Kevin Durant: Stephen A. is "lying" about Lakers rumors

[Lakers+USC=#1]

He's not credible journalist. He's a fame whore. He gets in close with players just so he can be involved in the club scene, the celebrity factor, and the lifestyle, not for news breaking opportunities. He'll use some info here and there but its usually to his benefit to trump up some bullshit story (like this Durant stuff). The fact that he's on First Take tells you all you need to know. That show is 100% bullshit made up to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It's nothing but a troll job. No true journalist would do it. But he and Skip aren't journalists (not anymore at least). They're muckrakers more interested in their own self worth. And SAS is absolutely a race baitor. Just in the last 6 months he's been at the forefront of all that Chip Kelly nonsense and also trying to spin the Floyd Mayweather hate (who just so happens to be a "close friend") as being racial and nothing to do with Floyd being a piece of shit woman beater. Stephen A Smith is scum media and the prime example of what's wrong with ESPN.

Im not going back and forth on rather he's credible or not, because I believe he is and you think he isn't and nothing's going to change.

As far as race-baiting, I don't get it. A race-baitor is someone like Al Sharpton. SAS calls out bullshit no matter what race it is. People are not used to sports guys calling out these issues, so they think he race-baiting. Nobody say shit when SAS are calling out black folks, but as soon he is calling out something against black people, he's somehow race baiting.

The funny thing about you bringing up the Chip situation, is that he was the one that broke the story about it and how some players were feeling about it in that locker room, which was true. So much for not being credible lol. Anyway, not one time he called Chip racist. He even said why would he call him racist, when he replaced them with other blacks?

His point was, Chip want to get rid of certain players with a certain type culture. He want his type players. That's fine, but why is Cooper there? Isn't that the type of culture you don't want in your locker room?

It's not a race issue with Chip, it's a cultural thing.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Sorry, not buying Stephen A. as a credible journalist. He's wrong far more than he's right. As for him being a race-baiter, he is. Criticizing someone from one's own race and race-baiting are not the same thing.

Race-baiting is doing things like insinuating that Chip Kelly was cutting black players because they're black (even though he replaced them with other black players).

Criticizing someone for doing something stupid, even when they are the same race, is just criticizing someone for doing something stupid.

See my last reply.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Can you read? Stephen A never said durant or anyone close to durant said any of that. Learn how to read please.

If Durant has not considered leaving OKC, why don't he just resign now? He's full of shit and i guarantee next summer he will meet with at least the wizards & Lakers. You don't meet with a team you never considered

Exactly! These players should know by now, that they don't have to be the ones to say it to the media, for their business to get out there.

 

[wildturkey]

Im not going back and forth on rather he's credible or not, because I believe he is and you think he isn't and nothing's going to change.

As far as race-baiting, I don't get it. A race-baitor is someone like Al Sharpton. SAS calls out bullshit no matter what race it is. People are not used to sports guys calling out these issues, so they think he race-baiting. Nobody say shit when SAS are calling out black folks, but as soon he is calling out something against black people, he's somehow race baiting.

The funny thing about you bringing up the Chip situation, is that he was the one that broke the story about it and how some players were feeling about it in that locker room, which was true. So much for not being credible lol. Anyway, not one time he called Chip racist. He even said why would he call him racist, when he replaced them with other blacks?

His point was, Chip want to get rid of certain players with a certain type culture. He want his type players. That's fine, but why is Cooper there? Isn't that the type of culture you don't want in your locker room?

It's not a race issue with Chip, it's a cultural thing.

He stirred the pot on that entire issue. He knew exactly what he was doing. He's tight with Shady McCoy so to protect his image after Chip dumped him, he floated the story that some people in Philly may think Kelly's moves are racially motivated. Other players latched onto it out of ignorance after the fact. He never outright called him a racist, but he danced around it and heavily implied it like a coward. Which is entirely his schtick. He's a muckracker but to protect himself from liable and slander, he has to dance around outrageous claims like that mostly because he has no concrete proof because its either A) all hearsay or B) fabricated. Credible journalist don't dabble in either. That's what grocery store tabloids do. SAS is the human version of a tabloid. Back over the summer Ryen Russillo had SAS on his radio to talk it out and see what SAS meant. He gave SAS every opportunity to say it wasn't racial and he never took it. He just kept talking louder and over top of Russillo, the patented move of someone who talks out of their ass.

