The Thunder didn’t deserve Kevin Durant
The Golden State Warriors’ managed to sign Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder by offering him things OKC never even tried to.
The Golden State Warriors gave newcomer Kevin Durant a bobblehead early in the year. Fans filed into Oracle Arena to pick up the limited edition figurine. It was only the second time in Durant’s career that his team honored the superstar with a bobblehead giveaway.
The only other time a team gave him one was his rookie year with the Seattle Supersonics. In just one year with each team, the Sonics and the Warriors each gave him one. In eight years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they didn’t give him a single one.
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Now, the bobblehead isn’t the end all, be all of a strong organization, but it’s telling. The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t deserve Kevin Durant. They took him for granted for his entire career there and acted surprised when he left.
I’m not saying Oklahoma City, the place, didn’t deserve him. I’m not saying the fans didn’t deserve him either (despite the fact that some of shown their true colors since). But, rather, the organization itself didn’t deserve his incredible talents.
A 23 year old Durant was three wins away from being an NBA champion. He fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, but there was hope there. He had Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka right by his side. The future was bright.
Then the organization prioritized saving a few bucks over paying Harden, who would blossom into an MVP candidate in Houston. Every year, they gave Durant less and less help while expecting more and more from him. They, continuously, let him down.
OKC didn’t just disappoint him with their incompetence, they also tried to control him. Durant told ESPN’s Chris Hayes that “[the Thunder] wanted to control the story. They wanted to control the narrative.” He compared that organization’s strict media policies to Golden State’s laid-back approach.
Durant won an MVP while having an incredible individual season, but the organization never gave him a coach that would really have maximized his talent. Scott Brooks did a fantastic job molding Durant and his young teammates, but he took them as far as he could. His schemes were too simple.
Isolation ball became the norm in OKC and, often, Durant and Westbrook would just take turns. Offensively, Durant had to rely on his own ability to create and make difficult shots. Defensively, he was never challenged.
Durant was expected to drive a car he didn’t really have the keys to. Westbrook dominated the ball, preferring the temporary chaos he created individually over the potential for harmony. When Westbrook’s poor shot selection, turnovers, and lackadaisical defense hurt the team, the blame fell on Durant.
The Thunder never got their star help. They never built a team or created a system that would help him carry the team to a title. They never honored him the way they should have.
When Durant was making his decision, owner Clay Bennett and eight other members of the recruitment team had to share six rooms at a Holiday Inn Express an hour away from where the superstar was staying. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but it’s the lack of attention to detail that seemed to drive Durant away. The lack of foresight that Golden State has because they’re #LightYears ahead.
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t value Durant as much as they should have. They took for granted his once-in-a-generation talent. They couldn’t give him what he wanted.
A 23 year old Durant was three wins away from being an NBA champion and never made it back to the Finals after that. Some of it was misfortune, but the organization deserves most of the blame. They never assembled a team that could go to the Finals.
The Golden State Warriors gave him that. They gave him a team that complemented Durant’s skill set. They gave him stars to relieve the pressure without creating tension. The Warriors gave him a connection. They gave him a system to thrive in with a chance to win a ring.
They gave him a lot of things to show him that he’s important that the Thunder never even tried to, things as little and as simple as a bobblehead.