How Will Another Disappointing Playoff Exit Impact KD’s Legacy? | The Ryen Russillo Podcast
On last night’s episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast,’ Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo discuss the bigger picture legacy ramifications of Kevin Durant and the Suns being swept by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
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31 Comments
Irony is he would have probably been more fondly remembered if he stayed in Oakland/San Francisco. Yeah Steph would have always been the favorite son, but if KD won 1 or 2 more titles in GS, 1 or 2 more FMVPs, history would have cut him a little slack on joining the Warriors because winning does that especially if he stayed. He'd have a statue outside of Chase, it would be next to Steph's, but he'd have one. Now dude gets clowned not just for joining the Warriors, but two failed super teams, Steph winning before and after him, and SGA might do something in the next few years that he never could in OKC. That would be the basketball Gods just having a great time at KD's expense if SGA wins a title in OKC. Especially if KD is still playing.
Idk why we still treat old guys like they supposed to win every year… this is usually how things go when you reach 34+
KD just isn’t the same anymore. He’s more of a 2 now. In order for the Suns to be successful, Devin Booker has to be that guy now, he’s in his prime. I was very surprised people still thought that high of him now, I thought even last year KD took a small step back.
Waiting for the KD excuses
Kd is another example of why we should not rank guys all time before they retire. I remember after 18 people had him top 10. If he retired today i don't know if he could be argued top 10
Worst…front…office…EVER.
Just say it. KD is not a leader. That is the problem. Curry accommodated him and that is alright. He should never have left GSW.
Barkley was right. He’s just a bus rider.
I'm not gonna lie, as he continues to have midling disappoinent after midling disappointment as his peers have continued to have success at the same age (LeBron and Steph winning titles at 34+) has severely hurt his legacy in my eyes. He was never Top 20 for me anyways but now he's just plummeting.
Came to finally hear Bill criticize KD. Very disappointed in his podcasting
He is making 50 million a year. Let's not feel to bad for the guy
KD was not the best player in 2018. He scored a bunch without getting doubled because he played with an MVP, one of the greatest shooters of all time, on an all time great team.
I get that taking a shot at LeBron is mandatory, but let's be real here.
Only an insane person would think KD could have done what LeBron did in the 2018 playoffs.
KD had absolutely 0 playmaking responsibilities and only had to score on single coverage. Steph and LeBron both had to do much more.
LeBron also had one of the the best playoff games of all time in game 1 against them in 2018.
Can Bill finally admit he was wrong about KD being better than LeBron in 2017-2018? The level of difficulty by LeBron was far tougher than KD. We just saw him fold vs the Warriors the prior season and the Cavs were scared shitless of the 3 point line/STeph. That played a huge role in KD "seeming the best"
Durant’s never been the best player in the world. Mfer was playing with Steph and Klay and benfitted from gravity. He’s never been better than Lebron
Bill keeps comparing every disappointing top-heavy “super team” to the 2010-11 Heat. That team would have won the title if not for LeBron turning in the worst performances of his life in the Finals. If he plays even mediocre in that series, they win it all. These top-heavy teams that lose in the first or second round are not the same lol
he talked a bunch of shit and then backtracked when it became ridiculous. he has absolutely cared about the shit he now claims he never cared about. it's inhumane but i'm sorry, we live to tear down media icons like this. the way the media propped him up based on a slow-mo commercial break highlight of him hitting a dagger 3 in game 4 of an absolute joke of a lopsided finals was disgusting and this is what you get when you and an org let each other use each other. he wasted years of his prime to troll espn and then was like ah fuck; 'hey i just like to play' was the cop-out. fuck KD. big-time hater.
KD’s contract is starting to becoming one of the worst in the NBA
He just doesn’t really impact the game at all high level
Durant should be HOF for all the failed "super teams" he's been central to alone
KD is going to spend all off-season defending his legacy on his 30+ burner accounts.
At the end of the day he will be seen as a very good to great player but not in the top 5 which may have occurred if he had stayed with the Warriors . Indeed, he is likely to fall out of the top 10 within the a few years. He will never be viewed in the same light as guys like Duncan, Bird, Kobe, ….
wtf is this, elevator music type of pod….I'm tryna listen and jus keep zoning out. #BORING
He better hope the Clips or Mavs don't win it all. If so, it'll destroy his legacy. With the Mavs, it means Kyrie will join Steph in having won BOTH BEFORE and AFTER playing with him or with the Clippers, it means that all 3 of his OKC max contract teammates (Russ, Harden and Ibaka) will have won with Kawhi.
It'll make Kawhi the clear cut #3 best player of this generation and it'll make us question how good of a winner KD is as a teammate.
Simple solution: trade Booker if Suns wants to win a championship. Only time people remember about Booker is he such an arrogant bully who only likes to fight. But scared against Westbrook or Beverley.
I think the media is forced to boot lick for Lebron.
If anything else he'll be a model example of how a player can bounce back from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
He's gonna be remembered for joining GS to win a championship. His career is a disappointment. It also sucks how he never takes responsibility for anything.
Suns get swept. Or Timberwolves sweep Suns. National media can’t get head around Wolves. It can’t be they were 1 seed most of the season and dominated Suns. Has to be Suns are going to win prior to series. Bad match up for Wolves, wolves are fake and will get exposed. Then after Suns bad mix they lost the series. How about Wolves prove they should have been 1 seed. Rudy trade was genius. This big lineup changing the NBA trend.
As Tim legler put it regarding Kevin Durant "there is a difference between the type of talent you are and the type of career you've had". Durant is One of the most talented players in history but has accomplishments don't match up with that given his poor decision making off the court.
Since leaving the Warriors, Durant is 13-18 in playoff games and hasn’t made it past the second round.
Bill is a narcissist.
KD is in the comments using a sock puppets