Golden State Warriors need to put respect on Kevin Durant’s name

Many fans of the Golden State Warriors are forever grateful for Kevin Durant and the two trophies he helped deliver to the Bay Area. However, that hasn’t stopped some from tarnishing his legacy. It’s time to put some respect on KD’s name.

The Golden State Warriors have plenty to be thankful for when it comes to Kevin Durant. It’s time to respect the MVP’s legacy.

Kevin Durant has been in the news of late, but it hasn’t been for his play. He has only appeared in 19 games in his two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. It’s been for social media posts, which have always been something that distracts from his greatness. First, it was for the comments made by Steve Kerr about how the 2018-19 season was his most miserable as a coach. Many felt it was an indirect shot at Durant. Then there’s Durant’s interaction with Michael Rapaport, the actor seems to have issues with everyone.

The fact that Steve Kerr had to address the media afterward was curious to me. You can tell that he got marching orders from his bosses. While Durant will never play for the Dubs again, it spoke to a larger concern. That is showing respect to the stars of the game. Now that Golden State has become one of the few destination franchises, they need to be cognizant of how superstars view them. Disrespecting Durant could turn off other star players that the team would like to acquire in the future.

Then there is the most important reason of all, putting respect on Kevin Durant’s name is the right thing to do. Especially for a franchise that didn’t have his back.

Revisiting the Summer of 2016

When the Warriors unexpectedly lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, it felt like a shifting of the tide. Despite the Cavaliers needing a lot of unlikely things to go their way in order to barely win the Finals, it felt like they had decoded the Warriors. For as good as Golden State was, winning 73 games, none of their stars were physical beasts that could neutralize LeBron. They relied on teamwork, skill, and scheme to win, but that is not as effective in the later rounds of the playoffs.

To make matters worse, if Durant hadn’t signed with Golden State, they would have been forced to resign Harrison Barnes for the max. That would have not only been a bad business decision, it would have also been bad for team chemistry, as Barnes must have felt disrespected. So at that point, the Warriors needed Durant just as much as he needed them.

Durant’s sacrifices

What doesn’t ever get mentioned about Kevin Durant is the financial sacrifices he made for the Warriors. He signed a 1+1 deal for $54.3M when he could have locked in over $30 per season for multiple years. Then in 2017, he opted out of the deal and took even less money, signing another 1+1 deal for $51.3M. He did that so the Warriors could resign Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston to good deals. Remember, they also just maxed out Steph Curry, 5 years/$201M.

In the 2018 season, he finally accepted an increase in salary, 1+1 deal for $61.5M. After the season he opted out of the final year and accepted fewer years and money to join the Brooklyn Nets despite just suffering a career-threatening injury. He also took less than the four-year max so Brooklyn could sign DeAndre Jordan to a respectable contract, 4 yrs/$40M.

None of that ever gets talked about. So when your battling LeBron for the title of ‘best player’ in the game, you can see why Durant was irritated by all the criticism from the media. To make matters worse, the Warriors organization sat on their hands and did nothing about it.

Defending KD’s decision

When Durant chose to sign with the Warriors, it was the right basketball decision. The Warriors were the best team, played a system that fit his game, and recruited him the hardest. Another thing that doesn’t get mentioned is that when the 4 Warrior players came to the Hamptons to recruit KD, the Los Angeles Clippers only sent 3 players. Their leader Chris Paul decided to vacation with LeBron James and his banana boat friends instead. The truth is that Chris Paul didn’t want to play with KD for whatever reason.

Hold teams accountable

Then there are the points I wish the Warriors would have made to defend KD. The first is that instead of criticizing Durant, why wasn’t the media criticizing the other 29 teams for not having their act together? Joe Lacob famously said, “the Warriors are light years ahead of the rest of the NBA”.

Remember the Warriors built their team through the draft without the luxury of a top 3 pick. They never drafted higher than 7th, which is unheard of when you compare them to other championship teams. They also had the audacity to play team basketball in an age when most teams were focusing on Iso-ball to cater to their star players.

Durant had a choice, go play on a team with an inferior front office, coaching staff, and players that he didn’t fit with, or make history. His Warriors teams are arguably some of the best teams in NBA history. Just like LeBron said he was chasing ghosts because there wasn’t a player of his caliber in the game today. Kerr and the Warriors could say the same about their team.

If they would have stood up for Durant, then maybe all the complaining and disrespect he received would have not been so harsh. Even nice guy Peyton Manning went after Durant.

Warriors need to learn from Durant experience

Before Bob Myers declared his heartfelt appreciation for Durant after he tore his Achilles tendon in the Finals, he was known for making this joke that didn’t land well with many.

It’s easy to call Kevin Durant overly sensitive, but none of us are the best in the world at our life’s passion. When you work so hard to be great at something, you deserve to be appreciated and respected for it. So while many people couldn’t understand why he decided to leave a dynasty in the Bay Area for a start-up in Brooklyn. When you know your great, you aren’t afraid of challenges, you welcome them, as long as they are on your terms.

The Warriors don’t deserve the blame for Durant feeling unfilled after two championships, but they need to recognize that they could have done more. Expect the Warriors to learn from the Durant experience and do better with the next star they attract.