OAKLAND, Calif. (Diya TV) —Sometimes the snow comes down in June as Vanessa Williams sang in her classic ballad, “Saved The Best For Last”.That was my high school senior prom theme in 1992, nearly 25 years ago. Now it’s Christmas in July after the Warriors inked THE free agent in Kevin Durant.
Many are surprised by the signing just as they were when LeBron James made “The Decision” when he joined the Miami Heat back in 2010. Some similarities remain. There are media personalities like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith who think KD sold out and that if he does win a championship or two, it’ll be tainted.
Don't give a damn what anyone says: weak move by KD. You go to GSW, the team who beat you, when you're already on a title contender? Please!
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 4, 2016
I got a one-on-one interview with CSN Bay Area Warriors Insider Monte Poole and here’s what he had to say about the deal:
“It makes the Warriors the most explosive team in the league right now, and maybe in NBA history. You’ve got (Stephen) Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant on the floor at the same time. This is what the Warriors planned for. They won 73 games last season…did not win the NBA Finals. They probably won’t win 73 games next season, but the NBA Finals, they are the favorites and this is why they’re doing this. They don’t care about winning 73 games. They want to win the championship again and with this group of players, certainly the starting lineup and the “death lineup” they have the goods to do that, fill in a few roster spots, they’ll be in good shape.”
When asked how the Warriors were able to secure Durant,” Poole said, “The recruiting process started a long time ago and then you go to the Hamptons over the weekend with seven men: Curry, Thompson, Green, (Andre) Iguodala, CEO Joe Lacob, General Manager Bob Myers, Steve Kerr the head coach, all go to the Hamptons to sit with Durant and then on Saturday they call the hammer, Jerry West…he’s the closer.”
When Poole said closer, all I thought of was that classic scene in Glengarry Glen Ross by Alec Baldwin.
And it would only be complete to get some fan reaction. Many in Oklahoma City have burned their Durant jerseys, just as they did when LeBron James left Cleveland.
Said Jeren Livernois from Modesto: “As a Warriors fan, I have a little sympathy for them but whatever. It is what it is. I feel like we’re the villains now but we can embrace that as fans.”
Wow, the Warriors have come a long way. They never in their history ever have had a big name free agent. Sure they’ve had players like Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry but they came up as rookies. Arguably, their biggest acquisitions before this were Andre Iguodala and Baron Davis but Livernois had low expectations many years ago.
“I remember back in the day when I was excited about Larry Hughes coming to the Warriors as a free agent. We’ve come a long way since then and I’m pretty excited. It’s awesome…good stuff!”
Good stuff indeed and I tried not to laugh when he mentioned Larry Hughes’ name. Other than a 44 point performance, Hughes was mostly a bust and best remembered for this arm tattoos when that was just becoming a fad.
And Jake Rickard from Woodside chimed in with his thoughts:
“I think it’s a game changer man. It’s going to tear the league apart, honestly. From the reactions I’ve been seeing, it’s just been either really happy or really upset and from the players in the NBA, their reactions are mostly pretty upset. For me as a Warriors fan I think it’s going to be unbelievable.”