Los Angeles Lakers rumors never stop when it comes to upgrading the roster. Superstar players are linked to them in one or another, and that will continue as long as the team has cap space. Now, Kevin Durant is the next player mentioned.
Kevin Durant and LeBron James both played games on Sunday night and ran it back Wednesday night. The results represented how their teams are doing recently. LeBron James took his talents to South Beach and dropped 51 points on his old team, the Miami Heat, winning 113-97. Kevin Durant’s Golden State Warriors went into San Antonio and got dropped off losing 104-92.
After Magic Johnson went wild on Luke Walton about the direction of the team at 2-5, all of a sudden the Lakers are at 11-7 and are that far over the .500 mark for the first time since the Obama administration (I think the first term folks!).
With a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James “Holiday Reminisce” tour, the Los Angeles Lakers will be thankful for their record along with the Thanksgiving turkeys getting carved.
On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors are going in the opposite direction. They started on a smashing run before Stephen Curry had to sit out with a groin injury. That is a major reason why the champs are on a slide, but most will believe something else is amiss in Warrior land.
Last week, almost to the day the Warriors showed the NBA world a chink in their armor when Draymond Green and Kevin Durant got into an argument on the bench before overtime before falling to the Clippers.
It seems that the underlying issue with the big blowup seems to be about Durant’s upcoming free agency…
Kevin Durant signed a two-year deal with Golden State Warriors in the offseason. But the rub here is that with KD’s player option, he can opt out of his contract and leave in the summer for the big 2019 free agency bonanza.
Anyone remember when Kevin Durant just came off his second of back to back championships and Finals MVPs? LeBron James was known as the guy that laid down and quit in the clinching game? It seemed that KD was ready to take over the mantle of the unofficial “Best Player in the World” title.
Didn’t happen, folks!
Los Angeles Lakers: What LeBron James being voted NBA’s top player means
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James has been voted the NBA's top player for the sixth straight year. What does that designation mean for him?
Now the rumors of Kevin Durant is tired of being a Warrior and leaving after this season are rampant. With a current losing patch and drama surrounding the champions, some have declared Durant a goner at the end of the season.
Couple any eligible big name free agent and rumors and put them together and you have one team that is constantly being linked in the media.
Your Los Angeles Lakers.
This article is not about who’s the better player, who’s got the better stats, whatever. If you want all of that, there’s a Twitter feed somewhere that can give you all of that and then some. This is about what happens behind the numbers.
It is a foregone conclusion that if Durant comes to Los Angeles, barring injury, you could possibly Sharpie the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The numbers from LeBron James and Kevin Durant are too superior to any combination in the NBA.
But based on the personality of one Kevin Durant, will it work?
Lake Show Life took a look at one possible big-time free agent in Kawhi Leonard over the summer on the same subject…
Kawhi Leonard: Next year’s message: Say something!
Kawhi Leonard is in Toronto for now! At least that what the rumors say...Ronald Agers gives some advice to Kawhi Leonard. SAY SOMETHING!
Let’s look at the other side of dealing with Kevin Durant!
1. Kevin Durant is a scoring machine!
From the day the man left the University of Texas, Durant has been known as dropping points on people’s heads like rain. He is a former four-time scoring champ, joining the likes of “The Answer” Allen Iverson and the “Iceman” George Gervin as the only players to accomplish that feat.
(Writer’s note: For those who are wondering the players that own the plateau for scoring titles are Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.)
He is an international scoring god starting with his performance back in 2010 leading the U.S to the first FIBA World Championship title since 1994.
After that amazing performance, he led the U.S. National team to two gold medals, which included a scoring record back in 2012 for total points in an Olympic tournament.
In 2014 Durant won the MVP and he finished second on three separate occasions. Durant, at times, has let his discontent be known and going forward, we will be taking a detailed look at that.
But one of my favorite times watching Kevin Durant was at the Rucker. His nickname was “I am…” short for “I am the Best!” He gave Rucker Park stock in his oil company dropping 66 points shutting the game down with his ridiculous shooting…
He should be, on paper, the future of the Los Angeles Lakers when he teams up with LeBron James. So what is the problem????
