"My season is over."
That was the message from Kevin Durant, the transformational Nets forward who announced in an interview with Theundefeated.com's Marc Spears on Friday (after the story was broken by NetsDaily.com's Anthony Puccio) that he would not be suiting up when the NBA is expected to return to action on July 31 in Orlando.
Actually, it never even had a chance to begin.
According to Durant, who signed a four-year, $165.25 million free agent contract (with an opt-out after the third season) last summer, he and the Nets agreed then that it would be best if he took a sabbatical this season so he could fully recover from the Achilles rupture he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals while with Golden State.
Except this turned out to be no ordinary NBA season. While it was always a stretch — though not impossible, since KD was already reportedly playing 5-on-5 pickup games with his teammates prior to the league stoppage on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic—for him to return in April for the playoffs, the suspension afforded him more than four-and-a-half months of extra healing time. Had he opted to come back for the resumption, that would have put him more than a year out from the June 12, 2019 surgery. That's hardly a "rush" job.
Instead, KD could be facing at least an 18-month interval between real competitive basketball games — if the league and its Players' Association agree on a December start to the 2020-21 season.
The "this is what we said last July and that's that" explanation doesn't fly. The original plan wasn't irrevocable. All that matters is whether he's healthy now or he's not.
According to multiple teammates, Durant, who was subsequently diagnosed with an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, was looking great back in March.
Durant said, "I don't think I'm ready to play that type of intensity right now in the next month."
How about trying first? If you go down to Orlando, work out with your teammates, and then reach the conclusion that you don't feel comfortable moving around the court, so be it. You know your body.
By going with a hard pass, Durant is doing a disservice to his teammates, all of whom would kill for the opportunity to go into battle with even an 80% KD for no more than 20 minutes a game.
I understand the risks associated with anyone returning from such a serious surgery. There's always a possibility that a player might overcompensate for a weak area and hurt others. However, that will be the case whenever Durant first steps back onto the court. I'd argue that rooting out the rust in his game next season after such a long layoff might impose an additional hurdle.
The league is a minefield these days—that's why almost every contending team manages players' loads. So when ESPN's Brian Windhorst spewed nonsense on Saturday that the relatively condensed eight-game schedule to end the regular season proved to be the last straw for Durant and the Nets, I could only shake my head. Does anyone believe that Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is going to play all eight games? KD wouldn't have to either.
As for Windhorst's claim that the Nets couldn't afford Durant appropriate recuperation periods between games because they were in an "absolute dogfight to make a playoff seed and so there'd be high-pressure games right off the bat," Brooklyn, currently the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, is six games better than ninth-place Washington. At worst, since I don't see the 24-40 Wizards suddenly turning it on to go 8-0, Washington would pick up two of those games while the Nets would also lose their half-game lead over eighth-place Orlando. That would merely force Brooklyn to face the Wizards in a play-in round for the right to take on top-seeded Milwaukee. To advance, Washington would need two wins; Brooklyn, only one. That's a dogfight?
ESPN concluded that the Nets probably wouldn't have a legitimate chance to win a championship even if star guard Kyrie Irving, who was also designated as out for the season following his March 3 surgery to repair a right shoulder impingement, and Durant returned, so why bother?
Maybe ESPN should make its on-air talent re-watch The Last Dance. No one in the Bulls organization could convince Michael Jordan that he shouldn't return from a broken foot for the 1986 playoffs, even though Chicago got swept in the first round by eventual champion Boston.
Irving would be in the middle of his estimated four-to-six month recovery period when the NBA plans to resume. In his case, the Nets and Irving would be appropriately conservative holding him out.
KD is a different story. Only an insider would know if Irving's unavailability impacted this decision. And this was certainly his decision, not the organization's.
There are more benefits to gain by KD playing then the downside that he might tweak something. Not just for Durant, who could start the adjustment process for competitive basketball life after Achilles surgery early, but for the Nets as well.
This offseason will be crucial for Brooklyn. Like with Durant, Irving's contract also came with a fourth-year player option. The organization now has just a two-year window to make something special happen.
Not only will general manager Sean Marks be in the market for a new head coach to upgrade over interim Jacque Vaughn, he'll be under pressure to make moves for players that fit with his stars. It would have been valuable for Marks to get a glimpse of what his club looked like with KD on the floor, just like it was in the 20 games Irving played.
Instead, Durant and the Nets played it like a Jets football coach. They opted to punt the season away, hoping to be set up for better things later. Unfortunately, like I said in my last City Game podcast, tomorrow is promised to no one.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
