OT Kevin Durant is Becoming a Head Case | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT Kevin Durant is Becoming a Head Case

He can say whatever he wants publicly but the backlash of him going to GSW has clearly gotten to him. He's an insecure mess, just like LeBron.
 
polycom said:
Listen to bill Simmons podcast with him. #blogboys
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Yeah I’ve listened to latest and Durant seems more exasperated than bitter, frustrated I guess with critics but at least claims he’s happy fwiw. I don’t doubt him. He’s kind of boring and the podcasts are dull considering how big a star he is. The business manager is a more interesting interview.
 
intlzncster said:
Swaggy haha

swaggy-p-gif.gif
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Dogdeacon said:
Yeah I’ve listened to latest and Durant seems more exasperated than bitter, frustrated I guess with critics but at least claims he’s happy fwiw. I don’t doubt him. He’s kind of boring and the podcasts are dull considering how big a star he is. The business manager is a more interesting interview.
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Yeah I think he doesn’t care about the podcast just likes talking to Bill. #blogboys
 
Rocktheworld said:
Sorry man Kobe, Jordan, KG, Bird, hyper-competitive guys who rarely if ever got ejected, let alone for yelling at refs (maybe for fighting). The vast majority of NBA players can make it without racking up Ts like this. This isn't some "natural progression". He is alone with Rasheed Wallace for players to have ever been ejected 5+ times in a season. And so what if his iciness with the media isn't new? Again the vast majority of players have at worst a neutral relationship with the media. Besides Russ, who has his own mental issues with his fashion choices lol, what players let alone superstars treat the media the way he does? Let's compare his behavior to his peers in the top 10: Lebron? Steph? Harden? Brow? Giannis? Embiid? KAT? Kawhi?

Any of those guys have ghost Twitter accounts to engage with trolls?

Not to mention if he's so competitive, why did he join the Warriors in the first place?

Why would he bother putting on a whole fake persona for 9 years?

It's not just one thing. It's the amalgamation of all this odd behavior that makes him a straight up headcase at this point.
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But Rasheed's techs were right in line with who he was. Rash was one tough dude. Just a bit volatile.
 
Walker11 said:
The outrage was enormous and universal and KD was shook. On the Bill Simmons podcast, his agent tells how KD flipped out on him immediately after signing with the Warriors, yelling "how could you let me do this to myself." Its tough to be the nice guy when everyone despises you, especially when he was almost universally beloved by NBA fans previously.
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Millenial smh
 
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Dogdeacon said:
Again so what? If his play isn’t affected and he’s revealed as fake or a Dick what exactly is the negative of his behavior? You mad he’s not a teddy bear? Michael Jordan was two different guys his entire playing career, nice guy to media and didn’t make his full heel turn until his HOF acceptance speech. It matters how they play basketball.
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But the thread is about his personality. Not his basketball skill or game. It's something to talk about.
 

Hahaha never saw that. Good for kemba showing a little personality.

But Swaggy is way more entertaining from a non basketball perspective. People poo poo this, but guys like that are great for the league. It's a bit of fun.

tenor.gif
 
Mano said:
The ejections are new, I'll grant you, but he was growing wicked testy with the media in OKC well before he even left. Their relationship was downright icy, same with Westbrook, and it was pretty well known. Also his technicals were among the league leaders for a couple years smack dab in the middle of his tenure. That said, while he certainly carried the nice guy aura for a while, I would posit that its a bit of a natural evolution for these hyper competitive types to try and find that edge they need in order to be winners, and that this evolution might be a byproduct of it.
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Yup - he’s always been one of the bigger a**es in the NBA. It just took him going to Golden State for people to realize.
 
Walker11 said:
100%. He has admitted this. In the BS interviews, he says he doesn't want to be famous and doesn't want to be popular and just wants to play ball. He clearly doesn't have the best social skills. He seems like the type of guy who will be completely loyal to the people who have been with him since day 1 but doesn't trust or seem to care about others liking him.
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That's why the decision to play in Golden State doesn't quite add up. Even if he was ambivalent about the OKC community (which I find hard to believe), he still had to walk out on Russ and the rest of that roster.