You mentioned its a cultural thing and it is. It's the culture of a college coach (dictator) in the NFL, not racial. That was Russillo's stance. It was also the same stance Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones came to, two guys that can have intelligent discussions about race without going to the bottom of the barrel. SAS never went there. He always left racism issue in the room because its polarizing and that's what he wants. He wants that polarizing issue to fire people up because it puts more eyes on him. He doesn't care if its accurate, he wants that attention. And using race for that attention is exactly what a race baitor is.

I get fired up on guys like Stephen A Smith (and Skip Bayless). I don't see how anyone can defend them or support them. Sports should be fun and we have the ability to have intelligent discussions about it. But people like him purposely lower the IQ level of discussion for profit and personal gain.

 

[trojanfan12]

As far as race-baiting, I don't get it. A race-baitor is someone like Al Sharpton. SAS calls out bullshit no matter what race it is. People are not used to sports guys calling out these issues, so they think he race-baiting. Nobody say shit when SAS are calling out black folks, but as soon he is calling out something against black people, he's somehow race baiting.

The funny thing about you bringing up the Chip situation, is that he was the one that broke the story about it and how some players were feeling about it in that locker room, which was true. So much for not being credible lol. Anyway, not one time he called Chip racist. He even said why would he call him racist, when he replaced them with other blacks?

Any time you imply that something is being done because of someone's race, it's race baiting. He doesn't have to come out and say Chip Kelly is a racist, he just needs to imply it, which is exactly what he did with his "Not Chip Kelly's kinda guy" comments.

Every coach that takes over a team, especially one that's struggling, makes wholesale changes to their roster. In other words, they look to bring in "their kinda guys."

It wasn't an issue when Pete Carroll took over in Seattle and started cutting everyone. The reason Stephen A. even commented was because one of the guys Chip Kelly cut was butthurt about it and popped off in a way that implied it was because of race. Stephen A. took that and blew it up with his rant, then backtracked when people called him out for it. It's what he does.

Stephen A. does a good job of getting internet clicks and getting people to talk about him and his opinions. It's part of his job and he's good at it, hence us talking about him now. But there is a difference between driving internet clicks and credible journalism.

 

[trojanfan12]

If Durant has not considered leaving OKC, why don't he just resign now? He's full of shit and i guarantee next summer he will meet with at least the wizards & Lakers. You don't meet with a team you never considered

Why would KD re-sign now? He stands to make a helluva lot more when the cap increase hits. I don't know if this is one of those rare times when Stephen A. is actually right or not (as a Lakers fan, I hope he's right). I do know that whether Durant is interested in the Lakers or not, doesn't matter. He'll be rumored to be interested regardless.

I agree that if the Lakers want a meeting, KD will meet with them whether he is truly interested or not, they get that kind of respect. Heck, everyone knew that Lebron was never going to seriously consider the Lakers, but he met with Mitch anyway.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Why would KD re-sign now? He stands to make a helluva lot more when the cap increase hits. I don't know if this is one of those rare times when Stephen A. is actually right or not (as a Lakers fan, I hope he's right). I do know that whether Durant is interested in the Lakers or not, doesn't matter. He'll be rumored to be interested regardless.

I agree that if the Lakers want a meeting, KD will meet with them whether he is truly interested or not, they get that kind of respect. Heck, everyone knew that Lebron was never going to seriously consider the Lakers, but he met with Mitch anyway.

