Kevin Durant defends teammate, calls NBA writer a ‘dumbass’
Normally laid-back Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant was anything but friendly when the reigning NBA MVP called a reporter a ‘dumbass.’
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Kevin Durant is regarded as one of the good guys in sports, as his heart-touching tribute to his mother after winning last year’s NBA Most Valuable Player award showed us.
Really, it comes as a shock when it was discovered that the normally laid-back Durant showed a different side of his personality when it he went after NBA basketball writer Chris Palmer after the latter criticized the Oklahoma City Thunder’s decision to give forward Nick Collison a two-year contract extension on Tuesday.
Dude who averages 3 pts & 3 rebs gets 2-year/$8M extension. No wonder they won't make the playoffs.
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) February 3, 2015
Collison is a franchise institution, having been with the team from its waning days in Seattle. While Collison will never be a stats darling, his value to the team is immeasurable, a fact that probably led to Durant returning fire right back at Palmer:
@ChrisPalmerNBA means a lot coming from a dude who got fired for being a dumbass
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 3, 2015
Palmer, perhaps realizing that getting on the bad side of one of the Association’s premier players would be a losing battle, sort of backed off with this response:
@KDTrey5 Love that you got your teammates back. But you should get your facts straight.
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) February 3, 2015
For those scoring at home, this isn’t the first time Durant and Palmer have butted heads. Palmer was once a staple on ESPN.com’s NBA coverage, yet was sent packing by the Four Letter Network in 2013. He has since earned his keep as a freelance writer, with some of his work being found on Slamonline.com.
Palmer remains one of the best writers in the NBA, with his strong opinions being one of his strengths. He does have a strong Twitter following and is a must-read when one of his pieces finds its way to a site. However, his beef with KD is one that has little upside for him, and considering that Durant slammed him the first time the two played the feud on Twitter, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Durant wasted no time in thumping Palmer in their “long-awaited” rematch.
Coming on the heels of Russell Westbrook telling a reporter that he didn’t like him, the Thunder locker room is sort of becoming a No-Fly Zone for the media. While Durant’s Twitter rant appears to be an exception rather a rule, NBA beat writers should be forewarned that KD doesn’t mind firing back when need be.
Most important, however, is the fact of how quick Durant stepped up to defend his teammate. It is moves like that which make Durant a loved player in OKC and yet more reason why the Thunder will be very hard-pressed to keep him in town when his contract expires after next season.
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