Oklahoma City Thunder

Get off his lawn: Why KD's media sparring comes from a good place

Published Jan. 18, 2016 11:42 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Jeff Caplan

He loves us. He loves us not. He loves us. He loves us not.

Yet again, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is sparring with a media he deems overly critical, ticked that Steph Curry's Warriors, LeBron James' Cavaliers and the everlasting Spurs are consistently front-page news while his Thunder, even at a robust 30-12, are buried between the classifieds and comics.

We -- us -- the media should love Kevin Durant. In his own words expressed Sunday, he's "open and honest and opinionated." In other words, he's not a robot, not yet anyway, like so many other athletes who prefer to safely recoil into their shells. 

Durant almost always has something of value to say. And hopefully he always will. Throughout his career, he has never dodged interview sessions. He talks to reporters, win or lose, and has always been a fixture in front of the media after morning shootarounds when, frankly, few star players actually make themselves available.

But with recurring frequency, the lovable, humble Durant -- who often reminds these days that he's matured from the happy-go-lucky kid who entered the league at 19 to a grown man of 27 with unfulfilled goals -- snarls at the media horde. 

And so what? At various points throughout his career, he's had to defend or refute what have often been media-concocted notions: That he and four-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook will never coexist; that former coach Scott Brooks was clueless; that he quit on Team USA two summers ago; that he'll bolt OKC for the Wizards because, of course, LeBron chose to go home; that he'll go to the Lakers as a free agent.

So here's this media-concocted notion on what's really up with Durant, and it's no secret, he's said it many times in recent seasons: He's tired of coming in second.

When June arrives, it will mark four years since Durant and the Thunder made their lone NBA Finals appearance against LeBron's Heat. And that wasn't just any Finals matchup. It was billed, and for good reason, as the rebirth of Magic vs. Larry, the Lakers vs. the Celtics. The league still hasn't had an honest-to-goodness East vs. West rivalry in 30 years. The 2012 Finals were filled with the promise of many Junes to come featuring the world's two best players going head-to-head for championships.

That's not how it's worked out. LeBron won a second title with Miami, then led the Cavs to the Finals last year, and is the prohibitive favorite to make it back again. The Spurs won another title, landed LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency and are mowing down opponents by record margins.

And then there's that hot shot at Golden State who's already got the title KD thought he was next in line to celebrate. Curry and the Warriors are the lust of the basketball world, and Curry's superstardom has surpassed that of Durant.  

So naturally with the Thunder shoved into the shadows, Durant believes the media is discounting his team without considering the whole story. Injuries just might have changed everything for OKC and the NBA: Westbrook in the 2013 playoffs; Serge Ibaka in the 2014 West finals; Durant's foot injury last season.

Now in his ninth season and playing under his first new head coach -- NBA rookie Billy Donovan -- since Brooks was promoted early in the 2008-09 season, Durant is carrying the burden of all that frustration and disappointment. 

So who cares if Durant now and then barks at the media and makes this an us-against-them thing, the Thunder against the world? He wouldn't be the first to utter in triumph: "We did it when no one believed in us!"

Allow Durant to be whoever he wants to be. Allow him to express himself, to rant or rave or whatever. Human emotion is exciting. It's real. It's raw. Robots are not. 

On Sunday, Durant, revisiting his the-media-hates-us comments from Friday, said he actually loves us.

And, we love you, too, KD. Really.

share

Get more from Oklahoma City Thunder Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Oklahoma City Thunder

National Basketball Association