Browns DE Myles Garrett rips Kevin Durant for taking easy way to titles
On the sporting spectrum, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Browns are at opposite ends.
The Browns were 0-16 last season, the second team in NFL history to lose all 16 games in a season. The Warriors just won their third title in four years, a true NBA dynasty. But, in Browns end Myles Garrett’s mind, at least he isn’t taking the easy path to success.
Garrett, the No. 1 pick of last year’s NFL draft, brought up a well-worn criticism of Warriors forward Kevin Durant: He signed with the Warriors, who predictably have dominated the NBA since.
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“Me, I’m too competitive to try and ride on somebody’s coat tails to get a W,” Garrett said on 92.3 The Fan, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Garrett endearing himself to Cleveland fans
Garrett knows his home fan base at least. The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost the last two seasons to the super-charged Warriors with Durant. Durant joined the Warriors a year after Golden State won 73 games and beat KD’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoffs.
“You hopped onto a 73-9 team and he took the easy way out in my mind,” Garrett told 92.3 The Fan. “It’s different when LeBron left. He went to [Miami to join] Wade and Bosh but it wasn’t something that was already guaranteed, something you already knew was going to have immediate success. [James] had to gel and work things into place.
“With KD, you just stick him in and he scores. You already knew what they had. They were 73-9 before and you put the second-best player in the world on an already all-time great team and of course you’re going to have success, pretty easy success. Anyone can have an off night and they can still find a way to win.”
Why was Garrett calling out Durant?
That’s not a unique opinion, of course. Since Durant jumped to the Warriors, plenty of people have ripped him for joining a ready-made title team. The Warriors had already won one championship without him, and came up just short against the Cavs in Game 7 of the Finals the year before Durant came aboard.
Still, it’s a bit random for an NFL player to voice it. Especially one that hasn’t yet reached Durant’s level of stardom. Garrett had an injury filled rookie season after being the top pick, though he played very well when he was healthy and has a bright future.
It was just unexpected to hear him call Durant out.
Garrett says he wouldn’t “make a move like that”
Durant wasn’t the first free agent to move to a team because it had a good shot at winning a title, just the easiest example because he was a superstar who had just lost to a stacked Warriors team. And keep this quote in mind for the future, if Garrett ever hits free agency.
“If I were him I would’ve never made a move like that in the first place,” Garrett said, via the Plain Dealer. “Me, I’m too competitive to try and ride on somebody’s coat tails to get a W. But for him, you might as well stay at the spot you’re at now. There’s no point in leaving since you’ve already taken that moniker where he’s been called the snake and cupcake and all that. You might as well stay and just keep on winning.”
Even though Garrett has a little bit of cache in the professional sports world, Durant probably isn’t concerned about what he has to say. He should be used to it by now. And if everyone is being honest, Garrett would probably take a couple titles over being on an 0-16 team, no matter how it comes.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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