Grant Cohn: Specialness of Kevin Durant will conquer resentment

OAKLAND - Lot of resentment around the country toward Kevin Durant. Resentment he joined the Warriors.

It's insane.

Charles Barkley may be the Chief Resent-er, a word I just invented. “I was disappointed,” Barkley said a couple days after Durant signed with Golden State. “Just disappointed with the fact that he weakened another team and he's gonna kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors team. Just disappointed from a competitive standpoint. Because just like it meant more to LeBron to win one in Cleveland, it would mean more to Kevin to win one in Oklahoma City than it would be in Golden State.”

Barkley went on to say Durant is trying to “cheat (his) way to a championship.”

Insane.

Hypocritical, too. When Barkley was 33, he threatened to retire unless the Phoenix Suns traded him to a Houston Rockets team that won the Finals just two seasons before. I guess Barkley is allowed to join a great team, but when someone else does, he's a cheater.

Insane.

Durant did the right thing. Basketball is business, and the business of the NBA is winning. Not entertaining. Just winning. Where you win a championship doesn't matter - all that matters is winning it, and Durant never has. Oklahoma City simply isn't good enough. And the Warriors are. They have a better team and a better coaching staff than the Thunder. Durant would have been crazy not to sign here.

Durant is not a crazy person. Seems intelligent, thoughtful. Charming. Low-key. Modest. At his introductory press conference Thursday afternoon, someone asked him how he felt about the Warriors' top players - Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala - all recruiting Durant to come to Oakland. “I was shocked that those four guys came to meet me a couple days ago,” Durant said. “They won 73 games and a championship before. I didn't think that they would be interested in a player like me.”

Totally sincere.

Of course the Warriors were interested in Durant. Every team wanted Durant. Hence the bitterness.

I raised my hand to ask a question. “Kevin, people have expressed resentment about you joining the Warriors, as if you did something morally wrong. Do you feel guilty?”

As I spoke, Durant nodded and stared at me through squinted eyes. When I finished my question, he laughed, and so did Steve Kerr who was sitting next to Durant on a podium in the Warriors' practice facility.

“No,” Durant said. “We live in this superhero, comic-book world where either you're a villain or you're a superhero if you're in this position. And I know that. I know I haven't changed as a person. I don't treat people differently because I made a decision to play basketball in another city.

“Obviously I know the fans in Oklahoma City and basketball fans around the world are, I guess, upset. But I made a decision based upon what I want to do and I how I felt. It's the best decision for me. I can't control how you feel. I'm sorry you feel that way, but my life goes on. I've got a short amount of time left to play basketball and I just want to enjoy every single day of it.”

Amen.

As he spoke, Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams, who worked for the Thunder and coached Durant from 2008 to 2010, sat straight up in his chair, turned 45 degrees to his left and faced the former MVP while leaning slightly forward. Adams was in the front row. He couldn't sit close enough to his former pupil.

After the press conference ended, media rushed to Durant, Kerr and Bob Myers and interviewed them in groups next to the podium. I hung back and interviewed Adams alone.

“What makes Durant a great basketball player?” I asked.

Adams' answer was an ode to Durant. “Kevin just plays with a will that is special,” Adams said. “Steve (Kerr) preaches mindfulness and joy when you play. Kevin has always played that way. Sometimes your circumstances don't allow that to flourish as much as it can, but I think that's part of it. His attitude.

“And then, he's just one of the most unique players down the pike. Not only from the standpoint of his build, his versatility, his ability to score the ball. But I've always felt with Kevin that there is a lot to the other parts of his game. I think he's a terrific rebounder. He has shown he can be a terrific defender. He can play point. He's a good passer. There is nothing he can't do. So that versatility coupled with this unique frame for a basketball player, that long frame, and the dexterity and skill that comes with it. It's quite unique.”

“What is Durant like as a person?” I asked.

“I would describe Kevin in three words,” Adams said. “Sweet, kind and ferocious. All rolled into one. I think we all have our kind sides, but for a person who has been in the limelight for a long time - even as a prep player and a college player - his kindness is remarkable.”

Last question. “Why will Durant and Curry mesh? Why are they a good match?”

“Not even addressing the basketball aspect of it,” Adams said, “I would say that they will complement each other because of the human beings they are. Really thoughtful people. Very thoughtful of their teammates. But more than that, two very intelligent people.

“I'm just amazed listening to Kevin field these questions today, how he has grown as a young man. It's really gratifying. This level of play, you're dealing with the best basketball players in the world. You see them as young people and you watch them grow. It's much like a classroom. You see these people evolve. So, I think who he is as a human being, who he always has been, and who Steph is as a human being - these are special people. And for lack of a better word, I think they're well-adjusted people.”

“I saw you watching Durant during the press conference,” I said. “You seemed like you were bursting with pride.”

“Yesss,” Adams said, like I had the right answer. “I was.”

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat's website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.