Kevin Durant was right when he answered questions about his pending free agency in the way he felt was right for him. The media was also right to ask the questions.
(Image Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
Kevin Durant is fed up with the media.
If he went online to view this article there’s a good chance, after reading the opening line, he’d log off before scrolling any further.
Durant spoke publicly with the media Wednesday in a postgame press conference following a 141-102 victory by his Golden State Warriors over the San Antonio Spurs. It was the first time Durant has spoken to the media in nine days.
Durant has a player option in his contract which gives him the opportunity to hit free agency this summer. The smart money, especially if he gets another ring with Golden State, is on him opting out to take the plunge into the free agent pool.
This has led to months of rumors and speculation on which team Durant will join next. The recent blockbuster New York Knicks trade of Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks threw fuel on that fire.
New York City is a big market and the Knicks, bad as they have been this season, have positioned themselves to be major players in this summer’s free agent class.
The visual of Durant, represented by Roc Nation Sports, signing with the Knicks is the headline every newspaper seems to already have prepared for print.
Everyone except Durant.
“I have nothing to do with the Knicks,” Durant said following Golden State’s 141-102 win over the San Antonio Spurs. “I don’t know who traded Porzingis. They got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches. You rile up the fans about it. Let us play basketball. That’s all I’m saying. And now when I don’t wanna talk to y’all, it’s a problem with me.”
Durant continued …
“Come on, man. Grow up. Yeah, you –grow up. Come on, bro. I come here and go to work every day. I don’t cause no problems. I play the right way, or I try to play the right way. I try to be the best player I can be every possession. What’s the problem? What am I doing to y’all?”
My initial reaction to this was like many… if he thinks the media is a problem now – he better stay far away from the thought of playing in New York City!
Kevin Durant (Image credit: via Getty/Lachlan Cunningha)
With the exception of telling a reporter to “grow up”, there wasn’t anything wrong with the message Durant was expressing. It just could have been worded differently.
Fulfilling media obligations is part of Durant’s job, but this doesn’t mean he has to answer questions just to satisfy reporters looking for their story.
And for all his NBA talent, Durant is still human at the end of the day. He breathes the same air as we do. His heart pumps blood just like us. It just happens he plays a game for a living, he’s extremely good at it, and he’s paid extremely well for it.
And he’s on the verge of making even more money with that talent.
He knows it. The fans know it. But the media knows it too, and they have questions about it.
And that’s where the problem lies for Durant. Because for every one question he’s asked about basketball there’s another five afterwards about his future.
But there’s a way to answer those type of questions in a way which Durant opted not to. He could have replied with a “next question” or “I’m not going to comment on that at this time, my focus is on helping my team win a championship”. Something along those lines would have sufficed.
His reaction, instead, gave those same reporters, talk show hosts, and beat writers more of the same content which has led him to ask why they won’t let him just “play ball, go to the gym, and go home”.
And the media is right to ask those questions. They were right to ask why he’s been giving them the silent treatment. Because that’s their job. It doesn’t mean they’re going to always get the answers they want and when they want them. But, nevertheless, asking the question is still half the job.
I don’t know Kevin Durant personally or professionally. I can, however, understand his frustration with having to repeatedly answer questions about your future while still trying to maneuver through the present. What qualifies me to understand this is that I’m human too. But I can also, as a media member, understand the other side of the fence. And I hope, once the anger and frustration begins to fade, so will he.
