<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> A potential NBA superstar, one who could redefine the Trail Blazers' franchise, arrived at Portland International Airport on Thursday evening, eager to convince the team that he should be the No. 1 pick in next week's NBA draft. Wait. Didn't we just go through this? Hours after Greg Oden concluded his three-day Portland visit, the other half of "The Great Debate" arrived, as Texas freshman Kevin Durant strolled out of Concourse A and into a horde of media, fans and autograph seekers. "I just want to come in and have a good workout," the versatile 6-foot-9 forward said. "I'm trying to sell myself to Portland." At the very least, Durant struck a positive cord with folks at PDX. They snapped photos, shook his hand and even joined the media in asking questions. After Durant signed one autograph for a teenage girl, she screamed, "Oh, my, gosh," and sprinted down the terminal to show friends. Durant, who was greeted by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers -- just as Oden was Tuesday -- handled the blitz in stride, revealing the poise that most experts say will help make him one of the top two selections in Thursday's draft. "I'm just here to play ball," Durant said. Durant is scheduled to participate in a solo workout at the Blazers' practice facility today at 11 a.m. and undergo a series of interviews that will help the team decide whether it should select him with the top pick. The Blazers, as they have done since overcoming a 5.3 percent chance to land the pick, insist that they are keeping an open mind but almost certainly will draft Oden or Durant. Despite a so-so showing by Oden in his Wednesday workout, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan said the Ohio State center made an excellent case during his visit. Does Durant need to do to anything in particular to surpass Oden? "We're not closed down on saying Kevin has to do X ," Pritchard said. "We're just going to keep an open mind. I have a feeling that he's going to come in and really try to show everyone in the world that he's the No. 1 pick. He will be offended if he's not the No. 1 pick. He's got that killer instinct." </div> Source: Oregon Live
I love Durant and I woldn't be all that upset if we take Durant with our pick. My one and only fear about Durant is that he will possibly bolt out of Portland after his contract is up 3-4 years later. I know Paul Allen will give him all the money in the world and we would probably be close to contention with him, but something about this kid has bigger market written all over him or even Seattle. Whereas with Oden after seeing interviews and everything I can see him playing his whole career here, he really likes it in Portland and I'm glad. I haven't seen the interviews with Durant yet or anything since the workout is starting about now, but I can base him wanting to stay or not off that.
