The full significance of Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Oklahoma City and join the Golden State Warriors has only just dawned on the majority of basketball fans.
Already a team that was re-writing history, Durant, a former MVP, joined at the start of the 2016-17 season. They have now finished it as NBA Champions while going on an unprecedented 15-game winning streak during the playoffs. Durant’s decision has ruined the 16-17 season, making it predictable, frustrating and quite simply, boring.
Kevin Durant is an incredibly gifted player, there is no denying that. The ‘Slim Reaper’ has impressive career averages of 27.2 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game. He is also a defensive presence, with averages of one block and 1.2 steals per game.
Not bad for a 7’0” small forward.
On top of these imposing averages is his immeasurable benefit to his team. Leadership qualities, a calm personality and ability to make clutch plays make him a true superstar on the court.
It’s necessary to note the events of the 2015-16 season to fully understand Durant’s decision. Then playing for Oklahoma, Durant and the Thunder lost the best-of-seven conference semi-finals to the Warriors after leading three games to one.
At that time, the Warriors, led by the first ever unanimous MVP, Stephen Curry, had just finished the best regular season on record. They had won 73 games, one better than Michael Jordan’s famous 95-96 Bulls team.
(Photo: AP)
Along with Draymond Green, the defensive beast, and Klay Thompson, the three-point sharpshooter, the Warriors were ultimately robbed in the Finals, losing to Cleveland in seven games.
This just combats the problem that Durant thought it necessary to join forces with three other bona fide superstars, creating another ‘super team’ in the West.
But hey, if you can’t beat them, join them.
The Warriors finished the 2016-17 season with 67 wins, securing their place on top of the Western Conference table.
Their playoff record is even more impressive. They won 15 games in a row and have now won the Championship after dropping just one game. Once Durant was added to their roster, the Golden State did an exceptional job adjusting during the regular season and hitting top form in the postseason.
Competition is the core element to all good sporting leagues. It’s what entertains and enthrals the audience. While the NBA boasts about showcasing the greatest athletes and talent in the world, their competition is piss weak.
Ring chasing is not exactly a new phenomenon (think Lebron James to Miami in 2010, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston in 2007, Dwight Howard to Los Angeles in 2012), but Durant’s decision was a class above the rest.
In the season before Lebron joined Miami, they were a mediocre team. Led by Dwayne Wade, they finished with 47 wins and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Boston had a dismal season before Garnett and Allen, with only 24 wins.
An ailing Kobe Bryant led his beloved Lakers through a tough season before they were convincingly knocked out of the playoffs by the Thunder. The Lakers then traded for Howard in the offseason.
As a superstar of Durant’s calibre and ability, joining forces with a team that is statistically one of the best ever formed is downright cowardly. It should not be thrown in with the other blockbuster trade scenarios that have gone down in history.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Furthermore, his decision has created an environment of shortcuts. While teams like the Lakers and 76ers are forced to wait patiently on the development of their young players, teams like the Cavaliers, Bulls, Rockets and Spurs are furiously looking for another superstar to add to their roster and compete with Golden State.
Although there is significant excitement about these trades, with rumours already circulating about Chris Paul moving down to San Antonio, it’s ruining the competitiveness of the league.
With Durant now proof that a player can take blatant shortcuts to winning a championship, this trend will continue to worsen.
Congratulations on the championship, Golden State. You probably should’ve done it last year.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
No one really cared when Payton and the Mailman joind up with Kobe, shaq and Jackson. Why is Durant different?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
He's been there one year, he's 28. Most people are already over Lebron's trip to Miami to win titles he couldn't do previously at Cleveland. If Durant says at GSW and wins more titles this won't be the big talking point.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Absolutely, that's what it often comes down to, if players decide they have enough money and are happy to take less money in order to fit into a better team to win a championship or 5, then they can do that. I definitely agree: - without Durant, the Warriors wouldn't have won. I think that's absolutely true - shame about Leonard going down in the East Finals. They were smashing the warriors until he went down, and were totally out of it once he did. The Spurs losing Leonard was right up there with the Cavs losing Lebron. That injury instantly handed the Warriors the East title. If Leonard had stayed fit there's a very real chance that we could have witnessed a Spurs v Cavs final. There's so much talk about the dominance of these teams, but one of the big aspects of these two reaching the finals only losing one game between them was that they were the two teams to stay fully healthy throughout the playoffs. Lots of other teams had major issues with injury. There are a few teams that if they'd been fully healthy would have provided much bigger challenges than they did. No reason to think next year can't be more competitive than this year was. GSW and the Cavs will both be among the teams to beat for a few years yet, but there will be other teams in there also.
mushi
Guest
Didn't he try? Wasn't there that rockets team of Pippen Barkley and Drexler wehre they tried to grab a ring?
