Who Does Russell Westbrook Have Beef With

PORTLAND – If you go back and study it – like, really study it – Kevin Durant hasn't been nearly as inflammatory as most believe since leaving Oklahoma City in July to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

But this is what happens when you have one of the NBA's most sensitive situations in recent memory, when a star like Durant creates such a controversial context after eight memorable years by joining a team that had an embarrassment of riches even before he arrived. Words get interpreted. Reactions are pursued. Unflattering headlines ensue. Durant, who learned the hard way in recent weeks how everything he says will be heard through the Thunder filter and scrutinized to no end, knows this now.

With the Warriors set to face Russell Westbrook and the Thunder for the first time on Thursday at Oracle Arena (after playing at Portland on Tuesday), Durant took some time to clear the air in a chat with USA TODAY Sports. From his view of recent media coverage on the matter to the Thunder's early season without him to the specifics on how he told Westbrook that he was leaving town, Durant discusses it all. Yet above all the rest, this much was clear: Durant may be fixated on his Warriors future, but he has hardly forgotten about his Thunder past.

"The 405 (Oklahoma City's area code) has a special place in my heart," he said. "Those fans, no matter what they call me or how they feel about me, they know, that if you see me anywhere, that you'll feel like I was your friend. That's how you made me feel, and how I made them feel. Those memories are never going to fade. I feel a certain away about that city, that state, that organization. And I look at that as – I'm going to put (those years) on my trophy case. That eight years is going to go in my trophy case. Not in the trash.

I'm onto something new. That's just the way of life sometimes."

Q: So I saw a tweet flying in this morning that jumped out at me, a poll where folks were trying to vote on how you and Russ would greet each other before the tip on Thursday. That kind of speaks to what the noise around you will be like, right?

A: "That's messy. That's messy. That's gossip. That's like tabloids. Like, what are you doing? What are we talking about here? I'm glad you asked me about that, (because) like what are we doing? What do you want the fans to see, like obviously everybody would be happy if we come to halfcourt and then duke it out. Like, what are you doing bro?

"That's messy … We want to compete. That's the only thing that should matter, man. We're talking too much about what goes on in the stands, nothing about what goes on on the court. You're not talking about nothing that goes on on the court here. What are we talking about here?

Q: Does it bother you that – no matter how it got messy – that everything you two accomplished together falls by the wayside and now the focus is that it's a little beef?

A: "It just shows the way of the world right now. Like, a beef? Bro, I don't beef with nobody. I've seen beefs go the wrong way. We've all seen it. The wrong way – real life wrong way, so you can't say beef around me. I'm not into no basketball beef. Where me or Russ comes from (Seat Pleasant, Md. and Los Angeles, respectively), beef – you don't just throw that word around like that. We have a miscommunication going on between a lot of people, a lot of assumptions – you can say that. But a beef? Nah, there ain't no beef man.

"I'm living my life. He's living his. He's doing his job. I'm doing mine. It's unnecessary that you have a poll about what they're going to say when they see each other. That's what little kids do at the lunch table at elementary school. Like, c'mon man. Everybody's going to say I'm ranting or I need to shut up, but you're asking me these questions so obviously I'm going to answer them as well as I can … I ain't got no beef with nobody."

There's no downside to Kevin Durant on Warriors

Q: Have you watched (the Thunder) at all? Russ has been on fire.

A: "Yeah, he's controlling the game. Rebounding, scoring, assisting. First off, I'm so happy for (Thunder center) Steven (Adams) and (Thunder guard) Victor (Oladipo) to have that opportunity (they both signed lucrative extensions on Monday). That type of money is going to last for generations, so I'm super happy for them. It's great that they're fulfilling a lifelong dream, first to play in the NBA but also financially being stable. First off, I'm happy for them.

"But I'm definitely watching. The stuff that I've been through with that team and that organization, that stuff doesn't just go away. I said that in July when I made this decision. It don't just go away, so I've got nothing but love for everybody there. Everybody. No matter how they feel about me, everybody on Oklahoma City, on that team, of course I watch them. I support them. I want them to do well."

Q: So I'd gotten used to seeing you in a Warriors jersey now. But the other day, I'm flipping back and forth between your game and the Thunder, and I'll be honest it was a trip. It still seems strange.

A: "Yeah, it's going to be a trip. It's going to take some time for people to get used to it. But it's real (laughs). It's real. And I don't want to look at my time in OKC as if I abruptly just try to cut it off and forget about it. I look at is as a special eight years of my life, the 405 has a special place in my heart. Those fans, no matter what they call me or how they feel about me, they know, that if you see me anywhere, that you'll feel like I was your friend. That's how you made me feel, and how I made them feel. Those memories are never going to fade. I feel a certain away about that city, that state, that organization, and I look at that as – I'm going to put that on my trophy case. That eight years is going to go in my trophy case. Not in the trash.

I'm onto something new. That's just the way of life sometimes. That's the life I chose. Like it or not. Hate it or not. Disagree or not. I'm doing what I want to do."

Q: That game going to be emotional for you?

A: "Hell yeah it will be. Yeah, it's going to be emotional, seeing people on the sideline that I haven't seen in a while. Yeah, it's definitely going to be emotional, but I've got a job to do. I've got to go out there and be me in between the lines. I'd be a fraud if I go out there and say, 'No, it's not going to mean nothing. It's just another game.' It's not. It's not another game."

Q: So you've taken some heat for the fact that when you made your decision (in free agency) you didn't call Russ and only texted him. Was that the case and what's your view of the criticism on that front?

A: "I mean we'll talk about that. Me and him will talk about that. You've done heard just about everything about me and how I handle stuff, and I – we talked, but it might not have been the way that we should have (done) it. I'll put it that way. I own up to that."

Q: It was just a text though?

A: "Yeah, I texted him, but we'll figure that out as time goes on."

Q: Have you guys talked since?

A: "No, we haven't. You know, I'm not saying what I did was right, or I'm not saying that I was right about anything. I went about it how I thought I should have went about it. I like to sit on things and digest them and then I'll figure out my next move, but I never said I was right for doing anything. We'll figure that stuff out as men behind closed doors, and we'll figure our whole relationship out behind closed doors. But yeah, it is what it is. We just try to move forward."

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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/hawks/2016/11/01/kevin-durant-russell-westbrook-warriors-thunder-nba/93126156/

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