Sunday, August 26th, 2012 at 11:18 am  |  298 responses

Kevin Durant: ‘I Think I’m Established Now. My Time is Now’


Kevin Durant had quite the year—he led the NBA in scoring, made an NBA Finals appearance, won Olympic gold, etc. All of which, you’d think, would have some people saying it’s finally KD’s time to step up and win a couple chips, but from the sounds of it, people are still hitting the forward with the “You’re the future” speech…and Durant isn’t having it. Per the Washington Post: “Back home in Washington for a brief reprieve to promote and premiere for family and friends his feature film debut, ‘Thunderstruck,’ Durant also wanted to let it be known that while he won’t turn 24 until late September, the Oklahoma City all-star forward considers himself too much of an essential element of the NBA’s present to be clumped into discussions about its future. ’I’ve heard a few times, in three or four years, this league is going to be yours. . . . I don’t like that. Because I think I’m established now. My time is now,’ Durant said. ‘I feel as though I’ve proved myself these last five years that I can be one of the top players in the league. I’ve got a long way to go to being the ultimate best, but I think my time is now. And I’m starting to enter my prime.’ Durant explained that he felt he belonged in the discussion of the league’s best since playing in the 2011 All-Star Game in Los Angeles but has mostly kept that sentiment bottled up, because, ‘I don’t like to talk about myself, but I had to get that out there.’ He probably felt a bit more comfortable after a dominant run this summer for the U.S. Men’s National Team, capped off by his 30-point outburst in the closely contested gold medal victory against Spain. Durant led the team — which featured nine all-stars, including two Finals MVPs and regular season MVPs in Kobe Bryantand LeBron James — in scoring at 19.5 points and set a new American men’s record for most points scored in an Olympic tournament with 156.”

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  • http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=tablet-android-verizon&tbo=d&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=the+goonies+sloth&oq=the+goonies+sloth&aq=f&aqi=g5g-S4&aql=&gs_ LakeShow

    Buncha nerds.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    LOL@that top 10

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    Shout out to Caboose, good read.

  • http://slamonline.com Datkid

    I swear to god slam LET ME POST
    as I side note I f*ck w/ slick rick’s list. here’s mine. (when healthy)
    Lebron
    Dwight
    Durant
    Wade
    D.will/CP3
    Kobe
    Westbrook
    Rondoooooo

    and I could be convinced to flip westbrook and kobe’s spaces. or wade and durant’s bc wade can be an absolute game changer on defense.
    also cosign the homie caboose’s ranking for next year

  • iceman

    weighing in Kobe took the MOST shots in the league last season and was less efficient than Wade by shooting 43% and literally shooting his team out of this years playoff’s, so 1 right now Wade is a more efficient scorer, 2 he plays better defense right NOW, so lets just focus on right now and not a whole career right and the facts speak for themselves

    Kobe Bryant Field Goal Attempts & Lakers Win-Loss Record

    25+ FGA: 11-9 record, 55% win percentage

    22-24 FGA: 10-6 record, 63% win percentage

    21 & Fewer FGA: 12-5, 71% win percentage

    Kobe Bryant’s Field Goal Attempts, Field Goal Percentage, & Lakers Win-Loss Record

    25+ FGA, <40% FG%: 0-7 record, 0% win percentage

    21 & Fewer FGA, <40% FG%: 5-3 record, 63% win percentage

    source credit – http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/nba/news?slug=ycn-11188016

    In the present the here and now Wade is the better player, and all this nonsense about riding cotails Lebron went to Wade's team not the other way around and Wade deferred to the current best player in the league and got his ego out of the way and still dropped a couple 40 point games along with LBJ to push the Heat to the Finals on one leg. That's Like u Kobe fans saying the mamba rode The Diesels co-tails to get 3 chips

    For the Lakers to win it all it's simple Kobe shoot less and take smarter more team boosting effiecent shots vs Shooting over 2 or 3 guys with a fade away to feed your ego- which PJ has noted on well see he has the bb smarts to do it but will he push his ego to the side? who knows

  • http://slamonline.com Datkid

    also cosign redd.. caboose is doing his thing as usual. an argument can be made for Duncan> Kobe. but i hate that boring boring robot so f*cking much… so I strongly disagree.

  • http://Slamonline.com Kap

    @caboose…forgot to mention that Kobe owns the Spurs in the playoffs in head to head meetings. His best games in playoffs have come against San Antonio. Duncan has been to 4 finals and Kobe 7. I think that’s much better even if he’s lost a few.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    I don’t hate Duncan but he definitely isn’t the cool choice, but is he better than Kobe? Yeah in just about every way. And I’d easily take a healthy Rose over any other PG on a list.

