Kevin Durant spoke at the press conference last night after the Rockets’ loss to the Clippers regarding the upcoming All-Star break and the media’s obsession with the criticism of the “oldheads.”
The most common talking point around the league at this time of the year has usually become the lack of competition during the main game. Durant called out the bias in that narrative, indicating that European players, namely Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, deserve just as much criticism as the American NBA players for not competing seriously during the All-Star game.
The former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin and Stephen A. Smith both separately agreed with Durant and gave their own opinions, further adding clarity to what the Rockets’ superstar was trying to say.
“Yeah, I think he’s absolutely right, this is an everybody problem. Whether you’re 15 years in or even if this is your first All-Star game. It’s on the players to police the All-Star game,” said Griffin during his recent appearance for NBA on Prime.
“Nobody is asking people to dive out of bounds, contest shots, or close out too much to get anybody hurt. Competing and keeping guys healthy are not mutually exclusive. You can sit down, or you can play in a stance.”
“But to me it comes from the young guys who need to take it upon themselves to say ‘Hey, we’re going to change the way they view the All-Star game.’ I feel for the fans. How can we expect the fans to care about the All-Star Game when it looks like the players don’t?” concluded the former All-Star.
The NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith recorded an episode of his own podcast, ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show,’ and spoke about Durant’s comments as well. While showing support for the main sentiment that Durant tried to show, Smith felt Durant’s criticism was incomplete.
“Let me address what Kevin Durant has said as candidly as I can. Kevin Durant, to be clear, didn’t lie. He’s basically pointing out how the narrative out there is pointing the finger at a lot of black players in the NBA.”
“People are questioning their level of commitment because of the money they were getting paid and all this other stuff. He’s not totally wrong there. Actually, he’s not wrong at all. He’s just incomplete. And that’s the thing to bring up here.”
“When we’ve talked and lamented the state of affairs with the NBA All-Star Weekend, we talk about everybody. We don’t differentiate between white and black players. We see everybody on the court lollygagging.”
“Now, do the stars that are preeminent in America and throughout the globe, do they take more of the heat than others typically? Sure, they do. And the reason why is because they’re the marquee and they’re the standard. And when you’re the standard, it compels others to live up to a standard.”
“And because they have to live up to that standard, there’s pressure to go out there and compete. And as a result, that’s what you’re looking at. You’re looking at the absence of competition. That’s what you’re looking at. And there’s just no excuse.”
“You’re literally looking at it, and you’re saying, ‘What possible excuse could you have for that?’ Kevin Durant is making a valid point in terms of who may be getting the most of the eye. But the reality is, a lot of people, everybody associated with the All-Star Week, have been getting criticized because of the flagrant lack of effort.”
“Ain’t nobody got a problem with Steph Curry pulling up from 50. You know why? Because he can make it. We’ve seen him do it in games. We’ve seen stuff like that. So, let’s get that out of the way.”
“Secondly, the big issue here is that the effort has been so embarrassingly non-existent that it’s been an insult to the game, and you have former stars that want no part of it.”
Smith further elaborated on how “lollygagging” is a part of the package that fans expect from the All-Star weekend. But the lack of effort in other parts of the game has put the event altogether under scrutiny as it seems to be a “proverbial finger” to supporters, according to Smith.
“We’ve heard people complaining about how ‘the players ain’t getting money for All-Star weekend. How are we getting compensated? All you do is cater to the sponsors and advertisers. You mean the individuals who enabled you to get an 11-year $77 billion deal?”
“Those people being catered to for All-Star weekend players are talking about how they don’t get any extra dollars or what have you. This is the kind of stuff they’ve been saying. What’s in it for us? There have been discussions as to whether or not additional compensation could come the way of players making $200-300+ million.”
“My only point in saying all of that is saying that what really what it really comes down to is the fact that you’re seeing guys playing harder in the summertime while working out than they played during the All-Star weekend.”
“What possible excuse can there be for that? Can’t you compete a little bit? Can’t you guard somebody a little bit? You can’t run up and down the court a little bit? That’s what we’re saying.”
In essence, Stephen A. Smith is trying to clarify that while Durant is making a correct point, he’s not looking at the full picture. The debate is not who is getting the blame more, but rather who has caused the problem in the first place and now has the power to change it.
I agree with Smith when he says that players are seen putting more effort into their summer workouts than they do on the All-Star weekend. And some might say that those workouts determine their performance in the season, which is a contributing factor to the amount of money they can extract in a potential contract extension.
But adding to what Smith said, are those players who are already earning $200-$300 million guaranteed in contracts really in a position to ask for more money to play hard on one weekend? Are they valid in asking for more compensation, or just being greedy at this point? So many unanswered questions.
And if this is not about money, how else can they make the All-Star weekend more competitive? Should they resort to the shocking ideas like Nick Wright’s All-Black vs. All-White players suggestion? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
