NBA superstar Kevin Durant injured his knee after teammate Zaza Pachulia fell into it last night in a game against the Washington Wizards. The injury occurred early in the first quarter and Durant did not return to the game. Initially the Golden State Warriors called it a hyperextended left knee and Durant had an MRI late Tuesday night. The team is supposed to make an announcement today on the true extent of the injury.
Tough blow for Golden State
For the Golden State Warriors to lose Kevin Durant at this point in the year is an extreme punch to the gut for a team looking to make a trip to the NBA finals for the third year in a row.
Durant signed with the Warriors last summer with the hope of forming a "super team" unlike any the league has seen before. He shocked fans in Oklahoma City when he announced that he would be joining the same team that came back from down 3-1 to beat them in the Western Conference Finals.
Now Golden State has to deal with the possibility of not having its shiny new toy for the postseason run. The Cleveland Cavaliers were already getting prepared for a rematch with the Warrriors by signing Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut this week to shore up their bench. Now the Cavs look like the overwhelming favorites to win it all with the news about Durant's injury. Durant could possibly still return for the playoffs but even if he does he probably won't be operating at 100 percent.
The Warriors will more than likely have to rely heavily on the big three of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson down the stretch in order to secure a top seed in the Western Conference.
Warriors to sign Matt Barnes
Golden State didn't waste any time finding help after the Kevin Durant injury and are reportedly signing veteran small forward Matt Barnes to a contract through the rest of the season.
Although Barnes is definitely not Kevin Durant, he does bring a skill set that should mesh seamlessly with the current roster. He could easily slide into Durant's spot in the starting lineup and the Warriors would still be a pretty formidable team. Barnes played for the Warriors from 2006-2008 and now it seems like things are coming full circle.
He tweeted this earlier today,“It’s a dream come true. I feel like I helped start something in 2007 and now, I’m coming back to help finish it.” We will soon see if Barnes is enough to get the Warriors over the hump to help them secure another NBA championship.
