It's so premature to say this though, especially with his injury issues
That's why I did say if he remains relatively injury-free.
and no, he certainly doesn't pass Bird with no rings in a historical sense
Rings are circumstantial. Since his MVP season - KD is playing at a superior level - if he continues down this road and doesn't have any major hiccups along the way, he won't need a ring(s) to be ranked above Bird. I mean shyt Bird only had 7-8
great seasons - Durant is already working on his 5th or 6th. Another eight years, most of which he'll still be in his prime and he'll go close to doubling Bird's career output at an elite level, while having more impact on the court.
What if he resigns this summer with OKC and Russ bounces on him the next summer? That would be a stretch of likely first round exits for him
It won't come to a point where Durant has a stretch of first-round exits a) he'll either leave after the first two first-round exits b) OKC will go out and seek to replace Westbrook. On that note, if Westbrook does leave and there's a similar situation to what happened during Durant's MVP season (when Westbrook was injured) - you're going to see some 35 ppg, 5-6 assists on 50+% shooting shyt.
Just saying, it's too early for him to be crowned
No doubt, pretty much all current players (barring a few) should be left off these lists until their careers are coming to a close.
and if Melo stays healthy for 5 more seasons he has a chance at 30,000 and passing Dr. J
Where do you put him then?
Well considering his prime is nearly over, and even if he does end up getting 30,000+, the highest I can see him finishing on an all-time SF list is between 8-10.