Kevin Durant vs Greg Oden, clearly becoming one sided

on 04 2, 2009

Lets revisit the hype surrounding the 2007 NBA Draft; there was one question on everyone’s mind, which player should go first Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? As each day passed and the draft drew closer, the response to that question became overwhelming one sided. Ask analyst and fans alike, over 95% would have responded that Greg Oden was the obvious choice to be taken number one. Oden did make a convincing case, leading his Buckeyes to the NCAA championship game and dominating a close fought battle to the eventual champions, the Florida Gators. After a very productive freshmen season, it seemed like Oden was destined to live up to his cant miss potential. What most people failed to see lying in the wake of Oden’s great potential was the equally impressive skill set and potential of the forgotten Kevin Durant. Why would you take Durant over Oden? A question that was almost guaranteed to start an argument for anyone hinting at possibility of taking the talented wingman over the consensus number one.

It’s a question that should have been asked more often, and regardless if you were opposed to the idea, it’s a topic that should have been heavily debated. Oden was often compared to great centers like Robinson, Ewing, and Russell. Not bad company, but take a closer look. Russell was dominant in his time, no denying it, but you put him in todays game and he would draw comparisons to Dwight Howard, a great defensive presence, with great rebounding ability and unpolished offensive skills. Now ask yourself how many titles Dwight Howard will win, it would be surprising if that response were more than one. Now couple that with the two titles that Robinson and Ewing won between the two of them and ask yourself if the dominating big man should be as covenanted as he is. Its clear that the big men that win championships in the modern age are great offensive players like Shaq, and Tim Duncan, skills that Oden clearly lacks and will more than likely never develop.

Think about what he works with now on the offensive end, the only low post move he uses with much effectiveness is the hook shot, his touch is not very good and based on his mechanics his chance of developing a jump shot are not very good. The only time he really dominates the opposition is against much smaller opponents. Oden does have potential to develop these skills and polish the weaker parts of his game, after all he is only 21 years old. The problem with that is you have to be in the lineup and on the practice floor to develop these skills, and as Oden has proven he is a walking injury. He has sustained injuries to his hand, ankle, and probably the most important part of the big man anatomy: the knees. These injuries are going to have a big impact on his development as a player now, as well as affect his future development. The injuries have already taken away from much of the potential he could have already achieved, and will no doubt have an impact on his longevity as a player.

Now lets revisit the original question, “why would you take Durant over Oden?” The truth is there are many reasons to consider, a good place to start would be finding someone with a similar skill set. A 6’ 10” wingman that can play multiple positions has the speed of a guard and possesses great ball handling ability. To continue, he has great lateral quickness, good hands, and a tremendous feel for the game, along with a smooth and fluent jump shot that he can get off in a hurry with great accuracy. He can play in the post and face up against any defender he is put against, take his man off the dribble and finish at the basket. The most ridiculous thing about all these skills he possesses is how effortlessly he displays them on the court. It does not look like he is even trying half the time; oh and by the way, the kid is not even 21 years old yet. He has plenty of time to stack on muscle and once he does, those skills will only continue to get better. The truth is there is no one like Durant in the game today. If you crossed Tracy McGrady and Dirk Nowitzki and put him on steroids, you would be blessed with the closest thing to Kevin Durant.

Durant is 20 years old and is averaging 26 points per game, and almost seven boards a night, the only player in the last 20 years to average over 26 a game under the age of 21 is Lebron James, good company to be with. Durant continues to improve his passing ability and with his skill set, it is just a matter of time and commitment before he becomes a great defensive player. It is already starting to become clear how lucky then Seattle was that Portland decided to take Oden.

Now let us use some imagination and pretend that the Trailblazers took Durant instead of Oden, it is not unrealistic to think that in a year or two the Trailblazers would be a constant threat to come out of the west for years to come. Now back to reality, Portland is not a realistic threat to the top tier teams in the west right now or in the near future.

As stated before Oden still has a lot of upside, but from what has been shown so far he has been less than impressive. It is hard to imagine that the injuries will not continue, and the developmental curve will continue to flatten. It is still too early to call him a bust, but it might not be too early to call him overrated. You are an idiot if you try to convince anyone that Oden’s production will match Durant’s in the foreseeable future. In addition, you are an even bigger idiot if you were one of the people that was so sure that Oden was without a doubt the best player available in the 2007 draft. Try to convince anyone today that Oden still has more potential or is a safer pick than Durant is. It is not going to happen, unless that person you convince is a total idiot himself.

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