Kevin Durant opens up about Nets struggles, trade request & rips teammates | NBA | UNDISPUTED

Okay, and it broke up a lot of the initial network lineup to unpack there, Shannon this morning, what's your response to everything Katie had to say? You sure don't want to be the first on this one, you sure as hell sure are gonna let it. You take your photos and I'll take mine, okay, skip, it's a two-part answer, it's a two-part answer for me. I understand what KD is saying about the practice. Steve is saying brother, we have to try harder. There are things we need. I work on there are things I need to work on that we're not practicing and that's what he's saying so I take it to the coach.

Hey coach, bro, you need to try a little harder. I can see where we are slacking. and it's costing us at the end of games because they don't pressure us in practice. There are things that I think if we work on in practice we will be better at executing the game at the end of the game or in any case it may be good to close things out. of that nature, yeah, it seems like Steve wasn't very receptive to that because nothing changed and he said, well, hell, if it's not going to change, if you're not pushing me to get better, you're not pushing the team to get better, how?

What the hell can we improve and then how do we win a championship? So, well, that's why one of the reasons I didn't really feel bad about asking for a

trade

because I saw things that we could improve on and where we were. I'm not working on getting better, so that's the problem with that, but he jumps when he came out and said what he said about his team, he jumps, he tells you to disconnect what he has with his teammate, he says, I'll start. Kenny said our. starting lineup Edmund Sumner Royce O'Neal Joe Harris Claxton and I the only guy I seemed to have a relationship with respect for is Nick Claxton jump you've been in the game 40 years we never address anyone by their full name it's always a first name, first name or last name or is it a nickname because I read that calling people nicknames they like so much with Shannon, you know our readers won't know who it is, who you're actually talking about, right, so that's okay, but but You tell me that sometimes people call you strong, like good with intimacy, like they were close to you, but strong, yeah, okay, but this didn't come out that way, it felt cold, the whole full name, yeah, right , that's what you would say.

I would say Prescott I would say uh Ezekiel Elliott is not a teammate the teammate totally agree totally agree and then I say but Katie Katie I have to understand omit if everyone was like KD KD wouldn't be special there is a certain level of The expectations That goes with greatness we expect you to do things that normal NBA players can't do. That's why you're Kevin Durant. That's why you're two meters tall. That's why you can shoot all three. The midrange can take the ball. to the basket and when you get fired you are 90 percent Katie, you understand that what comes along with greatness is a level of expectation that is only reserved for a few.

Katie turns out to be one of those few that that level of expectation is a It depends on whether you were born great or if it's imposed on you, it's greatness that we expect from you Katie and I just give, just and he says, well, this tests my intuition. . I don't foresee Katie, I don't think. I said I don't see it being there, I think you have to move it, but skip, this is what made me angrier when he talked about leadership, yeah, he said I came, I thought this would be your flash point, skip in 2017, he said.

I came to play basketball exactly the same way I'm playing now. Steph Curry is the place of the franchise and that helps me because I don't have to be, I don't want to have to be a leader. I'm not a leader I'm not bad at saying stay behind me, follow me, he's not one of those guys that's like that, jump up, he's telling you he doesn't want to be a leader, but then he turned around, he's a walking contradiction. and then he turns around and says well I don't have to tell you that I'm a leader or show you that I'm a leader and then he had to learn to say jump, you know, I'm not telling journalists the right things about I, are you implying ?

Are you implying that other star players are great players in this league? Are you asking journalists to write articles about them? KD or have them say positive things about them. He's implying that yes, that's what I gather now, maybe I'm reading too much into it. of these other MFS, yeah, that's what they need, I don't need that, yeah, he jumps in, he says, I don't mind being at the front of the lines with you, but let's go and do it together, that's my form of leadership. I'm leading for example do you want to be a leader or don't you don't want to acquire a skill are you like me no I don't have to tell you I didn't tell Kyrie what to do but that's part of being a leader Katy let's do this together you leading by example leading by example sometimes you have to tell the jumper I just had LeBron scared and us, you 20's, what was that when Lebron said we're the best? heavy, he didn't call anyone, he said we are very heavy and everyone broke it, we are in the Super Bowl in 20 after the 2016 season, yes, it was January then, I mean February 27th.

Yes, because it was a favor, right? before the All-Star Game and they had lost, I think they lost in New Orleans and he said he was a Cavalier, obviously, we are the heaviest as always, he jumps, okay, and then Barkley attacked him and snatched Charles, I don't know, but skip, I hear, oh, and the love and adulation that comes with him being a historically great player, but in the same way he doesn't want any of the criticism that comes with it, that's what what happens if when you win he goes to Golden State who got the credit he did it because he said he saved Steph Curry levity ruined LeBron's liquor he got the credit when you lose give him the brake spins we're going to be to blame Tom is going to be to blame LeBron is going to be to blame but he jumps Kevin Durant has been a player who has escaped criticism from great players when things didn't go well.

