Warriors Kevin Durant On Social Media Disputes -- 'I'm Qualified To Talk About Basketball'
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- It has been weeks since injured Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant met with the media, but it's not that he has remained silent.
Durant has gotten into a social media spats with Fox Sports reporter Chris Broussard and other lesser known individuals since he's been sidelined. On Friday, he addressed his social media exchanges and other thoughts after undergoing treatment at Warriors training camp.
"I'm a human being with a social media account," Durant said when asked about the exchanges. "I can see if I ventured off into like politics, like to culinary arts or music and give you my input but I'm sticking to something I know...I'm sticking to stuff I know...This is all I know...I'm qualified to talk about basketball."
"So when I respond to something, especially if it's about me, personally...Of course, I'll going to tell you if you are wrong...I'm on the training table and getting treatment on my calf and I see a tweet come by and I disagree (I'll respond)," he said while pretending to tweet on his phone. "I don't talk to people because I'm worried about what they are going to say, it's because I'm interested."
Durant has been sidelined since he injured the calf in the second half of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston. While he's not been much of a public fixture since then, he has been helping the team behind the scenes.
"Just from what I see from a strategy standpoint," he said of his insight. "Last series (sweep of Portland in NBA Western Conference Finals) we played a lot of pick-and-rolls. We were down at halftime of Game 2 and everyone was just talking about the coverage on the ball...Just chiming in and seeing how I could help. Giving guys perspective from a different view. I feel like almost a coach now a little bit because I get to analyze the game. It's been fun."
What likely hasn't been fun for Durant is the outside talk by some media pundits and critics of the Warriors that they are a better team without him. His teammates have scoffed at the notion, but the talk continues.
"I feel like my teammates and the (Warriors) organization know exactly what I've done here on and off the court to be a part of this culture, stamp my flag on this culture and this organization," Durant said. "I know what I bring to the team but I also know that a lot of people on the outside don't like to see us together. I get it."