Padecky: No reason for Kevin Durant to be unhappy with Warriors

Kevin, uh, can I call you Kevin? I just wanted to make this personal, for you to know I appreciate what you did for the Warriors. So “KD” and “Durant” just won’t do. KD could be k.d. lang. Durant? Too cold. You’re Kevin. Superstar. My Superstar, if that makes you feel more loved.

I hear you were unhappy with the Warriors; “underappreciated” was used a lot. That confuses me. Usually when people are unhappy and underappreciated at their job, it shows. Arrive late. Give a half-baked effort. Glum look. See, that’s what confuses me.

In the three years you were with Golden State, each year you posted higher field-goal percentages than in any of the nine previous seasons. In 2017-18, you blocked more shots than in any other season. In 2018-19, you dished out more assists that year than in any other. In each of your three Warrior seasons, you had fewer turnovers than in any other season before that.

You came to Golden State, you said, because you wanted to be a better all-around player. You wanted to improve. Terrific job, Kevin. You did it. Magnificently.

Along the way, you got two NBA title rings as well, which was another goal for you when you left Oklahoma City. Would have gotten a third if your Achilles held up.

The Warriors showed you with their pocketbook they appreciated your contribution. According to basketballreference.com, you were paid $81,540,100 for your three seasons. Again, terrific. You earned it. Never heard anyone complain that you were making too much money.

Did read you were out the door after Draymond talked back to you last November. Yep, that had to sting. Draymond always simmers. Sometimes he blows. And it’s not pretty nor excusable.

On the other hand, sooner or later, Draymond unleashes his acid tongue on every teammate. Yes, he can be an obnoxious twit, a real diaper rash.

That said, Kevin, you knew that when you arrived in Oakland. Draymond is no secret. Sooner or later he screams at everyone. He’s the Energizer Bunny no one has. The Warriors wouldn’t be where they are without Mister Blister Tongue. Draymond is much more a plus than a minus. You had to know that.

Did read you were annoyed Steph kept getting the “MVP!” chant, that the fans responded more emotionally to him than you. You could understand ?why. Steph was the first block of concrete of the foundation that led to three NBA championships. Curry didn’t come to Golden State with your limelight. There were doubts about the kid when he was drafted in 2009. Too small. Too frail. Too soft.

But the kid became the face of the franchise for the grit, the willpower, the work ethic.

Steph represented what happens when an athlete applies himself. In a sport that has way too many entitled players acting like runway models, Steph won hearts because he was none of that.

Always thought you would admire that because you saw yourself the same way, as someone who wasn’t afraid to put in the sweat, someone who worked longer, harder than anyone else because, like you, Steph had something to prove.

Always thought you would understand why this was Steph’s Warriors team. Kevin, I assumed, at age 30, you had been around long enough not to be uncomfortable with standing ovations that weren’t directed toward you. I mean, you weren’t 20 years old and immature. Right?

OK, so general manager Bob Myers said right in front of you that Curry earned You-Name-It contract that you hadn’t because Curry put in 10 years. Your feelings were hurt. I get it. Awkward it was. But again, I thought you were 30, not 20. I thought you could take a step back for perspective.

You also had to understand that Curry is the most approachable of any superstar in the game. So when I read that you didn’t click with Curry, I had to wonder whose fault it was.

“KD will do great (in Brooklyn),” former Oklahoma City teammate and close friend Kendrick Perkins told the website “The Undefeated.” “Finally, he got his own team.”

Kevin, please tell me that’s not what this is about. Please tell me your ego is NOT off the rails. Please tell me you’re not another Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony. Please tell me you’d rather be a champion than a chump. Tell me you don’t want your legacy to read thusly: “Could shoot the eyes out of it but had trouble playing with others. Like Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving.”

Westbrook had a tendency at Oklahoma City to think of himself first with the game on the line. Kevin felt second fiddle.

Irving had the same problem in Cleveland with LeBron James. Remember how that interaction ended? That relationship turned to dust. Two egos were fighting over one basketball?

Irving now will have an entire season to shape the Nets as he pleases. Meanwhile, Kevin, you have to sit and watch.

Will he grind away in silence? Will it be necessary in a year for someone to find Hall of Famer Steve Nash and ask him to repeat what he said a few years ago? After the Warriors won their first championship, Nash worked for the team as a player-development consultant. Key word here: AFTER.

“Nash was struck by Durant’s despondency,” reported ESPN.

Despondent? Why, Kevin? Makes no sense. Other than this: You knew then the Warriors would never be your team. You would be admired, adored, given superstar hugs and kisses. You would be widely praised as having the most unstoppable shot in the game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. You are a gift to the sport. You truly are.

Which makes the next sentence so off-putting.

Kevin, will you ever be happy?

To comment, write to bobpadecky@gmail.com.