No personnel power Durant calls James rumors ‘pretty sickening’
OAKLAND » When Kevin Durant heard the ESPN report that LeBron James would consider a free-agent meeting with the Warriors if they could offer him a max contract, the Warriors forward was disgusted.
“You turn on anything that has to do with basketball, there’s less about the game,” Durant said. “It’s pretty sickening.”
Durant, however, acknowledged anything can happen. He unexpectedly left Oklahoma City for the Warriors as a free agent in 2016.
“LeBron James is the biggest name in basketball,” Durant said. “For the last two years everybody has been wondering where he’s going to go and if he’s unhappy in Cleveland, so I understand that part. It’s fun to see that suspense. But we’re getting away from the real game.”
Warriors forward David West joked that James “gotta get No. 23” from Warriors forward Draymond Green. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was not in a joking mood.
“You’re really going to ask that?” Kerr said. “Do you want me to get my checkbook out? I could just make it out to Adam Silver? Or to the NBA? You know that’s illegal. I’m not answering that.”
Kerr may talk to general manager Bob Myers nearly every day on the phone and person, including potential deals. Yet, Kerr does not offer input.
“I don’t have any personnel power,” Kerr said. “The beauty of our arrangement coming in was they didn’t want to give me personnel power and I didn’t want any.” Why not? “I want to win today. Bob wants to win today and tomorrow,” said Kerr, who had been the Phoenix Suns’ general manager from 2007 to 2010. “Those things aren’t always compatible,” Kerr said. “If you’re in charge of all that, it gets cloudy. Itmakes you see the forest for the trees. This is the best model.”
Butler reaction
The death of Rasual Butler was felt throughout the league, and the Warriors were no exception.
“We were really tight,” said West, who played with Butler in New Orleans (2005- 09) and Indiana (2013-14). “Just a tough loss, a good dude. He and his wife were good people.”
Butler, 38, and his wife, R& B singer Leah LaBelle, were killed Wednesday in a traffic accident in Southern California. The two had been special guests on West’s float during the Warriors’ championship parade last June. West said he planned to attend Butler’s pending funeral services.
“In Indiana, we had a lot of stuff going on in that locker room. He was one of those guys that held that locker room together,” West said. “He just was a special kind of dude. Didn’t have any enemies.”
Notes
The Warriors ruled out reserve guard Shaun Livingston (personal reasons) and rookie forward Jordan Bell ( left ankle inflammation) for Friday’s game in Sacramento. … Warriors guard Stephen Curry was named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month.