It’s the offseason, people. And if this darn lockout doesn’t get settled, we’ll be having a lot more conversations like this one, which might lead me to heavy drinking.
But since this is one of those stories that’s gained enough momentum for other, bigger outlets to start discussing, I figured it was time to talk about it. Or at least how stupid is. (Adding to the conversation by saying not to talk about it. Don’t you love it when people do that?)
KD was in Los Angeles last week dunking on the universe, playing L.A. Noire and in general, hanging out. You know, doing things a 22-year-old guy should be doing with his time off. A slimy TMZ dude — who mistook him initially for Chris Bosh, which is hilarious – asked Durant what there is to do for fun in Oklahoma.
“Nothing,” Durant responded back, clearly only half-listening.
To some Oklahomans who have skin as thick as Nenad Krstic’s hair and are hypersensitive about such things, this was seen as a great slight. (Think a certain unnamed radio host will try and run KD out of town for this? I had to ask.) Or to other people around the country who like to bag on Oklahoma for being flat and boring, this was blood in the water. Ha! Kevin Durant hates OKC! I KNEW IT. It’s an insecurity people have here. Like when KD bought the condo in Miami people were worried. News flash: Miami is a cooler place than Oklahoma City. Deal with it.
KD, already taking a beating for it on Twitter, responded with this today: “I dissed Oklahoma cuz I didnt wanna sit n talk to TMZ and all I said was the word nothing..y’all forgot all the times I scream OKC? ok cool.” He also tweeted this last night: “Naww they asked me what do i do n okc n i said nothing.” It’s very possible that with 500 people yelling things at him that he didn’t hear the question correctly. I know, crazy.
And keep this tweet in mind from last week too: “Being in LA makes me love Oklahoma City so much more!! … I love LA but just how quiet n lowkey Oklahoma city is fits me better plus there’s no traffic lol.”
You really think he would’ve signed for five years to stay in OKC if he hated it here? Besides, he’s right. There’s not much to do in OKC. But KD likes doing nothing, so the nothing suits him just fine. And I like by the “it’s not where, but who you’re with that really matters” principle of life. That might kind of be the Oklahoma code for having fun. I like playing golf and Call of Duty. Is that because there’s nothing else to do or just because it’s what I like to do?
I mean, what is there to do in Chicago? What is there to do in Atlanta? Go to da clubbzz? All that crap is overrated. It’s silly.
So is this whole discussion. Now can we please get back to wild speculation about 20-year-old draft prospects?
Somebody get the word to KD that we are OK with him wanting to work in OKC and play around the world. Geez, when will this insane insecurity cease? OKC is not Miami, LA, NY, Seattle,>>>>So What! We are who we are and that's enough for me.
It's like telling the abused kid to "stop flinching" when you raise your fist to him.
Jax Raging Bile Duct :@Hawaiian Rob
Oklahoman’s have an inferiority complex like you’ve never seen. Also, I can count on one hand the number of Oklahoman’s who realize when they’re being trolled in real life (that I know personally). The rest wouldn’t even recognize the term.
Gee.. Why would we have an "insecurity complex" when everyone is so nice to us?
I also see living in OKC as something very beneficial during the basketball season. There is so much less to distract players in OKC than there is in say LA, Miami, or NY. Just the laid back, medium sized mid-west city atmosphere I feel is much more conductive to a winning basketball team
Im from DC too, and ya, I get that Okc has the mid west rep of being boring. Ive lived on a farm before to in southern VA and I loved it. It was boring in ways, but boring can be good, reading on the porch, enjoying the solitude of nature etc. Dont worry about what people say, just appreciate the fact you now have an nba team, and its the best one there is
Well KD is from DC. And hes said it himself before he likes the change of pace of a smaller place. More laid back. In my opinion Superstars get treated better in smaller markets.
As someone who was born in OKC, and then moved between Mexico City, San Antonio, Detroit, and New York. I gotta say I'm glad i found my way back to OKC.
There is more to do in bigger cities, but if your like KD, and me(I assume KD is laid back like me) then OKC is the perfect fit. Detroit no disrespect was the most crappiest place. Only place worse then that were the slums in Mexico City but even then i think the middle, and rich neighborhoods in MXC were alot better then the ones in NYC.
Someone said theres more women, and well i can't disagree.
Still though OKC is just the place for me. I don't want to do anything. I wanna stay home, and chill. No more rough neighborhoods, noise, and traffic. I much rather walk the streets down here in the middle of the night in McKinley Park, SE 23, and the Crown then be at the wrong side of Hells Kitchen at night, or the pier in Detroit.
I don't see why it matters the size of a city or where it is located. People have a tendency to stick to certain comfort zones. Meaning just because there is that much more of an area doesn't mean it is going to get explored. If you look at Tulsa and its areas you can see it. Generally you are not going to find to many different faces at the same spot. It would be the same if you were living in LA or Miami. You really think everyone takes in everything those cities have to offer? No. They stick to their comfort zones more often than not.