2. Can Kevin Durant deal with playing in the shadow LeBron James brings?
Lake Show Life has gone into detail on the possible challenges of the Lakers getting a second max-level free agent to join LeBron James in a Lakers uniform…
Los Angeles Lakers: How come nobody wants to play with LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers landed LeBron James, but players are now shying away from joining him. Why doesn't anybody want to play with The King?
It delves into Paul George who decided to stay in OKC without as much as a meeting with the Lakers. It goes into Kawhi Leonard’s reported desires to play for Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers. With that max cap space ready for Durant or some other deserving player…
Should Kevin Durant be the undisputed best choice for that spot? There should be something that needs to be looked at very closely.
Kevin Durant wants to be the man of the NBA. If you pay close attention to social media, Durant tends to bristle when he’s compared to LeBron James in the debate of being the best player in the NBA.
Here’s an example, folks. ESPN had a double-header on Wednesday night. The Lakers played the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road and the second game featured the NBA champion Golden State Warriors against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As you see, the marquee game on the schedule was…
https://twitter.com/NBALakersNation/status/1065259029428002816
Was the game entertaining overall? No. It’s the Cleveland Cavaliers. No disrespect, but most basketball fans would rather watch Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils than the Cavs without LeBron James.
But a game with a Russell Westbrook led Thunder team coming in with the storyline of having another Durant/Westbrook chapter in the history book, was not enough to take top headlines. It was more about how the Cleveland crowd would react to LeBron making his return after leaving for the second time to go to Los Angeles.
As for the comparisons to LeBron James? Durant tends to struggle with the occasional comparisons and debates. How do you think he’ll deal with the DAILY stories linking him to James?
Food for thought!
3. Kevin Durant doesn’t believe he’s respected for his accomplishments
Kevin Durant has a reputation that will dog him for a while, and if it is true, he will get exposed in Los Angeles.
Kevin Durant cannot get away from the stigma that he is soft and he ran to join the Warriors after blowing a 3-1 lead in the playoffs playing with the Thunder. Fans have dogged him in a sense worse than what LeBron James dealt with long-term when he went to Miami back in 2010.
Understand LeBron James did go through a rough patch but he eventually won the fans back over after the Heat won the title two years later.
With Kevin Durant, it seems that he made the right decision if he is looking for championships. He has two NBA titles in two years with two MVPs to boot. But all it took was one bad joke from management to get the media and every social platform that is known to man to get started on a player that was caught having Twitter burner accounts to monitor what was being said about him.
For Kevin Durant to actually team up with LeBron James and keep his sanity, he’s going to have to get past what people think of him and his decision.
I mean, LeBron James himself said he almost “cracked” after a 2-5 start to this season. What does that tell us? The pressure of playing with the Lakers is intense. Everything is different. LeBron James had to find out that this was not Cleveland or Miami which are smaller markets. In Los Angeles, their fans want results…FAST!
Kevin Durant had better know that and quick. He played in a small market in Oklahoma City where he wouldn’t be under as scrutiny. In Golden State, it seems this is his problem…
"KD's gone. Period, the end... it's tough to be somewhere where they feel like they saved you. He knows in Golden State, they feel like, 'We saved you. You wouldn't have these rings if it weren't for us.'"@Chris_Broussard on Kevin Durant's future in Golden State pic.twitter.com/2R08ayUyzz
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) November 16, 2018
If what Chris Broussard says here is true, Durant may have to take a long look at what he wants. It’s obviously not winning, because if that was the case, Durant would have stated his commitment to the Warriors after confirming he was going to get his max deal. The Lakers would have moved on.
But the fact that there is an open door still for the Lakers to make a move for Durant shows that there are issues Durant has that winning can’t solve. If the best team in the NBA can’t keep him content, what makes anyone think the Lakers can do it?
4. Kevin Durant doesn’t deal well with Alpha type personalities long-term!
Remember when the Thunder was on their way to a dynasty? Man, KD teamed with Russell Westbrook and James Harden. (Yeah, forgot about that huh?) They really should have beaten the Miami Heat led by the “Big 3” of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Durant shot very well throughout that series before losing.
