Kevin Durant: Superstar turned coward

I have lost all my respect for Kevin Durant.

Durant, the most valuable free-agent on the market since Lebron James “took his talents to South Beach” in 2010, had all the options that a player could ask for. He could make big bucks and return to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that was one win away from the Finals and acquired a young star in Victor Oladipo in free-agency. Or, he could leave and go to virtually any other NBA team.

As we all know, Durant did end up leaving his team. But it was not this decision that is what angered the NBA and its fans. It's that he left his team for their rivals- the 73-9, Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors.

As a diehard fan of sports, I live off of the thrill of competition. Every sports fan does. That is why it pains me so much to see something like this happen, as the competition of the NBA clearly takes a hit.

But it also pains me to see a superstar like Kevin Durant take the so-called "easy road" and sign with a team that just (barely) beat him in the Western Conference Finals. That’s not a superstar move. That's not sports. That’s not competition. It's never been and it never will be.

The concept of forming "super teams" with other stars is not rare (see 2007 Boston Celtics, 2010 Miami Heat), but this is different. This is worse.

Kevin Durant is a top-three (top-five at worst) player in the NBA, and that’s pretty much a fact. What player of that caliber has ever left a contending team for the best team? The answer is never. Because players of that caliber don’t do that.  

You could say it was a “basketball move” or that it was “in his best interest” to sign with the Warriors, obviously because they give him the best chance to win. But to me, not only does that defeat the purpose of sports and the beauty of competition, but it makes Kevin Durant look like a complete and total coward, for lack of a better word.

Instead of working for his ring, he used the loophole of joining a superteam to get one. And while it certainly isn’t a guarantee that he does get a ring, it's clear that he is trying to take the easy way out.

When it comes to sports, there should be no easy way out. There should be no loopholes. 

In any sport, winning a title is a huge accomplishment, largely because of how difficult it is. However, if the Warriors were to win it this year, no one would really be impressed. Is that really how you want to win one, Durant? I’m sure it is not.

I am confident that down the road, no matter how many rings Durant wins with Golden State, he will not be remembered as a true winner and competitor. He will be remembered as a coward.