The notion that the Warriors are a better team without Kevin Durant is silly and shouldn’t be taken seriously, Sam Amick writes for The Athletic.
Durant has missed Golden State’s last four games — all of which were wins — leading some to question how much better he truly makes the team. His absence has allowed Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and most notably Draymond Green to operate more with their surrounding cast, playing more up-tempo without their most talented player.
“We’re confident we can win (every time out), but we would much rather have (Durant) playing,” Curry said after Game 2, according to Amick. “So we’re going to hold the fort down till he gets back and go win another championship with our full squad. You know, him and DeMarcus (Cousins, who could return from his quad injury in this series), as well. We understand how great of players they are and how they raise our ceiling even higher.”
Multiple Warriors players have labeled Durant as the best talent on the team this season. The all-out recruitment of Durant, led by Green and others in 2016, kicked off because the team wanted another go-to scorer and all-around superstar on the wing.
Before suffering his strained calf against the Rockets, Durant was averaging a scorching 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the playoffs. He shot 51% from the field and 42% from deep during those 11 contests.
There’s more today from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings have announced their first pre-draft workout of the year, scheduled to take place on Monday, May 20. Armoni Brooks (Houston), Jon Axel Gudmundsson (Davidson), Xavier Sneed (Kansas State), Yoeli Childs (BYU), Reggie Perry (Mississippi State) and Kevin Samuel (TCU) will all be in attendance.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores whether the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft could give the Lakers the best trade package for Anthony Davis. Los Angeles could combine the pick with other future assets and young players such as Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram or Josh Hart, though competing with the Celtics for the best trade proposal could be difficult. Davis remains intent on leaving New Orleans and expects his trade request to be honored this offseason.
- Former NBA guard Jamaal Franklin plans to attend a free agent mini camp with the Kings next week, Nicola Lupo of Sportando tweets. Franklin last played in the league during the 2014-15 season with Denver, having spent the past five seasons in China.
Former San Diego State player Jamaal Franklin is one of those guys who just not quite good enough.
He can do so many things at 6-5. Shoot the ball score on anybody pass a little defend a little. Just not quite exceptional at anything.
Maybe he’ll get a chance with the Kings or he’ll continue having a nice professional career elsewhere.
What package do the celtics have? Lmao regressions to brown? Tatum being average all year? Late 1sts instead of lottery talents? Lakers have all the leverage here you can be in denial facts are still facts. Ingram > tatum, kuzma > brown, hart > rozier #4th overall > #14 #21 #22 sorry to burst the east coast bias bubble.
Exactly! Blows my mind that people think the Celtics have more to offer. They don’t!
A team that wants to rebuild with youth like the Pelicans would be might be happy to take all those multiple pics from the Celtics rather than just number 4 and some young guys?
Tatum, who mind you had better numbers and isn’t maligned w a serious ailment, is a better asset than Ingram. Got it.
Really???
Exactly! Celtics assets are terribly over valued by the mindless narrative that they someone are a super team with the kings chest in their closet lol
Lakers have no leverage. the owner had recently come forward saying she will not let AD go to the Lakers
Equinsu you just lied bro
That’s not true she said that statement was false related to the lakers!!
Durant should sign with the Hawks, Trae Young will be a top 10 point guard maybe top 5. Collins is a stretch 4 who plays both ends and is a rebounding machine.
Dionis wheel of teams to pick a player to sign with landed on the Hawks today, eh?
Makes sense, wouldn’t be shocked if Durant stunned us all. He’d be foolish not to join Trae Young, the kid is Steve Nash on steroids.
“He would be foolish not to join the Hawks”. LMAO there are at least a dozen better teams for him to join than ATL.
KD is staying at Golden State…..he currently has the best situation possible for him and can get max $$$ with GS…. not lesser money at many questionable situations…plus, he has an owner that is not afraid to spend a buck it two. Don’t be taken by the useless ESPN hype or the internet fake news b.s.
I doubt it’s all fake news. KD knows that in order to have the greatest legacy he can that he has to win elsewhere. People will likely always look down on his accomplishments with GS. People won’t view his GS rings the same as if he stayed in OKC and won them, or with almost any team but GS. He needs to win with a team that’s ‘his’, not Curry’s. A team that wasn’t top 2 in the NBA coming off a historic season before his arrival.
KD wants to fix his reputation and that won’t happen with GS
A bit naive from AD to expect the Pels to honor anything, after what they did to him. I would expect anything but honor from them. SMH!!!
What exactly did the Pelicans “do” to Davis?
The gall of the Pelis. Early in A.D.s career they traded a 6th pick(Nerlens Noel) for Jrue Holiday who at the time was young, talented and on the same trajectory. They also overpaid several less skilled centers just so A.D. could continue to play his preferred position of P.F.(Just terrible) Then they went and traded for very skilled center and the bastards let that center tear his achilles just as team started to click. Terrible, terrible, terrible the way they pandered to him as if he a generational talent and tried everything they could to get better!
The pair of you are denser than the earth’s core!!!
Funny
Broussard just reported on the herd that Durant is tired of Kerr’s prodding and is openly recruiting players to join him in nyc. This dude is a mental midget. His thin skin won’t serve him well in the big apple. Let him go. Celtics should let moody kyrie go. Players who don’t appreciate good coaching deserve to go to a dumpster fire. Dolan is an idiot.