Aldridge met with the Lakers and even met a second time when he found out that they wanted to improve their impression, but lets at least be honest enough to admit the Lakers were most likely never a consideration and won't be until they have a team that is good enough to become a contender with the presence of a superstar like Durant, Aldridge or some one else. Even now I can understand why Howard did not want to play with Kobe in charge and in the game to be honest, but it is what it is and KD would be stupid to re-sign now. By waiting and looking at offers from other teams - the price of the contract is going to go up - that is just how the business world works

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

He stirred the pot on that entire issue. He knew exactly what he was doing. He's tight with Shady McCoy so to protect his image after Chip dumped him, he floated the story that some people in Philly may think Kelly's moves are racially motivated. Other players latched onto it out of ignorance after the fact. He never outright called him a racist, but he danced around it and heavily implied it like a coward. Which is entirely his schtick. He's a muckracker but to protect himself from liable and slander, he has to dance around outrageous claims like that mostly because he has no concrete proof because its either A) all hearsay or B) fabricated. Credible journalist don't dabble in either. That's what grocery store tabloids do. SAS is the human version of a tabloid. Back over the summer Ryen Russillo had SAS on his radio to talk it out and see what SAS meant. He gave SAS every opportunity to say it wasn't racial and he never took it. He just kept talking louder and over top of Russillo, the patented move of someone who talks out of their ass.

You mentioned its a cultural thing and it is. It's the culture of a college coach (dictator) in the NFL, not racial. That was Russillo's stance. It was also the same stance Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones came to, two guys that can have intelligent discussions about race without going to the bottom of the barrel. SAS never went there. He always left racism issue in the room because its polarizing and that's what he wants. He wants that polarizing issue to fire people up because it puts more eyes on him. He doesn't care if its accurate, he wants that attention. And using race for that attention is exactly what a race baitor is.

I get fired up on guys like Stephen A Smith (and Skip Bayless). I don't see how anyone can defend them or support them. Sports should be fun and we have the ability to have intelligent discussions about it. But people like him purposely lower the IQ level of discussion for profit and personal gain.

SAS has always said it's a cultural thing. They touched on this subject plenty of times, but it's understandable you wouldn't know because you don't watch his shows.

We will just agree to disagree on SAS.

 

[wildturkey]

SAS has always said it's a cultural thing. They touched on this subject plenty of times, but it's understandable you wouldn't know because you don't watch his shows.

We will just agree to disagree on SAS.

Except for that time on Russillo and the fact that he started that whole shitstorm by heavily implying racism when he easily could have said "It's probably just a college coach thing", which he didn't. He never prefaced it with that. If he said that from the start, the story would have never blown up the way it did. But he didn't say it because he wanted the racial stuff out there (because again, he's race baiting). That's how he operates. Recklessly pimp controversy until it blows up for ratings and back track later if necessary (or just ignore the backlash until the next news cycle). I don't have to watch his show to know what he's doing or has said. His bullshit fills the sports blogs every time he says something stupid (usually once a month). We're not so much disagreeing because there's nothing to disagree on. He's purposely controversial with little scruples. He's a tabloid. That's who he is and how he's made his career. He's essentially the Sean Hannity of sports.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Except for that time on Russillo and the fact that he started that whole shitstorm by heavily implying racism when he easily could have said "It's probably just a college coach thing", which he didn't. He never prefaced it with that. If he said that from the start, the story would have never blown up the way it did. But he didn't say it because he wanted the racial stuff out there (because again, he's race baiting). That's how he operates. Recklessly pimp controversy until it blows up for ratings and back track later if necessary (or just ignore the backlash until the next news cycle). I don't have to watch his show to know what he's doing or has said. His bullshit fills the sports blogs every time he says something stupid (usually once a month). We're not so much disagreeing because there's nothing to disagree on. He's purposely controversial with little scruples. He's a tabloid. That's who he is and how he's made his career. He's essentially the Sean Hannity of sports.

You can call it race-baiting, I call it the truth that people don't want to hear. It is what it is!

 

[ckhokie]

I said I HEARD from folks I know -- in a league I've been covering for 19 years -- that if he were to leave OKC as a free agent, these are the cities I was told he was considering. OKC. LA. Miami. DC. NY.

Way to give us the inside scoop, Steven A.

