"I feel bad for Kevin Durant cause I think he’s way too talented to be connected to Ben Simmons" - Colin Cowherd opines that NBA players will think twice before taking KD's path in the league

Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Golden State Warriors hasn't turned out well for the Brooklyn Nets superstar. [Photo: New York Post]

Two years after Kevin Durant spurned the Golden State Warriors to head to Brooklyn, the Dubs are on the doorstep of the NBA Finals once more. KD, on the other hand, has won only one playoff series with Kyrie Irving and was swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics this year.

Colin Cowherd, on his podcast, is still somewhat in disbelief in Durant’s decision to leave the Warriors to form a superteam with the mercurial Irving. Irving’s off-court worries and temperament forced the James Harden trade, which resulted in Durant joining forces with another complicated star in Ben Simmons.

Here’s what The Herd anchor had to say about Durant’s decision to prove he can win a championship outside of Oakland:

“When Brady and Belichik broke up, at least New England’s still viable. The Kevin Durant-Warriors thing now? I feel bad for Kevin Durant ‘cause I think he’s way too talented to be connected to Ben Simmons who seems marginally interested in basketball and Kyrie who’s marginally interested in anything not named Kyrie.”

"The Warriors won pre-KD, with KD and they're going to win after him. Don't tell me it doesn't bother him."

— @ColinCowherd https://t.co/gPgL22oW0F

Since signing for the Brooklyn Nets, nobody has been more dependent and reliable than the former MVP. He’s been everything the Nets hoped he would be as a franchise player, but has been miserably failed by the superstars he’s playing with.

"Do they want to be part of this? Are they motivated by something that's not good for the whole team here? Those are questions we have to ask ourselves and the players that we want to bring back."

- Sean Marks on team-building with Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons https://t.co/aIaEUAwQyA

Kyrie Irving has missed more games for various reasons than played since teaming up with Durant. James Harden came into the season out of shape, became disinterested and forced a trade. Brooklyn’s acquisition of Ben Simmons didn’t help in any way this season either.

Colin Cowherd would then warn other NBA superstars to carefully weigh their options before following KD's path:

“I know it’s a players’ league, but Kevin Durant is a cautionary tale of be very careful about bailing on a Hall-of-Fame head coach, not many exist or a Hall-of-Fame point guard, not many exist or a Hall-of-Fame culture, not many exist. I know it’s a players’ league, when the player has all those other things, they win.”

Kevin Durant has a less than stellar record outside of the Golden State Warriors

KD's best years in the NBA came when he was playing for the Bay Area team. [Photo: NBA.com]

Kevin Durant was nearly untouchable during his tenure with the Golden State Warriors. He compiled a 38-10 post-season win-loss record while playing for the Dubs from 2016-17 to 2018-19. Durant won two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs in his three-year stint with the Warriors.

Outside of the Bay Area, KD’s playoff record leaves much to be desired. He’s only 57-50 and only reached the NBA Finals once in 2012. Durant's OKC Thunder were dismantled by LeBron James’ Miami Heat.

Kevin Durant's 3-year Warriors career
2017: Title, Finals MVP
2018: Title, Finals MVP
2019: NBA Finals loss, forever injury what if
Regular season: 25.8 ppg on 52/38/88 shooting splits
Playoffs: 29.6 ppg on 51/39/89 shooting splits
Team's playoff record with him: 38-10

Snubbing the Warriors to show the basketball world that he can win an NBA title as the franchise player hasn’t turned out well for Durant. The only series the Brooklyn Nets have won with him was in the first round last year against the Boston Celtics. Boston promptly repaid that loss with an impressive sweep of Brooklyn this season.