OAKLAND, Calif. — Few coaches in the NBA know Kevin Durant the way Ron Adams does. As head coach Steve Kerr’s defensive-minded assistant, Adams was tasked 13 times over the past two seasons with figuring a way to limit Durant’s offensive impact. But he’s also been on the other side, having coached a 20-year-old Durant during his second and third seasons in the league, when the Thunder franchise had just moved to Oklahoma City.
So when Durant announced on July 4 that he had decided to play for the Golden State Warriors, it meant more than just the formation of a superteam.