He never had to respond. when he doesn't win, Katie just skates, I get it, I skip the first part. I remember practices and I want to improve and I don't feel like the coaches help me, but this other thing you could have that I don't understand. Can. I don't get depressed about any of that. I appreciate this honesty, honesty and sincerity, but I cannot accept that. Okay, I appreciate everything you just said. My turn. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think anyone in sports media has. "I defended Kevin Durant more than I did.

You're absolutely right. I can't say that with a thousand percent certainty, but I'm pretty sure the people who do what we do have been a starch advocate for maybe heck." . I've been on the show for six years, probably all six years. I have fought against you defending him as the best player on the planet, even though he has shot me after shot and the other day he shot you. Yes it is. shooting everyone, right? He constantly bites the hand that an MVP gave him in 2014 because the next year at the All-Star break he said that everyone who voted for him for MVP doesn't know it.

Sh about basketball, he once said that I don't know anything about basketball, so maybe I don't know, maybe I'm completely wrong in everything I'm going to say. I thought about everything he said in these two interviews that came out. out of nowhere after they got beat in Sacramento and gave up 153 points, they all confessed. Ben Simmons had a confession, no, it's like we all have to confess our sins. I guess I thought everything Kevin said was pathetic. I thought the comments from him. on why he demanded a

trade

was pathetic. I thought his comments about leadership were contradictory and pathetic.

I thought the shot he took against his starting lineup in Sacramento was completely unnecessary and ultimately pathetic and I thought his explanation of why he doesn't need a ring to validate him away from Golden State and Steph and Clay and Draymond was absolutely absolutely pathetic , I didn't believe that pathetic, every pathetic person he meets, don't blame me, just blame that and then you have to blame that and then please. Blame it on that and hey, don't look at me, you're to blame for that and hey, I'm just doing the best I can here, that's all I'm doing and I'm having fun.

His theme was that I'm having the time. of my life because who cares what I do. I just want to play basketball. I'm one of the best players of all time and I just want to be left alone. Let me go out and practice hard and play. I don't think he plays. It's already hard because I don't think he really cares about anything other than personal statistics. I think he and Kyrie have become the greatest solo artists because all they want to do is go out and score, which they are obviously both all-time talented. and they'll go out and they'll both give you 30 a night and it won't mean anything because they're six and nine now.

Kyrie is about to return here in the next few days and then we'll see and I'll discuss all of this later what the impact of all of this is, but I'm going to take it step by step because help me in the trade. I understand what you're saying and what you said was very fair and very objective because he likes to practice, yes, he likes to work hard to improve his game on both ends of the court. I think all of the above is, but it's of no use to you now when you suddenly come out of nowhere like an unexpected bolt of lightning and what is it?

It's mid-November and all of a sudden we're like well that's why I asked for a trade because he says it wasn't hard at all to ask for a trade because it was about ball okay it was about ball it was about Steve Nash because he's Solo I point the finger at that guy saying he just didn't want to push us hard enough, right, he didn't put enough effort into the process of making us a better basketball team because I don't want to just shoot, I want to practice. So I went with them and didn't complain about anyone else.

I just said I want to practice harder, but it's kind of hard to do what you have with 12 or 13 guys and one guy you want to practice a lot without them making the others. practice hard skills, okay, I tried to stick with it, but I'm going to remember what happened at the end of last year and I largely blamed it on not having Kyrie for much of the year and obviously the vaccination. All the controversy about that I thought destroyed the psyche of that team, so I'll tell you, but Kevin is just blaming Steve Nash for it and yet, you know and I know that they lost four straight games against Boston, well, the first round of the playoffs I thought they were better than Boston, but obviously Boston was much better on defense than the Nets were on offense, so just to reiterate what happened to Kevin Durant in that series, in the first game he goes nine of 24 and lose by one in the second.

In the game, he goes four for 17 and they lose by seven. These are still competitive basketball games. Then he shot well in the last two games because he was 42 percent or, sorry, 45 from the floor, he was six of 11 and 13 of 31, but he keeps losing by six and then by four, well, it was a disaster because the Most people thought they were going to win the series to begin with and they got swept. Well, once you get swept, you are disqualified from making excuses about your coach. After that, if you want to do it right then and there, I'll listen to you, but I don't need to wait until next November, after you drop to six-nine, give up 153, and get beat in Sacramento.

