In the Moment By Kevin Durant

KEVIN DURANT
DEPUTY PUBLISHER

I was the last one out of the tunnel. Before our first regular season game, I wanted to wait a couple seconds and just listen to the crowd. It had been a while since I heard Oklahoma City.

I like the challenge of trying to be in the moment. It’s not easy. We’re all built to want to look back or speed life up. But I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the future. It takes you away from the moment you’re in. This past year, I learned that lesson more than ever. I love to play basketball, so when I had to wear a boot for 14 weeks and couldn’t put up a shot for three months, it brought me to the present real quick. You just have to go through it. Your basketball life is fragile, but that’s also why it’s so meaningful.

I don’t concern myself too much with the past, either. It’s good to learn from it, but if you dwell, you could rob yourself of the focus you need to do the work that’s right in front of you.


Before this season started, I thought back to our team that lost in the Finals four years ago. We were a really good team, but we were too young to know what we had. We were 23, 24 years old, most of us, and now I can see what our problem was: We were all on our own islands. For me, I didn’t know when to be selfless and when to be selfish. The Heat had been there before and they were more experienced. I still think we could’ve won, but it was a lesson for us. We needed to go through that.

For the last two months I’ve been asked how my body is holding up. I get asked about minutes. I get asked if I am “back.”

I’m asked about my foot.

My foot’s good.

I’m asked about my conditioning.

My conditioning will be there, but that takes a little time. There’s a difference between practice speed and game speed.

I get asked to predict the future, too. But trying to say how our team’s going to do — that’s other people’s jobs. In an 82-game season, getting ahead of yourself is dangerous. That kind of mindset will punish you. The season is a marathon, man. My job is to play ball. My job is to support my teammates and make them better. My job is to help my team win, not tell the future.


Last month I turned 27, and my friend got me a camera for my birthday — one of those big digital cameras with a nice lens. Growing up, I got cameras as gifts and I always did the same thing: take it out of the box, try it out for a couple days and then never really use it again. But this time — and I don’t know why — I started taking it almost everywhere I went.

Being behind the camera was new for me because I’m usually in front of it. I’ve already gained a lot of respect for photographers because you have to be ready all the time. You never want to miss a shot. I think that’s what I like about it.

Here are some photos I took on a preseason trip to Memphis a couple weeks ago. My favorite is the picture of the guys sitting at the lunch counter at the National Civil Rights Museum. That was a special moment. I like the one of Russ on the plane, too, because you rarely see that guy not moving around.

This is my squad. These are the guys I’m grinding with. Some of them are new to the team this year, and guys like Serge, Russ and Nick have been with me through it all. I’d do anything for these guys. I’m not going to make any predictions about the season, but from what I see already, I like our chances.

Watch KD talk about building the brand in the launch video below and buy items from the full collection

KD CELEBRATES OPENING OF FIRST U.S. COURT RENOVATION AS PART OF THE BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL INITIATIVE by jessrocnation

On October 5th, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation celebrated the opening of its first US court renovation at North Highland Elementary in Oklahoma City. The opening is part of the BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL initiative, which furthers the mission of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation to enrich the lives of youth from low-income backgrounds through various educational and athletic programs.

Durant chose North Highland Elementary to be the first North American court renovation project as part of his commitment to the Oklahoma City community and the sport of basketball at large. Established in 1963, North Highland Elementary serves students in grades kindergarten through sixth and is a member of the Oklahoma City Public Schools System.

The new court’s underlays include Nike Grind, a premium material made from recycled athletic shoes and Nike manufacturing scrap that provides cushioning and durability. This is the second court to be unveiled as part of the BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL initiative, with Durant opening a renovated court last month in Berlin, Germany.

OKC Thunder: Rotation Changes Could Help Defensive Woes By Andrew Kennedy

Scoring points has rarely been an issue for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. They’ve had some noticeable struggles but at the end of the day remain the second-most efficient offense in the league behind only the Golden State Warriors.
Defense is another story.