  • Drig

    @Caboose…….re: Duncan’s achievements, Kobe led his team to a repeat. Something which I think Kobe deserves points for there as well. Also, Duncan’s not lost in the Finals but has been only to 4 of them. Compared to Kobe who’s been to the Finals 7 times. While I realize that’s because Kobe’s had a slightly better team than Duncan has over the years ( not counting THIS YEAR ), I’d say Kobe has managed to get as much as Duncan has from his team. So I don’t see how Duncan’s clearly the most accomplished player in the last decade. And I haven’t even mentioned the international game yet.

  • http://Slamonline.com Kap

    So we really comparing PF to SG and saying he’s better in every category. Now I remember why I stopped posting here.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    Kobe has definitely done a lot, but Duncan has done a lot more without the big time names to back him up.

  • http://Slamonline.com Kap

    Kobe has two more years at least at elite level while Duncans days as elite are gone. Kobe will go down as better than Duncan and having the better career. The guy holds just about every franchise record for the NBAs greatest franchise.

  • Drig

    Re:Kobe’s shooting, the stats you took are from Kobe’s young buck #8 days right? That Kobe and this Kobe are miles different and this Kobe is worse. However, with more rest ( dude was running on fumes the last few games before the All-Star break ), more set shots, less doubling, less ball handling duties , I expect the extra energy to go to D and having more lift on his Js over the course of the game. Too many times last season did Kobe heat up in the 1st or 3rd quarters to lose steam a bit too quickly by the time 4th quarter came around. One of the many reasons why last season was his worst in almost a decade as far as 4th quarter play went.

  • Drig

    @Redd….by big time names, Shaq and ? Because you’re using revisionist theory if you mention Pau/Bynum/Odom along with him. Shaq was the only guy who was a bonafide superstar before Kobe rose into stardom. Pau was seen as good post player who couldn’t get out of the first round and as an all-star. So tell me how Kobe played with many more big name players???

  • Keezy

    1. LeBron
    2. Durant
    3. Dwight
    4. Kobe
    5. Wade
    6. CP3
    7. Melo
    8. D-Will
    9. Westbrook
    10. Tony Parker

  • Drig

    @Redd……..mind telling me when Rose can ever be 100% healthy again?? He WILL NOT be able to play like he used to unless he wants to become T-Mac v2. He will need to pick his spots more and become a bit more like CP3 rather than AI.

  • http://Slamonline.com Kap

    Lol Duncan played with Robinson, Ginobili, and Parker. Lol.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    @drig are you slow? The dude said ‘(when healthy)’ and when healthy Rose is better than Westbrook.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    Drig you’re a moron with all due respect..kind’ve. Gary Payton, Karl Malone, etc. and now Steve Nash and Dwight? Shut up dude.

  • mytiman

    Barring any injuries, the list is:

    LeBron
    Durant
    Rose
    Howard
    Kobe

    1 and 2 are pretty obvious. Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the league. For all the people who say he is just a scorer, look at the Bulls team and tell me who should be? Deng, Noah, Boozer? Please. Plus, this guy still is the leader in assists for the team, so he’s pretty much doing good on point guard duties.
    Dwight Howard is the best center in the league, and no one comes close to him. Not even Bynum.
    And Kobe is still Kobe. He may be on his 17th season next year, but come to think of all the accolades he has gotten over the years, and still competing to be the best against all these youngsters dominating the league.

  • Drig

    You still haven’t answered the question about WHEN Rose will ever be 100% healthy again. He won’t be playing at the same all-out level that he has been playing all these years. And Kobe played with GP, Malone etc. for one year in which Malone didn’t play for half a season not to mention the Finals and GP struggled to fit in with the triangle. And I’d rather be a moron if you’re intelligent. With all due respect.

  • Drig

    You still haven’t answered the question about WHEN Rose will ever be 100% healthy again. He won’t be playing at the same all-out level that he has been playing all these years. And Kobe played with GP, Malone etc. for one year in which Malone didn’t play for half a season not to mention the Finals and GP struggled to fit in with the triangle. I didn’t mention Dwight and Nash because Kobe hasn’t even played a single effing minute with them lol. Once Kobe plays significant minutes with them, I’ll add them to the list okay? And I’d rather be a moron if you’re intelligent. With all due respect.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Redd

    Wtf does when have anything to do with it? Why are you asking such an idiot question, do I look like his doctor? Why would I know? I’ll tell you why, cause you realize look like a buffoon for not reading what I said. When healthy Rose is better than Westbrook. And again, you said big names, I named them. You look dumb..with all due respect.

