Durant and LeBron Differing Circumstances

LeBron left Cleveland for Miami in the summer of 2010, KD left Oklahoma City for Golden State this past summer. Both leveled up, aligning (or in KD's case joining) super teams. These two moves differ drastically in my view, and it irritates me to no end that others cannot see the obvious differences in how LeBron and KD went about their business.

When LeBron was in Cleveland the first time around he had absolutely no help. He carried Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, "Booby" Gibson, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the Finals for goodness sake. He gave Cavalier ownership ample time to surround him with a competent supporting cast, but they failed to do so. After seven seasons in his hometown, LeBron bolted for Miami - to a Heat team that finished in the middle of the pack in a mediocre Eastern Conference. He was accompanied by Chris Bosh, along with Dwayne Wade who decided to re-sign in South Beach. LeBron wasn't joining an established Super Team - if he wanted to do that he would've signed with Boston, where KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo resided. Instead he went to Miami where he was a part of building something special that could compete with the likes of the Celtics.

Kevin Durant spent his first nine seasons with the Thunder franchise. Then, last season after blowing (may I say choking) a 3-1 series lead to the Warriors, he joined them. He did not elect to re-sign with the Thunder (who would've been the West's second best team) nor did he elect to join the Celtics or the Spurs in an attempt to dethrone the Warriors. Rather he elected to sign with the team that just beat him. A team that had just won 73 games. A team that was coming off of back to back NBA Finals appearances. A team with which he KNEW he would win multiple championships. Yes, it was a smart decision in terms of winning rings, but in terms of his legacy and in the name of competition it was not.

KD signed with an already proven entity. There were no trials and tribulations. LeBron went to a team that would need time to mesh. Yes, the Heat were immensely talented, but they hadn't been arguably the greatest team of all-time prior to his arrival. it would require LeBron to be the man and lead them to new heights. The same cannot be said for Durant and the Warriors. Durant simply hopped aboard the train of the big bad bully once he realized that beating them would be a tall order. That's cowardly.

I have heard people say that LeBron coming back to Cleveland and winning a ring should count as 2 when it comes to stacking him up against other all-time greats. Well, when Kevin Durant wins two it should count as just one because he took the easy way out.