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These days the Brooklyn Nets are in a bit of a funk. Three games out of first place at 29-22 amid a six-game losing streak, Brooklyn has reached a new low point of the short-lived Big Three era. There are plenty of people taking jabs (pun intended) at Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and the Nets these days, and there's more than enough fair fodder available.
But then there's Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, who joined the chorus of Brooklyn criticism on Thursday's episode of NBA Today with this preposterous appraisal of Durant's legacy.
“If [the Nets] do not win a championship. … Kevin Durant is on the verge for being recognized more so for the guy that left Steph Curry to go with Kyrie Irving, than he is for the two chips and two finals MVP.”
—@stephenasmith 😳 pic.twitter.com/HqCuCP86WS
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 3, 2022
Remember, Smith has been furious for years now that Durant and Irving chose to sign with the Nets over his beloved New York Knicks in the summer of 2019.
This rant against Durant back in November illustrates some of Smith's issues, and that he mixes up the team names underscores his personal allegiance to the Knicks.
“You’re all alone, you have no help,” argued Smith. “And more importantly than anything else, you made the wrong decision by going to Brooklyn. And I’m not talking about this as a Knicks fan. I’m talking about this as New York … Knicks first, New York always … I’m always rooting for New York and I’ll always root for Brooklyn with the exception of when they go against the Knicks. Kevin Durant made the wrong decision by going to the New York Knicks. He’s going to rue the day he did that.”
Smith has been pushing the notion for a long time that Durant will regret his decision to sign with Brooklyn, almost trying to speak it into existence every few weeks.
Over the last couple years, Smith has made all kinds of weird arguments about the Nets, including one insisting Irving should have retired back in January 2021. It's sort of a running shtick that Smith tees off on a different Nets star every few weeks.
Durant fired back at Smith's latest critique on Twitter, poking fun at Smith's affinity for using synonyms for the word ridiculous. Undeterred, Smith went right back at Durant.
It’s absolutely Egregious, @KDTrey5. Totally wrong and unfair to the highest degree. But it also happens to be true. Those will be the headlines all off-season. I’m not saying it’s fair at all because it’s not. You deserve better. But those will be the headlines. You can book it! https://t.co/lfmJT9LIQZ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 4, 2022
This whole thing is egregious and preposterous.
Smith's defending himself with a disingenuous version of “don't kill the messenger,” but given his platform and insistence on repeating such a specific and weird criticism nobody else seems to be making, he's the most vocal leader of this entire narrative. So yes, he is absolutely the messenger here. To their credit, both Malika Andrews and Chiney Ogwumike immediately called Smith out on NBA Today, with the latter reiterating how we'll remember Durant as one of the greatest scorers of all time regardless of what comes next. They also bring up how he'll be remembered for coming back from his injury and other Hall-of-Fame feats, and that truth is bigger than headlines.
Smith argues back saying he's talking just about headlines and narratives. But it all feels a bit self-serving since he's been the one pushing them directly.
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Durant has fans who rooted for him to win a title with the Oklahoma City Thunder long before he joined forces with Steph Curry. He has fans who rooted for him to win in Golden State. Durant has haters who never wanted to see him sign with a 73-win super team. What do all those groups of fans have in common? They don't mind in the slightest that Durant left the Warriors.
I grew up in New York and I know very well that a lot of Knicks fans enjoy rooting against the Nets. I can tell you first hand there is some delight regarding Irving's part-time status and Harden's apparent decline, but there's also a deep respect for Durant's talents. The biggest, most consistent knock against Durant I hear is that he needs to win a championship the hard way, without Curry. He couldn't have done that by staying with the Warriors, a reality even his haters accept.
Look, don't get me wrong. There are countless reasons to make fun of the Nets right now, and fans and analysts are finding them. Some people want Irving to get vaccinated and think his anti-mandate stance is selfish and dangerous. When they hear Irving talk about putting team over individual, they think Irving should find a mirror.
Nets are genuinely on a 97’ Bulls run of hilarious quotes this week https://t.co/aRtzzI80ZW
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) February 3, 2022
Some fans look at how Harden has played then think of All-Star snub Jarrett Allen, and wonder what this team could look like if they hadn't gone all-in by trading for Harden—who might leave Brooklyn in free agency anyway. There are so many ways to take some reasonable anti-Nets victory lap during a 6 game slide.
But one thing I don't hear Durant's fans or haters saying is that he blew it by leaving the Warriors. Most fans recognize he didn't leave Curry for a better chance at a ring, he left that team for another path.
Durant would have a heck of a lot more haters right now if he'd never left the Dubs. He raves about Steph as one of the greatest players in history. He didn't make his choice because he thought Steph didn't have the clutch gene. Durant left to find his own way, to try to win in a new city, to build something from scratch. He was ready for a new leg of the journey and may have preferred that it would be more difficult than staying.
If the Nets don't win the title, Stephen A. can go on his platform and say Durant is remembered more for leaving Steph than anything else in his career. Then he can say ‘I told you people would say that' once we heard him say it the 15th time.
Now, if you want to argue Durant may regret not recruiting Jimmy Butler, another 2019 free agent, a little harder, I'll hear you out.
