“He has got plenty fanboys in the media” Shannon Sharpe believes Kevin Durant has escaped criticism by making Kyrie and Westbrook take majority of blame
Follow Us
Kevin Durant and Shannon Sharpe
It is indeed safe to say that 2022 has been very difficult for Kevin Durant and his Brooklyn Nets. They were favorites to win the title and had 2 of the best players in modern-day NBA, but in just a month’s period they lost in the very 1st round of the playoffs. Moreover, on the verge of losing both of them in the current offseason. The franchise has been criticized for its star-oriented system that spotlights Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving solely. Ever since KD and Kyrie joined the team, it was all about them and their decisions that affected the Nets’ fortunes.
Irving stayed out of games for personal reasons, while KD did try to be available but couldn’t turn the tide in favor of the Nets.
Brooklyn’s style of play was revealed as more of the KD-Kyrie game, which was not team-based like most franchises. Very recently Goran Dragic said he found it difficult as the franchise was hinged more on individual performances and not team play, “It was quite hard because it wasn’t about the team, but more about individual performances.” Dragic played just 3 months for the Nets.
Shannon Sharp targets Kevin Durant for being less responsible
Kevin Durant had been a great player and effective performer for his team. He played in 3 different franchises and shined for all of them. He did win 2 NBA championships, with Finals MVP awards to indicate his dominance in games. But for Skip Bayless, the 33-year-old megastar does not take a leadership role in the team and hence escapes criticism.
Also Read: Russia will not publicly discuss exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner
On “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” Shannon Sharpe said he agreed with the 36-year-old All-Star Goran Dragic, as he said, “The Nets turned the keys of the car over to KD and Kyrie, and they didn’t use them in a responsible manner to create a winning environment,”
Sharpe also said that KD does not like being a leader because he does not want to take responsibility. He added that the forward has “fanboys in the media” who do not shed light on these issues. Sharpe said. “And this is why Kevin Durant does not like being a leader, because for the longest time, not being a leader has allowed him to escape responsibility of things that transpired. Durant got more fanboys in the media than he will like for you to realize, he escapes criticism. This is what we’ve seen.”
In the previous edition of the show, Sharp called 4-time scoring champion “a runner” who would leave a franchise if go sour. That is not a leader’s attribute, and it leaves his teammates to take the blame. He referenced Durant’s time with Russell Westbrook at the OKC Thunder and with Kyrie at the Nets, where both guards were heavily criticized than KD, who made move away from the franchise later after some failures.
Kevin Durant did win 2 NBA titles with Golden State Warriors, but his time with the Brooklyn Nets has been unsuccessful. Fans and the NBA community had high hopes for the duo of Durant and Irving. The experiment has, failed miserably as they won just 1 playoff series in 2 seasons played together.
It is rumored that Steve Nash replaced Kenny Atkinson at the Nets head coach position following Durant’s ‘requests’. Also, KD interferes with some of the managerial decisions even before signing a contract with them and now he is leaving them for a more lucrative franchise.
Stay Updated!
Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)