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OKC mayor thinks Kevin Durant’s choice was ‘out of character’

By Charles Rahrig V

May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan (left) instructs forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter in game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan (left) instructs forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter in game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett doesn’t think the advice Kevin Durant received is the decision he would have made himself.

Oklahoma City is still reeling from the departure of Kevin Durant and with the impending doom and rebuild that seems to be around the corner, the sports fans in the town have plunged into a dark depression that is likely to hang over their heads for a very long time.

The questions of what is next for the Thunder don’t look any better. Russell Westbrook could very well be on the way out soon and future lotteries are bound to now be in their future.

One person that is feeling the effects of Durant bolting out of town is Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett.

With Durant leaving having an impact on the city, just as much of the team, Cornett sat down with ESPN’s Capital Games (via ForTheWin) podcast and talked about Duran’ts decision to leave and what he believed was outside influences pushing Durant elsewhere.

"“His image has changed drastically than it was last week because of his decision to join a team of superstars in the NBA. You can’t get that back. From the basketball side of it, I don’t believe Kevin is going to have the impact on the Warriors that he did on the Thunder. The Thunder could have won next year’s championship just as easily as the Warriors could have won. But I never got the sense — and I can’t imagine he fooled us for nine years — that he wanted to leave Oklahoma City.“His image has changed drastically than it was last week because of his decision to join a team of superstars in the NBA. You can’t get that back. From the basketball side of it, I don’t believe Kevin is going to have the impact on the Warriors that he did on the Thunder. The Thunder could have won next year’s championship just as easily as the Warriors could have won. But I never got the sense — and I can’t imagine he fooled us for nine years — that he wanted to leave Oklahoma City."

While it might just be sour grapes, there is something to what Cornett is saying. Durant was an active member of the Oklahoma City community and it really felt like he was destined to stay there forever. So what changed?

"“For him to get away from the city and to be courted by all these other teams. And then, to kind of be around people who are looking after his business interests and to make this kind of decision that seems so out of character for him, it leads me to believe he trusted people that gave him different advice than he would have given himself.”"

What Cornett is essentially saying here is that he believes that Durant wouldn’t have made this choice if it was just him deciding. He feels that people in Durant’s head were pushing him to leave Oklahoma City and joined the Warriors.

Everyone knows that a high profile free agent like Durant has a lot of people in his ear and making a choice like this one isn’t an easy choice to make. Now, he’s moved on and the people in Oklahoma City are left in the rubble.

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