And for the record, this team's problem isn't scoring the basketball. It's defense, specifically interior defense. We requires Oden's skillset more than Durant's. I don't think anyone doubts that Elgin Baylor put up better stats than Bill Russell, but which one would you have drafted in 1956?
I'm one of Oden's biggest fans and was very upset we might pick KD over Oden. Here is my opinion worth about 2 cents if even that much: If we would have known what we know now that Oden would have MF surgery and injured more in his first season and KD playing so well his second season(I wasn't sure about him last year playing SG) it is a no brainer we should pick KD. I still think there is a chance Oden could end up better the KD but it isn't looking that good compared to before the draft. You always have to take the big man if he is suppose to be the best center in the last 10-15 years. I was a KD fan before the lottery and once we got the #1 pick is when I started to look at Oden. If you go back and watch some of his OSU games he looked so athletic and fast on the defensive end. One game I think against Tenn on the last shot he flew over a couple of his own players and block a shot that won the game. I didn't think anybody could get to that shot. It was awesome and there were other things I watched that said he was a once in 10-15 years center. Only B.Walton impressed me more and he is my all time favorite player. I don't blame KP because Oden was the right pick unless he knew Oden would need MF surgery. It is also really dumb IMO to make these type of threads/polls because we have the info now that KP didn't have and of coarse more people will want to pick the better player at the moment. One more thing Okc wouldn't trade KD for anybody in the league not named Lebron or maybe D.Howard. They for sure wouldn't even think about trading KD for an injured Oden. It really doesn't help complaining about picking Oden now all we can do is hope he can eventually stay healthy and live up to the hype. I do think he has shown some flashes in a few games but still needs to get lighter and in better shape to live up to what he was suppose to be from the hype. Kingspeed why make Oden thread after Oden thread we know your disappointed but it doesn't do any good after making one or two threads. We get your upset but why keep making other people upset. Live with the choice and hope for the best. Stop bitching and moaning because it doesn't do any good.
I'm the biggest Trail Blazer homer around, and I hate to say it but I voted YES. Oden's injury issues are becoming more and more of a concern and I'm starting to question his desire/heart. Durant has been very very impressive. I'm hoping by the end of this season or mid way thru next season Oden will have stepped up and proved that he will be a force on both ends of the court and I'll have forgotten about Durant.
Here's another question for all of you folks lusting after Durant. How many of you believe that he's going to stay in OKC any longer than necessary? Personally, I've always pegged KD as a big city market kind of guy; he wants to be a star on a big stage. I don't think Oklahoma -- or even Portland, for that matter -- would satisfy him in terms of that kind of venue. I think Durant would be doing well for us if we had drafted him, but we wouldn't be suddenly competing for the championship, and I'd be scared as hell of what would happen after his contract expired. OKC shouldn't get too comfortable with their shanghaied #2 pick phenom, IMO. I think part of what made Greg such a solid pick for Portland was how well his personality meshes with our city. He's laid back, humble, and when he's not overthinking his role or putting too much pressure on himself, he's a damn funny guy. It's fine and good to have issues with his desire, his dedication, or his bones, but whatever happened to giving the guy one season to get his shit together? Is that so very much to ask? Can we hold off on giving him his final grade for just a little while longer?
Wait, what? You're making my linguistics degree cry over here. oh, and yeah, I would make that trade AND throw Travis in.
On an individual basis, Durant has more offensive basketball talent than Oden. So far he is the more NBA ready player. However, good point guards (e.g. Nash, Kidd, Paul, etc) and good centers (Shaq, Duncan, Howard, etc) have influence on team performance that exceeds their individual contributions. They literally change the way the games are played and multiply the effectiveness of their team. For this reason a good Oden is better than a great Durant. Every time. An injured Oden of course is worthless, but I don't think his availability this year is all that bad compared to other big men in the league. It would be interesting to compare games played by big men starters at the end of this season. Duncan has been out. KG has been out. Bynum has been out. etc.
Actually, if you knew Durant you knew he would be this successful, the guy has lived and breathed basketball his whole life, that is why he was the "safe pick." Honestly I don't believe Oden absolutely had to have MF surgery. I think they did it for the "long-term" investment they had in G.O. The whole reason why they picked him, and the whole reason why the Organization wouldn't make this trade.
I knew KD enough. After about half way through the college season I was always rooting for the Blazers to somehow luck out and get KD. I watched many of his games in college and thought he would be a really good player. I actually was disappointed in his play last year even though he won ROY. I think part of it was coaching and part of it was him playing out of his normal position of SF.
Playing for a crappy team, it's easy to pile up stats while at the same time not really learning how to win and play with a team (see Harvey Grant). Durant's danged good - no doubt about it, but in terms of winning championships his upside is still no match for Oden. PG's and centers seem to take more time to develop and I'm more than willing to wait for Oden.
Or if Houston would have been smart and taken Jordan to match him with Sampson. Stupid Rockets. Ed O.
I wish that in my heart I could say no, but the truth is I'd do it... somewhat belatedly. I'm beginning to believe that Oden will never be the guy we were hoping for, even if he does eventually become a serviceable center... When the draft decision was happening, he looked like he had that special quality that you don't pass up, but I guess that was just what we all wanted to believe about the guy...
I think it'd have to be a yes. You have to recognize that Durant is still very early in his career and, thus, extremely malleable. If you don't think he'll immediately mesh with Roy and the rest of the roster, you can develop his game in a way that he will (OKC's already forced a change on him and he's adjusted very quickly). The dude's so multi-talented that you've really got so much flexibility in trying to fit him into your long-term plans. Don't know why it'd be a reason to get too down on Oden though. Durant may be a better player now and in the foreseeable future, but Oden will still be a heckuva player.
Durant looks pretty special right about now... Oden has had great moments, but the fact that he has been injured a very substantial amount of time since his year of college began would probably make it a toss up for me. I don't think this team would win more games this season with Durant rather than Oden, though. Going forward, if Oden can stay/get healthy and play 70 games + a season, I think his rebounding and defense help the Blazers more than another scorer could- Especially with our lack of perimeter defenders. Could an argument be made to do that trade to acquire a more-valuable asset that you could turn into a player(s) whose skill set(s) benefit the team more than Durant's? No question; I am pretty sure Durant has a higher trade value than Oden currently does.
