Last week the NBA lost something special, possibly forever. The Oklahoma City Thunder, also known as the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook with occasional help from random player X's, were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder shocked the world by taking a 3-1 series lead on the dominant Warriors, only to again shock the world by blowing their impressive lead and losing three games in a row to lose the entire series. Many believe that this devastating will drive the free agent eligible Durant to leave his team. Possible destinations include literally every team in the NBA (according to the teams themselves), but the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and most frighteningly to the rest of the league, the Warriors, have emerged as the early favorites. Wherever Durant goes will become an instant contender, but the best move for him would be to stay in Oklahoma City. Durant is a special player who belongs in OKC, and here are five reasons why.
1. Russell Westbrook
Westbrook and Durant deserve all the happiness the world can offer
Durant and Westbrook playing together make the Thunder a fascinating experiment in the NBA, as well as one of the most enjoyable teams to watch. No other team has two of the five best players in the league, but are seemingly unable to close out important games. Westbrook and Durant have their weaknesses that are under special scrutiny as they account for all of the success the Thunder experience. When they are off, the rest of the team is not strong enough to pick up the slack. When the pair is on, they are nearly unbeatable. Westbrook's poetic and manic drives paired with Durant's freak ability to score from anywhere on the floor make them so exciting to watch. Losing the pair would be tragic to NBA lovers, and will hopefully never happen.
2. 2016 Success
As devastating as their loss to the Thunder was, it was highly impressive that they were able to make it as far as they did. The extremely talented Spurs were expected to dominate the Thunder in the previous round, but the Thunder were able to defeat them handily. Then they were able to hold their own better than anyone against possibly the best team of all-time Warriors. If not for the heroics of the incomprable Klay Thompson, the Thunder would be in the finals now. The Thunder, once they are able to move on from the heartbreak of losing, have many positives to grow on for next season.
3. Billy Donovan
2015-2016 was Donovan's first season as the Thunder coach, and leading his team to a conference finals so quickly is very promising. Donovan has experience winning championships as Florida's very successful leader, and may be the man to figure out the tweaks the Thunder need to push them to that final level Durant should stay in Oklahoma City for at least next year too if only to see what the team's potential is.
4. Steven Adams
Adams, Durant and Westbrook could create a terrific Big 3
Adams was the breakout star of this year's playoffs, and may be the missing piece the Thunder unwisely lost by dealing James Harden. Adams is only 22 years old, and showed himself to be both a defensive and offensive stalwart this postseason. The lineup of Westbrook-Durant-Serge Ibaka-Adams- and hopefully effective three-point shooter free agent X would be very scary to the rest of the league. Also, if Durant leaves Adams might be sad enough to shave off his spectacular mustache, which would be a crime against humanity.
5. The LeBron Factor
Durant can surpass LeBron by staying in OKC.
Much like LeBron James, Durant was drafted as a savior for his team. Both were prodigious talents but unable to win the ultimate prize for their squads. Durant now faces a similar situation as LeBron did in 2010. James decided to leave his team in pursuit of winning, devastating his beloved city of Cleveland and in irreversibly turning him into a villain in the minds of many. James was able to win in Miami, but effectively admitted he could not win a championship without creating a super-team, somewhat tarnishing his legacy. Durant should learn from LeBron's mistakes, and stay in Oklahoma. By doing so, he can be a hero in the league, and become one of the all-time greats.
Let me know if and why Durant should stay in OKC, or where you think he should go.
