Memo to Kevin Durant: You Do You, Dude

Every time I turn on the TV, it’s Kevin Durant’s free agency.

Every time I turn on the radio, it’s Kevin Durant’s free agency.

Every time I hop on a sports website, guess who they’re covering?

You guessed it: Kevin Durant’s free agency.

 

There hasn’t been a free agency this big or with this much speculation since the week prior to LeBron James’ terrible PR move with The Decision.

Hopefully, KD has learned from James how not to make a farewell announcement. After all, that was a move that LeBron still hasn’t completely recovered from.

But leading the homestate crew to an NBA title sorta salves the scars.

If Durant does decide to move, he'll surely experience a little bit of the backlash that LeBron did. It may not be the backlash that comes with an ESPN special about how he’s leaving the team that drafted him. But, he'll experience backlash as a result of bouncing out to win championships.

Today, NBA fans are relentless with their hate for championship chasing. Forums are full of people saying stuff like, “Back in the day, you brought a championship home to your first team. You didn’t join up a super-team.”

That would be a great point … if it weren’t entirely false.

Sure, Jordan stayed with the Bulls. Magic stayed in LA. Bird stayed in Boston. I stayed in my mom’s basement.

However, not everyone has the ideal situation where they are. And super-teams are quite attractive.

Examples of guys leaving their teams to join up for a championship include:

• Charles Barkley; teaming up with Hakeem and the Rockets;
• Shaquille O’Neal leaving Orlando for LA;
• Kareem leaving Milwaukee for LA;
• Wilt Chamberlain leaving Philly to join up with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in LA (yeah, I know; LA has a habit of building these super-teams).  

All I’m saying is LeBron was far from the first guy to get out for some rings, and he'll be far from the last to do it.

Loyalty is rare, especially when your team isn’t bringing in any championships. To hold KD to the same standard as Magic, Bird, and Jordan is ridiculous, as they don’t have a history of winning championships.

Your time in the NBA isn’t very long, and you should be doing what you can to make the most of it.

So, Kevin, you do you.

 

I think your best shot at winning a championship is to stay in OKC. But, if you want to take your talents to South Beach or San Antonio or Golden State, I don’t blame you. You have to do what you feel is best for you.

Just stay the hell out of New York. No one is winning there.

Except the Ramones.