KD, a Warrior and a Champion
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The NBA season concluded this week with GS winning their second title in three years. It was the script many expected. After Cleveland’s unprecedented comeback to win their first title just one year ago, the stage was set for these two titans to meet for a third consecutive year in the finals. There were many storylines playing out this season. Durant is chasing a championship, are super teams good for the NBA, and is LBJ the GOAT….to name a few. This post will address Kevin Durant and some of the criticism he faced this season.
Durant Chasing:
In 2016 KD shocked many in the basketball world by announcing he was taking his talents to GS. Many saw this as a weakness. The talking heads on TV so easily entered into the mind of KD and so effortlessly deduced his motivations. He’s soft, he’s not loyal, they stated. Jordan and Bird would have never done anything like this. They would repeat over and over. What is completely ignored is the fact that KD spent 8 loyal years in OKC. He involved himself in the community and put his heart and soul into the Thunder. What you also don’t hear is that the average length of an NBA career is just under 5 years. It is a game were one injury can alter a player’s destiny. KD was committed to OKC for 8 years. He didn’t complain, but showed up every day. He was a leader and a good teammate and did everything within his capacity to make OKC a championship team. But KD was not the general manager nor the coach. He is not the reason OKC was without a championship. OKC’s downfall is due to poor front office decisions including the firing of Scott Brooks.
We talk about super teams, but do we remember that Harden, Westbrook, and Durant were all on the same team? You hear the talking heads say Westbrook needs help. He had Durant and Harden. These are 3 players of MVP caliber on the same team. Don’t forget Serge Ibaka, defensive player of the year. “They were young,” they say. But remember, Magic was a rookie when he won his first NBA title, and LBJ was basically a high school kid when he put Cleveland on his back and carried them to the NBA finals. Not only did OKC not win a title with Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, but they never even really dominated the western conference, not even as much as teams like Steve Nash’s Phoenix or Dirk’s Mavs in their prime. Even the aging Spurs were still able to eliminate them. This was not due to lack of talent. This was due to lack of chemistry. Putting the pieces in the wrong place is the reason it failed. Not having a good understanding of the psychologies of the big three and not being able to project how they will interact was the reason for this lack of chemistry. It should have been clear after the first two years that Russel Westbrook is not a player on whom to build a championship. He is not a player who facilitates good team chemistry. He is a “me” player, a “stat” player and one with very low basketball IQ. He leads the league in turnovers and seems to shoot more airballs and bricks than anyone I can ever remember. He shoots a high volume of shots and holds the ball way too long, making any type of offensive scheme mute. He’s effectively, a black hole. Durant is a basketball player with a very high basketball IQ, as he demonstrated this year by drastically improving his defensive abilities and finding a way to fit into an already amazing offensive scheme.
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How many more years of his life should KD have given OKC? How many more precious years of his basketball career should he have sacrificed in the name of loyalty? It was clear to him that OKC had no solution to the poor chemistry problem. They fired Scott Brooks who at least had some influence on Westbrook, although small, and hired a guy who basically treated him like a spoiled special child who is entitled to do whatever he wants on the court, no matter how obscene. Take 37 shots? No problem. Bypass drawn up plays so you can hold the ball yourself, dribble and take a terrible shot? No problem. Play like you’re the only player on your own team? No problem. Donavan effectively mailed it in for the year and let the season become a personal theater for Westbrooks accomplishments. KD was aware of what was taking place. He was there, he saw it develop. He saw OKC management lose control of the situation. Why would he stay? To sink with the ship?
Saying Jordan or Magic would have stayed in that situation is absurd. Jordan, Bird or Magic didn’t have to leave, because their GM’s were building them super teams, not only with skill, but also with chemistry. The smart basketball analysts on TV always look at talent, but fail in analyzing chemistry because it requires insight into the human mind, which they lack. Why would Jordan leave when he was playing with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Tony Kukoc? Why would he leave when his coach is Phil Jackson, the master of implementing chemistry and motivation and a true guru in every sense of the word. Jordan stayed with the Bulls, not out of loyalty or because he was more competitive than KD, but for the same reason KD went to GS, because it was the best move for his career.
Why would Magic Johnson leave the dynastic Lakers when he joined a team stacked with all-stars and coached by one of the greatest minds the NBA has ever seen in Pat Riley? These are absurd comparisons and we haven’t even brought up two other critical argument changing variables: Free agency and social media. Social media did not exist and free agency was a completely different concept in the 80s. Once again, we see that Magic stayed on the Lakers not out of loyalty, but because it was the best place to win, and therefore the best place for his career. The same argument can be made about Larry Bird.
In light of these facts, the criticism KD has faced has been unfair. OKC fans should be angry with the OKC front office, for making poor decisions and betting on the wrong horse. They should be eternally grateful to KD for spending more than an average NBA career in Oklahoma. It’s because of KD that OKC is a respectable franchise, and not obscure like the Pelicans or the Timberwolves. KD’s move to GS could have been a disaster. But it wasn’t because there was chemistry. Curry and Thompson are the polar opposites of Westbrook in every possible way. They are best when they work together. They have felt the high that ball movement and teamwork can produce and they crave more. You can see on their faces that they get as much joy when a teammate makes a shot as they do when they make it. They want team glory because they know they are the leaders of the team. They demonstrate it every night. Durant studied their chemistry and knew he would fit in perfectly. Curry and Durant are like basketball soulmates. The click effortlessly, psychologically, and with their skills.
How can you blame a player for wanting a better basketball culture? A winning culture? A team culture? We should praise KD for choosing this course vs solely personal accomplishment. He could have stayed comfortably in OKC, but he knew they didn’t have a winning architecture. KD took a huge risk and very graciously faced the unfair criticism. But in the end, he was proven right. OKC is sinking with Westbrook’s stats while KD is a King in the Golden Empire.
Insightful article! Although my knowledge of basketball is somewhat limited I enjoyed the references made to past players and coaches and the contrast between their circumstances and KD's at OKC. Ultimately stats or even how loyal a player was to a team may fade, but championships are never forgotten. And KD had to make the most advantageous decision for his career by moving to GS and ultimately winning a championship. Looking forward to future posts.