Sorry... Kevin Durant is not LeBron James or Michael Jordan. And as for Boston, they had a guy named Kevin Garnett who was their low-post scorer to complement Pierce and Allen. And LeBron has Big Z, who's a legitimate low-post guy who is better than anyone on OKC. LeBron also makes his teammates a ton better by passing the ball while Durant is more of a scorer who doesn't really set anyone else up. Durant's going to be a great player, don't get me wrong, but if OKC can't get any points in the paint or have a post presence, or have a legitimate big man with him, the Thunder are not going to be contenders anytime soon.
As good an offensive player that Durant is, mentioning him the same sentance as LaBron and Jordan is nuts. Durant has a LONG ways to go before he gets to that level. Frankly, I doubt he ever will. That's no knock on him really, but King James and MJ are unique players that bring it on every level of the game. What evidence is there that Durant is that same type of player?
I'm fine with disagreeing about Durant's upside, but KG is not on the low block except for guest appearances... he's been a high post player his whole career. thats not saying much, everyone has a better low post guy then OKC. But next time you watch the Cavs, notice how much time Z spends on the perimeter spreading the court with his J. this isn't what I disagreed with. I agree better Bigs will help him be successful... again thats not asking for much. But Green isn't standing in the way of him succeeding nearly as much as Collison is, and I'd think a defensive 5 would help him out more then a low block scorer 5. I'm sure Sam Presti is aware of where his club is awful and would guess he'll be addressing it this coming offseason. STOMP
Yeah, but when Boston needed to go the low block, KG was their man and abused Lamar Odom quite a bit in the Finals last year. As much as I hate the guy, he's a legitimate low-post threat. They'll go to Z on the block on occasion, but I agree he spends a lot of time outside. However, it's still LeBron James that they've got and Durant is not even close to him. We'll agree to disagree. I still think a low-post presence would help Durant out more, or else OKC will just be a jump-shooting team, which we found out last year, won't get it done consistently. It doesn't necessarily have to be a center, a guy like a healthy Elton Brand would help them out a lot more than a Przybilla.
I didn't directly compare them... at least that wasn't my intention. More I was countering the thought that a great perimeter player needs a low post scorer to succeed. But since you asked I looked up their numbers... 2nd year KD vs 2nd year LJ Min 39.9 - 42.4 Pnts 25.5 - 27.2 FG% 48% - 47% Rbs 6.7 - 7.4 Assts 2.8 - 7.2 TOs 3.1 - 3.3 Stls 0.8 - 2.2 Blks 1.2 - 0.6 STOMP
I'm ready for Nate to just let Greg play. Forget about fouls. Just tell him before the game, "Hey you're playing this many minutes before I pull you out, be aggressive, don't worry about fouls." If he gets 4 in the first quarter, who cares. Just let the guy play, get into a rhythm and if we have to bring in Joel for extended minutes, heck, that's what we used to do anyway.
Durant is a fantastic player. He's proving to be the elite wing talent that I expected he would be. I still would rather have Oden, but not because Durant is disappointing. Durant may not Jordan or LeBron James, but I think he'll be in the next tier of wing superstars, like Kobe.
Dang. I wasn't aware Durant was doing so well. Dude is flat out killing it. The obvious hole there is assists--LeBron beats him hands down. But to compare so favorably.....man....I just wasn't aware....
Durant is a great player. I'd still rather have Oden though. He's not there yet, but he will be one of the top 2 or 3 big men in the league.
