Durant blames 'tabloid TMZ talk' for deepening Westbrook rift

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still aren't on speaking terms, and while Westbrook's intransigence has been the driving force behind their rift, Durant feels the media's constant questions about their relationship have pushed his former teammate to a more resentful place.

"I can't lie, it is (strange). Cause we've spent some time together," Durant said on The Bill Simmons Podcast of the pair's radio silence this season. "And I understand who I left to go to (Golden State) and what happened, all this stuff. And then on top of that, to me, I don't really think he got a problem. But if you ask a man every single day about me ... I would be pissed too.

"You got a competitor and you feel like somebody asks you about them every single day ... It's just like, 'Well how many times are you gonna ask me about this person? I'm worrying about me.'

"So I think that's what added to this feud or this beef that we have, which is all manufactured."

Durant also acknowledged that constantly being in Westbrook's vicinity throughout All-Star weekend was uncomfortable, not just for him but for their fellow All-Stars, in large part due to all the media scrutiny.

"It was awkward," he said. "Everybody sees it, everybody talked about it, the whole time that was topic of discussion. ... It was corny. It's tabloid TMZ talk. It's not even basketball, it's not even what's important in this game."

If Durant had had his way, he and Westbrook would've connected that weekend, even if only to make small talk. But the tension, and pressure, were too great.

"First of all, I got pride, we've both got pride. ... So I didn't wanna make it an awkward situation for him, I didn't wanna make it an awkward situation for me," Durant said.

"I wanted to ask Russell, like, 'How's your family doing, man? How you feel?' Stuff that normal people talk about. But there's just so many cameras watching us, 'Oh, what are they talking about? They didn't look at each other, they didn't say hi."

As Simmons suggested, it may be time for Kendrick Perkins to step in and play peacemaker.