Kevin Durant's Solo Career

It starts with a taste of the stage without a backing band. It starts with a bandmate strealing your girlfriend. It starts with a need for artistic freedom. It starts with needing more of the spotlight. It starts with unloading the dead weight the third guitarist and that guy on the keyboard. It starts with the lead guitar player getting too much attention.

A solo career can start in a lot of different places, but it usually ends up passing through most of these places listed above. For Kevin Durant, he just took the last step towards a solo career last night. He had the bandmate stealing his girl (Westbrook submarining a trip to the Finals), he has had the need for artistic freedom (spot up shooting never was his game), he has need more spotlight (he won't admit this but I can't imagine the bright lights in OKC are giving his ego* enough of a tan), he has carried some dead weight (Harden was that third guitarist before he found his mojo), and we are all familiar with his lead guitarrist dominating the headlines in the Playoffs. Last night in Rucker Park, Kevin Durant just had his taste of a big stage, without his backing band. And from the looks lof things, he liked it.

Personally, I'm excited to see where this solo career goes. I hope he doesn't take it to Lithuania and start making weird euro-pop. I hope he doesn't team up with Pacquiao's producer in the Phillipines. Will he be Thom Yorke and balance a solo career and a successful band? Will he be Jeff Tweedy and moonlight occasionally? Will he take the Beyonce approach and leave the rest of OKC's Children high and dry? I see him a bit like a Justin Timberlake with last night being his Super Bowl XXXVIII. He had a solo album out before, but the wardrobe malfunction thrust him into the spotlight.

Kevin Durant, here's your solo record deal. Don't screw it up.

*Yes Kevin Durant has an ego. You don't make it to the NBA without an Ego. Tim Duncan has an Ego. Steve Nash has an Ego. They may not be the same Ego that Marbury has or that Kobe is packing, but they are Egos. And Egos have needs.

Them Crooked Fortunes

Dear Seattle,

I am sorry for the dismal luck you have had with your most beloved, specifically the Sonics and Grunge. As if things aren't bad enough just thinking about what could've been, I can only imagine how its been a tough past week for you.

First, Dave Grohl was front and center during this last episode of Saturday Night Liveas a the drummer of a band reuniting. This was after he was behind the drum kit just killing it for the sake of killing it. I'm sure there is some consolation in seeing Dave actually playing some hard rock and having long hair again, but its probably very small if its there at all.

Then just last night the Team That Could Have Been (KD and the Boys) made a visit to your little brother (Portland). Not only did he have a game (33 and 11) but he reached a milestone only two other players in recent history have hit. He has now scored 25+ points in 25 straight games. Only The Answer and Air Jordan have surpassed that feat. I won't mention that they are in the playoff picture, pushing for home court, and have won 6 straight.

You might want to stay away from your TV's and computers this weekend with the All-Star game approaching. If Kobe isn't playing, KD is the front runner to get the MVP and has an official coming out party. You're going to want none of this type of news, especially if you're already rock bottom after last night in Portland.

Again, I am sorry things have worked out this way. You can only be excited about Pete Carroll for so long.

Sincerely,

Charlie T Hustle Jr.

Please. No. And, furthermore, never. Ever.

I had to check the calendar- is it really April 1?- and only clicked through because I knew a reputed sports site like ESPN.com wouldn't have any accompanying photos

but (and emphasis on but)

WHAT?

So many thoughts:
- to paraphrase Cindy Lou Who, "why, Greg Oden, why?"

- I guess when you're not ever playing, you kinda get bored.

- what would be worse: seeing Bea Arthur or Greg Oden naked? I'm going with Oden. They're approximately the same age anyway.

- isn't there a Celebrity Orientation class that these first rounders have to take? (Not to be confused with Starving Desperate C-Listers class, where this moronic move would be 101.) Cover such topics as: Careful With That Entourage! and Have Somebody Else Carry The Gun and Don't Text Naked Pictures Of Yourself To Anyone Ever and Just Have A Shred Of Common Sense, Idiot.

- Kevin Durant, anyone? OKC loves their life.

- Somewhere, Sam Bowie is so stoked. His run as the NBA and Portland's big draft gaffe may have, at least temporarily, fallen a spot or two. "Yeah, they picked me over Jordan and I never panned out, but I never sent nude photos and then got them posted online! Holla!"

- Oden apologized publicly, as our stars tend to do (they DO all enroll in Crisis Management 101, it seems). I can't help wonder if he should apologize more for the photos or for playing in 7 games through 2 seasons at several million a pop.

