National Basketball Association

Warriors' Steve Kerr explains why calling Kevin Durant a villain is absurd

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:13 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows he can't control how people react to his team. He also understands why some fans might be angry at Kevin Durant for joining up with Stephen Curry and the rest of the Dubs.

More than anything, though, Kerr thinks it's ridiculous that people would consider KD a villain for embarking on the next chapter in his NBA career.

Via ESPN.com:

"To think of Kevin Durant or Steph Curry or any of our guys as villains, it's kind of absurd. Especially Kevin," Kerr said Sunday in an interview on ESPN Radio's TMI with Michelle Beadle and Ramona Shelburne. "This is one of the most likeable people in this league. He's just an awesome human being. What he did in Oklahoma City was just amazing for that community.

Kerr added: "Circumstances kind of dictate, I guess, that some people are going to see him as a villain. But it's only because he decided to go elsewhere to play. He wanted to change his scenery, he wanted a new challenge. More than anything he wanted to play with our guys. He loves Draymond [Green] and Steph and Klay [Thompson] and Andre [Iguodala]. Seeing those guys in New York, he loved seeing the chemistry that exists and he wanted to be a part of it."

Of course Kerr is going to claim KD isn't a villain. What else is he supposed to say in defense of his new star?

Klay Thompson, on the other hand, understands the reality of the situation in Golden State. He recently told reporters that he's ready to embrace the hate in 2016-17, because sports are entertainment. In entertainment, we want good guys and bad guys; more than that, we want the teams we cheer for to overcome the odds and win a championship without "cheating."

The Warriors skipped what most fans see as the necessary hard work to get revenge against a Cavs team that beat them in the Finals. They took a shortcut (again, in the eyes of most) by adding Durant, circumventing the morals we believe are inherent in sports.

Is KD a real "villain"? Not in the slightest, as Kerr so succinctly explained. He's a community advocate who gives back to those less fortunate — a man who was so concerned about how others think of him that he hid in his home for days after deciding to join Golden State. A player that sensitive and caring isn't a villain.

In the sports world, however, Durant and his superteam will wear the black hat next season. And nothing can change that.