When guys like me (or most of us) knew Durant had a bad achilles and not an actual calf injury (you weren't fooling anyone Warriors), how the hell does GS still give KD the green light to play. I knew the minute they said he was starting that he was going to blow his achilles up.
Well then clearly KD, the Warriors, and countless people around them should have consulted with you then rather than a variety of their own medical professionals because you know more about this than all of them combined, including KD himself.
Why are you sitting behind a keyboard when you should be out there making millions as a health consultant?
Damn shame 'cause he probably missing all next year. Hope he can come back healthy and dominant still. Would suck to lose out on potentially $300+ mil.
That would suck....but he likely WON'T miss out on that.
KD is going to get paid a minimum of $35M next year just to rehab, and then it is almost a lock he will receive a max or near max contract that amounts to well over $200M for the subsequent 5 years.
KD will be fine.
In the final tally, KD will basically end up sacrificing his 2020 season and potentially trying to help his team win just 3 more games to secure a 3-peat and solidify a legacy that sports fans will talk about for the remainder of his life and beyond.
KD was 146 minutes away from winning 3 titles in a row, his team needed him and he took a calcuated risk.
If you asked any player in any sport whether they would be willing to risk losing one full season of their prime to injury for a chance at--not just a title, but THAT kind of legacy--I bet almost all of them would take that trade.
It sucks that he suffered the injury he did....but how often do chances like this ever come up in a player's career, even for the greatest all-time players? Harden, Westbrook, LeBron....none of them have 3 in a row or 4 titles in 5 years. KD, Klay, Steph, Draymond, Iguodala....they gave everything they could and were willing to sacrifice their bodies for something historic. And while both he and the team have done so many amazing things the past few years, they were *THIS* close to adding another huge chapter.
So KD totally should have just gave up, shut it down, and mailed it in all so he could, what....spend the next 5 years leading the Knicks to 1st & 2nd round playoff exits? An opportunity like this will likely never come again. Even if the Warriors core remains together, there is no guarantee they'll be back here in a season or two. KD gambled, he lost, and the downside is that he will still get paid tens of millions of dollars next year just to rest and recover. He'll be fine.
These injuries are nothing like the concussion issue in the NFL where it is a bit more important to protect players from themselves. I mean, yeah the achilles will hurt for awhile, but isn't going to prevent KD from playing with his grandkids or even just remembering his kids' names at age 50. The brain injury stuff is something that absolutely transcends sport and presents impacts far more serious than just lower career stats and potential contracts. This is not that.
