My god… I knew the Daily Oklahoman was an empty vessel as far intellectual curiosity, balance of thought, and sound overall writing, but Barry Tramel my lone ray of hope for this market ended all that today with a column on Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma City.
I feel violated. Almost ill after reading Tramel’s jaded take on Durant’s return for Nick Collison’s jersey ceremony.
The gist of Tramel’s piece suggests that Durant has to go to the pretense of all this to reinvent his reputation so as some NBA owner will offer him another island full of money to come play in another city. Are you kidding me?
Kevin Durant doesn’t need to return to Oklahoma City to vindicate his current reputation heading into this off season after he wins his third ring in three years with the Warriors. And just so this hasn’t escaped Barry Tramel—Kevin Durant is the reigning two time NBA Finals MVP.
He’ll land on his feet even if he and Draymond Green never blow kisses to each other again on Instagram.
Rest assured in the mercenary world of the NBA… the other twenty-eight teams would take Kevin Durant without blinking….especially the Hall of Fame coach in San Antonio who needs his next Tim Duncan. Rule No. 1 of Coaching…’Player Makes the Coach.’
I don’t lay awake at night worrying about Durant or Westbrook or Paul George or any of the stars in the NBA. I think any player in the NBA pretty well has the money part of life figured out compared to the rest of us.
Kevin Durant doesn’t have to rebuild his reputation. He didn’t slug a white trash female student in a Norman bar. He didn’t punch his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach in the midst of a bad night. He didn’t get busted on a drug test or get pulled over for a DUI as best I know. He didn’t drag his girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her braids. He didn’t get caught on a cell phone punching his girlfriend in an elevator.
Here’s what Kevin Durant did… he took a phone call from Jerry West during his recruitment in the Hamptons and listened to what one of the smartest people involved in the NBA said to him. He heard from Jerry West’s vast arsenal of basketball knowledge why if Durant stayed in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook he’d probably never win a ring. That was Kevin Durant’s primary crime albeit some immaturity on how he handled the exit.
Now if we live in Oklahoma City and go to bed wearing our Little Nick Gallo official Thunder footie jammies with No. 0 on the back, then I guess we’ll never come to terms with Kevin Durant’s reason for leaving Oklahoma City.
This is simple. If I’m full of shit then Russell Westbrook and the Thunder only have to do one thing to prove me wrong. That being, finish as the No. 2 seed in the West and either walk the walk or be quiet.
I’m embarrassed for Barry Tramel.