I blame the media for polluting the whole sports landscape to the point that players feel the need to do this.
 
Rocktheworld said:
The "need" to what, exactly?

And what do you mean by "polluting"?
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I'm referring to the general impoverishment of dialogue (or maybe it's always been this way and it's just easier to access now) in the sports world where the media needs to over-simplify everything in order to generate clicks. The reality is that KD was never going to be considered a top ten all-time player without a ring, and for as arbitrary and subjective as that is, I think that's why he left. We couldn't be happy with an all-time classic Warriors-Thunder conference finals, we had to immediately pedal the easiest storyline and this is what happens. The whole concept of 'ring chasing' is a media creation.

If you want to hold KD responsible for this, that's fine, but I don't think those opinions would be mutually exclusive. It was always going to take an especially insecure, impressionable young star for something like this to happen.
 
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Lefty2one said:
He's an insecure mess, just like LeBron.
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Guy seems at ease with his place in the universe, far as I can see.
Just hoping he goes to Philly next year. My goodness, that team will be just delicious to watch.
 
champs99and04 said:
I'm referring to the general impoverishment of dialogue (or maybe it's always been this way and it's just easier to access now) in the sports world where the media needs to over-simplify everything in order to generate clicks. The reality is that KD was never going to be considered a top ten all-time player without a ring, and for as arbitrary and subjective as that is, I think that's why he left. We couldn't be happy with an all-time classic Warriors-Thunder conference finals, we had to immediately pedal the easiest storyline and this is what happens. The whole concept of 'ring chasing' is a media creation.

If you want to hold KD responsible for this, that's fine, but I don't think those opinions would be mutually exclusive. It was always going to take an especially insecure, impressionable young star for something like this to happen.
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Okay that’s fair enough, a lot of us (and the media is of course paramount in it) looking for the next “great one” and people are built up with expectations. I wonder to what degree LeBron haters were investing in KD dethroning him

There are still other behaviors like the twitter accounts, the claims that he led on a phony persona his whole time in OKC, the sheer fact that he’s committing Ts and getting ejected to this degree out of nowhere... and I get that he has claimed he never wanted to be famous but damn KD I’m pretty sure everyone was happy with you and treating you well regardless of the exact number of championships you win
 
Rocktheworld said:
Okay that’s fair enough, a lot of us (and the media is of course paramount in it) looking for the next “great one” and people are built up with expectations. I wonder to what degree LeBron haters were investing in KD dethroning him

There are still other behaviors like the twitter accounts, the claims that he led on a phony persona his whole time in OKC, the sheer fact that he’s committing Ts and getting ejected to this degree out of nowhere... and I get that he has claimed he never wanted to be famous but damn KD I’m pretty sure everyone was happy with you and treating you well regardless of the exact number of championships you win
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The fake twitter account thing is weird. I still haven't decided if I should like him more or less for that.

IIRC, he's always picked up a lot of T's, no? I never really got the sense KD's temperament was one of a martyr even when he was being portrayed as one, but I think it's definitely fair to say he grows more ornery by the year.

Despite all that, I'd bet his biggest regret is the tweet he sent - "what happened to trying to beat people rather than join them?," or something to that effect - post-LeBron decision in 2010.

Altogether, he simply strikes me as a dude who changes his mind a lot. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe he's on the more mild end of the bipolar spectrum. That would explain the moodiness, the paranoia, and the insecurity. I've never gotten the impression that he has any character issues or deficiencies as a competitor/teammate, I think he'll ultimately just be remembered as another imperfect athlete who you either liked or didn't. Whereas with some players like, I don't know, Damian Lillard, you ask "how could anybody dislike this guy?," Durant is a guy I can understand turning people off, despite the fact that I like him, if that makes sense.
 
