It’s safe to say that NBA legend and Golden State Warriors executive Jerry West doesn’t appreciate the criticism Kevin Durant is facing for joining Golden State.
“There were all kinds of players that signed contracts, and we were the ones who got criticized for it when I thought it was justly unfair not only to the Warriors, but more importantly to Kevin,” West said, on the Vertical Pod with Woj. “To hear some of these things that some of these basketball experts, to hear ex-players say things about it. It’s disgusting. I wish I had a chance to be a free agent because I probably wouldn’t have finished my career in Los Angeles.”
West also noted that Durant’s move was well within the rules.
“The owners made the rules. They made the rules. They sat in a room together. They sat with the Commissioner and they agreed to these rules.”
The reality is that West could not be more on the money here.
Durant honored his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He joined the Warriors in a completely legal way. He didn’t even take any loopholes or anything. He was a free agent. That simply means that if he and a team have mutual interest and the team has the money to sign him, it can do just that. Durant and the Warriors made it work.
If someone like Charles Barkley — who knows better than anyone what it takes to not win championships — doesn’t feel that the addition of Durant makes Golden State championship worthy, fine. If insiders wonder if a team with that many alphas can get along, that’s also fair game.
But to criticize Durant or the Warriors is just bush league.
How many superstars have demanded trades out of cities before their contracts expired? How many superstars have had their efforts legitimately questioned when playing for a bad team?
Plenty. Yet, Durant, who honored his contract, who gave the fans in Oklahoma City something to cheer for when the NBA was new to the market, is repeatedly criticized?
It doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense. Given that he works with Golden State, West may not be an unbiased observer. Still, in this case, he could not be more on point.