  • Drig

    I’m saying it’s pointless about evaluating Rose now based on what he did in his past pre ACL tear. From what I’ve heard, that’s the sort of injury that forces players to make changes to their games. For all we know, a fully healthy post ACL tear Rose might not even crack the top 10 is what I’m saying. Re : LAL, You gave me big names who haven’t yet played with him OR joined him at the fag end of their careers and were at best solid role players for THAT season in particular.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Some folks are just allergic to reason. I’ve read more than once that stats don’t matter and I’ve read that Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul can be contained (as if it’s happened on a consistent basis before). People have actually said that Kobe’s shooting percentage doesn’t matter. Wade having better seasons the past 3 out of 4 years doesn’t matter because Kobe has had a better career and scores more? Nevermind the fact that he shoots more to score more. That’s really what people believe. One person even said Kobe’s taller so that makes him better. What? I’ve read an argument that basically boils down to “Kobe has had a better career. He’s still elite. He can outscore anyone. I don’t care. He wins. That’s all that matters. My team wins. Kobe is a winner” As if that’s even a solid argument to make. None of it addresses the fact that Wade has had better seasons 3 out of the past 4 years. Kobe’s fanatics are getting close to Jordan’s. Those arguing for Kobe have yet to make any effort to address the facts. All they know is Kobe scores. If FG% meant nothing, individually, without taking into account team accomplishments, Iverson would be thought of as a better player than Kobe Bryant. He scored more. Are people aware of the fact that there is more to basketball than just shooting and scoring?
    As for the D-Rose question, we won’t know if he’ll get back to his regular level until 2013-2014. It usually takes players two seasons to fully recover from that kind of injury. They can play again in one year, but can’t be evaluated until the next season.
    The Duncan disrespect is crazy. Duncan has 4 titles, 3 as the unquestioned best player on his team and in the league. The best player since Jordan retired. Parker and Ginobili aren’t surefire Hall of Famers. There has been no superstar wing player that he’s played with. You can look up the individual accomplishments yourselves. But Duncan today has a better career than Kobe. Kobe could win two more, but it won’t be as the best player on his team. Dwight is that now. So Kobe’s 2 titles as the best player won’t change. He’s done winning as the number one guy. Duncan has 3. No feuds with teammates. No cries for help or for a trade. Perhaps the best power forward to ever play. I wouldn’t say Kobe led his team to a 3 peat because he didn’t. The first Finals win, he only averaged 21 points. Not superstar level. The next two he was great, but Shaq was the leader.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    As for getting the most out of your teammates, to say that Kobe’s done it better than Duncan is wild. Duncan has never been selfish. Never shot his team out of games. Always kept his teammates involved. When it was time, he gave the team to Parker and Ginobili. Kobe never has allowed Gasol to take his rightful place as the first option. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back next season still fighting the fact that he can’t do what he used to do regardless of the knee procedure he had done. Sometimes, you can watch him trying to do what he used to do and he ends up turning the ball over and flailing his arms begging for a foul call. When have you ever watched Duncan play the past few seasons and seen that he’s struggling. Never. Because he doesn’t try to do things he knows he can do anymore. He does what he can and the Spurs are still a top team in the West mainly because Duncan isn’t trying to reverse time.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Kobe holding franchise records doesn’t make him better than Wade either lol. The man has played in the NBA with the Lakers for half of his life. Shoot enough. Score enough. After 17 years, of course you’re going to hold some records. But once again, this isn’t a debate about career achievements. Today, Wade is better than Kobe. The only people who disagree have Kobe’s nickname as their name on here and/or are die hard supporters of him. Facts don’t matter to these people. No one has made a reasonable argument against it because there is none to make. The only reason people say stats don’t matter is because Wade’s stats have been better than Kobe’s. The only stat people point to with Kobe is PPG as if that’s the only measuring stick that should be looked at.

  • http://www.newyorkshockexchange.com Shock Exchange

    Word coming from outta of L.A, is that with Pau Gasol/D12 at the same ____ time, Mitch Kupchak thinks the Lakers have exceeded the “Horry Jr Differential.”

  • http://www.newyorkshockexchange.com Shock Exchange

    And after the previous dissertation, it should be clear to everyone where the “Horry Jr” nickname came from. Some people shouldn’t be taken seriously.

