Well put. Although I think a better comparison would be, player A will get you more wins, but could have long term effects on the overall chemistry, whereas player B might be slightly less talented, but will not have those negative effects. I'm not saying Durant is that first player, but I do believe there are players available that could present those choices to KP. Bob Whitsitt would have gone with player A every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. I'm not so sure about KP. He seems very unwilling to gamble with the team's chemistry. It's a benefit and a cost. Sometimes you have to roll the dice. If this team could get Durant, I think most people would do it, even though it might throw the chemistry off. It's a gamble that would be hard to pass up. I am left wondering, however, if Batum wouldn't end up being the better fit with the Blazers in the long run. If Nic ends up being as good as we all think he will be, he could easily lessen the blow of missing out on Durant (whether Oden is a success or not). Durant might end up being the scoring champ, but this team isn't lacking scorers. We have Roy, who is turning out to be one of the best players in the league. We have Aldridge, who has the potential to be one of the best players in the league, and we have Rudy... who is a Spanish version of Vinny Johnson. How would Durant fit into all that?
Durant is like Carmello. Batum is like Tayshaun. I'd take Tayshaun over Carmello, honestly. Tayshaun rarely takes a bad shot, is an excellent defender, has a decent offensive game, and is the ultimate team player. Carmello just scores a lot of points. Yes, hes very efficient at it but many people can put points on the board. Its the hustle and heart that Batum and Tayshaun provide that makes things easier for teammates and that is just invaluable IMO.
How many shots are there in a game and who guards the perimeter? Haven't we learned from the 2004 USA Olympic team or the 2006 version world championship? Haven't we learned from Houston bringing a post-banger (Barkley) to hang in there with Hakeem reducing both of their effectiveness? Batum is a better fit, Durant is a better player. The way the Blazers are built right now - Batum is a better fit and the team wins more because of that. If we had Durant instead of Batum - the make-up of the team and it's style would have to change to be effective. It's really not that complicated. The same answer obviously also applies to Oden vs. Durant - only twice as much. Oden was the right selection at the time - and he still is today.
Kd is the better player but Batum is the better fit. We don't need any more players commanding 15 shots a night, we need a lock down defender
Do you really need me to show you the list of rookies who have posted similar numbers to Oden this year and flamed out of the league? If Oden can stay healthy - he will be a good player and contribute on a championship level team. That is a HUGE if.
Another way I look at Odens progress is this. Him and Pryzbilla are putting up essentially the same numbers in about the same minutes. Joel with more boards and Oden with more points. When I think of Joel I feel like he's having a career year. When I think of Oden I think of him not meeting expectations. How many teams in the league would love to have Joel Pryzbilla as a starting center? ...I don't know, kind of simplifies things for me. Oden not meeting expectations is still in the top 3rd in the league at his position. What happens when he gets consistant minutes, is injury free, and has his micro-fracture two years behind him? He's going to be unbelievably dominant if he stays major injury free....
Yeah, it's not even close. Durant probably already is better than Melo now, and is going to be waaaaaay better than Melo in the future.
To be more accurate; Durant is NOW like Carmelo. Batum MAY BE like Tayshaun. So, you are presenting a false choice, Carmello vs. Prince. That choice doesn't exist. Some people prefer the bird in the hand.
I guess I don't fully understand your question? Is this 100% lala fantasyland, where in Natebishop's world, the Blazers get to trade Batum straight up for Durant? In which case, you take Durant yesterday, today and tommorow. Even, if for some strange reason, Durant turned out to be a terrible fit for the Blazers, you could move him a player that is a "better fit" plus more. With Durant as a centerpiece we could swing a trade that netted the Blazers a very good "glue" player at small forward, PLUS a big upgrade at point guard. If it is more reality based, then trading for Durant would have to be Batum plus more - a lot more. Say, Durant for Batum and Aldridge. Even that probably would not be enough. Then, your question is, what is a better "fit": Blake, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, Oden, OR Blake, Roy, Durant, Outlaw, Oden? Or, is the thought, what if we took Durant with our draft pick instead of Oden. Then, the question would be what is the better fit: Blake, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, Oden, OR Blake, Roy, Durant, Aldridge, Pryz?
The question is simple, which player would be a better fit with this current Blazers roster? Who would fit our long term goals better? Who would make the team better? I never said anything about being able to trade for either one. I never proposed some mythical trade that nets us Durant. I was just curious what Blazer fans would say.
I just don't want to imagine this team in the future without Batum. He's going to be the one guarding Deron/Paul/Parker/Kobe/Westbrook/Durant/LeBron/etc you get the point, just like Pippen would. Batum will be a very valuable piece. He fits so perfectly and really adds a lot.
He is? 'Melo - for all of his faults, has never missed the playoffs - and Denver was a bottom feeder before he came on board. Durant is going for his 2nd year in a row 20-something wins season... Durant is a magnificent offensive player as a #1 option - but each and every team he was on since (and including) his college days was an under-achieving team.
Ummm. Ok. A simple question is: Who is a better player, A or B? Your question is: Who is a better fit? That requires knowing who is on the team that relates to the fit? Knowing what the roster WOULD be is important in being able to answer the question. So, forget the whole thing if you don't want to clarify. As any pollster will tell you, how the question is phrased can dramatically affect the answers.
All-Star 29y/o PG, lottery picks at the 2 and 3 playing pretty well, a 20/10 guy at PF, and DPOY at center. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008-09 18-win LA Clippers! Is that talent 30 wins worse than ours? Nope. It's not just about "talent". Baron Davis is a better player than Steve Blake. I say he's a "worse fit", and some of you spent the deadline saying how "we didn't need more talent, we needed to let it bake". Whether or not you're right about that, it seems a tad hypocritical that you're saying you'd take Durant over Batum all day every day for this team but not Vince Carter for RLEC. Gilbert Arenas is a much better player than Steve Blake. And yet, most in here wouldn't trade to WAS RLEC and a young player or two for Arenas and their high lotto pick. Seems like a lot of flip-flopping in here when Durant's involved.
I said THIS team. You follow the team Mas, you know who is on the team. You can have either Durant or Batum on THIS team, who is a better fit? I thought the question was pretty simple... It wasn't meant to be a serious discussion. It doesn't have it's own thread. I was just curious what people thought.
Depends what you mean by "fit". But I think the Blazers are better off in the long haul with Batum. Durant is only good at scoring. He does it well, but not necessarily better than than his teammates would be as a whole if you spread his shots around. And that's true in OKLAHOMA - it would be so much more true when his teammates include Aldridge, Roy and Oden. And at the moment Batum is a lot better then Durant at defense, and in general, is a better teammate. Why is it that people are so dazzled by Durant? He's a Carmelo Anthony type player. In fact, he's a poor man's Carmelo because Carmelo took his College team to a title, while Durant led his team to a worse record than the years before and after he was there. Durant is the EPITOME of a big scorer on a bad team. OKC's best stretch this season came when he was out, and even a fan of the team said Sefolosa and Kyle Weaver were better basketball players than Durant. Durant's ceiling is George Gervin/Alex English. Batum's ceiling is Scottie Pippen. (That's pretty fatuous to say, because how would I know? So sue me, I can be fatuous if I want.)
Durant is NOT better than Melo at the moment. Anthony has been putting up big numbers on a playoff team and is proven to be one of the, if not the best clutch shooter today. I'm not even sure Durant has that much higher of a ceiling than Melo. The guy can light it up but I havent seen enough from him on the other side of the court to start crowning him as anything but a damn fine shooter.
