Kevin Durant’s accolades and Hall Of Fame resume are indisputable.
He’s an 11x All-Star, 2x NBA Champion, 4x NBA scoring champ, League MVP and one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.
But after Tuesday night’s loss to the Warriors, some are questioning his decision to sign with the Nets, particularly after Kyrie Irving has essentially ghosted them for a ridiculous cause.
This shouldn’t even be a debate.
Kevin Durant was right for choosing the Nets, but what’s being done to him right now by Irving is wrong.
Signing with the Nets in 2019 was his chance to build and lead his own team, win another championship and further strengthen his legacy.
He had the right tools in place and the opportunity was there. It was a foundation orchestrated by Kyrie Irving and possessed great promise despite the injuries and slow start.
Last season ended in disappointment in the Eastern Conference Semis with a 4-3 series loss to the Bucks. It was a series they could have won had Irving had stayed healthy and Harden hadn’t shot 5-17 (29.4%) in Game 7 where they lost 115-111.
This season was supposed to be THE season though.
The Brooklyn Nets, the “outer borough” team, would win a championship and surpass the popularity of the Knicks.
And they still might do the former.
But after being humiliated by the Warriors at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night, that dream took a hit.
It was magnified by Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
Smith went on a viral rampage over what his teammates, Kyrie Irving in particular, are doing to KD.
Smith bellowed that Durant made a mistake signing with the Nets because Irving “betrayed” Durant by luring him to Brooklyn with championship aspirations, only to pull the rug out from underneath him by refusing to play and siding with some who refuse to get vaccinated.
“KD you made the wrong decision bro, and here’s why,” exclaimed a heated Smith. “Because you trusted Kyrie. Kyrie Irving betrayed you. Flat out betrayed you! Left you hanging!”
Kyrie aims to be a voice for the voiceless who are protesting the vaccine mandates in New York. These vaccination opponents want the freedom to choose and Kyrie has joined their protest.
At this point, the protest over vaccine mandates is really just fake outrage.
Vaccinations have always been a part of life, only now it’s been politicized due to the divisiveness plaguing the country.
Children couldn’t, and still can’t, attend school with proof of vaccination for diseases like mumps, polio and measles. That hasn’t changed.
Yet now vaccinations are a problem because of ignorance and fake outrage. It’s ridiculous.
But Kyrie has a right to choose. Always has.
He had a right to choose not to talk to reporters before being fined.
He had a right to choose to believe that the earth was flat before he was ridiculed.
He also had the right to choose to buy George Floyd’s mother a house, to sit out during the NBA restart over his firm belief that it would harm social justice initiatives, to pay tuition for HBCU students and to donate over $1 million to WNBA players.
All personal and humanitarian choices, the latter deserving of praise.
But now he’s chosen to do something that has left the very teammates and friends he convinced to come to Brooklyn out in the cold.
The Nets are by no means out of the race. They’re 11-5 and currently sit in second place in the East.
But after the team’s dismantling at the hands of the Warriors Tuesday night, many like Stephen A. are questioning whether Durant made the right choice.
On Wednesday night’s NBA Countdown, Smith, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon all brought up the fact that KD was headed to the Knicks until Kyrie unveiled the championship plan for the Nets.
For Kevin Durant, it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that he could lead a team to the championship as THE face of the franchise.
Not as one of the faces, as he was in Golden State behind Steph Curry.
No. The face.
Kevin Durant signed a four-year, $164 million deal in 2019 with the Nets that allows him to opt-out in 2022 and be eligible for unrestricted free agency once again.
Durant is playing at an MVP-calibre level, arguably second only to former teammate Steph Curry.
He’s carrying the team on his back, averaging 28.6 ppg on 56.7% shooting. Their other All-Star, James Harden, is averaging what feels like a very quiet 20.3 ppg. But more eye-catching is that Harden is shooting 43.2%, his lowest since his rookie season back in 2009 (40.3).
While it had to be embarrassing for Durant and the Nets to hear fans serenade Steph Curry with “MVP” chants on Tuesday night, this should not put the team or its fans into panic mode.
Nor should Stephen A. Smith’s words. While they held some truth, they’re also mired in unnecessary emotion and TV talk.
Kevin Durant made the right choice to sign with Brooklyn.
They’re currently tied with the Suns for the second-most victories this season (11) and have won four of their last five games.
If Kyrie returns and plays at the level he’s capable of, the Nets’ chances of an NBA championship increase dramatically. Yet if he continues his faux fight his future in Brooklyn, and the team’s championship aspirations, are in jeopardy.
But think about this.
If Kyrie is no longer a part of their plans and Durant still leads them to a championship, how will his decision look then?
