You know what. I don't care any more. We drafted Greg. What's done is done. He either is or he isn't. Sooner than later we will find out for sure. It's not something that can't be determined now. Only Greg has the answers to this. He and the team can dispel all this if they want to.
lol ilmago comes in here talking bust with a bargnani avatar???? hahhahahahaha!!! blazers have two better players from that ONE DRAFT than bargs. wtf man.
Durant is closer to TMac minus the injuries. His ceiling is just as high, if not greater, than Oden's. On the other hand, Oden's impact on a team is more David Robinson's. Though obviously, he's nowhere near that level yet.
Maybe a better defender than T-Mac but not as good at creating for others. But, I agree. This is where he is headed, imho. No arguments there. I do not think Greg will ever be the offensive machine D-Rob was - but he has the tools and instincts, I think, to be a better defender.
Kevin Durant should not be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan. The boy knows how to shoot, that is all. How many games has he scored 40/50 and his team still ends up coming short? All-time greats aren't like that. If anything, the next Jordan/Kobe is BJ. That guy is a stud, and he dishes and rebounds well, too. Too bad the Bucks won't be able to keep him much longer than they're allowed to.
I didnt say bust. I only said that ppl shouldn't be saying that Oden is/can be better than Durant. Btw watch a raptor game.
I don't know. TMac in his earlier days wasn't exactly much of a playmaker but more so an off-ball guy. He learned to create in Orlando and I think thats what Durant will eventually learn to do. Nono. I don't think anyone will ever mistake Oden's offense for a polished DRobinson's. But I do think his presence and his defensive and rebounding potential can be on that level. But still, with his athleticism and willingness to learn, it's not farfetched to believe that he could one day put up 19 PPG. Kind of like the way Dwight did in his 2nd and 3rd years just getting alleyoops and offensive rebounds.
What makes Durant a better player? What evidence do you have that Oden can't be better than Durant? I don't mind people saying Oden IS better than Durant. Though I personally don't disagree with it, we have stats and numbers to argue a pretty good debate. Stats that don't just include PPG. And I really don't think it's farfetched at all to say Oden CAN be better than Durant. This is Durants third full year of playing. He's been given the green light since day 1 and has been a number one option throughout his career. He's had the time and reps to develop into a superior offensive player. But what has he shown aside from that? Are there glimpses of a smart playmaker, a zealous defender, or rebounding machine? With Oden, you already know there is a dominating rebounder, and a presence that is felt by everyone. You see it game in and game out. But there are also glimpses of other things he can do. Watching him play, you can get the sense he's not achieving half of what he's capable of. Can't say the same for Durant.
why the hell would i subject myself to that? bargs-7' steve blake hedo-nosejob calderon-overrated derozan-dolly parton. double d bust bosh-shaqs bitch pavlovic-girl name jarret jack- ummmm worst ever ra-sho-nes-ter-o-vic pob-should have done a len bias and saved himself the humiliation belinelli-2 good summer league games. a legend clearly amir johnson is a beast though. you win.
By what metric? If you are talking about scoring titles, then yes. If you are talking about overall impact on the game, I think Oden's ceiling is higher. I'll take the player with the higher overall ceiling with respect to overall impact on the game.
How so? Durant is by no means a slouch on D. He's got the length that could scare someone like Kobe, and the range that'll force Raja or Battier to stay close outside. I doubt he'll ever win a DPY, but he'll probably make quite a number of appearances on the all defense teams. And on offense it'll never be close. With his versatility and length, he can average 29 PPG, 9 RPG, and 4 APG on day.
In their rookie seasons: Durant PER = 15.8 Oden PER = 18.1 In their second NBA seasons: Durant's PER = 20.8 Oden's PER = 20 (so far, small sample size) PER doesn't really take into account defense, and Oden is already on par with Durant's PER. Add in the defensive side of things, and it is silly to say that Oden can't compete with Durant as far as overall impact on the game.
Oh God, not another PER junkie. Not exactly into the PER formula all too much (and kind of lazy since this has been recycled over and over in the Lakers forum), but you gotta look past that. Hell, you even gotta look past the simple stat measurements such as Durant's volume scoring and improving rebounding ability. Throw all of that out the window. I'll give you an example. Dirk's PER has been better than Kobe's a few years, but it doesn't mean he was better. It simply meant he was more efficient. Comparing a big's PER to a swingman is tricky business and the exact science never comes out. A better way to look at it is this, if you were to start a team with either Durant or Oden, who would you choose? I can guarantee you 90% of the GMs would choose Durant.
