Shut Up And Play

It's been a bad summer for the NBA - that's no secret.  Perhaps the only positive recent basketball-related news of the last few weeks has been Kevin Durant's dominance in a host of pickup games across the world.  As the Washington Post recently noted, he's been tearing up Rucker Park in Harlem, random courts in the Phillipines and the Pro City League in Manhattan.  If you haven't seen highlights of Durant's recent on-court work, I've posted some highlights below.  You can waste some serious time this weekend YouTube-ing recent Durant highlights.

Of course, other NBA players have been in the news lately, too.  Derek Fisher has had plenty of on-camera time for his work as the President of the National Basketball Players Association, negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the owners.  Deron Williams (and others) have made headlines for agreeing to play with teams in Europe (Turkey in particular) during a season-long NBA lockout.  And, taking the cake, Ron Artest had another fifteen minutes of fame earlier this summer for legally changing his name to "Metta World Peace."  Durant is the only one who has been in the news for actually playing basketball, however.

I've always liked Kevin Durant, and feel like he's never gotten the respect he already deserves as one of the NBA's best players.  He may lack the killer instinct of Kobe Bryant, the hype of LeBron James or the boyish charm of Dwight Howard, but he's an incredible talent and, as his summer clearly shows, he absolutely loves the game of basketball.  He's not worried about his next contract or making himself more marketable - he just wants to play, and he's having a great time doing it.  During an otherwise miserable NBA-related summer, Durant's been the one bright spot we can all continue to watch and enjoy.