All-Star forward Kevin Durant made a cold-blooded prediction on the titular hopes of the Portland Trail Blazers in the podcast of C.J. McCollum.
Durant who was a guest in the Pull Up podcast of McCollum believes that the Trail Blazers aren't a serious threat in the Western Conference. Durant pointed out that the Trail Blazers who finished third in the West played like an eighth seed.
"I mean... you know you guys aren't going to win a championship," Durant said.
Durant's vicious comment came at heels of McCollum stating that the Warriors signing of DeMarcus Cousins upset him. Earlier in the offseason, the Warriors inked Cousins into a one-year 5.3 million deal.
McCollum Defends Team
McCollum was quick to defend his team, citing that the Trail Blazers had all the capabilities to win a championship. The Trail Blazers had an impressive regular season last year as they finished with a 49-33 win-loss card before being swept by the New Orleans Pelicans.
"We were right there at the top of things. We were the third seed last year, bro. We were right there. We were just slightly below one and two," McCollum said.
Nonetheless, Durant's comments spoke volumes as the Trail Blazers have failed to move past the second round of the NBA Playoffs since 2000. Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker added that the Trail Blazers do not have all the tools necessary to give the Warriors a run for their money.
Cousins To Portland Was Possible?
McCollum also reiterated that Portland had a realistic possibility of nabbing Cousins. However, Durant thinks that Cousins and Jusuf Nurkic would be too much of one thing for the Trail Blazers.
Cousins appeared in just 48 games for the Pelicans last season wherein he put up incredible numbers of 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks. Cousins also made 47 percent of his shots from the field and 35.4 percent from the three-point area last season.
Before joining the Warriors, Cousins garnered the interest of the Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and the Washington Wizards. The Pelicans parted ways with Cousins after it signed free agent big man Julius Randle. Cousins will join Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson in the Warriors' starting lineup.
The 27-year-old Cousins would provide the Warriors with a boost in the center spot after losing JaVale McGee who joined the Los Angeles Lakers. The erstwhile Sacramento Kings superstar is currently recovering from his Achilles tendon injury and is projected to return on December or January.
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