Kevin Durant broke his silence on Wednesday night in Oakland, letting the assembled media in Oakland get a piece of his mind.
The former MVP lashed out at what he believes to be unfair commentary from the media about his impending free agency, focusing in on Ethan Strauss of The Athletic specifically for a recent piece detailing how the Warriors are growing to believe he’s leaving for New York this summer. Durant was clearly frustrated by the constant chatter about his future, and pleaded with the media to simply let him play basketball.
The problem, of course, is that isn’t really an option, even if that may be unfair or at the least annoying to players. The truth about sports in general, and the NBA in particular, is part of the fascination fans have with the game is about player movement and especially elite players being on the move and shifting the balance of power in the league. Durant wants people to focus on what’s happening on the court right now, where the Warriors look once again like the most dominant force in the league — this press conference came after a near 40-point blowout of the Spurs.
However, the regular season Warriors are not of interest to just about anyone outside of Oakland. Yes, Golden State is playing fantastic basketball. Yes, Kevin Durant is a big part of that. No, it’s not a major story. This is the status quo, and that doesn’t move the needle.
What does pique the interest of fans in the Bay and, especially, beyond is the potential for this to be the final year of this dynasty run, and Kevin Durant holds the keys on whether it stays together or starts to fall apart. That’s why Strauss and numerous others have dug in to find out what the feeling is in the Warriors building about his future. It’s why when he and Draymond Green got into an end of the bench spat earlier in the season, it became a story that dominated headlines for more a week rather than a blip on the radar — hell, that argument reportedly stemmed from Green having questions about Durant’s free agency.
People care about whether the Warriors are on their last legs as the clear dominant team in the NBA. The same as it was with LeBron James’ free agency a year ago, and in 2014, and in 2010. The same as it’s been for over a year with Anthony Davis and the potential that he may push his way out of New Orleans for the chance to go to a bigger market (which, as we now know, happened).
Funny enough, Durant, when asked about the Davis trade request the day it broke, explained why he and his teammates love to discuss NBA news and rumors like anyone else.
“It’s definitely a topic of conversation. All NBA news is, it’s not that serious, so why not talk about it?” Durant said. “Its AD wanting to play basketball somewhere. It’s not like the president shutting down the government. It’s basketball.”
Durant should understand why his upcoming free agency is such a big topic of conversation — it’s probably not a stretch to say he probably does — and why people love to think about the possibilities of the Warriors dynasty ending, at least as constructed, while he revives a franchise like the Knicks. Instead, this one hits a little too close to home for him to have that same perspective, because it’s his life under the microscope.
That, of course, is understandable. I think there would be frustration from anyone if there was constant discussion publicly about their future and reporters were talking to any and everyone around them trying to understand their thought process when they themselves may not have even made a complete decision. It’s got to be tough not to be able to set the record straight about your future, but it is part of the territory.
No, we shouldn’t discount the effect it has on the players simply because they make millions of dollars, just like we shouldn’t write off someone suffering a major injury because they have a long-term contract. However, Durant said it best when it comes to the fascination around the league about transactions.
It’s definitely a topic of conversation. All NBA news is. It’s not that serious. So why not talk about it?