Ryan H
Guest
I find it more disappointing that this is what has become of KD. Every time he is discussed now it'll be how sure he won but he was a "snake", joined the 73-9 Warriors, couldn't do it himself etc. All of which may be true. Just find it disappointing as he is all time great talent with an incredible skill set, and I am not convinced he couldn't of got it done in OKC. Did he take the "easy" way out? Yes. Did he win? Yes. Has he potentially added an asterix to his legacy? sadly, yes. He did nothing wrong for him as an individual, but sport social media and coverage is brutal these days and your character gets absolutely torn apart if you even shoot 2-10 against the Nets in a mid January game. I feel like 2-3 titles for GSW is a lock and the amount of credit he will get for is minimal. The public reaction to this title has been meh. Much like Lebron, whether KD can win a ring for another side post warriors will probably define him as a player. Just like LBJs 1 for Cleveland has dwarfed his 2 for Miami, 1 for Wiz/OKC would dwarf 3 for GSW.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Good point. People regularly talk about these great players as only being able to really claim greatness if they win loads of championships. But even Jordan couldn't do that carrying a team of also-rans. He had to have a good team built around him to be able to win those 6 championships. So it's damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you are a champion player on an ordinary team and manage to carry the team on your back to playoffs year after year, but don't have enough support to win a championship, people claim your legacy is tarnished by not winning championships, and if you bring in other star players to bolster the team, or move to a stronger team to have a chance at winning those championships people say your wins are tarnished because you didn't just "do it the hard way".
Swampy
Guest
This reminds me so much of when the Lakers were winning in the 80's (yes I'm old). Everyone hated them. Kareem was just about the most hated athlete in America (for no good reason other than he didn't show enough emotion and didn't do interviews much). Players who were traded to the Lakers were despised by their former team's fans. It happened again with the Bulls and Jordan in the 90's. During his career he wasn't acknowledged as the greatest basketballer of all time. The Bulls didn't even breach that argument until they won their 5th championship!!! I remember people debating whether or not Dominique Wilkins was better than Jordan (yeegads). Again Lebron has suffered much the same discussion for most of his career - unjustified criticism of a true great of the game. It doesn't matter, time fixes these problems of perception - Lakers were great, Kareem was Top 6 all-time, Bulls were special, MJ the GOAT and we truly appreciate Lebron's ability. GSW will eventually join this group of greats. Sure I was willing the Cavs over the line but I can appreciate something special when I see it. GSW are special. KD was extra special. He elevated himself to a new standing in the 2017 finals. Time will send him the appreciation. You watch Bill Russell hand KD the trophy and everyone cheers the legend. Once upon a time Russell's own fans protested his presence on their team. Time heals these misconceptions.
mushi
Guest
By those that chose to remember him that way sure...
Mike Julz
Guest
Durant will always be remembered as a great SF, and the guy who moved to a already great team that beat him coming from 3-1 behind.
mushi
Guest
How did he choke if he got dusted by the team with the best regular season record inthe history of the NBA? As to what message does it send to kids? Here's a few: 1. Your life is your own, don't listen to people that say you have to lump it just because they did in their day. 2. Don't think you have to pledge a lifetime of loyalty to those you were forced to work with. Blind loyalty invariably leads to someone's unhappiness. 3. Choose carefully between keeping yourself happy or other people. Becuase no matter what you do. No matter how well you do it. There will always be those that are icnapable of udnerstanding your actions. 4. Never argue with idiots, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience
Biggyd81
Guest
Wrong the problem is that Durant joined the team with best record in the History of the NBA after he choked against them the year before. You mount up and go again the next year you don't run off and join them. What sort of message does that send to kids? When faced with adversity and you fail you just take the easy way out. Those other examples are not the same. Those players weren't guaranteed a ring. Once Durant signed with GSW no one else was winning the title. Fact. It was disgraceful.