It's amazing to me how insecure some people are who live here about the issue of what there is to do. Get over it folks. If you like living here that's all that matters. If you don't like living here then go live somewhere else. It's a free country. Clearly KD likes something about it or he would not have re-upped.
actually, he did kinda diss oklahoma city.
but i diss oklahoma city on a regular basis. doesn't mean i wouldn't want to live there.
justin :There’s also more women in bigger cities.
You don't saayyy??
clearly he is just trying to get away from the paparazzi
@Sammy Thats is news, althought I know not what it means as compared to teh previous agreement
Please dont post, nd subsequently, promote that channel which has never prduced anything but dung
@ Caleb
My bad! I'd take either ;)
@ Sammy
This good news, correct?!
@Cpt. C-Note
Sorry C-Note.... But that messed up my already stated trade idea that will probably happen that is Cole and Mullins for Dwight Howard... It's genius right? Two centers for the price of one... Why wouldn't Orlando take that straight up in a second?
Vid was removed
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Real news:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6688397
Owners offered what they called a "flex cap" system that would earmark at least $2 billion per season toward player salaries.
The owners also moved their position on cap exceptions, saying the Larry Bird Exception and the mid-level exception would remain in a new system, although teams could not exceed an as-yet-determined maximum team salary.
Patrick James :OMG YOU GUYS royce agreed with KD that there’s nothing to do here. he’s obviously going to sign with The Heat Index as soon as his DT contract is up. royce is such an okc hater. actually i heard he likes the lakers.
Royce for Heat Index 2012!!! I'm casting my vote :D
I've never been to OKC but I've lived in similar sized cities / metros like Austin, TX. There are definitely things to do but it's not the same as a big city like NY, LA, Miami, Chicago, etc. I've lived in Fort Worth too and spent a lot of time in Dallas and while the population is high it has sort of a different feel.
OMG YOU GUYS royce agreed with KD that there's nothing to do here. he's obviously going to sign with The Heat Index as soon as his DT contract is up. royce is such an okc hater. actually i heard he likes the lakers.
SergeIblocka :@ Royce Young I tell this to people all the time having also traveled and lived in quit a few places. OKC has most the stuff other major cities (e.g., Dallas) have just not as much of it, and it’s not as populous.
@ SergeIblocka
Bingo!
@ Vince
I didn't say our tax code was the worst, but it's hardly a magnet to draw in more business (and thus more people.) Businesses aren't attracted to OKC without a lot of incentive.
The cost of living is low here, but so are the average salaries. I'm sure actual tax $$$ are low compared to near everywhere, but that's not exactly representative.
I'm not a tax expert, so I don't honestly know how it stacks up on a fair comparison. I just know that OKC shouldn't count it's taxes as a positive... not in the same way Florida or Texas can.
@ Mark!
Our tax code isn't great? Holy moly, try living somewhere else. I've lived in NYC and Chicago and listened to a guy a few weeks back complain that his property taxes in Piedmont were "forty-three hundred damn dollars." Almost bit my tongue off.
I agree with Royce (and, no, it's Oklahoma inferiority), the "there's nothing to do" complaint/insult is the dumbest thing ever. I've lived in Chicago, and on Saturday night I went out, got drunk, struck out, went home, watched Family Guy. Same thing I do in OKC, only it's much, much cheaper here.
And OKC's women are better-looking than Chicago, and ESPECIALLY New York, per capita. I will not argue about this.
At some point Oklahomans need to get over their inferiority complex. Like with Collisons joke about the weather, the outcry over the innocuous statement makes us look way worse than anything the player said
Psh, they were calling him chris bosh (you know? the alien from avatar that plays in the NBA). I wouldn't want to talk to those paparrazo's (legal stalkers) either if they got my name wrong like that. Poor KD, he shouldn't even be responding to that stupid and negative backlash. I should buy him a silk robe, hopefully that'll make him feel a little more comfortable... They make me feel comfortable
OKC doesn't have beaches or mountains. OKC doesn't have the amenities that require a large population to support (quality/quantity of shopping, museums, clubs, women, etc.) Our tax code isn't great. It's the worst of both worlds as far as temperature goes.
Of course there are things to do here. Of course it isn't a constant hell living here. But fact of the matter is, most Oklahomans live in Oklahoma because of the people. Family, friends, connections, etc. If you don't love the people, you probably left.
This is part of the reason the Decision bothered me so much and why I empathized w/ Cleveland fans. It wasn't that Lebron left or the state of the organization as he walked out, but it was how he left. He gave the middle finger to the fans who supported him on his way out the door. In towns like Cleveland or OKC where the people are really what matters most, that's sickening.
Just IMO.
@ bosco
True. Could have added: direct flights, papers without jenni carlson, and those corn fed midwest chicks that dress like they live in manhattan.
