Jerry West responds to Adam Silver’s Kevin Durant comments
Jerry West fired back at NBA commissioner Adam Silver after he said that he didn’t like Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors.
Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors was celebrated in the Bay Area. Outside of it? Not so much.
It was hard to find someone who supported the move. From analysts to former players to executives, most people hated it. They argued that it was a weak move that unfairly shifted the competitive balance.
In an odd move, NBA commissioner Adam Silver also put in his two cents. He flat out said “I don’t think it’s good for the league” during a news conference in July. He then added that “I think we do need to re-examine some of the elements of our system so that I’m not here next year or the year after again talking about anomalies. There are certain things, corrections we believe we can make in the system.”
To be clear, I don’t think Silver meant any of this. Why would he talk about about his biggest moneymaker? Super teams are great for the NBA. Everyone wants to watch them and nothing gives fans–diehard and casual alike–stronger feelings than a group of All-Stars playing together. I, personally, believe that Silver was just trying to appease owners who were upset that they weren’t good, well-equipped, and/or lucky enough to put together a collection of talent like the one in Golden State.
But alas, he said what he said. And it definitely opened some eyes in the Warriors organization. And some of those eyes have verbalized their thoughts. Jerry West fired back.
The Logo was on The TK Show with the San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami and expressed his displeasure with Silver’s comments. He said:
"“It’s sour grapes. [The Lakers] signed Shaquille O’Neal and it wasn’t as big an uproar as this. Listen, the owners make the rules. They negotiate with the players. And for them to say something like that, to me it’s wrong on their part. The commissioner said something like that and I called him about it. I told him I didn’t think the comment was fair. It’s not fair to Kevin. It’s not fair to the Warriors. It’s not fair to any team going forward who will sign a free agent of this stature…The players bargained for this. They have a chance to go play where they want to. I only wish I had that opportunity in my career and I’m sure a lot of other people felt the same way.”"
West has a presence. He’s one of the most accomplished figures in basketball history for all of his work as a player and an executive. I mean, he’s THE LOGO. When he talks, people listen. And when he talks, he’s normally right (see: Klay Thompson near-trade).
Silver’s comments were definitely odd especially coming from the commissioner of the league. But, luckily, the Warriors have embraced the villain role. They know what they’re up against. And they got shooters up-and-down the organization.