How LeBron James Paved the Way for Kevin Durant to Sign with Golden State
Kevin Durant would not be in a Warriors jersey if it weren’t for LeBron James.
LeBron James is one of the most powerful players the NBA has ever seen. And when I say powerful, I’m not just referring to his basketball abilities, I’m also taking about the influence he has over the NBA. As LeBron goes, so does the rest of the league.
Remember in the summer of 2010 when he announced he was leaving Cleveland for Miami during The Decision? I remember thinking, I’m not sure what I just watched. We weren’t so much shocked that he left Cleveland (that was always a possibility), it was the fact that he was going to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Never in the history of the league did we see three all-star free agents decide to team up and play together on the same team.
The media ripped them for doing it–especially LeBron. Do you remember the storylines in the days after The Decision? MJ would have never done that (It’s true, he wouldn’t have). You should want to beat the best, not play with them.
Many of the past NBA greats said they wouldn’t have done what LeBron did. Some even proclaimed he hurt his legacy by joining the Heat.
Even a rising star was taking shots at him.
LeBron was looked at as being weak.
He only made it worse for himself when the Heat hosted a welcoming ceremony that looked more like a championship celebration. Yeah, the one where he promised multiple (think a high single digit) championships and said that the games were going to be easy because their practices were going to be so tough.
Many viewed his move to Miami as an easy way out and it’s hard not to argue that he may have believed that as well. All of this lead to the Heat being one of the most vilified teams in all of sports. It was a role they embraced. One that Wade later said may have been a mistake.
The “best trio to ever play the game of basketball” (Wade’s words) limped out to a 9–8 start in their first season together. Having three ball-dominant scorers was going to take some time to figure out. They eventually got it together as the season went on and ended up coasting in the playoffs before being upset by the underdog Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
Almost one year after announcing that he’d be taking his talents to South Beach, LeBron was again ripped for struggling in the Finals. There were times in the fourth quarter of those games where the ball was like a hot potato to him — he couldn’t get it out of his hands quick enough.
LeBron spent the summer hearing all about his shortcomings. Choked in the Finals. Needed DWade to win a title. That would’ve never happened to MJ.
But do you remember what happened the following season? He won a championship and everybody forgot about it all. Nobody cared that he left Cleveland. Nobody cared that he teamed up with Wade and Bosh. Nobody cared that they didn’t win it his first year in Miami.
The storyline was no longer, LeBron James is taking the easy way out. It was, LeBron James is an NBA Champion.
For all the flak LeBron received, it all went away when he won a ring (and so did the memes about his lack of one).
And that brings us to Kevin Durant. Do you think he saw what LeBron did in Miami and thought to himself this past summer, Why can’t I go to Golden State? LeBron going to Miami and playing alongside Wade and Bosh didn’t negatively affect his legacy at all. In fact, it got him exactly what he wanted — legitimacy.
KD’s version of “will this affect his legacy?” has to do with the fact that he signed with the team that knocked him out of the playoffs. As if that’s waaaay worse than what LeBron did. At least LeBron didn’t go to the team that beat him. No, but he did team up with one of his biggest rivals in the East along with another perennial All-Star — similar to what LeBron did.
The difference between the two “decisions” comes down to their style and not their substance. How they did it shouldn’t distract us from what they actually did. It ultimately boils down to the fact that two all-time greats decided to team up with other all-time greats to pursue a ring — it’s that simple.
As a basketball fan, I tend to agree with the old timers. I would much rather see GSW/OKC Part II than to have KD join the Warriors and rob us of that potential matchup. With that being said, I see why Durant did it. LeBron paved the way and KD just followed suit. If he wins it with Golden State this year (or next year), the narrative won’t be that he had to do it with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr, it will just be that he’s an NBA Champion.
Don’t believe me? Then just look at all the people who were criticizing LeBron in 2010 that are now praising him today.
Bill Simmons wrote an article at the start of this season saying that Michael Jordan may have “left the door open” just enough for LeBron to grab GOAT status. Bill thinks LeBron has a chance to catch Jordan — something he previously said nobody would ever do.
Contrast that with what he said about LeBron shortly after The Decision:
Michael Jordan would have wanted to kick Dwyane Wade’s butt every spring, not play with him. This should be mentioned every day for the rest of LeBron’s career. It’s also the kryptonite for any “Some day we’ll remember LeBron James as the best basketball player ever” argument. We will not. Jordan and Russell were the greatest players of all time. Neither of them would have made the choice that LeBron did. That should tell you something.
Bill went from, LeBron will never be the greatest basketball player ever in 2010 to, Hold on a second now… in 2016.
I guess winning will do that — no matter how it happens.
My name is scott smoker and I write about basketball and other stuff every week on my website roundballsupply.co. You can also find me on Twitter.
