OAKLAND, Calif. -- Before the Golden State Warriors hosted the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena, All-Star forward Kevin Durant gave an update on his recovery from a hyperextended knee, which he suffered on Feb. 28 in Washington. Read the full transcript below:
Steve [Kerr] said earlier that you kind of were able to ride the bike a little bit and work up a bit of sweat. How are you feeling right now?
Kevin Durant: I feel better. It’s only been a week, so just trying to take my time, take it a day at a time and just get better. That's the name of the game for me right now. Just keep grinding every single day, just keep gaining strength in the rest of my body. Hopefully my knee heels pretty quick.
How are your emotions from the time of the injury to the time of the results?
KD: Well, honestly, I didn’t know. Guys fell on my legs before, and it’s not as bad. This time I knew it was a little different, when I ran up and down the court. When I got to the back it stiffened up real quick. So it was a pain I never felt before. But I knew I’d been through this before, so no matter what it was, no matter what the doctor said with the MRI scan ... I knew I'd be ready for this journey to just get back. No matter what, I was going to conquer it and work extremely hard every single day to try and get back on the court.
Were you nervous as the results came?
KD: I wouldn’t say nervous. I was just real anxious to see what it was. It was tough news first, but then it came back, and by the grace of God it wasn't as bad as we thought. So that was a positive, and I just try to look at that and stay positive throughout this whole situation and just keep working.
When the team is on the road, where do you watch the games? And are you like a nervous wreck or are you kind of chilled out? And when you're here ...
KD: I’ve got a nice little spot on my couch I watch the games [on] now. I wouldn't say I was a nervous wreck. Definitely, when we lost to Chicago it was tough. We had that game. I felt like we should have won that game. But hey, it's good to bounce back against New York and Atlanta and then come home from one game, so it was exciting to see the team come together against New York and Atlanta. That was fun to watch. And tonight I'll be watching in the back so hopefully we get a W.
Do you yell at the screen and stuff when you're watching?
KD: Yeah, I do. It was fun watching the team. I didn't feel like an NBA player this last week, but to be with the guys in the locker room today and be around the team, it felt great.
How long did you think you were potentially going to be out for the year? And then when you finally heard that it wasn't like that, what was that like?
KD: It was a crucial probably 30 minutes where I thought that I'd have to go through this long rehab to get back onto the court. And then I got a call that said it wasn't as bad, so that kind of eased my mind a little bit. But like I said, either way I knew it's something I had to conquer. I knew it's something I had to work extremely hard to get back. I still do, no matter what, and I've been through it before. So it's a reason that I'm here now, is that I work extremely hard, and it's nothing different. It's just trying to get my knee right and get my body right, and hopefully I'll be back to play soon.
Have you noticed any improvement yet? And how confident are you that you'll be back before the season?
KD: I’m not even trying to put a date on it; just however I feel. I'm just setting goals every single day. Just try to straighten my leg out -- that was a big goal of mine throughout this week, and I was able to accomplish that, get some range of motion as I bent my leg. That was a key for me. So I’m just trying to set these small goals day by day, and I'll get back to playing. I'll worry about that whenever I feel good, but I'm just taking it a day at a time.
Steve mentioned you were on the bike today. Is your daily routine different?
KD: It could be a lot worse. A lot of things could’ve happened. It could be a lot worse. I hurt my knee. … A lot of guys go through this, go through a lot of injuries. It’s nothing nobody should be concerned about. I got a boo-boo playing basketball. It is what it is. I’m OK. My spirits are good. My family is good. I’m doing what I love to do every single day, so it’s all right. But as far as my routine every day, I’m just trying to strengthen, like I said, the muscles around my lower body and just try to get my range of motion back in my leg. It’s a process that I’m looking forward to getting through, and hopefully soon I’ll be able to get back out there and play.
Do you feel confident you’ll be ready for the second round of the playoffs?
KD: I’m not going to think about that right now. I know everybody wants to know and is wondering, but whenever my body tells me I’m ready to play, that’s when I’ll be ready to play. I’m not really thinking too far ahead. I had a great day today and I’m looking forward to having a good one tomorrow.
You seem in good spirits. Have prior setbacks helped in terms of the mental side?
KD: I had three foot surgeries, and that was tough to go through because it was my first one being out, going under and getting surgery. That was different. But now, I didn’t have to get surgery, so I’m just rehabbing every single day. It could be worse, like I said, so mentally I’m good. I’m in a good place. I’m not playing right now, which is tough, but I’m getting better day by day and I’ll be out there as soon as I’m ready to play.
Does your rehab including new-agey things like cryotherapy or hyperbaric chambers or anything like that?
KD: I’m going to keep that in house.
You mentioned the diagnosis was worse for a crucial 30 minutes. Was that diagnosis a fractured knee? What was the diagnosis you thought was worse before they changed it?
KD: I’ll keep that in house, too.
What do your days consist of? And what is the next step?
KD: I just do treatment on my knee and lift weights. I shoot in a chair. I shot in a chair the other day. I have to keep the jumper right. That’s what I’ve been doing, and I’m sure that’s what I’ll be doing the next few days, but the next two weeks, I really don’t know. Like I said, I’m just taking it a day at a time. We’ll see what happens, man. I’m looking forward to conquering this thing and getting better day by day and putting in the work every single day and getting out there and playing and enjoying the game with my teammates and playing in front of these fans. We’ll see what happens the next few weeks.
What are you doing?
KD: I watch a lot of TV, watch a lot of movies, play video games, stuff I like to do. Just chilling.
A lot of guys become couch coaches when they get hurt. You?
KD: I watch the game. I know basketball. I’m not the smartest player there is, but I’ve learned a lot just watching things. The game is faster when you’re playing, so you don’t realize what you’re doing sometimes. But when you watch, it slows down a bit, so you can see what’s going on. I’m sure that’ll help me when I come back, just seeing the tendencies of my teammates and the flow of the game. It’ll definitely help.
