In light of the recent move for Kevin Durant from the OKC Thunder to the Golden State Warriors, I thought I would shed some light on the facts and give some hope to those not knowing how to react to the situation. Being a Thunder fan myself, and growing up in OKC, Kevin Durant leaving Thunder was a sad event; a shocker even. It hurt even worse than when we traded Harden... I still hurt from this tragic event. But given that we have had a week to process all of this, let's look at this realistically.

Let's not hate Durant. Yes, this is frustrating and no one would have ever thought that he would choose the Warriors, but it happened and we cannot change it; no need to dwell on the pessimistic elements. Let's look at Durant alone though without the situation. Durant, on top of being one of the best basketball players in the nation, is also a man of strong character. I don't know about you all, but I find this very important. From the famous quote, "You the real MVP," to his mother while being recognized as the NBA's MVP, he also has Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. Durant was never the basketball player that was cocky about his talent and he saw the value in those who helped him get where he is. Given his charity, Durant also sees the need for sports in more underprivileged areas. I think this is extremely important. If you think about it, sports are often the way out of a bad life. It gives kids something to invest in, build character with, give them hope, keeps them out of trouble and allows them to build a better future. Scholarships from sports allow these underprivileged kids an opportunity at college that they wouldn't have imagined before. Durant is helping facilitate this, helping more kids' lives than you can probably imagine. So, given Durant's character and work he has done for the community, especially OKC, I would urge you not to hate him and stop burning your jerseys with his name on it. That's just petty.

Now, let's talk about the basketball aspect in this situation. In my opinion, we were never going to win a championship with Russel Westbook and Durant on the same team. This might seem like weird logic, but stay with me. Durant and Westbrook are both great, all-around players. They were the heart of OKC. But, the fact of the matter is that it was always one shooting or the other. Given they both have extreme talent, they would almost hog the ball from each other. It was never Durant and Westbrook 'going off' at the same time. It was almost like we had to choose one or the other. I feel this was a major draw back for the Thunder. And, given they are no longer together, though sad the duo is no longer, I feel this will give Westbrook even more of a chance to 'fly.' Westbrook, just might be better off.

Inevitably, the Warriors are now stacked with 3-4 of the best players in the nation. This is scary for all MBA teams. I feel this year will resemble 2011 Miami heat but to a worse extent. I have no doubt they will destroy the courts. But, I think one of two things can happen.

1. Durant can be a huge asset to the team, make the Warriors even better than they already are and get his championship ring he's been waiting for all this time.

Or...

2. Durant can actually be a set back for the Warriors. This is not what people expect, but bear with me. You never know if Curry and Durant will mesh.

You also can't predict that one or the other doesn't hog the ball from each other that Durant and Westbrook experienced on Thunder. If number two happens, this can actually set back the warriors a bit. I'm not at all saying they still won't be a really good team, but Durant might not be as much of the gain that everyone thought he would be.

But, all of this does not mean it is the end, especially for Thunder. Back when we traded James Harden, we gained Steven Adams. This didn't make a lot of Thunder fans happy because we lost a very good (and attractive) player. We also gained one whom did not do so well at first. But if you look at how Adams has played the last two years, he has improved tremendously. If you look at his stats, he has gone from an average of 3.3 points, to an average of 8.0 points per game. That is a huge jump from the 2013-2014 season to the 2015-2016 season. I can only hope and imagine this improvement will continue to grow. Dion Waiters has also been a huge gain for Thunder. He has average stats for a shooting guard, but he works very well with Westbrook which is very beneficial now given the circumstances. Westbrook, though good from the beginning, has been the #1 player making shots on the Thunder this last year. With it just being him out of the duo, he will have even more opportunity to do well. Given all of this, I believe that Thunder lost a great man and player, but this isn't the end for them. Thunder has a chance to rebuild!