Arenas disagrees with people placing Kyrie over Damian Lillard: “You know, if Dame was in a bigger market, trust me, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Kyrie is a 3-time All-NBA player, Dame is a 7-time; that means he was (a) top 3 guard in the NBA for 7 years.”

48 comments

  2. Dame was definitely a better individual player than Kyrie. He just didn’t have the luxury of playing next to the arguable GOAT

  3. It’s not even a real discussion. We just have a generation of fans who can’t differentiate legacy and global resume vs ‘personal favorite’

  8. Dame did more with less. When Kyrie had a solid team in Boston he failed. Kyrie is amazing but Dame over Kyrie

  10. Kyrie is one of my favorite player ever and I was always pretty indifferent towards Dame…but Lillard is better and easily one of the best PGs ever.

    Dame delivered from day one, imo he had a career you can not really critisize.

    Considering the Top 75: both are miles above Ray Allen.

  11. It’s fine thinking Kyrie is the better talent but I don’t think there’s a conversation between these 2 all time. I don’t think Dame’s top 75 but for him to even be in the conversation says something.

  12. Dame > Kyrie. Put Dame with LeBron, and they win more than one championship

  13. Kyrie is not close to Dame at all. Kyrie could never even make the playoffs until Bron arrived, meanwhile Dame was hitting game winners in the playoffs in his sophomore year. There are levels to this. The 2018 Celtics even made it to Game 7 of the ECF without Kyrie.

  15. Arenas can’t count but I’d without question take Lillard over Kyrie when starting a team.

  16. Kyrie played in the east most of his career too, with better teammates, Dame best teammate before Gianni’s was past his prime Aldridge lol

  18. Lillard is the better player Kyrie has got to play with LeBron Durant Luka harden Tatum and now AD+ klay

  19. What he means is that if Dame teamed up with Lebron and Kevin Love, he’d likely have a ring too.

    It’s conjecture but I don’t disagree with it.

  20. Dame’s clearly better because he led his team to more success as a first option, while Kyrie’s never achieved anything as a first option.

  21. People are stupid, just because you like someone more it doesn’t mean they’re better. I love AI and the Dr, that doesn’t mean they’re better should be in the GOAT convo. I love Dame too and he’s unequivocally better than Kyrie

  22. Dame is more durable. With the new 65 game cutoff, Dame would have been eligible for awards in 10 of his 13 seasons. Kyrie would have only been eligible in 4 out of 14 seasons. Dame has played in 121 more games in 1 less season. Dame has also made the playoffs in 10 out of 13 seasons, while Kyrie only 7 out of 14 seasons. Health matters.

  24. Gil one of those guys man but he’s right on this one. Kyrie been on a rollercoaster of public opinions but he hasn’t been better than Dame. Prime Dame and Prime Kyrie are close as hell, but you have to give it to Dame. Career wise, Dame all the way. Either way you split this argument, Dame is favored slightly. All Kyrie has is the post season success, but Dame has never had a Luka or Lebron, or I’d even go as far as to say anyone even remotely close. Despite that, Dame still has memorable postseason highlights and carry performances, so his actual impact in the playoffs can’t be questioned. 

    And while I don’t like to bring off the court stuff into basketball matters, Kyrie made it impossible not to by choosing himself over his team on multiple occasions, regardless of circumstances, that’s a knock. Dame, KD and whatever James Harden you got would have made stuff happen, nobody gonna be able to say otherwise. Kyrie still one of the most talented point guards of all time and someone who could still add so much to his legacy, so we will see. 

  25. History will remember it differently because of Kyrie having more popularity with current young fans, but resume outside of the ring, Dame has it all. He also beat some of the toughest teams in the west in the playoffs and dragged a sorry Blazers team to relevance after losing two generational talents (Roy and Oden).

    Kyrie had a pretty stacked team in Boston and couldn’t figure it out. And that one ring, Kyrie was playing with quite possibly the best version of the best player of our generation, if not, of all-time.

  26. Honestly, stats-wise, they’re are really really similar in production.

    I think it just really comes down to play-style. The best version of Kyrie is SG Kyrie (Cavs, Brooklyn) where he just focuses on getting buckets. He tends to struggle when it comes to PG stuff like managing touches and facilitating. D-Wade had the same issue until Spoelstra told him “pass whenever you feel like” and it freed up his mind. Also, whether it’s style or his body, Kyrie is injury prone and the lack of availability kills team success.

    Dame is like the opposite. He’s more of a PG in the sense that he facilitates the game more and was super durable. Leads to a lot more team success when you’re best guy is managing well and plays every game.

  27. Kyrie is an elite/superstar 2nd option. He’s more of a SG than a PG. You can’t base your team’s system around him.

    Dame can be your entire system. He extends the defence so much that off ball actions are very very successful.

    Also, he was multiple times All star in the West. I remember so many years where the final guard slots in the West were a coin toss as there were so many who deserved it. Easy was comparatively easier to get into.

  28. I just know Kyrie couldn’t win on his own and did better with a star. Lillard took the Blazers on deep western runs by himself.

    Idk wheather people value winning on your own more or having a crazy skill set.

  30. Switch Dame and Kyrie to each other’s teams throughout their careers. Wtf is Kyrie going to do with ANY of Dame’s rosters in Portland? Lmao

  31. Dame has been the best player on his team basically his entire career, with exception of the L2Y

    Kyrie as the number one guy:

    Missed playoffs – 3 times
    Skipped playoffs – 1 times
    Eliminated in the second round after playing terrible – 1 time

    Measuring team success is stupid. Kyrie was more successful when healthy playing with prime LeBron James than Dame was playing injured with Giannis.

    Cool?

  33. people are so infatuated by the aesthetic of kyries game and skillset (hes a “hooper”) that they forget that every time he’s been a number 1 option he’s crashed and burned. dame singlehandedly dragged portland to relevance in the late 2010s

  34. Kyrie has only made a conference finals or more when he was the second option to either Luka or LeBron. Dame carried a team of scrubs to a WCF

  35. I haven’t thought hard enough to say if he’s number 1, but Kyrie has to be one of the four or five most overrated players ever, right?

  38. 100% agree. Prime Dame with prime Lebron wins at least the same amount of championships if not more because Dame wouldn’t leave because of ego.

  39. i agree dame is better than kyrie especially as a 1st option he’s done more with less and had some truly historic offensive seasons with little talent around him

  42. why is this even a discussion?

    Dame is Batman while Kyrie will forever be Robin. Kyrie didn’t have the same success as Dame when he tried to be Batman

  43. Dame single handedly blew up the Westbrook PG thunder. Thunder fans, you’re welcome

  46. Basketball skills and the ability to carry a team to win games consistently are vastly different.

    There’s a reason why Jamal Crawford was 6th man of the year and not #1 or #2 option.

  47. Even if it was contentious, Dame is on the Top 75 team, Kyrie was not in the discussion.

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