Time for liftoff with Westbrook after Durant’s cowardly departure

I’ve had a lot of time to think about this.

So much so that it has dominated much of my thought process since long before I knew I would be writing a weekly column at this point.

And yet still I sit here with mixed emotions.

Do I hate Kevin Durant? I don’t think so. Did I lose respect for the former Oklahoma City Thunder star? Not completely. Can I blame him for leaving what for many years was such a good thing? Maybe. Will I root against him and his new team, the already nemesis Golden State Warriors, even more so this year? Certainly.

Growing up a Seattle SuperSonics fan – yes, I was pretty hardcore, donning Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and even Detlef Schrempf jerseys in middle school – and then following the team to Oklahoma City wasn’t easy. But a ray of hope came when Durant was drafted a year before the move to OKC, taken No. 2 in the 2007 draft behind Portland’s pick of Greg Oden (whew!).

Aside from the team struggling in Durant’s sophomore season (and first in OKC), the team was strong and most often considered a contender every year thereafter. A big part of that can be attributed to the fact Batman got his Robin when the Thunder drafted Russell Westbrook in 2008.

The duo even led Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals during the 2011-12 season. Including last season, the Thunder have made four of the last Western Conference finals.

And last year they nearly made it back to the NBA Finals while holding a 3-1 series lead over, yup, the Warriors in the West finals. In fact, the Thunder took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter of a potential clinching Game 6.

And that’s perhaps where it all fell apart. With Klay Thompson giving Golden State a slight pulse in the second half, knocking down 3-pointers seemingly every time OKC was about to put the game out of reach, something happened: The dynamic duo choked.

As if quoting “Dumb and Dumber,” you may ask, “Both of them?”

Yup.

Durant and Westbrook resorted to the hero ball that had dogged them much of their time together. Each took turns firing up low-percentage shots rather than running an offense that was eating the Warriors alive when executed properly.

The result? The Thunder lost in seven games and, in turn, the longtime face of their franchise bolted to Golden State to join the enemy.

Before Durant ultimately decided to leave, many thought he would sign a one-year deal and give it one more go. I thought that was the best-case scenario, especially with Westbrook having one more year left on his contract. They had come too close to not try one more time, especially as it came in a historic season in which the Thunder made it through the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in the West semis and nearly through the record 73-win Warriors in the conference finals.

Had they advanced and then beaten LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, it could have arguably been the best run to a championship ever.

Oh, how hubris can bring down the protagonist – or two.

Part I of the aftermath saw Durant join the enemy in what folks are now referring to as a “Super Team.” I don’t know about the nickname, but the squad does have four legit superstars – Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green – and four potential All-Stars (Not like when the Atlanta Hawks had four – Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver – make the All-Star team. I’m talking legitimate stars here.).

Then later in the summer, with rumors swirling as to where OKC would trade Russell Westbrook, Part II came when he took his stance. Westbrook planted his flag, signing a three-year extension and all of a sudden becoming the new face of Oklahoma City.

What followed were jabs between both parties, including a new Westbrook Nike commercial that seemed to take a swipe at Durant, saying “Some run. Some make runways.”

Recently, Durant talked about the “selfless” Warriors. To that, Westbrook, when asked, said he would no longer comment on the matter and instead “worry about all the selfish guys we got over here, apparently.”

But this week, the time for talk is over. It’ll be time to play again, with the season opening Tuesday night.

I didn’t burn any Durant apparel. But I admit, I’ve worn only one of several Durant shirts I own once since he decided to leave (OK, so I wore it to bed to sop up Vicks VapoRub when I had some chest congestion).

But I don’t hate Kevin Durant. I do respect Durant the Man, but I’ve lost a little respect for Durant the Competitor.

Some compare his departure to when LeBron James left for Miami, and some of that is fair. However, this situation is more like if LeBron had left Cleveland (the first time around) for Boston, the team standing in his way at the time.

I can’t blame Durant for going to a place he feels he has the best chance to win a championship. But I do blame him for giving up on a place that very well could have been just that – had he and Westbrook figured it out together.

The only place for both to look was the mirror and now it’s shattered in two pieces.

Perhaps there was more going on behind the scenes that they were able to keep out of the public for many years.

We may never know.

The way I look at it through my lens now, though, is there’s a clear hero and a clear villain, as if I needed more reason to despise the Warriors.

So, Russ. Time to take to the runway. Let’s go.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Time for liftoff with Westbrook after Durant’s cowardly departure."