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Apr 27, 2016

Why Durant Will Play for the Lakers Next Season, And Definitely NOT With the Warriors

Durant Wants to Be the Driver, not Ride Shotgun to Curry

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- Kevin Durant will be the most coveted free agent since 2010 when LeBron James was courted by half the teams in the league. The end result in that instance was the most stomach-turning sequence of events I can remember. From the live broadcast of his, excuse me, THE Announcement where he uttered the infamous “Take my talents to South Beach” soundbite, to the unveiling of the Heat’s new Big Three in an over-the-top eextravaganza to LeBron’s arrogant claim that this new “Super Squad” would win up to seven championships. What ended up happening? They went to four straight Finals, losing two, but winning back-to-back Larry O’Brien’s. And LeBron, although he was voted Finals MVP in the two wins, he had to share the success with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This is where a very interesting argument integral to Durant’s upcoming decision on what team to join begins…

Kevin Durant is a former MVP. His Thunder team made it to the Finals only to lose to Miami’s Big Three. Since then, injuries to both himself and Russell Westbrook derailed promising seasons. And after the season Westbrook just had (double-double in each game, 16 triple-doubles, second in MVP voting), Durant knew by the All-Star break that he was now firmly in the second chair and Westbrook was more important on any given night. But the success the Thunder have had is when BOTH Durant and Westbrook are firing on all cylinders. But with a plethora of options soon to come Durant’s way, what will be most important to him will be where he fits into the team’s hierarchy. And if his placement on that hierarchy isn’t atop a very high throne, every journalist should throw that option into the trash. Durant is undervalued in a league where Curry, Westbrook, LeBron, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis are ranked above him. Durant wants to show his value, and not just show it, but put it on blast for everyone to see, and next season these rankings will show him in the top 3. And there is only one way to do this.

Kobe Bryant said in his fantastic auto-biopic Kobe Brant’s Muse “I feel you can’t be truly great unless you can win (a championship) being the main guy…like Jordan did”. Of course you need a strong cast around you to win, but he is saying his three-peat with Shaq didn’t show the world just how great he is, rather it showed he needed a co-star to win a championship.

If you look at ANY championship team since 1999, only three teams have done it relying on just one superstar. That one player who’s contribution was such an impact that he took a team that couldn’t touch the Finals and lead them to the promised land. Those players were Kobe, who won two titles as the teams clear no. 1, and Steph Curry winning last year. Durant is a former MVP, scoring champ and a once in a generation talent with his attributes: a 7'’ wingspan, the ability to shoot the three, to distribute and to take a team and get them mentally right if everything in the game is going wrong.

And if you think Kevin Durant is going to go anywhere his role as option one, two and three isn’t a given, well then you are just wrong. Durant has the ability of course, but more importantly he has the drive to become the greatest to ever play the game. He is only 27 years old, younger than Steph Curry, an MVP with a scoring title who is also gunning for that moniker.

So obviously this is all led up to this one, simple fact- Durant will not sign with Golden State. Because not only would he be in Curry’s shadow, but also he does not want to sign with a franchise which has already won one (possibly two) championships without him. Durant wants to be Kobe-like. He wants to play for a franchise that will build around him, and eventually win multiple championships. And there is one organization that has the whole package of what he is looking for. The Los Angeles Lakers are a perfect fit for Keven Durant, and here is a list of the reasons why:

There is no more storied franchise in the NBA, and no larger of a market either. He will be out of the minuscule market of Oklahoma City and into the spotlight of LA. All eyes on KD, and he will get the massive attention he deserves and has deserved for years.
Despite the 38 wins in the past two-seasons under Byron Scott, there should be a very small asterisk next to the 17 wins this season. The Lakers franchise as a whole knew this was going to be a Kobe farewell tour, putting the injury riddled 37-year old in for serious minutes and shooting a career low 35.8% in nearly 30 minutes per game. No team could win over 20 games devoting those minutes to such an ineffective shooter and absent defensive play. But what Kobe did for the team was to take to coaching up D’Angelo Russell, who as the no. 2 pick in last years draft and deemed a future pillar of the franchise. Check out this video to hear D’Angelo’s feelings about his relationship with Kobe. Bottom line: Kobe may have sunk the season with his farewell tour, but he did a service to players like Russell, Clarkson and others.
With the 17 win season, the Lakers have a protected top-three pick. The players expected to go 1–2–3 are LSU PF Ben Simmons, Duke SF Brandon Ingram, and Oklahoma SG Buddy Hield. NBADraft.net has LA taking Ingram , but the issue here is he plays the same spot as Durant. There’s still over two months until any of these names are called, but here is how it should play out. PitiPhilly should have the first pick, and the mock draft mentioned above has Simmons being picked up by the Sixers. But why? Yes, Simmons is a phenomenal player, but do the Sixers truly think drafting another big will get them to where they need to be? Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid are already clogging up the middle, and I think they will try to get help on the perimeter by taking Buddy Heild with that first pick. This leaves the Lakers with a chance at Simmons or Ingram, and I feel Heild will be the pick. So if Durant signs, he will have Russell at the 1, Heild at 2, himself at 3, Julius Randle at 4, and Festus Ezeli at 5. I think Ezeli will be an easy choice for the Lakers, as their soon-to-be new coach is very familiar with his play…
Luke Walton will sign a large contract to become the Lakers coach, and it should happen a very short time after the Warriors playoff run is over. Because as the Buss family knows, they are in the depths of hell and verging on becoming exactly what the 76ers have been for years- a complete laughing stock that was so terribly managed that Jerry Colangelo had to come in and overhaul the front office.

But this is not the Sixers, a franchise that hasn’t won a title in multiple decades, and everyone in the front office is well aware there needs to be an overhaul of this storied franchise’s image and play on the court. Kobe is soon to be a bronzed statue outside Staples Center, and Kevin Durant has the chance to become THE Laker. The Laker of the future, winning multiple MVPs and adding more stars at center court to signify a championship.

Durant doesn’t want to team-up with Curry, rather KD wants to face Curry four times a year and reinvigorate the Warriors-Lakers rivalry. Those will be must-watch games. But this is a process, and many things have to happen for everything to meld together for the Lakers to be competitive. But it all starts with Kevin Durant.

Titles won’t come next year, but with Luke Walton on the sidelines and Kevin Durant as the main man in LA, it won’t be long until teams stop looking forward to games versus the Lakers.