Colin Cowherd was convinced Kevin Durant leaving the Golden State Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets was a big mistake since day one. The Fox Sports analyst didn’t like KD leaving the good situation he had in the Bay to enter unknown territory with Kyrie Irving in New York City.
Two years later, Cowherd keeps talking about this, doubling down on his comments, saying KD was better off staying with the Warriors. Recently, the analyst criticized Durant’s decision, which put him in a ‘bad’ position with Kyrie and James Harden.
In a recent edition of ‘The Herd,’ Colin reflected on the Nets’ current situation and how different it would have been if KD stayed with the team he led to two NBA championships.
“Remember when KD left Steph for Kyrie, I said, ‘this might not go well. It may look good, it’ll be fun, but they’re not gonna go well.’ Now the Warriors have the NBA’s best team, they’re 7-1, the best record in the NBA. That Jordan Poole draft pick they picked right after KD left, he’s become a baller, so now they have Steph and Draymond; Klay’s coming back, Jordan Poole, a great coach. Golden State is the best team in the West.”
"Kevin Durant's choices have left him with eroding James Harden and unpredictable Kyrie Irving."
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/r1jXX11zKd
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 4, 2021
Cowherd clarified the Nets aren’t a bad team, but they aren’t as strong as before. James Harden is struggling with the new rules and Kyrie Irving hasn’t played due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, complicating things for Durant.
“Between Kyrie’s weirdness and James Harden’s sudden dilemma, this Kevin Durant decision looks bad. Harden is older than you think. He’s 32. He now has a game that is not approved by the league and is coming off an injury. …Kevin Durant’s choices have left him with eroding James Harden, unpredictable Kyrie Irving and a coach that I don’t think is as good as Steve Kerr.”
To be fair, the 2021/22 season didn’t start the best way for the Nets. They needed to figure things out after Kyrie Irving was banned from team activities, losing a series of games at the start of the year.
Now things are falling into place, with Harden getting better with referees and Durant playing like his best version. They’re currently 4th in the East with a 6-3 record, showing a better face.
However, when you take a look at the Warriors, they’re looking like legit championship contenders again. After two complex seasons, Steve Kerr and his pupils got things back on track, having an impressive record and the best defense in the league, all without Klay Thompson, who would return in December/January.
