It's only Game 1 of the regular season and Kevin Durant is already tired of the hoopla surrounding his potential departure from the Golden State Warriors. Following a narrow 108-100 win over the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors forward was asked how he felt about receiving his ring last during Golden State's championship ring ceremony.
“I don’t know. What did you think?,” Kevin Durant asked the reporter, who followed by asking if it meant anything special.
“You ask the question like it did,” Durant replied. “No.”
Durant's play on the court was the usual — 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists — the combo platter his Warriors teammates had come to expect of him on a nightly basis.
So why is there a growing concern with his potential to leave, when nothing else has changed? Durant was straight forward of what he needs from the team, but remained noncommittal when it comes to his free agency decision.
“I don’t need [to be recruited], I don’t need to feel appreciated,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “I don’t need anything extra [from the Warriors]. I’m just here to hoop and win games. I already know what this organization is about.”
Yet despite his desires, the rumors will swirl wildly during the stretch of the season, wondering if this is indeed his last season in the Bay Area.
“I just want people to focus on basketball,” said Kevin Durant. “Focus on what goes on the court. I know it’s hard to keep up with it. I know it’s easy to look at that type of [expletive] because it’s the entertainment side. But wait until the season is over with to analyze [free agency].
I know it’s your job and it’s hard to say that, but try to shift some of your focus to the court, too. I know you have to still do your job and check on stuff like that, but every day? Every city I go to? Come on, man. I said what I had to say at Media Day. I understand your job, but let’s come to a little agreement. Don’t ask me every time you see me. If it’s the first time I’m seeing y’all, I don’t mind answering. But every time? Come on, bro.”
The media circus will likely still take place even after his honest request, unless he puts some finality to it by committing to stay at some point throughout the season. Asked what would happen if a reporter asks again, Durant answered in true KD manner.
“It depends on how I feel that day,” Durant said. “If I’m in a f***ed-up mood, you’re going to see. Ask me that question and you’re going to really see what mood I’m in.”
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