damn why are NBA players unclaiming rings now?

[Bryan Danielson]

The championship is destroying the culture and fun of basketball.

Too many narratives surrounding the impact of winning/not winning a ring. We have GREAT players who never won a ring (team achievement) but somehow gets down graded and surpassed by players who weren’t necessarily better.

Or the ol’, “ he didn’t win on his original team” and “he joined a super team” argument. Even the, “he wasn’t the leader of that team” , “he wasn’t in his prime”, or “but he wasn’t MVP”, argument.

Now we have players “not counting” rings because they didn’t win them the “right way”?
WTF is the right way to win a ring in a team sport competition? This ring argument is bullshyt and overblown, and rarely put in proper context.

I agree with this too and it silly.

IT MAKES CERTAIN COLI FOLKS LOOK LIKE IDIOTS.

Like if someone listened to the some coli peep, especially the younger ones. You’s think a player like Karl Malone was a bum.

They don’t respect Allen Iverson, they don’t respect TMac, and then players like Mutumbo and Ewing get complete erased from their basketball history with the narratives they to run along with attempted to destroy other current championship winning players to elevate others

 

[Bryan Danielson]

the purpose of the game is to win. All of the NBA legenda of the past were expected to win rings? that's why Bill Russell was considered the goat for decades.

True but there are levels to it.

Just because your TEAM won doesnt mean necessarily you were the better player.


Too many times people used that point in their arguments to boost up their agenda.

Horry got like 7 rings (and he played key rolls in every series), but that don’t make him a better player than say Jordan

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

Cheap ring era. Even got barkley looking back and ashamed of going to Houston

 

[SlurRty]

t-mac says if he won in 2013 with spurs, it wouldn't have counted

Barkley says if he won with the 90s Rockets or if Karl Malone won with the 2004 lakers, it wouln't count

Now Matt Barnes saying his 2017 ring doesn't feel real???

Why former Warriors player Matt Barnes doesn't want his 2017 NBA championship ring



Former Warriors forward Matt Barnes doesn't want his championship ring


Matt Barnes capped his 14-year NBA career in storybook fashion. After being put on waivers by the Sacramento Kings, he was picked up by the Golden State Warriors for the stretch run and was part of the 2017 team that defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

But Barnes doesn't consider himself an NBA champion. In fact, he never even picked up his championship ring.

On his "All the Smoke" podcast last week, Barnes revealed (around the 1:09:00 mark) the ring is still sitting in the office of Golden State vice president of communications Raymond Ridder.

"I came in when (Kevin Durant) went down, playing a consistent 20-25 minutes. The game KD comes back, I get hurt maybe a week before the playoffs and I’m out of it," Barnes said. "I got a free ride, I got a free ring.”

Barnes averaged 5.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 20.5 minutes per game in the 20 regular-season games he played with the Warriors that year.

But it was a different story in the playoffs.

"I didn’t sweat ... I didn’t get to guard LeBron (James)," he said. With Durant fully recovered, Barnes played just 61 minutes in 12 playoff games.

And for that reason, he concluded: "I don't count that as a championship."

Very easy to see, a championship team's journey is a hard fought one.. If you go to a team that's stacked already or you don't even play, what did you really contribute? what hard fought journey did you really take? i understand their thinking

 

[Harry B]

Lol he's shytting on people like Horry and everyone walking around like they are special due to their rings when they were just fillers

Knowing Barnes he's just trolling, he could probably easily get more money elsewhere, dude knew damn well there was no chance he would be anything other than filler and knew the team was gonna win. He got like 250k for his time on GS, meaning he chose "minimum wage" why?

 

[Jplaya2023]

Matt Barnes said that because he was hurt and he felt like he didnt contribute to the ring so he wouldnt claim it. If matt played he would feel different

Tmac was the 12th man and thats why he felt the way he felt.

 

[etrofllenrod504]

The championship is destroying the culture and fun of basketball.

Too many narratives surrounding the impact of winning/not winning a ring. We have GREAT players who never won a ring (team achievement) but somehow gets down graded and surpassed by players who weren’t necessarily better.

Or the ol’, “ he didn’t win on his original team” and “he joined a super team” argument. Even the, “he wasn’t the leader of that team” , “he wasn’t in his prime”, or “but he wasn’t MVP”, argument.

Now we have players “not counting” rings because they didn’t win them the “right way”?
WTF is the right way to win a ring in a team sport competition? This ring argument is bullshyt and overblown, and rarely put in proper context.

This is so true. Players are traumatized because they don't want they career looked at as meaningless. It's exactly what happen to KD, Bron etc. These dudes putting in years on years doing everything they can for there team. Putting up all the numbers. Just to have some fukkers that NEVER played the game a day in there life at an elite level discredit they career because they never won a chip. shyt is awful.

