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Let's start a Kevin Durant discussion

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Almost_Famous, Jan 31, 2007.

  1. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    Not all lottery picks are sure things. A lot of lottery picks are projects, leaps of faith.

    Darko -- knock on him was that he needed to add weight, develop an inside game and was years away.
    Chandler -- prep kid, roll of the dice, similar to Darko. Needed time to develop.
    Mihm -- drafted seventh overall, so nowhere near Shaq or Duncan.
    Przybillia -- drafted ninth overall, so nowhere near Shaq or Duncan.
    Weis -- drafted 15th overall, so nowhere near Shaq or Duncan.

    Like I said, among those on your list, only Candy Man can be called a true 7-foot bust in the way we're talking about here, which is guys drafted in the top three who are supposed to be can't-miss prospects. I don't think anyone listed the players that I've pointed above as can't-miss prospects when they came out. Especially the last three, who fell to Nos. 7, 9 and 15 -- can't-miss prospects aren't drafted there.
     
  2. Chef

    Chef Active Member

    If every 7-footer was a sure thing, someone would have grabbed Sun Ming Ming a long time ago.

    7'9.

    Holy moly.
     
  3. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    Joel "Big Bird" Garner was a terror for the West Indies.
     
  4. Twoback

    Twoback Active Member

    He can run.
     
  5. Durant is the best player in college basketball, period. He is better than Carmello Anthony was as a freshman.
    I can see why people say they'd take Oden, but I think they're making a mistake.
    It's a bit like when Jordan was drafted behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Now, you can see why they thought Olajuwon was the way to go, and you can't call taking "The Dream" a bad decision, except that the greatest player in the history of the game was still on the board.
    Sam Bowie obviously was a huge mistake.
    I'm sure in both cases, those teams said, "You can't pass up a potential franchise center for a potential franchise shooting guard."
    In hindsight, both were wrong.
    Now, to be clear, I don't think Durant will be another Jordan, but he could be absolutely amazing in the NBA. I'm not sure that's the case with Oden.
     
  6. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    To be fair, the Blazers needed a big man and already had a shooting guard. Clyde Drexler, decent player I believe.
     
  7. Sure, but I'll bet they later wished they had teamed Jordan with Drexler, don't you think?
     
  8. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    Sure, but hindsight is always 20/20. They thought a big man could put them over the top. And it didn't make sense to draft Jordan, because they already had a future HOF player at that position.
     
  9. That is exactly my point. I can see why someone now would say to take Oden over Durant, but I think they're wrong, just like the Blazers were wrong.
    Taking Oden probably wouldn't be the worst decision ever, but it's not as good as taking Durant. That's my opinion.
     
  10. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    You point to Sam Bowie, going back through the drafts, I could probably find just as many 6-9 athletic freaks who were busts. They come in all shapes and sizes.

    Blame the Blazers all you want, you didn't have to make that decision. In their shoes, you might have come to the same conclusion as they did at that time.
     
  11. I'm not blaming the Blazers, though I don't know how you could say they got it right. They passed on the greatest player in the history of the game. No matter what reasons they might have had, they made a mistake.
    But my point is, I see this as a similar debate. That's all I'm saying. If I'm making the decision on who to draft right now, I'd take Durant over Oden, no matter what I needed. I think he's the better player.
    It's the opposite of what the Blazers chose. Sometimes you need to fill the holes you have. Sometimes you need to simply take the best player (like the Saints did taking Bush when they already had McAlister). Sometimes that works out, sometimes it bites you.
    All I'm saying is, in this particular case, I'd take the best player and hope I was right.
     
  12. Twoback

    Twoback Active Member

    Yeah, and the folks who drafted Russell, Chamberlain, Alcindor, Walton, O'Neal -- they all screwed up, too. Idiots.
     
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