Kevin Durant Addresses His “Controversies”
I won’t waste your time with a lead-in or an unnecessary explanation from me. Kevin Durant spoon feeds you all you need to know. I’ll only add that while watching this video I couldn’t help but find it more than a little disturbing, if not ridiculous, that Durant even had to take the time to make this.
Think about the things he’s addressing for a second. How petty are they? A hat, tattoos and his feelings about the biggest rival of his alma mater? That’s not to say these things aren’t interesting or that they don’t shed light on who Durant is. They are and they do. But Durant is only addressing them because these are the things that have ruffled a few feathers. Professionally, it’s my job to pass it along. Personally, I’d politely ask that somebody sound the alarm when there’s real controversy.
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Kendrick Perkins Answers Your Questions
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins sat down with ESPN.com’s SportsNation today and answered fans’ questions on a variety of topics. You can read the full chat here. But here are some of the more interesting things Perkins discussed.
On how close the Thunder is to winning a title and what is needed that wasn’t there last year:
I think we’re really close to winning the championship. We just lacked a little experience this year. We’re very close. We just have to stay home and keep on with the hard work. The sky is the limit. We have a big scorer in Kevin Durant. We have an all-star in Russell. As long as guys keep working and staying together, we’ll be good.
On whether he’s looking to play overseas:
Yeah, I thought about it. I’m just trying to decide. I’m waiting to see how far they’ll go with the lockout. It’s all timing. It will come time to decide. I have thought about it.
On how his knees are feeling:
I’ve been working hard this summer. They feel great. I’m definitely going to try to get back to my early stages before getting hurt. I’ll be playing without my braces. I’m excited to get back out on the court.
On what he likes most about being with the Thunder:
I love the city. I love the young group of guys. I love the organization, how they carry themselves. It’s a first class organization in everything they do. The guys work hard to give back and try to win for the city. It’s amazing to me. It’s a good feeling to have a young team that wants to win like those guys do.
On whether he’ll join other Thunder players in Lexington for voluntary workouts next week:
I’m doing my own workouts, but I’ll be there. We are scheduled to be in Lexington as a team. Us players will be out there working out at the University of Kentucky.
On what he’s focusing on improving this off-season:
I just want to get better with being able to finish with either hand. I’ve been working my left a lot. Strengthing my legs. So I won’t have to wear those big dumb knee braces…Oh, and my 15-foot jumpshot I’ve been working on.
We also learn that the Dallas Cowboys are Perk’s favorite NFL team and the Boston Red Sox are his favorite MLB team. Perk also says he determines how he wears his facial hair by the mood he’s in and added that sometimes he might blame a poor performance on it and cut it because of that. So there.
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Chat With Kendrick Perkins
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins will take your questions at 4 p.m. today.
ESPN.com is hosting a chat today with Kendrick Perkins.
The chat is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., but you can submit your questions now.
It should be an interesting session, depending, of course, on how ESPN chooses to moderate it. For starters, Perkins has essentially disappeared this off-season. No Thunder player has kept as low of a profile as the Thunder’s starting center. Russell Westbrook might be a close second, but the point guard at least is on Twitter and, if nothing else, rears his head for his weekly “#WhyNotWednesday.”
But how can we forget about the dust up down in Texas a few months back? The last, and perhaps only, time we heard from or rather about Perkins this summer was when he ran into some trouble with the law while hosting a basketball camp in Beaumont, Texas. There are lingering questions about the events of that weekend. And although we’ve heard an account of Perkins’ side of the story, we have yet to hear Perkins himself address the issue, and that question is likely to be asked. Whether it’ll get through is another story.
Another hot topic of late has been rumors of Perkins and Westbrook clashing. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if someone threw in a question about that reported incident. Kevin Durant recently addressed the alleged issue, and Perkins likely will be presented an opportunity to do the same today.
Other questions that could be of interest is why Perkins didn’t attend the team’s voluntary workouts in Austin recently, whether he will be in attendance for round two next week in Lexington, how has he progressed in his stated goal of slimming down and, of course, what he thinks about this whole lockout mess.
It should (or could) be a insightful afternoon chat. Get your questions in.
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Why Kevin Durant Is Sick Of Pro-Am Games
Kevin Durant (left) drives past former Thunder teammate Jeff Green during a pro-am pickup game.
When Kevin Durant made an impromptu trip to New York and took the court at Rucker Park, it suddenly became cool for NBA players to search for a game by any means necessary.
That was Aug. 1.
Two months later, the trend already has lost its luster — at least to Durant it has.