 

[tremonthustler1]

This is so true. Players are traumatized because they don't want they career looked at as meaningless. It's exactly what happen to KD, Bron etc. These dudes putting in years on years doing everything they can for there team. Putting up all the numbers. Just to have some fukkers that NEVER played the game a day in there life at an elite level discredit they career because they never won a chip. shyt is awful.

and then we do the same shyt with MVP discussions (the only reason why anyone considered LeBron a leading candidate for MVP because it looks better on the resume).


The irony of these guys discrediting their value to a team is that they'll be quick to dismiss anyone who brings up win shares as a statistic.

 

[FTBS]

Matt Barnes was only ever gonna get a "free ring". There is only so much he was gonna do to contribute to a championship team. As someone said, it's one thing for a TMac or a Barkley, players that were superstars and the guy on teams who are gonna get credit or blame for team success, to talk about what ring counts. Guys like Barnes get credit just for getting in the league and getting clock. No one is gonna hold not having a ring against him. This is the next level of the Draymond shyt. We went from top level, starting, role player puffing his chest out and trying to shyt on actual legends, comparing himself to MJ to now, a journeyman role player talking about not counting rings.

the purpose of the game is to win. All of the NBA legenda of the past were expected to win rings? that's why Bill Russell was considered the goat for decades.

I'm not sure he was considered GOAT for decades. Anyone who knows is free to correct me, but I don't think that was a thing like that in the 60s and 70s. Beyond that, why isn't he considered GOAT now? He still has the most rings. Sam Jones has 10 and the overwhelming majority of fans don't know who he is, and he never comes up in any sort of debates, not even for his position.

We can't do this selective stuff. The purpose of the game is to win, as a team. So why single out individual players at all? Why track their numbers and give them indiviudal awards? Why admire skillsets or great plays or entertainment value? It's all about winning right? That said, if people wanna rock with this ringzz shyt, then they are entitled to do so. My biggest issue is that I have yet to find a person that is consistent with it. People only rock with it when it is convenient. Then when it's not, the bu...bu...buts and qualifiers come out. So really what it comes down to is people use them to big up cats that they like, that were fortunate enough to have a quality FO, coach, and teammates (because most people gravitate to winners and ask questions later) and shyt on comparable or even better players that didn't have all or any of those advantages. Most people don't understand the game well enough or have the ability to express themselves clearly enough to actually provide a reason for why a certain player is better, so they just throw rings out there. Or they hope that the disadvantages will remain for the player they don't like/are threatened by and prevent them from catching up. If that player does catch up or even looks like they might, then the qualifiers come out. Thing is, unless you are Team Russell there will always be someone that can be thrown out there that has more rings. Cogntive dissonance and belief perserverance and Juelz and group think allows most to get around this though.

 

[jerzboy]

The ring argument in basketball is pointless. I love basketball, but let’s be real... it’s not necessarily a team sport. It’s the one sport of the big 3 where you can literally get to the finals with just 1 great player. Now simple math suggest if another team has 2 great players there’s a higher chance of them winning... its legit the one sport where there is barely a surprise on who will win the championship or the underdog taking the reigns.

all these players and analyst basing a players success off rings can kick rocks

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

People finally realizing that Ringzzzz culture may be bad for the product and culture of the league.

And from where I stand, that’s just a byproduct of the league hyping players over teams and then you add in the form like voltron era

 

[InstantKlassik]

This false notion that Barkley was completely washed in Houston is hilarious. Had he won there, it definitely would've counted. He was not prime levels obviously but he was still very good his first 2 seasons in Houston.

 

[ThaRealness]

The championship is destroying the culture and fun of basketball.

Too many narratives surrounding the impact of winning/not winning a ring. We have GREAT players who never won a ring (team achievement) but somehow gets down graded and surpassed by players who weren’t necessarily better.

Or the ol’, “ he didn’t win on his original team” and “he joined a super team” argument. Even the, “he wasn’t the leader of that team” , “he wasn’t in his prime”, or “but he wasn’t MVP”, argument.

Now we have players “not counting” rings because they didn’t win them the “right way”?
WTF is the right way to win a ring in a team sport competition? This ring argument is bullshyt and overblown, and rarely put in proper context.

Everyone is held to the Jordan standard now. The guy who came before and after Jordan all had rings that didnt meet the "GOAT" calibur criteria. Magic and Kareem played with each other for 5 rings.

Kobe actually has some of the cleanest rings, so I understand why his fans get so feminine and emotional when he's dismissed.

 

[Saint1]

Everyone is held to the Jordan standard now. The guy who came before and after Jordan all had rings that didnt meet the "GOAT" calibur criteria. Magic and Kareem played with each other for 5 rings.

Kobe actually has some of the cleanest rings, so I understand why his fans get so feminine and emotion when he's dismissed.

what a backhanded compliment

 

[IShotTheSheriff]

Some foolish shyt, basketball is a team sport and every cog in the wheel is important young or old

The culture in the NBA is mad weird to me, players are bigger than the teams. I think this is why so many fans get lost in the allure of polarizing players rather than enjoying the sport for what it is.

interesting take.

i don't disagree. difficult to claim otherwise that the culture of the nba and nfl are practically night and day.