Durant doesn’t blame Warriors for injury
Celtics’ Smart to miss rest of Team USA camp
OAKLAND, California, Aug 8, (RTRS): Kevin Durant said the Golden State Warriors aren’t responsible for the Achilles injury that likely will force him to sit out the 2019-20 season.
“Hell, no. How can you blame (the Warriors)? Hell, no,” Durant told Yahoo Sports in his first interview since suffering the injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in June. Durant returned to the court for Game 5 after missing nine straight postseason games with a right calf strain.
“I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back,” he added. “Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back. It was only me and (trainer) Rick (Celebrini) working
Durant
out every day. Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. S-- happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. “
Durant has moved on from the Warriors, signing a four-year, $164 million contract to play for the Brooklyn Nets when he returns to health. He spent three seasons with the Warriors, winAngeles
ning two NBA championships.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, vying for a spot on the US team that will play in the FIBA World Cup, will be sidelined indefinitely with calf tightness.
Smart sat out practice at Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas and will miss the rest of the camp. He is expected to travel with the team to Los next week and have his calf re-evaluated. The World Cup begins Aug 31 in China. “Right now, for me, I’m trying to grow as a player ... taking those precautions,” Smart said, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum has a theory about why so many NBA players declined invitations to play for Team USA at the upcoming FIBA 2019 World Cup: potential embarrassment and injury.
“I think other guys looked at it like, ‘Why would I go and potentially be the face of a losing roster?’” McCollum told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod. “Or the workload part. If we all play, the workload is less – 2025 minutes, you get blowouts, you’re moving on. A lot of guys don’t play, your minutes might go up, your usage might go up, and that affects your summer as you go into March when that crash comes.”