Charles Barkley Comments on Kevin Durant Joining Warriors
Kevin Durant shook up the NBA landscape by announcing Monday on the Players' Tribune that he will sign with the Golden State Warriors, though the former MVP is also dealing with the backlash that comes with his decision to join a superteam.
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley appeared on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike (via ESPN.com) on Wednesday and compared Durant's choice to join the Warriors with LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat six years ago:
"I was disappointed. I was disappointed like I was disappointed when LeBron went to Miami. Kevin is a terrific player, he's a good kid. But just disappointed with the fact that he weakened another team and he's gonna kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors team. Just disappointed from a competitive standpoint. Because just like it meant more to LeBron to win one in Cleveland, it would mean more to Kevin to win one in Oklahoma than it would be in Golden State.
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James fulfilled his promise to Cleveland by leading the Cavaliers to an NBA title last month over the Warriors, ending the city's 52-year drought without a major sports championship.
Durant came within one win of making 2016 NBA Finals, but the Oklahoma City Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals that ironically may have provided the impetus for Durant to leave for Golden State.
Barkley addressed why Durant may have made his decision:
"We develop this thing where you keep telling these guys, 'Hey man, if you don't win a championship you're a bum.' I don't feel like a bum. I'm pretty sure Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and John Stockton -- we think we're pretty damn good. We could have played with some of those other guys and kind of cheated our way to a championship. But there is this thing that started with this new generation where these guys feel so much pressure. Everybody wants to win.
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It's interesting that Barkley brings up Malone's name because he went to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2003-04 season chasing a championship before the Detroit Pistons shocked L.A. in the NBA Finals.
Yet the most important statement Barkley made is about players feeling unsuccessful if they don't win a championship. It's an emotion likely spurred on by the fact sports is now a 24/7 business.
The narrative around James, whose teams played in six straight Finals, changed dramatically after the Cavs beat the Warriors. Yet there will still be people who will criticize him for losing three times in the Finals because Michael Jordan went 6-0—even though the Chicago Bulls did lose playoff series with Jordan multiple times.
Durant had no idea how long Oklahoma City would remain one of the top teams in the Western Conference because Russell Westbrook is going to be a free agent next summer and the Thunder previously traded James Harden after failing to reach a contract extension.
There's no guarantee Golden State will win a championship next year with Durant, but considering the money wasn't going to be much different, the Warriors' on-court talent was too enticing for the former MVP.