@ The Beard Knows
Most locals in honolulu have never hiked waimea falls, seen the view from diamond, surf or go to the beach that often. Doesnt mean it makes okc and hawaii the same. I grew up in oklahoma and split my time between the two states. Okc is a fine place to live, just think its delusional to believe its somehow comparable to other major cities.
@ SergeIblocka
You never get used to the winters, if anything you get less used to them. The summer is pretty nice.
@ justin
That's a good argument I had not considered. I wouldn't say more women, so much as more desperate, single women.
I wonder if KD has ever been to Frontier City...
I do love me some good museums and navy pier. My only problem with Chicago is the weather. When I was there in March (I think of 05) it was still freaking cold with tons of snow on the ground, but in June, when it was 100 something in Oklahoma, the weather in Chicago was perfect, so I guess the summer is worth the cold, elongated winters. Like I said, I've been to and lived in lots of places in America, Europe, and Africa, and realize that there are many things that other cities and places have than OKC. I only resent the statement that there is "nothing to do." There are more things to do in Chicago than OKC does not mean there's nothing to do in OKC.
man oh man, I can't wait for Jenny Carlson to weigh in on this
There's also more women in bigger cities.
@ The Beard Knows
museums and landmarks are not the same thing.
@ Hawaiian Rob
The thing about museums is that most people that live there don't go to them. ~85% of people that have lived in NY their whole life have not gone to the Statue of Liberty unless it was on a school field trip. When was the last time anyone went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame?
taste of Chicago, navy pier, every band.. => summer
@ Jax Raging Bile Duct
ha, okay.
@ Hawaiian Rob
There are slightly more food options than Mickey Mantles.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/pr/46/4/Oklahoma-City/Fine-Dining.html
@ Hawaiian Rob
don't forget "da clubbzz!"
@Hawaiian Rob
Oklahoman's have an inferiority complex like you've never seen. Also, I can count on one hand the number of Oklahoman's who realize when they're being trolled in real life (that I know personally). The rest wouldn't even recognize the term.
@bosco
Things to do is a matter of opinion - that's the gist of it. If I hated clubs and lived in LA and you asked me what there was to do, I might say nothing. If the only thing I like to do was go skiing, and I lived in LA and you asked me what there was to do, I might say nothing.
The only way around a question like that is to answer generically. What do you do for fun? "Whatever I want" would work. "Relax" would work. But that's just semantics. People look for a way to create a controversy out of nothing. (ha! literally in this case ;) )
every museum you want to visit, the cubs, the white sox, the blackhawks, the bears, taste of chicago, navy pier, every band you would ever want to see, more food options besides mickey mantles....to name a few.
@ SergeIblocka
OKC is in the sweet spot. Large enough to have basically every amenity that you could want and small enough that you don't have to worry about dramatically inflated prices, traffic, pollution, mass transit, major commute times, crime, etc. You won't value those things until you leave, you just let yourself get bothered by the fact that some band doesn't tour there or something.
This article was alright until the Chicago part. That made you sound like the OKC residents whose insecurities you were highlighting earlier.
@ bosco
As a current resident of Chicago, I would really disagree. There's not a lot to do 9 months out of the year, it's a great place to visit in the summer. People might mention things like Second City, but they only produce new shows every 6 months or so. 9 months of the year the only thing that Chicago has that OKC doesn't is more professional sports and a greater selection bars and eateries...and how much does that matter to a conditioned athlete with a specific nutrition plan?
@ Royce Young
I tell this to people all the time having also traveled and lived in quit a few places. OKC has most the stuff other major cities (e.g., Dallas) have just not as much of it, and it's not as populous.
NOTHING!?!?! How dare he! KD say it ain't so.
So totally blown way out of proportion.
@ bosco
I think you're missing my meaning. What's the big fantastic things to do in those major cities? Is there just so much TO DO that you can't even breathe? We have bars, clubs, movie theaters and restaurants.
"I mean, what is there to do in Chicago?"
that's silly.
The residents of okc just basically shamed their city by rioting on twitter and facebook. Just blame it on a few anarchist that dont live there and have the rest of the residents send electronic sorry post it notes via twitter.
Thank Thor for Royce and DT! I'm sorry he had to even take the time to write about this non-story.
GO THUNDER!
P.S. Can someone find a highlight video of Dante and Galante so I can step back from the ledge? Please!?
P.P.S. I have no idea what Presti will do in this draft, so I'll just say he finds a way to get Derrick Williams for Nate, Mullens, and a washing machine to be named later.
This is such BS. Because of my work I have lived in Chicago, NY, Philly, Boston, La Jolla (San Diego) and have had extended visits in most major cities in the country and I wish like crazy I could move back to Oklahoma. You have to live there to understand, that's the inherent problem. NY is the loneliest place on Earth. NY and LA have the media and consequently there is a dramatic overexposure to local civic pride. They are much, much worse places to live.
Having a Condo in Miami makes total sense for a twenty something multimillionaire, it's a great place to visit. Visit being the key word.