt matter if dame and Cj are bad defensively (thank you captain obvious). You're not wrong, but over here in the real world, where... you know... they actually play the games, I hate to break it to you but Hall of Fame players dont just show up one day. Which leads us round robin back to the start of this whole debacle which is the fact; you know what a fact is dont you? That Dame and Cj have not shown at any time in their careers to be even average defensively. Go ahead and try to find some evidence but Im not gunna hold my breath that some day they will magically figure out how to navigate a screen or stay in front of their man. If "defense wins championships" and if that is the stated goal of the franchise it is more than fair to assume that they cant cut it (because they have shown no ability to) on the defensive side. Not that I dont love how they play the game on offense, or who they are, but players arent judged by regular season wins or what could have been if they had one of the 3 best players of all time fall into their lap.
I am not going pick at your whole post, but what you are missing from my point is the fact that Kyrie and JR did improve their defense. You can't possibly have watched the finals and not acknowledge the improvement that Kyrie in particular, has made in that area. Yes they won it all because of Lebron, but Lebron just like everyone else in the history of basketball, has to have help. Otherwise he would have won it his first time in Cleveland. If Kyrie and JR (and KLove for that matter) had not improved their team defense, then Cleveland would still be winless in the finals. You have admit ......they got better! Again SA is a better example. Sure they have had some great players, but it's the system that makes the difference on D. You go to SA your defense tends to improve, you leave and your defense tends to get worse. Now granted we are not getting POP in your "real world" but these are not the only examples. To make a blanket statement that players like Dame and CJ can't improve their D makes no sense to me.
