Tramel's ScissorTales: Warriors' drive to NBA Finals hurts Kevin Durant's legacy even more

A week or so ago, Shaquille O’Neal took a clear shot at Kevin Durant.

Shaq’s tweet: “KD accomplishment since he left Steph:

“1.

“2.

“3.

“The end.”

Ouch. Not accurate. Not fair. But that’s the life Durant chose.

Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 came with virtual automatic NBA championships but longlasting ramifications. The idea took hold that Durant had to join a powerhouse to win big.

The responses from some among the NBA elite, like Paul Pierce, back in 2016 showed that Durant boarding the Warrior bandwagon was considered dubious far beyond Oklahoma borders.

The Shaq tweet shows that some of that Durant skepticism has remained.

And Durant’s legacy continues to take a hit. The Golden State revival – the Warriors are in the NBA Finals after back-to-back, injury-marred seasons out of the playoffs – has reminded us what a juggernaut the Warriors were before Durant’s arrival.

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The Steph Curry/Klay Thompson/Draymond Green axis won the 2015 NBA championship, then the Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games in 2015-16 before surviving Durant and Thunder in an epic West finals, then losing to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in what was LeBron James’ finest hour of many in pro basketball.

Then Durant showed up, competitive drama took a vacation and the Warriors won two straight NBA titles.

But Golden State’s excellence with now-30 somethings Curry, Thompson and Green has returned. Even anti-Warriors must acknowledge the greatness of Golden State’s trio, which has been together, in sickness and in health, for 10 years.

Injuries to Curry and Thompson have curtailed Golden State for a couple of years, but now the Warriors are riding high. They are favored over the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

The evidence is overwhelming. These Warriors are historically great, with or without Durant. And Durant’s jump from the Thunder to Golden State six years ago looks more and more like a ring grab than the exclamation of the Warriors’ ascension.

The opinions of fans or media don’t mean much to some players. But few are the pros who don’t care about the thoughts of peers. And Durant’s peers have been quite biting, compared to most intra-star comments, when judging his decision.

Durant’s defection to Golden State basically ended competitive balance for almost three seasons, until massive injuries struck in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant’s torn Achilles in Game 5 and Thompson’s massive knee injury in Game 6.

Just look at these NBA Playoffs. Golden State, Boston, Miami, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Dallas. All kinds of teams had legitimate title aspirations at some point in this post-season.

Not so during much of Durant’s three Golden State seasons. But such dominance came at a price.

In OKC, Durant was seen as a leader of a potential championship team. Now, Durant is seen as the guy who jumped on the Curry Express.

'It's all on the table': How Mike Boynton dishes on Oklahoma State's roster, transfer portal & scholarships

Rondel Walker should help TCU

When OSU basketball player Rondel Walker entered the transfer portal, many were surprised. They thought he was a Cowboy loyalist.

When Walker decided to enroll at Texas Christian, many were surprised. They thought he might be OU-bound.

But neither decision should be surprising. Walker made business decisions that have everything to do with playing time.

Walker, a two-year reserve for OSU, is a good player. The 6-foot-4 guard from Putnam West is a strong defender and a sparkplug on offense.

But the Cowboys have a variety of guards; holdovers Bryce Thompson and Avery Anderson plus transfers John-Michael Wright (High Point) and Caleb Asberry (Texas State). OU isn’t that deep, but the Sooners did add high-scoring transfers Grant Sherfield (Nevada) and Joe Bamisile (George Washington).

You could see Walker as a potential sixth man at OU and something a little shy of that status at OSU. But at TCU, Walker’s playing time should soar.

The Horned Frogs return star wingman Mike Miles and point guard Damion Baugh, but Francisco Farabello transferred to Creighton.

So playing time should be abundant for Walker, who averaged 4.9 points a game last season for OSU. Walker was more productive as a 2020-21 freshman, averaging 7.8 points.

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The List: WCWS appearances

OSU is in the Women’s College World Series for the 13th time. The Cowgirls have the most appearances for any program without an NCAA softball championship. Here are the programs with the most WCWS trips:

1. UCLA 34: The Bruins have 13 titles (counting the pre-NCAA AIAW), starting in 1978. The most recent championship was 2019. UCLA’s longest drought between titles was 2010-19.

2. Arizona 29: The Wildcats have won eight championships but none since 2007. UofA won in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2007.

3. Oklahoma 19: OU has won five WCWS titles – 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2021. The Sooners have the most titles and appearances in the 21st century.

3. Arizona State 19: The Sun Devils won titles in 1972, 1973, 2008 and 2011.

5. California 15: The Golden Bears won the 2002 WCWS but haven’t been back to OKC since 2012.

6. Washington 14: UW’s only title came in 2009.

7. Oklahoma State 13: The Cowgirls played in three AIAW national tournaments before the NCAA embraced softball in 1982. OSU’s longest WCWS drought was between 1998 and 2011.

7. Michigan 13: The Wolverines won the 2005 WCWS and have been regulars since, but haven’t been back since 2016.

7. Alabama 13: The Crimson Tide won the title in 2012, and all of Bama’s trips have come in the 2000s.

10. Fresno State 12: The Bulldogs won the title in 1998 but haven’t reached the WCWS since 1999.

10. Texas A&M 12: The Aggies were a 1980s power, with titles in 1982, 1983 and 1987. But since 1988, A&M has reached the WCWS only thrice – 2007, 2008 and 2017.

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Mailbag: Thunder draft pick

The NBA Draft is 23 days away. It’s getting tense.

Paul: “If you had the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, who do you pick for the Thunder? I’ve been reading y'all's articles in the Daily and it’s literally reading tea leaves, lol!”

Tramel: I still go with Jabari Smith. I like his combination of offensive skills, size (6-foot-10), defensive flexibility and shooting ability.

Chet Holmgren is a superb rim-protector, which matters a bunch, but the ability to switch on defense is key to a team’s success. That’s what the elite teams do. And Smith can.

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Olen Treadway: the Muskogee Rougher who got away

Muskogee High School was a conduit to Bud Wilkinson’s OU football dynasty. 

Eddie Crowder. Bo Bolinger. Burris brothers Buddy, Kurt and Bob. Max Boydston. All Wilkinson stars in the late 1940s and 1950s.

But not every Muskogee star ended up in Norman. Olen Treadway, a star quarterback at Muskogee in the mid-1950s, went to the University of Iowa and was the Big Ten’s leading passer in 1959.

Treadway, who coached a short time at Iowa and OSU, lived much of his adult life in Edmond as a banker and securities broker, died May 19 at age 85.

Treadway was a 1955 all-stater at Muskogee, then played at Iowa from 1956-59. In 1959, Treadway led the Big Ten in most passing categories – 86 completions, 147 attempts, .585 completion percentage, 125.8 passer rating and 1,014 yards.

“We were fortunate to have a lot of talent in those years at Muskogee,” Treadway told The Oklahoman years ago.

Treadway was among the talented Roughers.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Golden State Warriors' drive to NBA Finals hurts Kevin Durant's legacy