Stephen A. Smith says the Brooklyn Nets are just trying to steal headlines

There has been much talk lately about Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant returning to action if the season resumes. Stephen A. Smith sees no upside to it.

As NBA and Brooklyn Nets fans anxiously await some sort of news as to when the season is going to continue, a topic that has recently picked up a lot of steam is whether it makes sense for Kevin Durant to return to action this season or not.

This topic recently gained a lot of steam because Nets General Manager Sean Marks did not rule out the possibility of the 2014 MVP to come back this season in an interview with a New Zealand sports site.

"“That’s a $110 million question,” Marks said. “In all seriousness, we’ve tried not to talk about his timeline a lot. He knows his body better than anybody. Our performance team and training staff have done a tremendous job getting him to this point, but I just don’t know how coming out of this pandemic will affect anybody, let alone Kevin.”“When you’ve got enough invested in a player like Kevin, we’re never going to push him to come back. When the timing is right, he’ll be 100 percent when he gets on the court. I can tell you this though — before the pandemic, he looked like Kevin Durant and that’s a good thing.”"

Of course, those comments have made plenty of headlines, and that is exactly what Stephen A. Smith thinks Marks is trying to do since the Nets are considered second to the New York Knicks in the New York City market.

Smith also thinks it makes no sense for the Nets to bring back Durant this season since they’re more than 20 games out of first in the Eastern Conference and he won’t be able to ease his way back into play since the intensity of the playoffs will require him to go all out.

I do agree with the fact that Durant should just come back next season because he’ll be able to ease his way back into things with a training camp, build chemistry with his teammates outside of Kyrie Irving, and I also don’t think it makes sense for him to go out there and risk another injury when the team is most likely not going to win a championship this season anyway.

Most of us have seen videos of Durant looking like he’s ready to play, but as Smith said, being in regular shape and basketball shape are two completely different things.

In basketball, you’re required to battle through defenses and fight through contact when driving to the rim and also twisting and turning your body in unnatural ways to beat defenders. You’re also required to run up and down the floor at full intensity. Durant’s game relies on all of that, and that pounding can take a toll on your joints; especially when you’re nearly seven-feet tall.

With the league being shut down due to coronavirus, Durant theoretically had more time to allow his Achilles to heal. However, with training facilities locked down, that takes away from his rehab, so he’s going to need time to get himself back into proper basketball shape again.

The argument does exist that if every team gets some sort of training camp and a remainder of the regular season, Durant can use that time to get himself back into basketball shape, and then come out and prove to the world that he’s still arguably the best basketball player in the world.

However, from a long-term perspective, it makes a lot more sense to bring Durant and Irving back into the fold next season when there are changes made to the roster and a new head coach leading them so that they can just focus on bringing home a championship instead of rushing them back to maybe win a playoff series, which won’t be easy since they’re probably not going to finish any higher than the 7th seed anyway.

As for Stephen A’s assertion that Marks was trying to steal headlines.. well.. we can just say that that’s just a little bit ridiculous..