Get used to hearing about the relationship between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for the rest of this season, and maybe longer. With the kind of zeal typically reserved for celebrity couples, the split between Durant and Westbrook due to Durant’s leaving the Thunder, who blew a 3-1 lead to the Warriors, for the Warriors, who blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavs, is being asked about at every opportunity. At this point, I’m surprised I haven’t written an article about what you think about the fractured friendship between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
While Westbrook’s done his best “I don’t care” routine, picking and choosing his spots to show he’s angry, like a cat that can’t stop tipping over your water glass onto the ground because you were gone all day, it seems like Durant can’t help trying to repair things. He’s not one to stay silent, and in an interview with Anthony Slater of the Mercury News, KD wants everyone to know that he still loves Westbrook.
No, really.
I love Russ. I don’t care what nobody say. I don’t care what he say or what the fans say. Like, this is a tough time right now in our relationship. But I love Russ. I love his family. They all know that. I never did anything morally wrong. I never back-stabbed him in real life, never did anything behind his back, never told anyone anything about his character. Never did any of that. I just left teams. I just switched teams. Everyone on the outside is looking at it as, ‘Oh, you must not have liked him.’ Hell no. C’mon man. Nobody understand that part. I’m trying to find out who I am. He knew who he was. He knew what he wanted to do.
In there is some really interesting language that does bring to mind LeBron’s “Decision” to head to Miami after the Cavs the first time around. Durant, like all players, didn’t choose to go to Oklahoma City, but he kind of became a man there. That said, you aren’t who you’re going to be forever in your 20s, and if, in fact, KD is trying to find himself, a chance to play on a superteam is a good way of doing so.
Everyone’s always telling him who he is and who he is supposed to be even though they don’t really know anything about him (this author included). Maybe this is his Eat, Pray, Love moment, and if he wins a ring along the way then so be it.
Durant did admit that he probably shouldn’t have told Westbrook he was leaving the Thunder through a text. But, hey, any high schooler who broke up his or her significant other could’ve told you that.
Via Slater:
Yeah, you know, I understand that. I understand that. That’s something me and him will talk about. I’m not saying I’m right. I’m not saying I did it the right way. I’m owning up to that. We’re not going to go through this in the media though. I’m not going to say I should’ve did this, should’ve did that. We’ll figure our differences out as men 1-on-1.
Obviously there are two parties in this, and no matter how badly Durant wants he and Russ to be friends again, Westbrook will have some say in that. It likely won’t happen this year, as Westbrook is currently hellbent on trying to [extreme Adele voice] set fire to the rain while Durant and his merry Warriors try to avoid an epic collapse under the weight of their own expectations. In any event, this is going to be fun.
