"He would not confront Draymond Green and it blew up his career" - Colin Cowherd asserts that Kevin Durant is tarnishing his legacy by not being confrontational toward Kyrie Irving
Neither Kyrie Irving nor Steve Nash have been as invested in the Brooklyn Nets as Kevin Durant since 2019. He is the face of the franchise and has carried the team despite Irving’s drama, Ben Simmons’ unavailability and James Harden’s escape.
For Durant to maximize his peak form and championship window, he may have to do something uncomfortable regarding Kyrie Irving. Colin Cowherd, on his podcast, cited Durant’s inability to confront teammates as a detriment to his stint with the Brooklyn Nets moving forward.
Here’s The Herd host asking Kevin Durant to do to Irving what he never dared to do to Draymond Green:
“What is the one thing he wouldn’t do in San Francisco with the Warriors?... He would not confront Draymond Green and it blew up his career. He’s not gonna confront Kyrie, that’s not who he is. Gotta go upstairs, gonna ask the owner, you gonna ask the boss, ‘Get him outta here.’ Cause otherwise, they’re already laughing at you, Golden State, everybody else is gonna be too.”
In a Bleacher Report last year, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green addressed the incorrect narratives regarding their squabble in a game against the LA Clippers. They would squash previous stories that that on-court verbal exchange led to any deterioration in their relationship that eventually and pushed KD to the Brooklyn Nets.
However, based on Durant’s admission, he never felt like he belonged to the Bay Area Team the way Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Green do. So it was more on Kevin Durant wanting a team of his own rather than a showdown with Green that had the former creating a superteam with Kyrie Irving.
That being said, his partnership with Kyrie Irving might not be what’s best for “The Slim Reaper” as his peak form dwindles. Irving’s been mostly injured, unreliable or just unavailable for different reasons. They’ve only won one playoff series as a duo and that was against the undermanned Boston Celtics last year.
Kyrie Irving doesn’t intend to leave Kevin Durant
If Kevin Durant eventually decides to significantly change the Brooklyn Nets’ core, he may have to do as Colin Cowherd suggested. In a postgame interview after the Nets were swept by the Celtics, Irving emphatically mentioned that he’s not going anywhere.
Not only does Irving intend to stay with Durant, the former even shockingly envisions himself as a co-manager of the Brooklyn Nets.
For Durant to silence his doubters and prove that he can win a championship without the dynastic Golden State Warriors, he may have to do the unthinkable.
He could make Irving accountable, which he hasn’t done in the past, or confront the Nets’ point guard to be a more reliable teammate. The latest recourse may just turn out to be Cowherd’s idea of ultimately asking Joe Tsai to reconstruct the lineup and replace or let go of Irving.