NBA Rumors: Why Kevin Durant Playing in Europe Should Scare You

Word from Kevin Durant's camp is that he wants to play ball. We all know this, but apparently he wants to play in Turkey.

According to Durant's agent, he may be looking at other countries as well. 

Certainly there are positives to this move. Durant is still young and his development could be stunted by a lockout. We are almost certainly going to see a shortened season—if not a cancelled one— and playing in Europe could give Durant some much needed reps.

There are other positives as well. Durant has a history of difficulty playing against physical defenders—as proven by the playoffs.

Well, guess what Europe is known for? Word on the street is that referees in Europe don't protect NBA players too much and European defenders use that knowledge to get extremely physical with the NBA guys. Perhaps Durant could learn a bit about getting good separation and take his game to a new level.

Unfortunately what will most likely happen is that Durant will go through unnecessary wear and tear in a subpar league that feels disrespected on the international scene.

Now, I'm not disrespecting European players, but we all know the best players in the world are in the States. How much can Durant really learn overseas?

Not much. Plus, the likelihood of Durant suffering an injury is so high that Oklahoma fans are already sweating. Good practice for KD does not include banging against a bunch of huge, Turkish guys that make a whole lot less than him. Especially when the refs won't do much to protect the Thunder's hottest commodity.

Many fans think this is all just gamesmanship to provide leverage for the player's union during the lockout. I think it's legitimately scary and if Durant gets hurt while he's fooling around in Turkey, the Thunder's season is over before it even begins. Is it really worth the risk?

Let's hope this lockout ends quickly and keeps Durant in the states.