Kevin Durant is now gliding through rehabilitation workouts and the Golden State Warriors expect to have him back from his knee injury before the end of the regular season.
His return also will serve as a timely reminder that the Warriors have taken on a venerable role in NBA lore: villains.
OK, maybe Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and friends do not fit the traditional mould of bad guys. Teams like the Boston Celtics of the 1980s, Detroit Pistons of the 1990s and, more recently, the LeBron James-era Miami Heat invited disdain for a) beating everyone and b) doing it with attitude.
The attitude most often associated with the Warriors since they skyrocketed to the top of the NBA heap in 2015 has been that of joy.
“Splash Brothers” is the primary image. Finesse. Flash. Fun. Few focus on the complimentary physical work provided by loose cannon Draymond Green (a more fitting, traditional villain), or a physical grinder like Andre Iguodala. It is all about the sprinting offence and the three-point rainbows.
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Nor have Golden State had a long run of success that starts to bore the world or grate on the nerves. This Warriors’ core only has one NBA title, missing a golden chance at back-to-backs last spring when they gave up a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers and lost Game 7 at home.
So let us just call them “soft” villains, a tag stemming solely from their game-changing signing of All-Star free agent Durant last summer.
The immediate reaction was that the richest got richer. The team that seemingly had everything now, really, has everything.
Sure, the Warriors’ incumbent superstar, Curry, is easy to like. Sharp. Charismatic. Socially aware. Stays out of trouble. Plus, Durant, the superstar they added may be even more likeable. Humble. Soft-spoken. Gives back to the community. Angelic reputation.
But at some point, it is all about basketball. This deal just did not seem, well, fair.
People prefer good competition and Durant-to-Golden State had the off-putting whiff of an arranged championship.
In the same way that James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010 created an instant team to vilify, so did Durant’s joining the Warriors.
Durant’s sudden departure from his original team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, also had the feel of abandonment. He left a place where he was adored, and a place where everyone thought the feeling was mutual.
Also abandoned was his fellow star, Russell Westbrook. The two had partnered for seven years, clawing their way up the Western Conference ladder, perhaps one break or two from their own championship.
When Durant left, the NBA’s top Karl Malone-John Stockton story (best duo without rings) went with it.
In short, Golden State went from loveable powerhouse to “Hey, that’s overkill!”
Even the Warriors recognised their new status. Days into the new season, the team had their picture taken under a huge arc of metallic balloons reading, “SUPER VILLAINS”.
Maybe the parts were some of the best people in the NBA, but the sum of the parts was that the rest of the league had little chance.
It kind of went that way, too. With Durant, the Warriors opened 50-9 and built a comfortable lead over the riff-raff. Without him, they have been a mortal 7-5. But Durant will be back, just in time.
Fans, of course, are funny people. They want a team to root for, and they like having one to root against, too.
The Warriors do not exactly wear the villain role well, but until a team more odious comes along, it is all theirs.
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