KD and the “Superteam” Warriors: Why it’s ok.

As you probably know, many NBA fans and the league itself is not too pleased that Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors next season.

There has been much debate in the social media world about whether Durant’s decision was the right one to make. Even the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, said that Durant joining the Warriors is “not ideal” and that the league needs to somehow maintain a competitive balance. You should know where I’m getting at. It’s the one word league officials and other teams hate to use.

It is the “superteam.”

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Now, if Durant makes the Warriors a “superteam”, why try to change the whole league when this is how it’s been for a long, long time?

The most recent “superteams” have been the ’08 Boston Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and the Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Now these “superteams” are formed because of one reason: which is to have the potential to win multiple championships and become a dynasty.

However, the term “superteams” was created long before these Heat and Celtic teams. These were the days of the Michael Jordan‘s Bulls and the “Showtime Lakers” with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Also, the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the early 2000s when Shaq left the Magic to team up with Kobe to try to win multiple titles.

You can even throw in Duncan’s Spurs, even though I’ll give them a pass because Duncan, Ginobili and Parker were drafted by the Spurs and did not leave their original franchise to team up with another superstar or two to try to create a dynasty.

This is what makes the perspectives and views of Durant joining the Warriors interesting.

Yes, Durant is already joining a stacked team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, but he followed suit to those other stars who did the same thing before him by leaving and going to a team with a better championship chance. Yes, Durant was recruited to the Warriors by the four guys mentioned above, but LeBron James did that with Miami and the Celtics did that with their “Big 3” as well. Yes, Durant is one of the only players in the NBA that can change a team with both his full offensive repertoire and improved defense.

How many teams had a “Big 3” that was homegrown through the draft that have won multiple titles? The only team that crosses my mind are the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

What doesn’t make sense is how fans and league officials alike are claiming that Kevin Durant joining the Warriors makes them a “superteam” now, but they were not a “superteam” before with Curry, Thompson and Green, who are All-Stars. It seems to me that you have to have two of the top 10 players in the league to be a so-called “superteam.”

Also, LeBron put his teams together in Miami and his second go-around in Cleveland and he is not getting as much hate as KD is getting when he announced he would join the Warriors. It is especially true for his second time in Cleveland when he recruited Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs to be another “superteam.”

We can also take a look at a couple of players in the past and are now NBA commentators/analysts, who don’t like the decision by KD. Those two former players happen to be Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller. Barkley, who played for both the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets had a shot to win a ring there, but could not do it. Miller, on the other hand, played his entire career with the Indiana Pacers and also was not able to win a ring in his career.

Here’s what Chuck had to say about Kevin Durant joining a “superteam” in the Warriors (via ESPN):

"“Kevin is a terrific player. He’s a good kid. But just disappointed with the fact that he weakened another team and he’s gonna kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors team. Just disappointed from a competitive standpoint. Because just like it meant more to LeBron to win one in Cleveland, it would mean more to Kevin to win one in Oklahoma than it would be in Golden State.”"

Now let’s look at what Reggie Miller had to say about KD joining a “superteam” in the Warriors (via Bleacher Report):

"“That’s why I believe Durant took an unnecessary shortcut by joining the Warriors. Fans in smaller markets live and die with their teams. Going to playoff games and driving through the neighborhood, almost every house has signs and banners from kids.”"

Yes, they have great points about a competition drop and staying with your small market team, but the point of playing professionally is to win and support your family financially, while playing the game you love at the highest level.

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Kevin Durant should not be bashed for joining the Warriors in a quest for a dynasty when many other players did the same thing as him. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Only time will tell if this was the right decision for KD.