Oden vs. Durant

I've changed my mind again. Originally I wanted Durant because he would fill a bigger need for the Blazers. Then after the Orlando pre-draft workouts, and Oden's absolutely god-like numbers I began leaning towards the big guy. Now I'm back to wanting Durant.

Sure, Durant couldn't even bench 185 lbs one time, but when you look at it, I don't see it as a very big deal. Durant is only 19. I doubt he ever lifted much(if at all) in high school, and probably not in college either since he was only there one year and was too busy playing basketball. The person that can naturally bench 185 lbs without lifting is a rare person indeed. Additionally, Durant is 6'9"...and has a 7'5" wingspan! Try lifting 185 lbs that far, the guy is a frickin condor! In both high school and college, he was far and away the most athletic player and the most talented player. His strength has never been an issue, you don't finish in the top 5 in points AND rebounds as a freshman if you're not a strong basketball player. Both his parents and Durant, as well as his coaches, talk about the insane amounts of time he spent on the courts. Not just for a few years, but for as long as he's been playing basketball. While other players were lifting weights to get stronger and faster, Durant was becoming an absolute ridiculous talented baller. If Durant puts even half of that work ethic into his NBA career, where much of his off-season will be spent lifting and working out, that strength will come, and come very quickly.

And I know that Oden jumped higher, and ran faster at the Orlando camp, but again, it was never a weakness on the court. Durant is such a talented ball handler, he is able to get open when he needs too, and he can protect the rim and pull down rebounds without a problem. In addition to his scoring and rebounds, Durant also averaged almost 2 blocks a game and nearly 2 steals a game as well. In the NBA, he will be forced to improve in these areas, but Durant has shown that he is willing to work to improve, and he is only going to get better...and that is a scary thought. After Durant's workout in Portland last week, Blazer's GM Kevin Pritchard said it was the best workout he'd ever seen.

Oden isn't perfect either though. At least two red flags came up in his medical physical. His wrist, which by all accounts is probably a non-issue and seems to be healing just fine, and a bulging disc in his back. Again, doctors say it's not to be worried about, and it won't need surgery, but these both definitely fall into at least the neutral column.

The main thing that switched my preference ever so slightly back towards Durant, is the desire factor. Oden wanted to be a dentist(that's right, a frickin dentist!!), who because of his size and natural talent decided to play basketball. And while staying home and watching movies(one of Oden's declared hobbies) certaintly isn't a bad thing(especially for an NBA player on a team that until recently was known as the JailBlazers), you don't sense that unbridaled passion for the game in Oden. How many times did you see Oden get excited playing at Ohio State last year? The most emotion the guy ever showed was a little bit of heavy breathing towards the end of a game.

Durant, on the other hand, has never wanted to be anything BUT an NBA player. His hobbies seem to be playing basketball, playing basketball, and practicing basketball. This guy has the fire, all he wants to do is play basketball and win basketball games. He wants to win, and he wants to be the guy to win it. To use a term that gets thrown around alot, the guy is an assassin.

After being awarded the NCAA Player of the Year award after Texas was eliminated from March Madness, Durant said "This is a great honor, but I'd rather be in the final four." He AVERAGED a double-double(25.8 points/11.1 rebounds) on the year, and set a Big 12 record for 30 point games. He put up a 37-23 performance against Texas Tech and a 25 point HALF against Kansas, and in every close game, it was Durant who wanted, and usually, got the ball. And he did all this with a coach that looked perfectly inept at designing plays for Durant and getting him the ball. Durant has absolutely no ceiling. He could be the next Kobe, Lebron, or Wade. He could even be the next Jordan. Or he might be the first Durant, a one-of-a-kind talent unlike anything that's ever been seen.

And finally, lets not forget 1984. The Blazers decided to take a big guy, Sam Bowie, over the smaller, more talented guard. We will never know what Bowie could have been, since he was plagued by injuries and didn't last long, but everybody knows the other guy. A skinny kid from North Carolina who went on to have a pretty good career with the Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan.