Durant is one star Knicks aren't courting
After signing a contract extension this summer, superstar forward Kevin Durant won't become a free agent for another three years. (Dec. 5, 2010) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Kevin Durant steps into the Garden Wednesday night as one star who won't have to endure the courtship or the coveting that tends to happen here these days. Durant isn't going to have to face questions about his future, free agency and whether he would love to put his talents on display on the game's most famous stage.
Durant is a different type of NBA star, one who signed his extension with Oklahoma City the same July day that LeBron James was to announce his free agency destination. Durant announced his on Twitter. James, well, you know how he did it.
But Durant provided for the NBA a refreshing antithesis of the Summer of LeBron, a modest star who doesn't need to be on billboards from Manhattan to Miami Beach. Durant is an East Coast guy, but from the day the Sonics became the Thunder, he has been right at home in Oklahoma City. "I love OKC, very laid back and calm," he said in July, when he agreed to the five-year, $85 million extension. "Fits me pretty well."
The Knicks spent the last two years pining for LeBron and now are desperately seeking Carmelo Anthony as they try to add another star to their roster, which is headlined by Amar'e Stoudemire. And if Melo falls through, there is always Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard in 2012. But Durant won't be in that conversation for another three years, if at all.
So all Knicks fans can do is salivate about an MVP candidate who goes into tonight's game at the Garden leading the league in scoring (27.4 points per game), just ahead of Stoudemire (26.5). And with all this talk about overplaying key players, it should be noted that Thunder coach Scott Brooks plays Durant 39.5 minutes per game, which is third-most in the league and well ahead of Stoudemire's 37.8.
Still, Mike D'Antoni suggested after practice Tuesday that he will spread out his minutes more liberally, with a nod to forward Shawne Williams seeing an increased role in the rotation. It's open auditions for anyone who gets their number called right now. "They're going to have to play well," D'Antoni said. "They get in there and play [well], they'll play."
Notes & quotes: Toney Douglas sat out practice with a right shoulder sprain. He is expected to play . . . Amar'e Stoudemire took another day off from full-contact drills to protect a pinched nerve in his neck, but he also will play . . . As the Knicks are in the market for bigs, One name that appeared on the waiver wire Tuesday was Earl Barron, the 7-foot center who appeared in 12 games for the Suns this season, including six starts, and averaged three points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. Barron, 29, was a D-League find by the Knicks last season.