But then… James Harden left and the dynamics changed.
Soon after Durant left, Russell Westbrook signed up to a long-term deal and he was endeared by fans all over the NBA for loyalty and the competitive drive that made Kevin Durant look bad. Westbrook has made it no secret that he was irritated by the fact that Durant left the franchise and made it clear every chance he gets.
Trust me, folks, the Lakers are a passionate bunch! Oh, by the way, Russell Westbrook has LA ties! If Kevin Durant comes out the gate slowly, don’t think the fans and media will not have any problems throwing his OKC history with Westbrook in his face.
Did I mention?
5. Kevin Durant REALLY struggles with “Alpha” personalities!
Let’s be clear here, the Warriors are in a serious funk after that drama on “Bench-Gate”. Most would have thought Durant would have come out and dominated a game televised on national TV. Well, let’s just say Durant was not good in a blowout against the Houston Rockets…
After Draymond Green was suspended the media circus was in a frenzy. For the first time in the Steve Kerr dynasty years, the Warriors actually had some drama that the whole world knew about. With Stephen Curry out, this was the time for Durant to really show the world that maybe the team was his despite what was thought by many that it was not the case.
Let’s just say that he didn’t actually play up to Stephen A. Smith’s liking…
After Draymond Green called him out, then returned to the team, THIS is how @KDTrey5 responded vs Houston?? Come on, man! pic.twitter.com/ngo9tSViio
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 16, 2018
To take this further, if Draymond Green’s actions are a problem to Kevin Durant, this is a major red flag to Lakers fans if he comes in. It is no secret how Green plays and how passionate he is. I mean he got in the face of Steve Kerr and screamed at him years back.
How about the suspension that may have cost the Warriors a possible four-year championship streak?
How about the fact that he takes credit for bringing in Durant to the Warriors in the first place?
I could go on, but the bottom line is this. Draymond Green is a very passionate player and person. Kind of like the guy you decided to play with when KD left OKC in Russell Westbrook. If he comes to Los Angeles, where the most powerful player in the NBA resides, and he gets upset…what then?
To finish this point…the man that will set this up, Magic Johnson, will probably accept no less than an NBA Finals appearance, trust me!
Finally…
6. The media market that follows the Los Angeles Lakers are no joke!
Umm…this is what Stephen A. Smith had to say after Kevin Durant had let it be known that he was done talking about the Draymond Green “Bench-Gate” incident…
Now, before people start hitting the comment section and saying who cares? Let me let everyone in on something. Stephen A. Smith just happens to be the face of ESPN. The number one sports network in the world.
ESPN just happens to have a studio built on some real estate across the street from the Staples Center. What does that mean? It means that this is a business that is a lot bigger than Kevin Durant. It is an understanding that LeBron James figured out a long time ago and is making untold millions of dollars based on that understanding.
It needs to be clear that all the major superstars understand the unwritten rules of dealing with the media and how to co-exist. Again it needs to be stated that Durant now has the reputation of being soft and very sensitive…
With all that being said…
7. Sorry folks…Kevin Durant will resign with the Warriors!
If Kevin Durant walks out the door and joins the Lakers, he will lose close to sixty million dollars on the back-end of his next deal.
Look, I get it, others have walked away from max deals. Dwight Howard even did it to the Lakers years back. But that was Dwight Howard and how is he doing these days with the Washington Wizards? He’s doing so bad, the Lakers might have to take him back if they wanted to negotiate a trade for Bradley Beal!
Paul George signed with OKC in the offseason, but the long-term deal was a financial mistake.
If the NBA scripts hold form and the Warriors win the NBA title again, it would be hard pressed to believe that Durant leaves three rings and a shade under sixty million dollars under the table. I’ve seen stranger…but not right here!
The Los Angeles Lakers have started their long journey through the NBA season. Lake Show Life will be there every step of the way. Continue to check in for Lakers news, previews and reviews.