KEEP ON FIGHTIN’, GUYS
If Durant flees, Knicks can thank Green
The biggest competition for Kevin Durant was always thought to be the incumbent team, the Warriors. And why not? They are the two-time defending champions and the Knicks haven’t won a championship since Richard Nixon was in the White House.
Except Durant has a wandering eye. The Warriors tried to downplay that publicly when they visited New York last month, but they knew then – and they certainly know now – their Finals MVP is probably gone after this season.
Draymond Green spilled it into the streets Monday night when he berated Durant on the court and in the locker room, then was promptly suspended by the Warriors.
The Athletic got all the juicy details of the argument, and it revealed, above all, the insecurities surrounding Durant’s free agency. According to the report, Green, while calling Durant a ‘b-ch’ multiple times, reminded him they were winners before he arrived (Green had to know that’s a sensitive spot for the sensitive Durant). Green also expressed his frustration with the way Durant is handling his free agency, according to the report.
If a player feels the tension over a teammate’s free agency, the front office and ownership is sweating like Patrick Ewing on the free-throw line. That’s why they handed Green a suspension, a reactionary and unexpected move given the circumstances. When Green cursed out his coach in 2016, he was privately fined a small amount. When he dared challenge Durant in the same way, Green was suspended and docked a game’s salary ($120,000).
It was a message of support to Durant, but it will undoubtedly backfire and cause further acrimony in the locker room. Everyone hates the teacher’s favorite.
On Wednesday, Durant’s brother, Tony, wrote cryptically (but not too cryptically) on Instagram:
“True colors ain’t hard to see when someone is mad! It’s so much more clearer now lol. Instead of competing with what’s already written just follow along before the greatness is done rubbing off on you and people see you for what you really are.” Adios. Listen, anything can happen over the next eight months. Green and Durant could have a crazy bonding experience at their hot yoga session. They could decide to play together forever at Golden State. Green, after all, was the one who recruited him to the Warriors in the first place.
But there’s a reason Durant gave up money in his contract for an option to become a free agent. He is eyeing, or at least exploring, a relocation in 2019.
And the Knicks can’t mess this up. They can talk all they want about rebuilding slowly and “doing things the right way,” but they’ll be preaching that jive forever without another chance to land a player like Durant.
It’s not every year a superstar free agent signs with the Knicks (not re-signs). In fact, it has never happened. Allan Houston is their best ever. Think about that.
But the Knicks won’t be the only suitors. Chicago, the Nets, the Lakers and Clippers, among others, are expected to make a run. Watch out for the Clippers, who have a decent team already and will have enough cap space for two max free agents. If it comes down to ownership, Steve Ballmer is a lot more appealing than James Dolan.
“(The Clippers) are the most attractive freeagent situation of all of them, because none of the available free agents want to be LeBron’s caddie,” an NBA executive told Bleacher Report. “And they can become the greatest player in the history of a franchise in an unbelievable market with the wealthiest owner in the league. Why would that not thrill you?”
The Knicks have the Garden, New York City, business opportunities and Madison Ave. Not much winning. But LeBron went to the Lakers under a similar premise, and Durant, if he leaves the Warriors, obviously isn’t too consumed with another title. Word is he wants the opportunity to be the face of the franchise — a marquee franchise — after being treated by the Golden State fan base as a flashy accessory. He’s sensitive to the criticism that he took the easy way out by joining the Warriors, and there’s no path more difficult than joining the Knicks. Hall of Fame careers came here and burned. Durant has a business in New York. His father and agent grew up fans of the team. The Knicks have a real chance.
Durant cares deeply about his image and the background noise, even if he pretends not to. That’s why he used anonymous twitter accounts to defend himself to random people. It’s why the biggest newspaper in Oklahoma was forced to apologize for a headline calling Durant unreliable (disclaimer: there will be no such apologies in New York). It’s why he heard about Clyde Frazier saying Durant should have an asterisk next to his name in the all-time rankings.
“Durant, as great a player he is, I would still hold back (giving him credit) because he joined a team that really didn’t need him,” Frazier told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He’s right there with LeBron, probably would’ve surpassed LeBron as the best player in the game soon, but for him doing that I still don’t give him the full credit that he probably would’ve deserved if he stayed in OKC and won a title with that team.”
Nobody would accuse Durant of joining a team that didn’t need him in New York. Here, there’s Kristaps Porzingis coming off knee surgery and cautious hope in players like Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and whomever is their 2019 pick. If Durant ever wins a title with the Knicks – or even brought the team back to the Finals – the asterisk goes in the shredder.
Frazier can apologize and Draymond Green can be thanked for his contribution.