LOS ANGELES, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Prized Golden State acquisition Kevin Durant should not try to become the team leader at his new home, says Hall of Famer Gary Payton.
Instead, Payton suggests Durant take a back seat to his incumbent team mates and be a quiet if effective role player for the 2015 NBA champions when the new season begins on Tuesday.
Payton, one of the all-time alpha males of the NBA who once trash-talked Michael Jordan, believes in the perhaps old-fashioned idea of a team's pecking order and is not convinced that just showing up at Golden State should lift Durant to leading man status.