  • havoc33

    I would say both sides in this Kobe vs Wade debate is wrong. At this point in their careers, there is no clear cut edge to either of the two. Wade arguably had a better regular season than Kobe in ’09 and ’10, but Kobe had the better playoff runs and ultimately won Finals MVP’s. After that they have both taken turns being banged up, but have had their spurts where they have performed great. But BOTH of them have already peaked, and it will be interesting to see who manages to maximise the most out of what is left in the tank. My bet would be on Kobe, as Wade had a huge drop off last year. The addition of Nash will finally relieve Kobe of the ball handling duties, which should save him some much needed energy come crunch time. Also, much is said about Kobe’s 43% fg percentage last year, yet they fail to acknowledge the myriad of issues (new coach/system w/o training camp, pau gasol flaming out, bynum’s immaturity, kobe logging way too heavy minutes) plaguing that Lakers team from day one, in which Kobe really was the one Laker that stood tall throughout the season and showed true leadership skills.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    The reason for Wade’s dropoff was him handing the team over to LeBron, not so much a reduction in skill or ability. New coach/system, no training camp, Pau Gasol or Bynum have nothing to do with Kobe shooting bad shots.

  • havoc33

    Nor did I say that, did I? I merely pointed out that it was a messy season, and commended Kobe’s leadership skills throughout it. As for his fg %, I expect it to go up a bit again this year seeing that he does not have to be playing the same type of minutes. But if you think that Wade’s decline only happened because of him willingly handing the team over to Lebron, then you are fooling yourself. Wade peaked in ’09, but has slowly been declining since that. Injuries of course played a part in his huge drop off last year, but even Wade himself admitted he is not the same player he once was. It remains to be seen if he can bounce back as effenciently this time around. The irony of Wade’s game of course is that what makes him great is also what makes him so prone to injury.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Wade, even not being what he once was, is still better than Kobe is right now. If he shot as much as Kobe, he would also get 28 a game with the same percentage. That’s the point.

  • http://www.basketball-reference.com jessedogg

    Im just glad the whole best player in the league thing is a non argument now. Its been LeBron for the past 4 years and its never been close.. I guess thats what winning does.

  • havoc33

    Umm, that’s actually a huge question mark at this point. If Wade is able to bounce back, sure, but that’s nonetheless a big if. If you wanna talk stats, then Kobe actually had a better season than Wade last year, and was also ranked higher in effeciency ranking. It must be annyoing for you that Kobe, after 16 years of shooting bad shots, still is in the discussion for best SG in the league.

  • Drig

    The hell happened to all the previous posts???

  • nbk

    they are going to take a while to transfer over

  • Allenp

    New comment system. Cool. wish I could read the old comments though. Lol.

  • nbk

    You will be able to, they said it just gonna take them a while to transfer over

  • http://www.mensa.org/workout.php shutup

    To interject, I have been following this thread from the beginning and it is very amusing, sorry LA fans but I think Boston is the most storied franchise in the NBA. They did win 8 straight Championships and from ’59-to ’69 they won 10 out of 11, you think a 3-peat is impressive imagine an 8-peat. Not to mention that Boston was the first team to have an African -American coach, and shortly after was the first African-American coached team to win a championship.

  • RKJ92

    Damnit I wasn’t done here.. -.-

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Looks great!

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Hi.

  • Marlo

    He lead the team in scoring because Lebron kept getting him wide open looks.

  • Unknown nigga

    Wade avg’d 30pts a game b4 lebron got there & that wasn’t gonna change if he didn’t have re-enforcements show up, I mean, he literally swapped out james jones &j oneal for bosh &lbj, lets be real bruhbruh.

  • Unknown nigga

    Kobe been with them scrubs & felt like he trumps them fools. Gasol on his way out after this year if dwight resigns with the team. If lebron came over to the lakers, IT WOULD BE INSTANTLY LBJ’s team. & bc lebron is substantially younger, kobe would have to get in line or risk not retiring a laker, simple as that. & wade understands that but more importantly, being unselfish is the only way that team was gonna win a ring. & on your kobe> heater than wade concept for the top 2 guard, Wade gives him the biz everytime they met up WITHOUT/BEFoRE LBJ/BOSH.

  • Unknown nigga

    Kobe been with them scrubs & felt like he trumps them fools. Gasol on his way out after this year if dwight resigns with the team. If lebron came over to the lakers, IT WOULD BE INSTANTLY LBJ’s team. & bc lebron is substantially younger, kobe would have to get in line or risk not retiring a laker, simple as that. & wade understands that but more importantly, being unselfish is the only way that team was gonna win a ring. & on your kobe> heater than wade concept for the top 2 guard, Wade gives him the biz everytime they met up WITHOUT/BEFoRE LBJ/BOSH.

  • Unknown nigga

    Howard is clearly 3rd on that list. & rise is a franchise player, but he is not “the” best pg inn the league. If he played with a wade or kobe or lbj, he would not be effective, so its good he has lowly luol& boozer,,, however cp3 exists perfectly with those guys & rondo definitely would, they both get off by getting others off,, I use the same concept with my gf & she loves me (lol) so I know they love them

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