I don't need to hear you say it was his fault, he just didn't push us hard enough. I need you to push me harder. It sounds good, it actually works pretty well in print and you're buying part of it because that sounds like a dedicated basketball player, but in the end I don't want to hear the excuse about it, don't blame Steve Nash, it had something to do with you and I think Which had a lot to do with Kyrie, right? I want to blame Kyrie in the vaccination controversy. I'm fine with that, but don't tell me it was his fault because he then turned around and was demanding that both Kerr and Sean Marks, the general manager, be fired.

Remember that it was yours. next ultimatum yes, it's okay, I don't want to hear it, it's no use, it's old water, it's last year, it's old excuses, you're trying to make an old excuse for your current situation, but he's saying now, oh, we . "You are very happy, really good, you are six and nine, right, okay, let's do the lineup next, that was a difficult skill, it's just that you can't do this, that's bad, okay, so he's saying that Don't look at me just because I'm there, you think we're going to win, yeah, yeah, I think you're the best player on the planet Yeah, I know Sacramento has young talent coming up. the bonus is giving them a new spark.

I understand all that and I know that at home they can be quite difficult to beat, they have given the Lakers hell, yes, okay, I understand all that if I still think that you are the best player in the team. planet. I think you have a chance, you know? I don't think you should give up 153 points because you're seven feet tall and you can at least play some defense they played note I saw it we played none they played none well and he just he just. going through the motions now he seems semi-retired to me let me get my shots let me get my points if I can take my 27 28 29 he has an average of30. just somewhere make it look good then I'm ready to go don't blame me don't look at me just because number seven is in the lineup yeah yeah yeah jump when you say look at our starting lineup at Edmond Sumner Royce O' Neill Joe Harris jumps remember when Joe uh James Harden wanted out and said what he said about his team we're alone we're not better we're not that team Yeah, you look at us and you look at them.

Kevin Durant basically said, look, take me out, jump, how are you going to the locker room after you said if I was O'Neill, I understand? No, yes it's Sumner, yes me. If these guys give up, how do I look at it? How do I look at Kevin Durant the same way after he said, I know, look at what you're saying, pumping behind closed doors is one thing, but this guy said this in print, this is here forever, it is, but skip I told you that no one has escaped criticism because guess who they blamed in OKC Russ guess who they blamed James Harden Kyrie I just want to say that they did blame him for leaving Russ high and dry, he received a lot of criticism for joining forces with Golden state, I don't think I would have drawn the criticism if I had gone anywhere other than Golden State, but the fact of the matter is that Skip says he doesn't want it to not be Elite skip heat how many times he beat.

In an interview or in writing he says I'm not a leader and then he turns around and says: I don't have to prove to you that I'm a leader, you said you're not a leader, you said no. I want to be a leader, you know, KD, that's not something we're making up, those are the words that come, so it's like Barclay Barkley saying I was misquoted in my own autobiography, yeah, or you misquoted someone. Could, this is what he said. in 2017 he says I'm not a leader, I don't want to be a leader, I'm bad at saying follow me, then he turns around and says I'm a leader, I don't have to prove anything to you.

That's true. I'm going to read most of this quote if I may. I think we have a full screen so you guys at home can follow us, but this is what we have. This is the essence of this quote. I'm not a leader, what does that mean? A lot of people say I'm not a leader because I didn't tell Kyrie to get vaccinated, come on, or I didn't condemn Kyrie for leaving the team, going out and living. his life. I'm not going to tell a grown man what he can and can't do with his own life and analyze his views or how he thinks about shit.

I don't need to show or tell everyone what I'm doing with my

teammates

so everyone can cheer me on and say yeah, okay. You are the boss, you are the leader, these others know what I don't need. I don't come to you and tell you. Hanes, this is Chris Hayne Scott, obviously a friend of our program. Haynes writes this story about me. I don't do that to anyone, but I come here and I respect everyone. I talk to everyone like a real one, even after a big defeat. I'm not even sure where that's going about leadership.

He is not saying that he is a leader. He's really just saying, "No. I don't need to act like a leader to be a leader. No. No. I don't need to act like a leader to be a leader. I need to try to tell you that I'm a leader and what, so I don't want to have than to be a leader. I'm not a leader, so skip it, what am I supposed to get out of it if someone says this is not what I want? I don't want to be what you say I am. So. , what am I supposed to do with that?

Excuse me, someone skip if you told me, Shannon, I'm not your leader one of my men skip the leader skip but I just told you I didn't want to be a leader I just want to come. here and do my thing just let me do my thing but hey I don't want to tell a grown ass man what to do with you damn sure trying to tell Steve Crow how to perform the practice if Steve curtain Chef Steve Nashville did it Steve Nash no he's a grown man, you had no problem trying to tell him but you didn't want to tell Kyrie the fact, okay?