Even a casual fan could tell you Durant is going to resign or sign with one of the FIVE other places you list. Not breaking news by any means, and a strong quote to cover your ass.

Stephen A, and almost all of the ESPN 'journalists' are jokes

 

[trojanfan12]

You can call it race-baiting, I call it the truth that people don't want to hear. It is what it is!

So then you aren't buying Stephen A.'s "cultural thing" bullshit either.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

So then you aren't buying Stephen A.'s "cultural thing" bullshit either.

As a white man in an African church, I do understand many of the cultural part of what Stephen Smith was trying to throw out which by the way in this case is a red herring because he had no defense.

The black people I have dealt with are brutally honest and they don't take it personal. They will tell you straight to your face what they think regardless of what the other thinks or if it hurts their feelings. They did that

I call BS on the cultural experience because at the end of the day, Stephen did indicate that Kevin Durant's preferred destination is the Lakers and Kevin Durant basically called him out on it and that's not true. There is nothing cultural her to digress too - Stephen was speaking with a split tongue - and that too is a cultural thing that the Indians used to say when they was calling some one a liar

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Personally I think that Stephen A Smith may have spent to much time at the Bikini Inspectors University on Facebook instead of getting the facts straight - Just saying

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

I said I HEARD from folks I know -- in a league I've been covering for 19 years -- that if he were to leave OKC as a free agent, these are the cities I was told he was considering. OKC. LA. Miami. DC. NY

The actual verbatim quote:

Regardless of how senseless it may [sound], in one breath I'm hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn't stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot

Durant has not told any teammates, friends, family, pastors, agents, or reporters this at all.

So who the hell is SAS hearing it from?????????????
What make-believe rainbow unicorn fairies are telling him this fact.

I would call out his tired ass as well if I were Durant.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

The actual verbatim quote:

Regardless of how senseless it may [sound], in one breath I'm hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn't stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot

Durant has not told any teammates, friends, family, pastors, agents, or reporters this at all.

So who the hell is SAS hearing it from?????????????
What make-believe rainbow unicorn fairies are telling him this fact.

I would call out his tired ass as well if I were Durant.

What he she would have said is that if Kevin Durant does not stay in Oklahoma City, then Los Angeles would be a strong consideration and kept his speculation as such

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

So then you aren't buying Stephen A.'s "cultural thing" bullshit either.

I am. I was talking about in general, that he is not a race baitor, but somebody that keeps it real.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

The actual verbatim quote:

Regardless of how senseless it may [sound], in one breath I'm hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn't stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot

Durant has not told any teammates, friends, family, pastors, agents, or reporters this at all.

So who the hell is SAS hearing it from?????????????
What make-believe rainbow unicorn fairies are telling him this fact.

I would call out his tired ass as well if I were Durant.

Yeah, because Durant will admit that he told anybody this, while still playing for OKC. You are being very naive. You damn well know, players deny reports all the time, to come find out it was true.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

As a white man in an African church, I do understand many of the cultural part of what Stephen Smith was trying to throw out which by the way in this case is a red herring because he had no defense.

The black people I have dealt with are brutally honest and they don't take it personal. They will tell you straight to your face what they think regardless of what the other thinks or if it hurts their feelings. They did that

I call BS on the cultural experience because at the end of the day, Stephen did indicate that Kevin Durant's preferred destination is the Lakers and Kevin Durant basically called him out on it and that's not true. There is nothing cultural her to digress too - Stephen was speaking with a split tongue - and that too is a cultural thing that the Indians used to say when they was calling some one a liar

Bruh, you are confusing Chips's situation with Durant's.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Bruh, you are confusing Chips's situation with Durant's.

Well Durant says no one in his group told Smith that and Smith says people in his circle did and that he has spoken to friends and family of Durant's in the past, so if you want to believe Smith - that's fine. I don't - I think he has had some credibility issues and has gotten some things wrong in the past. That does not mean he isn't a good reporter though - and I have enjoyed listening to him in the past. But reporters do get it wrong sometimes.