If you haven't noticed, these last few weeks Kevin Durant has been even more of a creature from beyond than usual (thanks, Henry). Yup, that skinny kid who can't bang in the paint or defend a brass tack is absolutely scorching opponents, and his Thunder -- 7-3 in their last ten -- are reaping the benefits. Russell Westbrook's also been on his best behavior, as evidenced by his Player of the Week plaudits, but it's Durantula who sends this team skyward.

So while he may not be an All-Star starter, it stands to reason that Kevin Durant will be very soon, and that KD is dangerously close to realizing his destiny as one of the league's premier players -- maybe even one who people have heard of.

Durant's not there yet. But that's not stopping Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman from sticking it to everyone who said that ... well, that small markets are inimical to NBA players.

Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City aren't supposed to mix. The market allegedly is too small for the player to ever realize his growth potential, from his success on the court to his sponsorship opportunities off it. It's a stereotype that has followed Durant since he first stepped foot in Oklahoma.

Now, just three days before his first NBA All-Star Game, comes the question of whether the Thunder's star forward can grow into a perennial All-Star starter while playing in Oklahoma City?

Give Mr. Mayberry a break if that crammed too much triumphalism into one passage. The thrust of his piece, which isn't a particular interesting one, involves Durant's chances at ASG-starting. Karl Malone did; ergo, Durant will one day, too, despite his tiny, tinny homebase. But it's the first two sentences that got me thinking. I'm not sure if anyone ever said that a player couldn't grow, but certainly playing for (and with) the Thunder has to push a lot of these market-based concerns to the background.

At a time when LeBron is supposedly heading to the Knicks regardless of the basketball dynamics that would be involved, Durant's in the opposite position: He's part of the best organization, and deepest young team, in the NBA. That's a lot to turn your back on.

The whole "player development" angle comes from a similarly defensive place, as if only large markets host real NBA teams. Sponsorship-wise, well, it's true. Durant would make more money in a big city. But here's where we take off our proverbial hats to the young forward for being content with the millions upon millions he reaps from Nike, and the max deal he'll get very soon -- whatever a max deal amounts to by then.

While we can't fault a player for following the money, the idea of Durant choosing raw dollars over this near-ideal basketball situation is laughable. His development in OKC has been smoother than it would've been anywhere else in the league; that's about coaching staff and the front office, which is even less tethered to endorsement money.

Speaking of which, while it may take time with Durant, does anyone really think that in our current age of full-blast information and exposure, a player is persona non grata if he refuses to call New York or Los Angeles home? That's been my line on LeBron James all along: Who's to say that he doesn't want to put Cleveland on the map, or that New York doesn't need him more than he needs it?

All of which brings me to my next trick. We've heard rumors of LeBron leaving town since he had anything resembling a decision to make about his future. Granted, his "global icon" comments and Yankees hat didn't help matters. His mini-max deal set up an intriguing dynamic that basically hung his exit over Cleveland like an angry, demanding crow who still likes your company. But you can make a case that James is so coveted that, whether or not he provided any fuel for the fire, the world would've been obsessed with LBJ's Decision 2010.

I would make a case that, by the end of this season, Kevin Durant will be viewed as the best young player not named LeBron James, or maybe Chris Paul. So why aren't teams angling to steal him away from OKC in 2011?

It's simple: Durant has absolutely no reason to leave. The team is boss. The front office lives in the future. He'll get adequate pay regardless. And while this isn't a knock on LeBron, Durant lives for basketball and basketball alone.

The question has never been "won't KD want to go somewhere bigger" but "will OKC be able to give Durant the situation he needs to stick around?" It's almost Tim Duncan-esque. Which, given Sam Presti's Spurs pedigree and Durant's laser-like focus on the game, should come as no surprise. And yet it's still startling that we spend half our lives prattling about any and all LBJ possibilities, when Durant's future is a non-topic simply because he knows what he wants and has what he needs.

Looks like that year of college does automatically turn these teens into superior human being after all.

Source: Bethlehem Shoals, FanHouse