I'm thinking he's mad because he wants to play for the Rockets this year, maybe he'll be thinking about joining the C's in a couple of years. Too bad he missed his chance to win 4 rings in college with Brianna

Look forward to his ongoing political commentary too, that's insightful
 
KD is the second best basketball player in the world put some respect on his name. It's quite funny how the top 2 basketball players (Lebron,KD) are the most hated.
 
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BleedHuskyBlu said:
KD is the second best basketball player in the world put some respect on his name. It's quite funny how the top 2 basketball players (Lebron,KD) are the most hated.
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Lmao please like I *hate* Kevin Durant.

Why do so many dumb people like you these days conflate criticism and commentary with disrespect and hate?
 
I think we've just passed by "too big for his britches."
Last night Steve Kerr came out and said that the players were playing like they did not care.
What does KD do?
Comes out immediately after and says that the players all care, but he "understands why Kerr would say that." Oh my.
Seriously KD? They won one and made it to one and were the favorites to win another before you got there.

Starting to wonder if KD is a bit of a cancer for team chemistry.

Good luck with that Steve - don't envy you on that point.
 
Rocktheworld said:
Yeah but heel turns as they exist in the WWE are precisely calculated shifts in acted character personae and narratives to advance fabricated stories to artificially drive up interest.

inb4



Kevin Durant is a real guy acting one way for 9 years, then claiming that was all "fake" and now acting out an actually pathetically transparently fake tough guy persona that we treat like we treat @Chief00 's persona as an insider. He's not actually tough and physically challenging guys. It's his whining and verbally abusing officials that's earning him these Ts and ejections. It's his bickering with media nerds holding microphones that is further driving down his likability.

He's no villain; let alone an interesting one. He just seems lost to me.
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You might actually be my least favorite poster. It's like you don't understand the thing that Stephen A does is an act.
 
Rocktheworld said:
On second thought, he’s the one who uttered that asinine “master” quote regarding Steve Kerr. Screw him too
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Oh, not just that. Also this:

“We gotta score more than the other team. Yep, they want dumb n—-s, so I’m going to give y’all a dumb n—-.”

“What would a dumb n—- say? ‘Just play harder. Figure it out. Change gonna come.’ You know what we used to say. Change gonna come.”

Clearly he has pretty strong beliefs about race, and he seems to be strongly suggesting that that is a master/slave relationship between him and his coach and/or owner.
I understand his thought on it completely. As much as he makes, as rich as he is, the fact is he has to take orders from another person, his continued livelihood depends on that, and if he gets too far out of line there will be monetary repercussions. The rest of us view that as "having a job," but there's something about being elite, like him, that tends to transmogrify that basic thought into something else - something that forgets the basic concept that he is not obligated to work for the Warriors.
 
JMick said:
your old man politics are going the way of the dodo bird. athletes are people. they can hold whatever beliefs they have and can choose to share it whenever they want.
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Meh. It's not "old man politics." It's more, "can't I just enjoy this game that I watch without having politics smashed in my face?"
It's about losing something, not about political disagreement.
I frankly don't care what's up all the athlete's and singer's and actor's collective rectums. Just don't care. Don't care if they're pro this or pro that. Anti this or Anti that. Love the prez or hate the prez.
I don't care. That's the issue. I don't care what they think, anymore than they care what I think.
I completely laud them for their inspired protest of . . . whatever. I don't care. The world would be a more livable place if more people, famous and not, would stand up and peacefully make their point.
So, for me, it's not about whatever issue is being raised. I'm very happy to hear all sides of any issue.

It's the fact that I bust my rear end all week long, I vet out the issues of the day to the extent I choose, in my own head and among family and friends, and the entire purpose of me sitting down to watch UConn or a Pats game or the random Cavaliers game is . . . to be entertained.
It's that simple.
When they insist on inserting politics - of any kind - into my entertainment, it's less entertaining for me.

On the other hand, I find the demise of professional sports in this country to be long overdue and refreshing, so I'm enjoying watching the NFL eat its own legs.
 
