Thursday Bolts – 7.31.14
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “If he were to leave OKC, it’s not a stretch to suggest that community will be more devastated than D.C. will be elated. With Durant, 25, in a Thunder uniform, the championship window is open-ended. But hey, a lot can happen in two years. The Thunder could win a championship. Or two. Or maybe they don’t and Durant’s patience runs thin, after all he’ll be nine years in by the summer of ’16. Maybe the Durant-Westbrook relationship sours. Maybe Brooks gets fired. Maybe Durant ultimately decides he wants to play for a billionaire owner more responsive to spending when the moment calls.”
Andrew Sharp of Grantland: “Soon Durant is going to leave Vegas, he’ll go back to Oklahoma City, where’s treated like a god, and then the season will start. He’ll win 60 games again, probably finish first or second in MVP voting, and go to at least the conference finals. Kevin Durant is not Kevin Love. Winning cures almost anything in sports, and OKC is going to win a lot over the next two years. This is the biggest reason Wizards fans shouldn’t be that excited. If Oklahoma City wins a title or maybe even just makes the Finals in 2016, there’s simply no way Durant leaves. And given all the talent in Oklahoma City, it’s hard to imagine it comes up short for each of the next two years.”
Sam Amick of USA Today: “This is the way of the NBA world these days, with the carousel of speculation spinning around year after year as each prominent player approaches his free agency. The Durant dialogue may seem premature, but the reality of his situation is that decisions are already being made by the Wizards and plenty of other teams with him in mind. Add in the fact that Durant offered his strong approval for the homecoming narrative that was so widely celebrated in the wake of James’ decision, and it’s more than enough to officially kickstart the latest superstar subplot.”
The Thunder are getting a new floor, among some other arena upgrades.
KD: “To be honest, if I wasn’t so tall, I could just fit in anywhere because of my personality,” Durant said. “I don’t take myself too seriously; I’ll stay in the back of the line at Chipotle. I don’t come in anywhere and act like everybody needs to stand still because I’m in the room. I think I can just come in and fit in with everybody. That’s how I try to look at it. I’m (a) normal person that just plays basketball and happens to be on TV here and there.”
This quote too from that interview was interesting: “I still carry a backpack with me but I’d rather put on a suit and people know me for that,” Durant said. “I think I ran with that a little bit, too. It’s a change in the guard now. I would rather be buttoned up. A backpack is more associated with kid. I think I’m a grown up.”
I wrote some stuff on the concept KD is going to follow LeBron’s example.
