Reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant is once again involved in a much publicized Twitter spat.
The Golden State Warriors’ star forward has recently traded barbs with the Portland Trailblazers guard CJ McCollum, reviving the discussion on Durant’s controversial move to the Warriors.
‘Snakes in the grass’
The spat broke out when the McCollum described Durant’s move to the Golden State Warriors two years ago “a soft move” when a fan brought up the topic.
McCollum said Durant’s transfer to Oakland was like jumping ship to a rival gang.
Durant hit back right after, deriding McCollum’s metaphor and topping his retort with “snakes in the grass”, an expression used in NBA off-court parlance as a response to betrayal or backstabbing.
The 6’9 forward’s propensity for picking fights on social media is almost as noted as his on-court talents.
So,I would get into a gang fight, lose, plot on my brother for 2 months in our home and then go get the gang we lost to and beat him up? U think that low of me CJ? I just did your fuckin podcast. Snakes in the grass boy I tell ya ?
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 26, 2018
Fans all the way from the Philippines have gobbled up the brewing drama between the two star cagers.
Shots fired ? ? ? #KDvsCJ https://t.co/NDT0TAzuW3
— TJ Manotoc (@tjmanotoc) July 26, 2018
CJ McCollum and Kevin Durant Twitter beef
(Kevin Durant just went on CJ's podcast and said the Blazers can't win a title right now)*grabs popcorn ?*#NBA #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/2kVZMvXxXo
— Walther Kui (@waltherkui) July 26, 2018
Ill feelings between the two may have been born when Durant bluntly told McCollum that the Traiblazers were unlikely to win a championship anytime soon during a discussion on McCollum’s own podcast.
McCollum and the Trailblazers were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2018 playoffs.
The 6’5 guard had been critical of Golden State’s signing of star center DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year $5.3 million contract.
Cousins, who played an excellent season for the Pelicans before an injury in January 2018, will be joining a Golden State squad that has won three championships in the past four years led by Durant, the 2014 MVP and two-time Finals MVP; Steph Curry, a two-time MVP who holds almost every three-point shooting record; four-time all-star Klay Thompson, who holds most of the three-point records Curry has yet to claim; and Draymond Green, a three-time all-star and former Defensive Player of the Year.
Durant on the one hand has been accused over the years of enabling the ‘super team’ era in the NBA, which analysts believe has destroyed parity in the league by allowing economically-advantaged ‘big market’ teams teeming with resources to sign star players looking for championship opportunities during free agency.
For critics of the move, Durant showed cowardice by opting to move to the Golden State Warriors after the 2016 playoffs.
The Warriors edged out Durant’s former team the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semi-finals that year.
Critics of Durant have continued to circulate a screenshot of his tweet from 2010 criticizing the practice of signing with super teams, which is essentially the very same practice that gave him his first two titles.
Let’s NOT forget @KDTrey5 ☝? pic.twitter.com/jptxZBrHD7
— HAYAT ??♀️ Hyacinth ? (@HayatMumay) July 19, 2018
