Kelly's World | Ain't mad at ya KD
Published:Thursday | July 7, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Now, like many in the sports world, I must admit that my first reaction to Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors was less than congratulatory.
I repeatedly threw my hands in derision at the television screen and yelled, "Punk move, Durant!" to anyone who was interested. For the uninitiated, Kevin Durant is one of the best basketball players in the world at the moment. The team that drafted him out of college, the Oklahoma City Thunder, lost a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the western conference final of the National Basketball Association play-offs, losing 4-3. The Warriors eventually lost to Cleveland in the final. Now, my reasons for calling it a punk move were fourfold. One, he had given a commitment to Oklahoma City before, saying it was home, his team, blah, blah. So to then jump ship just seemed wrong.
'CLOWN'
My second reason for booing him initially was because I feel there's a code that you don't join the team that just beat you. It's like you're saying to your current teammates: "Unnu nuh good. Mi a go weh dem man deh can win".
Closely related to point number two, my third issue was that I thought Durant could simply have tried to help the team's management put things in place and bring in a couple of players to help them get over the hump. They were one win away from getting to the NBA final. Surely, you just need a tweak or two, right?
My fourth reason is that I've seen teams loaded with superstars fail because they just didn't gel. But Durant took off for Golden State. And I thought he was a clown.
But that was last Monday. I can honestly say now that I ain't mad with Durant. Listen up! Life, like a sports career, is short. And you've got to make tough decisions sometimes in both. At the end of the day, it's about your happiness and doing what you consider to be best for you. Durant, I'm sure, has heard the stories and seen the careers of more than a few great players who finished without a championship. Nobody would want that. If he believes that Golden State gives him the best chance to win a ring, me and you nuh have nuh talk. It's his decision. Whether he ends up with a championship with the Warriors, or with somebody else, or even none at all, is irrelevant. A fi him life.
And that's pretty much how things are in the wider world. We all have friends and people we care about. Sometimes we don't like the decisions they make, the life choices they go with. But it's not for us to judge. Well, I mean we are going to judge because we're human. And if we're that close, I think we kinda have the 'right' to make our feelings known. But that's as far as our contribution goes.
So Durant, do yuh ting. Hope it works out. And if not, you gave it your best shot (see what I did there?).
Later.