mushi
Guest
Then let’s go to the “what the NBA has stood for many years”. Free agency didn’t exist prior to 1988 which blows a massive hole in your “don’t know the nba” discussion as (plenty of very well research articles have been done on this post the LeBron decision that titles are more often built by bringing in players not drafted by your team). It’s worth noting the NBA once stood for white players only as well. Sticking to something, long since sensibly dismantled, is nonsensical. And even post free agency we had to wait for the current perfect storm of max and rookie scale contracts combined with a single season jump that would have made a Durant style decision for Jordan or Ewing possible. Literally this fact pattern has never existed in basketball, but given you know basketball I don’t need to tell you that. So Bird and Magic didn’t have the opportunity prior to winning a title (especially given Magic won as a rookie). I’m not sure of Jordan’s contract situation in 88 but he only had one window to change (again not really comparable to Durant) and the Pistons were actually struggling to afford to keep their team together (Thomas “diseases of more”) and he’d be taking a pay cut unlike Durant (something he never really did). To say they well “they wouldn’t” presented with the same fact pattern is also just baseless. Jordan would have paused to think about selling his first born for a title. If they had have gotten to pick teams school yard style no one deliberately picks the bad one right – it’s just players have never had the opportunity to pick. So really the only I can look at and go didn’t have titles already and if you squint, forget a few things and then fudge it a little is in a similar situation is Ewing who would have had to take a huge pay cut (unlike Durant). Now even before we get into comparing the Ewing and Durant legacy (Ewing never polled higher than 4th in the MVP), are you straight faced going to stand there and say: “The same people hammering Durant wouldn’t have elevated Ewing if he’d won 3-5 titles with the Bulls?
Machooka
Roar Guru
Yep!
Machooka
Roar Guru
I'm now wishing I hadn't gone there with sort of dribble... but all the same you done good QLDer :)
Swampy
Guest
That is just not true. Many superstars have changed teams chasing titles over the years. Kareem & Wilt. Barkley. Lebron. Garnett. Rodman. Walton. Shaq. Drexler. Paul. Nash. Just to name a few. What you are saying is a myth. The problem here I think is that Durant achieved his goal. Which seems to grate on people's well being. Guess what - it's no different to real life. HSBC and Citibank go and get the best talent and pays them. Bendigo Bank can't hold its best staff forever. If Bendigo Bank were to deny a staff member a switch it's restraint of trade. This is what free agency is. OKC's biggest problem was it didn't sign Durant to a contract (or extend it) when it could. Poor business. Like Harden.
Paulus
Guest
But do the Warriors win the Championship without him?
Red Kev
Roar Guru
Interestingly enough in 'ye old English' drivel did in fact mean the same as dribble (as in saliva coming out of your mouth), but as the word evolved the archaic form has came to mean word dribble as opposed to saliva dribble.
Marc
Guest
This article is actually on point... Anyone who knows and plays basketball understands this... all the people who say " hey its no big deal he just chose to better his odds to win" never played basketball and understand the code or what used to be a code to the game.... This is not Durant bashing its more about how his legacy will turn out ... A player like Durant's caliber (top 2 player in NBA in my opinion currently) its all about your legacy. The path you take to the championship will be written in stone so yes Durant has every right to play for whatever team he wants but we (as fans of nba) have every right to criticize his move to what is absolutely taking the easy road out to a championship. Look back into the 70's, 80's, 90' eras of the game.. Did you see Magic joining Larry?... Jordan join the pistons, Ewing join the bulls? Nope ..superstar players stayed with there team and thrived on competing to beat those other teams that were the best! It wasn't even a thought in the NBA to do such a thing! ...Durant's OKC team was right there last year...I find it hard to believe they would of never gotten over the hump of beating the warriors...the foundation was set in OKC but he chose to leave (which he has every right to) but left to the team that he couldn't beat. So now every time Durant wins a championship with GS there will always be the " yea but he took the easy way" ..that will be attached to him forever. I'm not here to hate on Durant the player, I think he is awesome..not here to hate on Durant the person, I think he is a good person off the court and never gets in trouble...Its just that one decision he made I believe goes against all what the NBA stood for many years.
Sergey Lavrov
Guest
Serves OKC right, they stole the Supersonics. For mine, Chuck Barkley was too greedy, he should have went somewhere for less money to win a ring. Now he is just a rotund, bitter, worse swing in the history of golf former player with no ring(like the rest of us),
Swampy
Guest
You know what sux? Playing in OKC & with Russell Westbrook! I'm guessing Kevin Durant is ecstatic with his current situation. If Durant had left and gone to say, Boston would it make it ok? He might have won anyway - he's basically the missing piece they require.