Kevin Durant on Warriors, DeMarcus Cousins Critics: 'Nobody Likes a Great Thing'

Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant wasn't surprised by the latest round of backlash directed at the back-to-back reigning NBA champions after they landed center DeMarcus Cousins in free agency.

On Thursday, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated provided comments from Durant concerning the criticism and Cousins' mindset about joining the Dubs.

"It was expected. Nobody likes a great thing. Greatness is rare, it's different, and people don't like different, so I get it," he said. "But I think for DeMarcus I liked his approach, our approach to it, coming in, wanting it just to be about basketball, once you look at it that way, it works out perfectly."

Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in January. Uncertainty about how he'll perform after the significant setback made the 2018-19 season about rebuilding his value instead of searching for a lucrative, long-term contract on the open market.

So the 27-year-old post player opted to sign a one-year, $5.3 million contract to chase a championship with the Warriors while trying to show he's back to full strength.

"This is my ace of spades," Cousins said, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. "This is my chess move."

He'll join Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to give Golden State one of the most star-studded starting lineups in NBA history.

Like KD, Boogie said he's not concerned with the outside perception of his decision, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

"I didn't really care, honestly," Cousins said. "I don't really care. ... It trips me out to just see. It's crazy like how angry people were."

He added: "But, it's just kind of funny because before the whole thing started, I was just kind of wasted. I was damaged goods, not a winner, just everything negative. And soon as it happens, it's like, 'He's too damn good to [be a Warrior].' So, it's just kind of funny how the narrative switches right away when things don't go the way they expect it to."

Although the Western Conference became even more stacked with LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors are a heavy favorite to capture a third straight title if their core four remain healthy and Cousins performs anywhere close to his pre-injury peak.