Former Player Says Kevin Durant Hates Key Rockets Teammate

People will say you're wrong but...

KD actually got issues on the Warriors because he wanted the ball more. It's documented actually. A lot of the fights he had with Draymond were the fact that KD was actually trying to take shots over Steph, which obviously was against the team's offensive plan, which was built around Steph and Steph's success.

There were even plays where a play is called and KD would just go rogue, call it off, go ISO...NOW imagine that happening on a young team? Who has the nuts to tell KD to sit his ass down and play within the team?

I mean its documented, isn't it? KD left for BKN because he wanted his OWN team, to be the franchise again like he was in OKC...which I still think he's been chasing for his whole career. He couldn't accept being the Robin to Steph and since then he's decided he's never playing that role again.

Funnily enough he had the perfect all-star teammates in BKN. Kyrie DGAF about all that, he's just trying to play ball, and same for Harden. They would have happily let KD be the guy but that whole Covid stuff and Kyrie's hiatus from the NBA and KD getting hurt blew it all up.

At some point the mentality for KD has to change here, he has to see this Rockets tenure (if he remains here) that he's here as a mentor to help young players grow and get paid to still hoop...but I really and always felt like he's here to get his shots up to climb the scoring ladder. I think he wants that to be his legacy along with the Team USA stuff.

 

Yep, if you get Giannis it then becomes a rebuild around Giannis remaining viable years.

I think Reed and Jabari are the ones you keep though if you make the Giannis move.

Amen and Sengun have to go out for three and D guys and a center since Giannis doesn't like to play center.

It would be such a massive move its hard to comment on how it would look.

If you could get this KD for two more years, it COULD work for a ring. Its the only way, IMO, this team with KD is getting a ring is making the Giannis move but making the RIGHT move, trading for the right players to suit them both.

 

How can you re-build without your 2 best young players and no decent draft picks?

 

You don't, that's the thing. That's why I'm against Giannis trades.

Giannis doesn't work with Alpi and he doesn't work with Amen, since the spacing would be terrible with either.

So if you get Giannis, who is only 32, so still (in theory) has 5 more years of his prime ahead, this is an all in move where Giannis IS your franchise guy now, so if you think about it this way, you're making moves about what is best for Giannis, the rebuild is over at this point since he's not coming here for a rebuild.

GGood thing about Amen/Sengun is I'm sure they have a lot of value around the league. You would not be getting scrubs for them. I'd look at the Heat who have been searching for any kind of star power. Is a guy like Tyler Herro up for grabs for either Sengun or Amen, that's a guy that would fit in around a KD/Giannis focused team.

 

You also have a very limited cap space left after paying them both. You’re pretty much done if one of them can’t make it to playoffs healthy or play majority of the season - which is very likely given their age and injury history imo.

I don’t know why folks think there’s a miracle pairing here that will immediately make us contenders when Giannis hasn’t been able to take his team specifically built for him past the first round for the last 3 years, made it to second round the year before iirc. Team building takes time and the runway is just not there given his and KD’s age. Fools gold imo.

 

An injury history that has been starting to add up too.

Bill Simmons said Giannis is closer to Embiid and I believe that. I feel like we've seen the best of Giannis, a player that relies on athleticism, and trading on him to be the franchise player will be a waste of the max contract we're going to give him.

At least now, in this KD era, we can still be flexible. KD can go next year or the year after and from there we can either see where we are at with our young core OR just go full rebuild...Giannis here with a supermax contract locks us into competing, even if he's either often hurt OR just not as good as he used to be. That is what I am worried about. Getting on the mediocrity treadmill with him.

 

You think Herro is good value for Sengun or Amen. LOL. Over the last 7 years, Giannis has only played over 70 games 1 time and only 36 so far this year and you think the next 5 years are part of his prime? It would be nuts to trade for Giannis period. Trading either Amen or Sengun needs to bring back a lot of value and in the case of Amen it would need to be a monster haul. Sengun has hurt his trade value this year, but he should still be getting back a minimum of 2 really good frp’s and good young vets. If you can’t get that, don’t trade him. Because he doesn’t fit with Amen, if you could get a top 3 pick in this draft and a couple serviceable vets for salary matching you do it.

 

Yes this is obvious and it's obvious too that Ime does not like Sengun. This is the perfect excuse to get rid of him. Just watch.

 

The planning phase? I'm pretty sure Stone's "not our year" remark was indication that they did not believe they contend without those pieces. However, there is a big difference between missing some games or a month vs missing a full season or half a season.

It seems to me that the FO knew without a major leap from the young core. They poked around but ultimately decided against using any assets to land a PG/impact player at deadline. Their actions suggest they are punting this season and evaluating the young core in season and playoffs to decide how to go from here.

 

He hijacks the offense pretty frequently the same way here. Amen and/or Sengun will try to setup a play either with him or among themselves, and if the ball ends up in his hands he frequently turns it into an iso. And then if he’s not shooting well or once he’s gotten his piece or he’s upset with something he’ll flat out refuse the ball or pass it right back leaving them in really tough spots. No matter how much some try to deny it, there’s a consistent personality here that shows itself in things little or big on and off the court.

 

It is obvious to those tuned into what is going on - KD is a little b**** out there.

DD

 

If Kobe and Shaq can win multiple rings while hating each other...

 

neither was eurosoft

 

Wasn't that Kobe's rep, good inidivdual player, but a legendary a-hole to his teammates.

Is this a team of butter cups? Toughen up.

 

Yes... but KD is still a tuna taco with a burner account- brittle as a sun-bleached basketball, but no courage to say what he thinks up front.
The guy has made more NBA salary than anyone else in the history of the league... you'd think he would be at least as ballsy as Trump with all his DGAF opinions, and cash-laden mattresses laying around...

 

Are we allowed to trade KD to Seattle for their first 4 expansion picks lol? That should be a lot go build out the roster. I don’t think the team can continue to coexist the way it's built right now.

 

Can we say Sengun was unaware of Durants elite passing skills? Or the inability to find open players when he’s doubled? To say he feels “forced” to turn it over is insane. Regardless of how talented he is, and he is insanely talented, him trying to dribble his way out of a double team instead of making the right pass to make it 4 on 3 at that point is a huge problem.

I’ve had frustrations with Sengun in the past, but to act like it’s just Sengun sucking and Durant saving us is crazy….

 

that's not for another couple of years

 

Yep. There are many clips of him doing this on GSW, he was prime KD so it often worked out 9 times out of 10, but it looks bad...



Here's a video for proof, I know there's more...but it's been a KD problem all of his career. He's a ballhog. It works for him, he's one of the best scorers to ever play, no one can take that away from him...but ballhogging tends to ruin team chemistry, especially if you're not winning.

I'm going to argue its as bad as its ever been because here there's no Draymond, there is no Curry, the Rockets got him to be this guy and he has complete freedom to be this guy.