I'm just fine, so he constantly refers to a lot of people saying I'm this or that, a lot of people saying I'm not a leader because I didn't tell Kyrie to get the vaccine, that's fine by me, Kevin is the best. Victim of Twitter where he just stays on Twitter, he constantly responds to people on Twitter and when he says, a lot of people say, "I don't think the media people said that. I think whoever those people on Twitter are said that, skip , everyone should say it because he said it." It's not like we made this up, it's not like Chris Hayes or whoever ever said Kevin Durant is not the leader, he said, I'm not a leader, so how do we do what else are we supposed to do with that?

Yes, but he's focusing on the why. Didn't he tell Kyrie to get vaccinated? That would have been leadership and he says, well, I'm not going to tell a grown man what to do, but still, like I said, that's part of leadership too, leadership sometimes isn't. Saying Kyrie would have done it, but part of leadership is having difficult conversations with

teammates

, yes, that's part of leadership, but since you said in 2017 that you're not a leader, I didn't expect him to do anything because he already did. said. I just want to stay behind because it jumps, because when you're a leader, guess who gets blamed when things go wrong.

The leader, okay, I'll accept it. I have never fought with you. I've never had a second on this show. He said no, you're wrong Kevin is a leader I don't think he ever wanted to be a leader I don't think he has a natural leadership quality, right? LeBron has some problems when it comes to leadership because sometimes LeBron is too skinny. skin and it trickles down to the rest of the team, but the point is that LeBron is a much better leader than Kevin ever thought he would be because he doesn't think about being right and we've seen great players that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't. a leader Wilt wasn't a leader, they put up spectacular numbers and did spectacular things in this league, but they just went out and did their job every night and didn't want any other responsibility, same with this guy, he just wants to play. he doesn't want any responsibility off the court, he wants to go home and play video games, he talked about how happy he is, that's fine with me, so I don't accept it, I mean, I expect that from him, right, but but.

Once again, he takes away from overall greatness when we talk about the top 10. I never mention Kevin Durant as a top 10 player, but are we going toe-to-toe with LeBron on who is the best basketball player? I fought for Kevin until he shit. in those four games against Boston and now I'm not saying that but I keep thinking about what LeBron could do with Cleveland 2018 he agreed that he took 2017 that team had nothing to do in the damn finals that 2018 team had nothing to do in the finals I don't care who else is in the East, okay, LeBron James and that team shouldn't have been in the NBA Finals, okay, so I'll go to my grave defending Kevin at one point.

I think he went and saved Steph and I's legacy. I think it helped ruin LeBron's legacy. He had two rings taken away because he was MVP of back-to-back Finals, but he wasn't there to lead them on and off the court. The culture was already underway. Steph was a leader. I think Draymond at that point, I think Steve Kerr is a strong and powerful leader within the confines of that culture, so all the leadership was in place, they just needed Talent, they needed a six-foot Difference Maker, They needed a nuke to say, "Okay, LeBron, try this." you know, and that's what Kevin Kevin just got to go to the hoop and did it at the highest level when they lost to Milwaukee.

Kevin Durant had a 2-0 lead, yes, they lost in game 7 on their home court, which everyone was talking about. Kevin Durant said in the line, they forgot to mention that he lost, they won seven on their home court, and you see that it was always with Kyrie that he was injured. James Harden was a shell of himself, okay I got it, but he had some valid excuses there, but in the big picture that got me was this one from last year because at this point and then in the final points about the ring, I don't need a ring to validate me away from Golden State Shannon, he's talking like a guy who's done.

He is semi-retired. I am making a lot of money. I enjoy great. I just want to go out and play basketball. Kevin Durant doesn't think everyone knows that. I have it skipping in the background and Skipping Week in the background. We know each other better. he knows without everyone he says Golden State was upset when Charles Barkley called him a bus passenger say you're not the driver you're a bus passenger he knows to get full validation he has to do it without Steph Curry he has to do it It's without it coaching Golden State, but he says, hey, I make whatever, 50 million a year.

I'm fine, you can make 100 million a year, but in terms of basketball it's not about how much you win, it's about the championships, yes, he said. Okay, you think if you think you're historically great, you're a transcendent Kevin Durant player, but you know how you'll ultimately be judged. Steph Curry, yeah, I get it, I know they're fired. I'm not talking about this, but I have to intervene. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the network starters respond to Katie's comments when they play Portland at the Moda Center tonight because it's definitely a hostile environment just passing the ball around. skip, thanks for watching Undisputed fans, subscribe here to get the latest from Skip and Shannon, plus go check out some segments from our other shows on FS1.