Less than a week ago, the Thunder’s defense appeared to be trending upward and into the top 10. Kevin Durant got hurt and we’re still early in the season, so the hope was when everyone figured out playing together a little better and the team was fully healthy, they could become a top 10 or close to a top five defense.
Defensive issues look more like serious problems when you give up 122 points to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Last night’s results do come with some excuses. Thunder were on the road for the second night of a back-to-back and without their two best perimeter defenders in Durant and Andre Roberson. The Grizzlies also made 12 of 17 threes, a very good percentage even in an open gym.
But it still feels like this Thunder defense is getting exposed a little too much to take their championship aspirations seriously yet. So what have been the biggest problems on that end?
First, let’s take a look at some of the splits. The Thunder are currently 16th in the NBA with a 101.4 defensive efficiency. In their six home games, their defensive efficiency is really good at 95.8, which would rank them fifth in the league. On the road, that number becomes 107.8, which would rank second to last. Worse defense on the road makes sense and we’re still very early in the season, but that kind of disparity is pretty huge. It’s almost like we’re getting two completely different Thunder teams depending on where they’re playing.
The next thing to look at is the individual defensive ratings. Generally, the starters have good numbers here while the bench players have been pretty poor.
Andre Roberson leads the way with a 92.5 rating, followed by Steven Adams (95.7), Kyle Singler (97.0), Russell Westbrook (99.1), Serge Ibaka (100.7) and Durant (100.8).
Anthony Morrow has the worst rating among the players getting double-digit minutes per night at 110.3. This looks good on Billy Donovan who has practically relegated Morrow to the bench when the team is healthy. Enes Kanter is next at 106.8 then you’ve got Dion Waiters (105.3) and DJ Augustin (104.9).
It’s pretty clear, the Thunder’s bench is really not getting it done on the defensive side of the floor.

That starts with the difference at the point of attack where Augustin is trying to stay in front of defenders rather than Westbrook, and then at the rim where you have Kanter trying to protect instead of Adams and Ibaka. It should also be noted, especially early in the season, that the Thunder went small a lot with their bench unit, often using Durant as the four.
When Kanter and Augustin are off the floor, the Thunder have had a defense giving up less than 100 points per 100 possessions. When they’re out there, that number skyrockets to above 105 points.
There are some obvious personnel issues when it comes to defense for the Thunder. It is the job of a coach to figure out how to hide some of those downfalls. One option that is becoming more clear is starting Kanter instead of Adams.

In the three games without Durant, Kanter has failed to crack 20 minutes. Donovan’s thinking here is that with the margin for error slimmer, Adams becomes more valuable than Kanter. While that may be true, that same logic can be applied by starting Kanter so that you get the most out of both players.The thinking behind this is obvious. You start playing your worst interior defender with the best defenders on the team. It will make Kanter’s job easier and give him a chance to contribute more in general.
You can use this same logic and apply it to Waiters/Morrow starting over Roberson, too. Waiters is actually a good defender at times so you would lose much on that end downgrading from Roberson. Morrow may be a more significant defensive downgrade, but being surrounded by the stars means he’ll get more open looks and have a better chance to break out of his shooting slump.
Now, you would be sacrificing offense with the bench unit by starting Kanter and Waiters/Morrow. But it really wouldn’t be hard to find ways to plug a starter or two with bench guys to bolster the offensive attack. It takes a less traditional substitution pattern and a more Spurs/Warriors approach.

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Kevin Durant says hamstring feeling 'way better,' but he won't be 'dumb' By James Herbert

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has missed the team's last two games after hurting his hamstring last Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, but he doesn't exactly sound worried about it. He told reporters that there has already been a lot of improvement, and joked about his timetable to return, via ESPN's Royce Young:

"Feeling a lot better," he said. "Way better, actually."

…

"Hamstrings are a little different," Durant said. "You can re-injure them pretty easily if you try and play through it, or as we say now, 'Be tough.' I call that being dumb. But hamstring strains you can't really try and play through it. Just got to get it right and make sure everything is perfect when I come back to play."

…

Asked if he has a better sense of his timetable, Durant said, "December probably is when I'll play again."

Really?

"Nah," he said, laughing. "Who knows, man? It's a day-by-day thing. They said a week to 10 days that they'll look back at it, so we'll see after that. But once they look at it again, I just want to be 100 percent ready to play. I don't want to push it and 'be tough.' I just want to be smart about it."

Durant, who is expected to miss the Thunder's next two games against the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, called this a "minor bump in the road." It is nothing compared to last year, when he had three surgeries, missed 55 regular-season games and Oklahoma City failed to qualify for the playoffs. He is keeping things in perspective, and he's completely right about how being "tough" is often just being dumb.

In Durant's absence, the Thunder had no problem with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday but lost at home to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Anthony Morrow has been starting in his place, but the sharpshooter missed all four of his looks against the Celtics, who have perhaps the best collection of perimeter defenders in the league. After what happened last season, though, no one in OKC will be clamoring for Durant to rush back and save the day. He'll be back when he's healthy, and that shouldn't be too long anyway.

Kevin Durant on the Warriors: The rest of the NBA's nightmare could happen By Danny Leroux

No NBA team ever has had two former MVPs in their primes on the same roster. That could change, though, if the Golden State Warriors — with Stephen Curry, last season’s championship and this year’s best record at 11-0 — were to sign Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant next summer. And yes, it could happen.

The Warriors waited on extensions for both Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli earlier this month. Those moves largely were seen as disagreements on value, but they had the added benefit of keeping the books clean. If the Warriors could bring Durant in, they arguably would have the two most unstoppable offensive weapons in the NBA sharing the court at age 28.

