Skip Bayless says there's nothing 'fake' about the feud between Durant and Westbrook
Kevin Durant will face the Thunder on Saturday, in his first trip to Oklahoma City since joining the Warriors in free agency. And as of last month, he reportedly still hadn't spoken with Russell Westbrook since making his decision.
In an interview with ESPN, Durant downplayed the situation with Westbrook and blamed the media for creating much of the drama surrounding the two former teammates.
"Early on in the season I was doing an interview with someone and I used the word 'unselfish' describing my teammates, here, with the Warriors," Durant said. "Someone asked Russell a question, asked if he heard what I said about being unselfish, and (the reporter) phrased the question as if I was saying that the Thunder and their organization and the team was selfish.
"Once I heard that, I was like, 'Well, (the media is) trying to get in between this thing and make it bigger than what it is.' Obviously Russell wasn't going to hear that interview I had about me just talking about my teammates I have now," Durant continued. "Someone in Oklahoma City phrased it to him as if I was calling him selfish. It's that easy. It's that easy for the media to twist something up and for the media to make a feud between us."
On Wednesday's episode of "Undisputed," Skip Bayless, Chris Broussard and Shannon Sharpe explained why Durant was wrong.
"This was Kevin's attempt to defuse the emotion that is boiling towards his return Saturday night," Bayless said. "Kevin's going to get booed, because those people feel so betrayed by him. ... And for him to try to dismiss between him and Westbrook as 'fake drama' is just flat-out wrong. It won't work, because it was very, very real.
"I'm going to repeat what I've been saying for the last three years: Kevin Durant wanted out of Oklahoma City. He just got sick and tired of trying to coexist with a Russell Westbrook who was the primary ball-handler and the primary decision-maker for that offense. And I did not blame him for that. I didn't condemn him for it, because he just needed a fresh start elsewhere. He didn't think he could win a championship with a Russell Westbrook who dominated the basketball so many times in fourth quarters and down the stretch in close games."