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MadDogRevival said:
Meh. It's not "old man politics." It's more, "can't I just enjoy this game that I watch without having politics smashed in my face?"
It's about losing something, not about political disagreement.
I frankly don't care what's up all the athlete's and singer's and actor's collective rectums. Just don't care. Don't care if they're pro this or pro that. Anti this or Anti that. Love the prez or hate the prez.
I don't care. That's the issue. I don't care what they think, anymore than they care what I think.
I completely laud them for their inspired protest of . . . whatever. I don't care. The world would be a more livable place if more people, famous and not, would stand up and peacefully make their point.
So, for me, it's not about whatever issue is being raised. I'm very happy to hear all sides of any issue.

It's the fact that I bust my rear end all week long, I vet out the issues of the day to the extent I choose, in my own head and among family and friends, and the entire purpose of me sitting down to watch UConn or a Pats game or the random Cavaliers game is . . . to be entertained.
It's that simple.
When they insist on inserting politics - of any kind - into my entertainment, it's less entertaining for me.

On the other hand, I find the demise of professional sports in this country to be long overdue and refreshing, so I'm enjoying watching the NFL eat its own legs.
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The reason this is complete nonsense is that you can most certainly be entertained by these atheletes without hearing about their politics - does Lebron wear an anti-NRA jersey or give anti-Trump speeches from the free throw line? Of course not. Their political activity doesn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the game in any way. Based on your post about Iguodala, it’s pretty clear that you just don’t like the opinions being expressed.

But don’t get it confused. You definitely care.
 
MadDogRevival said:
Meh. It's not "old man politics." It's more, "can't I just enjoy this game that I watch without having politics smashed in my face?"
It's about losing something, not about political disagreement.
I frankly don't care what's up all the athlete's and singer's and actor's collective rectums. Just don't care. Don't care if they're pro this or pro that. Anti this or Anti that. Love the prez or hate the prez.
I don't care. That's the issue. I don't care what they think, anymore than they care what I think.
I completely laud them for their inspired protest of . . . whatever. I don't care. The world would be a more livable place if more people, famous and not, would stand up and peacefully make their point.
So, for me, it's not about whatever issue is being raised. I'm very happy to hear all sides of any issue.

It's the fact that I bust my rear end all week long, I vet out the issues of the day to the extent I choose, in my own head and among family and friends, and the entire purpose of me sitting down to watch UConn or a Pats game or the random Cavaliers game is . . . to be entertained.
It's that simple.
When they insist on inserting politics - of any kind - into my entertainment, it's less entertaining for me.

On the other hand, I find the demise of professional sports in this country to be long overdue and refreshing, so I'm enjoying watching the NFL eat its own legs.
Expand ...
Oh so you just want them to dance. You sound unbelievably entitled. Athletes are people not just your entertainment
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
The reason this is complete nonsense is that you can most certainly be entertained by these atheletes without hearing about their politics - does Lebron wear an anti-NRA jersey or give anti-Trump speeches from the free throw line? Of course not. Their political activity doesn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the game in any way. Based on your post about Iguodala, it’s pretty clear that you just don’t like the opinions being expressed.

But don’t get it confused. You definitely care.
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.............and if it bothers you that much, dont watch. Its your choice. The fact that people think athletes/entertainers are their trained monkeys and should just keep their mouths shut and entertain them is such a snowflake concept. The consumer always has a choice to vote with their dollars and attention. Telling an athlete or entertainer to "shut up and play" is the sign of a weak mind.
 
August_West said:
...and if it bothers you that much, dont watch. Its your choice. The fact that people think athletes/entertainers are their trained monkeys and should just keep their mouths shut and entertain them is such a snowflake concept. The consumer always has a choice to vote with their dollars and attention. Telling an athlete or entertainer to "shut up and play" is the sign of a weak mind.
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The funny thing is that most of the "shut up and dribble" crowd was ready to elect a plumber president.
 
Rocktheworld said:
Not to mention that ship sailed when he cried about his mommy
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I know, right. Can you believe the audacity of a man to show emotions? In public?!

Everyone knows the only allowed male emotions are anger and sports-related joy, and even then, only for 14 seconds. That's the rules, guys. Sorry.
 
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