Golden State benefits from the remarkable 2016 cap spike (from $70 million for this season to an estimated $89 million next) because it allows them to pursue Durant without sacrificing any players or assets beforehand. If he chooses to go elsewhere, they can shake it off and retain their current team. The Warriors have their core under contract for next season, which makes it much easier to lay out how they could make it happen.

This analysis relies on two core assumptions:

Durant not taking less than his first-year maximum salary, currently estimated at $25,098,000.
The Thunder not facilitating Durant leaving by agreeing to a sign-and-trade, so the Warriors need to clear enough space to sign him outright. This was the case with Andre Iguodala in 2013 even though the transaction ended up being a sign-and-trade.
To sign Durant at his maximum using cap space, the Warriors could only have about $64 million in committed salaries and holds on their books. Remarkably, they can stay under that number while retaining their key pieces thanks to Stephen Curry’s comically cheap $12.1 million salary. (Note: These salary amounts come from Eric Pincus at Basketball Insiders.)



Not including roster holds ($543,471 per spot under 12 players on roster), the Warriors still would have about $20 million to work with. Amazingly, the next-best fit for some of that space is blossoming center Festus Ezeli because he only carries a $5 million cap hold heading into restricted free agency since he was the 30th overall pick in the 2012 Draft. The Warriors can match any contract Ezeli signs and go over the cap because they have his Bird rights.



From there, the choices get tougher. Golden State would only be able to retain one of Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes, while also grappling with partial guarantees for Jason Thompson ($2.65 million) and Shaun Livingston ($3 million). Barnes’ situation makes the Warriors’ summer even more complicated because not extending him means the team only has three options: retain him, let him go for nothing or get really lucky and work a sign and trade before all the other necessary moves.

With Bogut, Iguodala and Livingston on expiring contracts for the 2016-17 season, there will likely be teams more than happy to take them on at their prices and possibly some willing to give up assets in the form of cheap contracts, future draft picks or taking on an extraneous salary.

MORE: Steph Curry film session: Why he's always open | Classic photos of Kevin Durant

Barnes is the one the Warriors probably will want to keep anyway. He is eight years younger than Bogut and Iguodala, and his cap hold is worth about $1.5 million less than Iguodala’s final year. Also, the Warriors can wait until after filling their cap to give him a long-term contract, securing their future instead of dealing with Bogut or Iguodala leaving in 2017.

While there are a few different workable avenues, this may be the most likely roster/cap composition if Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors:



The Warriors would also have the room mid-level exception worth about $2.9 million next season that could be used for one or more players on 1-2 year contracts. For reference, Manu Ginobili signed for that exception with the Spurs this summer to help make San Antonio’s remarkable offseason a reality. That limited $553,121 wiggle room would also be enough to retain a late first round pick in the 2016 Draft, and many around the NBA expect the salary cap to be slightly higher than the projected $89 million, anyway.

What makes the Warriors’ potential Durant chase different from almost every other star pursuit in recent years is that they do not need to do or sacrifice anything to facilitate it unless and until he commits to join the team. Their other salaries are movable, and a long July Moratorium combined with the restricted free agency process buys the Warriors almost two weeks of time to get it all done.


Furthermore, the sheer number of franchises with space mitigates the risk of any team forcing the Warriors to pay a king’s ransom to make it happen, as reluctant as they may be to help form a super-team. Many franchises would be thrilled to add a key contributor like Iguodala or Bogut on an expiring contract worth a little more than $10 million, while in other years, the Warriors might have to tack on a future first-round pick or something similar to get trade partners to bite.

Durant joining the Warriors is far from the most likely outcome. As Sporting News’ Sean Deveney reported, Durant’s hometown Washington Wizards are seen as the Thunder’s principle threat in free agency. Durant picking the Warriors would create a shock to the system in the year before a potential lockout, akin to LeBron James joining the Miami Heat in 2010.

The new TV deal and the resulting massive rise in the salary cap have given Golden State a chance to build on its success. Even if Durant says no, Golden State will have the ears of other top free agents next summer, and the likelihood is that the rich will get richer.

Kevin Durant's restaurant offering lunch buffet benefitting Ronald McDonald House by Erik Horne

Kevin Durant’s restaurant is teaming up with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oklahoma City to benefit families with hospitalized children.

Kd’s (224 Johnny Bench Drive in Bricktown) is offering a lunch buffet Nov. 23 and 24 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. with 100 percent of the proceeds being donated to the Ronald McDonald Charities of Oklahoma City. The lunch buffet is $12 and will feature homestyle foods such as fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans and your choice of drink.

“We are elated to be hosting an event that will benefit a wonderful cause like Ronald McDonald House Charities Oklahoma City,” said Dwayne Bell, assistant general manager of Kd’s. “We hope our community will come out and join us in supporting a charity that helps children and families from all over Oklahoma and beyond be together in their time of need.”