RW#30

Durant is a great player and if it wasn't for Oden he should be #1. I still believe he is going to be a Glen Rice type player. Coaches like Higgins, Floyd; Self had a great game plan and beat his team. In the NBA there will be 30 coaches like that. His team wasn't that bad. They were very young and inexperienced. They will be a top 10 team at the beginning of the season without Durant.

Pull him away from the basket on defense and double/force the ball out of his hand on offense and you will lose 20% of his effectiveness. We can always pick or trade for a serviceable SF in the future. Getting a big center to Portland will be impossible.

__________________
"I want Greg Oden to tuck us in and read us bedtime stories about the "old days"

~Will Farrell 2008 ESPYs

barfo

Well, but Qyntel was the 21st pick, not the 1st. It was a reasonable gamble, a very athletic guy at #21. They probably knew he wasn't too bright, and apparently they should have weighted that factor more, but really, lots of #21s don't make it for lots of different reasons.

barfo

crandc

To be honest, I'm not sure what the big fuss is about. The actual fact as we can gather:
Paul Allen liked Durant's workout. Well, from all accounts it was impressive.
He smiled. Sure, I imagine anyone who likes basketball would have smiled. And an owner with the tough task of deciding what franchise player to pick has a lot of reasons to smile.
He was interested in someone else's view. What is so awful? He's not a scout or a coach. He knows that this decision can shape the future of the team for the next 10-15 years and wants as much input from knowledgeable people as possible.
He went into a meeting with Pritchard. I imagine they are doing a lot of huddling these days.

And from this it is concluded that Allen wants Durant over Oden, that Allen has a thing for small forwards (over franchise centers? When did he EVER make that choice? It's not like it was Woods/Miles instead of Shaq/Duncan). etc etc

I do have to say that the person with the easiest draft task in the world right now is Seattle's GM. No second guessing, just pick whoever Portland doesn't.

I am still an Odenite. But I am glad that the Blazers are taking a very close look at both guys. It's not often we get a #1 pick, let alone a #1 pick in a year when two possible franchise players are on the block. I don't want them to make a hasty decision and apparently they are not.

__________________

Samuel

Allen was happy enough with Miles that he personally nixed a NYC deal at the trading deadline last year. I'm not sure how many people were that happy with Miles at that point.

BTW, I'm glad that he ended up doing that, as it allowed us to get Brandon Roy with Ratliff's contract.

mgb

I've heard some say that Durant will need help to win a championship, but of course that's true of Oden too. Oden though I think can have more of a effect on both ends of the court and can make his temamates better.

__________________
Michael



"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."
-Margaret Lee Runbeck

"Science is built with facts as a house is with stones--but a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house."
-Jules Henri Poincare (1854-1912)

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
-Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

mgb

Well I think it's more in the context he's asking. He's really excited about Durants workout and when he asks who would you take you can almost hear 'after that!'.

__________________
Michael



"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."
-Margaret Lee Runbeck

"Science is built with facts as a house is with stones--but a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house."
-Jules Henri Poincare (1854-1912)

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
-Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

barfo

I'm fairly sure he was quoted as saying that he'd only nixed one trade since he'd been owner, and that it was not that one.

barfo

johnston797

Just some facts:

Durant averaged 34.5 ppg against Self's team, got 32 points against Higgins, and 30 against Floyd.
Rice averaged 7 ppg as a Freshman.

But, yea, projects the same. :>

__________________
TT & Thabo need to play

Spoolie Gee

Durant is nothing like Glen Rice. He's already got 100x the ball handling skills and is a better rebounder and shot blocker.

__________________

Samuel

I remember hearing it from multiple sources. It was a while ago, though, and I could be wrong.

Anyway, I've never known front office types to be up front about their negotiations w/ other teams.

Masbee

Did you watch Durant play?

Go watch a game. Watch Durant rebound. He grabs at least a couple per game he has absolutely no business grabbing. Amazing rebounder for a perimeter player.

Offensively he is much more polished, skilled and advanced than Rice was at the same age.

Rice drove to the hoop by using his shooting to draw the defender to him. A classic and useful strategy for good shooters.

Durant does that already. Yet, he isn't limited to only that move. His quickness and handles are good enough that he can just decide to blow by most defenders that get put on him.

Rice is a bad comparison. The closest modern equivalent is Carmelo Anthony. And Durant's stats in most catagories were superior to even Carmelo's. Durant just completed what is arguably the best true freshman offensive season in modern college.