Westbrook Has Moved On, When Will Durant?
There was a time when Russell Westbrook was considered the villain in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant was the hero that turned a city with no sports culture into a basketball mecca. The entire city revolved around the Thunder, and Kevin Durant was their guy. It never mattered how well Russell Westbrook played. Even when he outshined Durant, he was considered to be a sidekick who was taking too many shots and was infringing upon Durant’s greatness. The media was hard on Westbrook, but they never seemed to bring that hostility toward Durant. We were constantly left wondering, do these guys like each other? And in Kevin Durant’s MVP speech, he made sure that the world knew that Russell was like a brother to him. We looked at that speech and lauded Durant for standing up for Westbrook. After all, Westbrook needed the help. He was the one with the tainted image in the media, and no matter what he did, or how well he played, he couldn’t seem to shake the notion that he was second fiddle to Durant.
That was until the decision came. In a move that shook the NBA for the first time since LeBron’s back in 2010, Kevin Durant chose to leave Oklahoma City, and head to Golden State, the team that beat him in the Western Conference Finals only a month earlier. The basketball world was shocked. Oklahoma City was outraged. Golden State jumped for joy, knowing another title was almost inevitable. It was the whole “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality, and it made people sick. Not only was he leaving the Thunder, a move that seemed unthinkable, but he was joining the team that just came back from down 3-1 to beat them and end their season. It was the ultimate betrayal. He turned his back on a city that lifted him up throughout his career. He turned his back on all the fans who were hoping for a title. And most importantly, he turned his back on Russell Westbrook.
Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let's go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 16, 2010
According to Westbrook, he found out about Durant leaving the way the rest of us did, through his post on The Players’ Tribune. There was no call, no meeting, not even a text. He didn’t give Russell that courtesy. He hardly seemed like a brother then, and just like that, Westbrook was on his own.
Coming into the 2016-2017 season, that decision seems like ancient history. The basketball universe still appears divided on their view of Durant. He’s loathed by many, yet regarded as just pursuing what was in his best interest by so many others. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook signed a long-term deal with the Thunder. He could have left once Durant did, and looked for a better home, one with a better title shot. He had every excuse to do it. He wouldn’t be the bad guy anymore. But he stayed. As Westbrook becomes the face of the team in Oklahoma City, stepping into that alpha role, he seems determined to put Durant’s decision behind him and just play basketball. Kevin Durant doesn’t seem to have that same agenda.
Durant has always been portrayed as the nice guy. He’s thoughtful and he cares about his teammates, his MVP speech years ago being the icing on the cake, showing an incredibly human side of a man who is a wizard on the court. There was even critique of Durant about it, that he lacked an edge, that he was too nice. That sparked Nike’s “Kevin Durant is not Nice” campaign, in an effort to show that Durant has that edge and that toughness, and that he wasn’t the nice guy after all.
Even that didn’t last long. Durant came out a year later saying the ad isn’t who he is. He embraced the “nice guy” role, even tweeting about it:
Nice guys don’t always finish last…take the pledge with me to be #strongandkind http://t.co/Yx3YWWLxtU
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 14, 2014
That “nice guy” persona doesn’t seem so evident now, and when Kevin Durant left for the Warriors, the “villain” label was already starting to stir. It’s since gotten worse, and in what looks to be insecurity about his decision, Durant continues to praise the Warriors, and take shots at the Thunder at the same time.
“You hear family a lot. That’s just a word sometimes, but this is really a lifestyle here,” Durant said of his new team. He’s insinuating, of course, that “family” was just a word in Oklahoma City, and that it wasn’t something that was represented in the organization.
He followed up these comments by saying “I feel really grateful to play for a team like that and play with a bunch of players who are selfless and enjoy the game in its purest form.” Again the implication is that the Thunder don’t play team basketball, and this one seemed like a direct shot at Westbrook, in an attempt to confirm the idea that Westbrook took shots away from Durant.
When asked about the comments, Westbrook responded like the superstar that he is. He took the high ground, saying “It’s cute. But my job is to worry about what’s going on here, worry about all the selfish guys we have here, apparently.” Westbrook’s answer was perfect, and it made people start to look at him as the good guy, hard at work while Durant stands by his super team and lobs snide remarks about his former one. The key phrase in Westbrook’s comment was “My job is to worry about what’s going on here.” People defend Durant, saying he has cameras in his face constantly and he's asked questions, so he has no choice to answer them. If Durant wants the right way to answer all the questions coming his way, that phrase by Westbrook will more than do the job. Instead, Durant seems intent on rubbing salt in the wound, because it didn’t stop there, this time with another comment directly about Westbrook.
“Russell had his guys, I had mine,” said Durant. “It was never a bad thing, just how it was.” This one finally put to rest the idea that Durant and Westbrook were even friends, let alone brothers. At this point, everyone is wondering when Durant is going to stop talking. Nobody wants to hear him bash Westbrook, who is off in Oklahoma City just playing basketball, preparing for what many people expect to be an MVP season, as he looks to rebuild what the team lost this offseason. As Durant’s image is sliding, Westbrook’s continues to rise. He’s becoming the hero that Oklahoma City deserves. A street named after Durant is now being changed to Westbrook. He’s taking over as the leader of a team that’s gotten younger, with key additions like Victor Oladipo coming over in the offseason. Westbrook is even becoming an activist off the court, as his post on the continuing shooting of blacks in America received national attention.
The Warriors will likely win the NBA championship this year. The odds haven’t been stacked in one team’s favor in a very long time. This was a championship favorite before Durant got there, and his move, as cowardly as people may think it is, only cements that more. But make no mistake about it, the Thunder are still ready to make noise, and Russell Westbrook looks poised to have a career season at the helm. Maybe he’ll be able to quiet Durant in the process.