The Mysteries of the Pacific Northwest

Charlie T and Mrs. Hustle are up in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, uncovering the secrets of:

– Pearl Jam's new very ungrunge single
– Starbucks' impossible ability to thrive in a local-favoring coffee capital like Seattle
– Andre Miller's supposed signing with the Blazers
– how Seattle really feels about the Thunder From Down Under
– the sly slip of a "spry Greg Oden" reference into an article about Kevin Durant. Come on. Who is the genius doing Oden's PR? And how much did he pay for "spry"? Would "agile" have been cheaper? "Mobile" was probably the original term.
– where is the rest of One Eyed Willie's treasure? I'm sure Corey Feldman is available to go look.
– how the Retire Sam Bowie's Number movement is coming along in Portland
– what in the world is going on with TBC favorite Shawn Smith? Surely there's an answer for why he just disappeared.

All-Star Bullets

What this isn't: Observations about Wes Unseld or Elvin Hayes
What this is: Observations about the All-Star Weekend festivites

Shaq is still fun
The pre-game dancing went on about 4 minutes longer than he actually played in the game but I didn't care.
Calling Craig Sager unprofessional for asking about the Suns' coaching status during the pre-game was an unheralded highlight.

Dwight Howard is fun
I got a little tired of all the Dunk Contest gimmicks, the phone booth, but his performance Sunday made me penitent.
He might have the best smile in the league and its nice to see him along with all the other players smiling too.

Kobe is still awkward
10 shots in the first quarter? Really? Who was gunning for the MVP out there besides you? Nobody.

Pink and Orange don't match
Thanks Craig...now I don't have to ever look like an idiot while I figure it out.

The Dunk Contest lacks innovation
The 12 foot hoop was good, but couldn't you have done a more exciting dunk on it than that?
Another free throw line dunk? Really?
Was J.R. even trying?
Congratulations Nate for bringing a green ball...that was the pinnacle of innovation.

Joe Johnson not an All-Star
The most boring part of H-O-R-S-E.
22 minutes and ZERO points, including 0-3 from the 3 PT line.
You also managed 0 assists and 0 rebounds while committing 5 turnovers. Cool.

Durant is an All-Star
And he might have the coolest shoes in the league right now

Spike needs to give D-Wade a break
The bow-tie during the rookie game was great. The outfit during saturday night was fun. And the band-aid, well its a band-aid. What do you want on it, Snoopy? Little Mermaid?

LeBron will not be competing in the Dunk Contest
Do I need to explain this one?

The All-Star game hasn't figured out the music
Bring in one star hip-hopper too perform all the songs. Don't do video montages of Britney. Is this really that hard?

Dream Team-Up, Pt. 6

Team Name: D. Oderant
Team Members: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant

Since nobody cares about Chris Paul's arm pits, the creative advertising department at Right Guard came up with the perfect mash-up of NBA talent that everyone has dreamed of playing together since 2007. Right Guard has managed to do what Paul Allen's money couldn't; put Durant and Oden on the floor together and on the same team.

Obviously this team will be good. Size inside and length on the perimeter. Oden doesn't need shots while Durant never met one that was outside his range. The only problem with this team up is how sick we'll all be of them reading cue cards about "odor-blocking technology" during the commercial breaks.

TiVo this match-up. It is sure to have as much potential as this dynamic duo. And will without a doubt out do this one

No (Seattle) Depression

Its time I got off the "OKC Hatin' Bandwagon" just because of a few management decisions. Truth is, besides the one big, elephant in the room sized decisions, they management has done quite well. Actually they have done really well.

The trio of Durant, Westbrook and Green is just beginning to take shape. They each scored over 20 points last night against the Jazz prompting this post as their coming out party.

3 is a magic number. You can't get it done with two, unless you are named Jack and Meg, and four is too many. (just ask the Celtic's this year with their supposed BIG 4 and a really rough stretch recently) Imagine how much better Almond Joy's or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups would be if they came in packs of three instead of two.

Imagine if the Thunder had stayed in Seattle. We would be comparing these guys to the previous terrific threesome of the Northwest. Nirvana. Durant could be our Cobain. Westbrook our Dave Grohl. Green our Novoselic. It would've been great. Until the Cobain parallel played out completely.

This is where the positive spin of them moving comes in. We have saved ourselves from adding one more to the 27 Club. Now we can compare the trio to another up and coming young group from southern Illinois, just a stones throw from OKC.

Uncle Tupelo was a pioneering band in the early 90's, just like Nirvana. They were playing a little different beat but just as groundbreaking. Featuring two musicians who went on to form two different bands who have garnered success in their own right, the roots were laid in UC. Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Jay Farrar (Son Volt) were some of the pioneers of the alternative country scene, playing with energy and enthusiasm a la the OKC3.

To be determined later is the inevitable break up. You know its coming. They will find a way to not be able to keep all 3. One will go off to Chicago (a la Tweedy) and be the most successful. The question is which one.

Either way there is reason for No Depression in OKC.