The two-time scoring champ on Tuesday briefly shared his thoughts via Twitter on the stream of streetball games that have swept the country and quickly become the biggest fad in this NBA lockout. It all started when Milwaukee point guard Brandon Jennings asked Durant if he was ready for a rematch between the D.C.-based Goodman League and the Los Angeles-based Drew League. Durant fired back a candid response.
yea I am, but on da real..all these game starting to get played out..but I’m ready for the rematch”
Jennings immediately agreed, responding “you ain’t never lie.”
It’s important to note here that Durant hasn’t let his feelings stop him from taking the court in these exhibitions. After all, basketball never stops. Durant’s scheduled to appear in Chris Paul’s charity game on Saturday on the campus of Winston Salem State University. Durant (as well as teammate Russell Westbrook) also is scheduled to play in a charity game in Miami hosted by the Heat’s All-Star trio on Oct. 8. Durant originally was scheduled to take part in the “Battle for I-95″ between Philadelphia and Baltimore, as well as the Goodman versus Knox Indy Pro Am in Indianapolis, but had to back out of both because of a previous commitment with filming his movie “Switch” in Baton Rouge, La.
But is it true? Have these pickup games — which started in earnest on July 23 with a showcase in the Philippines — become trite?
The competitiveness of these exhibitions has always been in question. No one, not even for a second, believed these barnstorming games could ever come close to replacing NBA action. But for the player who helped pioneer the movement to deem it “played out” after 60 days is a bit of an eye-opener.
So why would Durant deem it so?
The answer is authenticity.
At some point over the last three months, some games stopped being played for genuine reasons. It stopped being about the love and started being about the money. Somewhere along the line, a few savvy promoters saw a means to make a buck. As a result, some exhibitions stopped focusing as much on fans and charities and instead sought to fatten a few pockets.
That’s one reason attendance has tapered off in various cities. A game two Saturdays ago at Coolidge High in D.C., for example, drew a meager crowd despite players like Durant, John Wall, Michael Beasley, Jeff Green and DeMarcus Cousins serving as headliners.
Durant started randomly showing up to parks and gyms this summer for two reasons: he loves to play and he loves giving fans who otherwise couldn’t afford to see him a glimpse of his skills. Now that it’s no longer completely about that, Durant’s not with it. He’s lost his desire. Better yet, he never had that desire.
Should this lockout linger, Durant will look to host a charity game in the Oklahoma City area. He’ll do it for the right reasons. For the fans. He wants to invite stars from other teams. And he knows it’ll be packed.
And nothing about that is played out.
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Should Kevin Durant Be Able To Diss OU?
Can't a guy rep his school while in the backyard of its biggest rival? Some folks don't want Kevin Durant to.
For the first three seasons, it was all fun and games.
Well, to be accurate, to some folks it was.
But now, Kevin Durant is growing into a bigger superstar by the day. His every move is being watched and scrutinized more than it’s ever been. People near and far have begun hanging on to his every word like never before. And locally, nothing seems to rattle folks’ cages like when Durant talks smack about their beloved OU Sooners.
The Thunder star started slinging jabs the moment he stepped foot in town in 2008. At that year’s Thunder media day, Durant said he “loves being in Oklahoma thus far and I’m going to love playing for (the people here).”
Then Durant was asked if he’d ever root for the Sooners.
“Never,” Durant vowed.
Durant then added that Longhorns and Sooners never will get along.
“I like the rivalry the way it is now,” Durant said. “OU hates Texas and Texas hates OU. That’s how it’s always going to be.”
From that day on, Durant has enjoyed jabbing the Sooners and their die-hard nation every chance he gets. He’s added the phrase “Hook ‘em Horns” to each autograph he’s signed at OU football games. He’s sat courtside at OU basketball games and flashed the two-finger Hook ‘em Horns sign. He’s even taken his needling to Twitter. On Saturday, Durant posted a simple but around these parts scathing message: “LSU > OU…”
Today, one of the Sooners, sophomore defensive back Tony Jefferson, fired back.
Kevin durant. Please stop talking trash about the sooners. You play in Oklahoma. Regardless if you went to Texas. We support u #jerk : (
It brings up an interesting question.
Should Kevin Durant be able to diss OU?
Jefferson is right. This state supports Durant. And not all, but a good majority of sports fans around here cheer for the crimson and cream. But is that enough to prohibit Durant from being able to rag on OU?
Absolutely not.
More About Those Floats From Frostop
On Friday, I made mention of this burger joint in Baton Rouge, La.
