Golden State Warriors’ superstar guard Stephen Curry isn’t necessarily buying Kevin Durant’s recent comments about not fitting in.
The Golden State Warriors haven’t had controversy this offseason, but there have certainly been a few comments that have made things feel like the team wasn’t always as perfect as they seemed. It started with Kevin Durant’s interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Obviously, this interview games just weeks following his departure from Golden State. Durant opted not to sign a new max-level deal with the Warriors and instead will be taking his talent to Brooklyn where he’ll team up with Kyrie Irving.
That said, Durant, in that interview with the Wall Street Journal, discussed his issues with fitting on a core that had been together for almost half a decade prior to his arrival.
"“I came in there wanting to be part of a group, wanting to be part of a family, and definitely felt accepted. But I’ll never be one of those guys. I didn’t get drafted there… Steph Curry, obviously drafted there. Andre Iguodala, won the first Finals, first championship. Klay Thompson, drafted there. Draymond Green, drafted there. And the rest of the guys kind of rehabilitated their careers there. So me? Shit, how you going to rehabilitate me? What you going to teach me? How can you alter anything in my basketball life? I got an MVP already. I got scoring titles.”"
Is he wrong?
Durant didn’t revive his career in Golden State. Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala owe most of their NBA dominance to the Warriors, and it was obvious to a player like Durant that that set them on a different level with each other.
However, Stephen Curry didn’t let the conversation rest. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols talked with Curry about Durant’s coming out to the Wall Street Journal.
"“There’s so many narratives that go on, especially when you’re at the top of the league. No matter how, you know, the full transition happens to Brooklyn, him separating himself from the Warriors — that’s gonna happen. I think he knows, you know, what we were about as teammates, what we were about as friends on and off the court. And again, nobody is gonna take away the accomplishments we had. But at the end of the day, whatever he, you know, needed to do to make that decision and however he wants to explain that — that’s just what’s gonna happen.”"
This is reassuring for fans. So, while Durant may not have fit in from a career development standout, he did fit in as a friend, as a competitor. The two-time MVP knew that and their relationship seems unchanged after Durant’s exodus.
The Warriors were rewarded for Durant’s departure, though. In a sign-and-trade with the Nets, the Dubs brought in D’Angelo Russell, a 23-year-old All-Star that is destined to continue to take his game to the next level.
As for Curry’s comments, he knows how special this roster was. The narratives oftentimes speak for themselves, especially this past season when it seemed everyone discredit the team’s comradery after that early-season scuffle.
The Warriors were a unique group of players that could easily go down as the best collection of talent on a single NBA team of all-time.