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Message: [QUOTE="Cowtown, post: 2899645, member: 2350"] I'm getting tired of the media driven NBA soap opera. It's everywhere. Last summer when I was in the US for 3 months everything was LeBron LeBron LeBron. Today, even the Canadian media is all gaga with NBA drama. This is from Axios, I don't disagree. Kevin Durant ripped the media's coverage of his pending free agency during his postgame press conference on Wednesday night. Can't say I disagree with him. [LIST] [*]"I just don't trust none of y'all. Every time I say something it's getting twisted up and thrown out and in so any different publications, trying to tear me down with my words that I say." [*]"I have nothing to do with the Knicks. ... They got nothing to do with me. I'm trying to play basketball. Y'all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches. You rile up the fans about it. Let us play basketball. That's all I'm saying." [*]"Come on, man. Grow up. Grow up. ... I come here and go to work every day. I don't cause no problems. I play the right way ... What's the problem? What am I doing to y'all?" [/LIST] Why it matters: One of the most remarkable things about the current NBA season is how little the media seems to care about it. Instead, much of the discussion has been centered around this summer's free agency. [LIST] [*]"KD to the Knicks" has been one of the hotter topics, while endless articles continue to be written about the futures of Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and others. (Why does every big free agent's name start with a "K"?) [*]The upcoming trade deadline — and the Anthony Davis saga, in particular — has only intensified things, with even more rumors flying around, all from anonymous "sources," of course. [/LIST] The big picture: The NBA has always been a personality-driven league, and now that players are switching teams and joining forces more frequently than ever, free agency literally gets more attention than the games themselves. [LIST] [*]There's no separation between the season and the offseason anymore. They are one. And while that makes the NBA relevant all year long, it also means that much of the in-season intrigue happens off the court. It's kind of weird. [/LIST] The bottom line: [B]The players helped create this reality, so it's easy to roll your eyes and say, "Oh please, Kevin Durant, stop complaining." And yet, we shouldn't give the media a pass on this[/B]. [LIST] [*]From debate shows designed to churn out H0T Takes, to reporters who ask players about free agency (which is 5 months away) in an attempt to get a quote, to the writers who take those quotes and dramatize them to get clicks, there's a certain laziness to NBA coverage. [*]I'm not saying Kevin Durant shouldn't have to answer questions about his future. All I'm saying is there's a way to do it without driving the guy insane. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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