I visited Frostop during a break in filming for Kevin Durant’s upcoming movie “Switch.” What went unmentioned is that this is actually one of the locations you will see in the film.
In the movie, the high school kid (played by actor and current Nickelodeon star Taylor Gray) that receives Durant’s basketball skills is on a date at this joint. He’ll be sitting on the back of a truck with his young lady friend when Durant’s agent approaches him for the first time to inform him what has happened. It will be one of the critical scenes to the story’s plot.
So just remember. Frostop.
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‘Only in Lawrence’ could Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich play to a draw
Boston's Paul Pierce, right, playfully chokes Miami's Mario Chalmers after Chalmers converted a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left, which forced the "Legends of the Phog" exhibition game to end in a 111-111 tie Saturday inside KU's Allen Fieldhouse. (Photo by Richard Gwin, Lawrence Journal-World)
John Rohde: 475-3099. John Rohde can be heard Monday-Friday from 6-7 p.m. on The Sports Animal Network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. Follow him on Twitter @RohdeOK.
Catching Up With Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has every reason to smile this summer
BATON ROUGE, La. — After spending a day on the set of Kevin Durant’s upcoming movie “Switch” on Friday, today was media day, the day to ask Durant about his movie and any and everything else that’s been up with him this summer.
And that’s a tough job.
Try making a list of questions you’d like to ask Durant. Now try and trim that list to make sure you get the best ones in.
Because you’ve only got 10 minutes. After that, time’s up and you’re being shooed away so the next person on the circuit can come in and do it all over again.
But, we do our best. And all things considered, I actually covered a lot of ground with KD in a one-on-one interview this afternoon. Be sure to pick up The Oklahoman and stay on NewsOK.com in the coming days for a Q&A on a variety of topics. In the meantime, here’s some of the more significant tidbits that emerged from of our chat.
On The Set Of Switch With Kevin Durant
When they say "Quiet on the set," they want it quiet.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Rarely is there a night I lay in bed struggling to sleep. Not like this. Not because of anticipation of what’s to come the next day.
Thursday night brought that odd mix of delight and dread.
On Friday morning I would embark on a trip unlike any other I’ve taken during my five seasons covering the NBA. Though in some respects, it all felt the same. The early morning alarm. The drive to Will Rogers before the sun comes up. The freezing cold plane and crying baby in the neighboring seat. Even the arrival airport, New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International, was in my comfort zone. I’ve made the trek to this part of the Bayou 15 to 20 some odd times over the past six years.
But this time the arena I was about to step into was a completely different animal — and completely out of my comfort zone.
It all started when an email landed in my inbox Tuesday morning. It was from a PR firm. The subject read “Kevin Durant interview for upcoming movie release.” Nothing to fret there. I’ve known a Durant movie was coming. And I’ve interviewed Durant countless times. But somewhere in the body of the email was a bit about the studio, Warner Bros. Pictures, inviting media members to visit the set of the feature-length film Switch, which KD is the star of.
Sounds like a great opportunity, right?
Well after a 6:55 a.m flight out of OKC, with a connection in Houston and an hour drive from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, here I am, a wide-eyed rookie on the set of a major motion picture somehow starring the most down-to-earth basketball star I’ve come across in my time covering the league.
Here’s how it went.
Scott Brooks Putting the Lock(s) in Lockout
Thunder coach Scott Brooks has kept a low profile throughout the NBA lockout.
He hasn’t been seen on television. Hasn’t been heard on radio. Hasn’t made many public appearances in OKC.
But when the 2009-10 NBA Coach of the Year surfaced Wednesday at an alumni event at the University of California-Irvine, he showed up with a new look.
A lockout beard? That was so 1998.
Brooks instead went back to his California roots and let it flow from the top down.
Thanks to this slide show from the Orange County Register, we have even more visuals of Brooks’ golden locks. It’s the longest we’ve ever seen the coach’s hair, which Thunder fans know all too well can go from scruffy to slick on any given night.
My bet is Brooks’ family put him up to it. Brooks has a history of catering to those closest to him. The bracelets seen in the above picture are just one of the many ways Brooks recognizes his family. His wife and now 11-year-old daughter also have encouraged him in the past to grow his hair out. Brooks obliged. But that was during the season. When the cameras were always watching. Eventually, Brooks had to see a barber. You can’t be too carefree when you’re an NBA coach and the spotlight is always shining on you. But during a lockout…
I wonder if Brooks will return with his locks still intact. I doubt it. It’s not his style. He likes the focus to be on his players, the organization and its product rather than himself.
Makes you wonder, though.
What might Brooks do with the do if the lockout lingers?
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