You're on the clock with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft....

[cartman]

Originally Posted by adubroff

The rockets did ok with the same thinking...The rule should be, don't take big guys who stink.

Hindsight is 20/20. Bowie had a monster senior season at Kentucky. Both Olajuwon and Bowie were considered 'can't miss' big men heading into the draft

[stevew]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Wow, I think that's insane. I think Conley's going to be great - maybe better than Chris Paul.

Suprisingly I tend to agree with you on this one. Off the charts athleticism, if Oden goes pro next year I think he can go for 20-8 in college. Although he may be too unselfish to score that much. I'd take him in the top 5 any year.

[stevew]

dola-

Conley's family isn't hurting for money, and his dad is bound to get like 3-5% of whatever Oden makes, so financially he doesn't have to go pro anytime soon.

[Brian Swartz]

Great college careers do not translate into great pro careers necessarily, but IMO that's simply another argument in favor of Oden. If you just look at what they can do now, in terms of NBA-level skills.

DURANT

Scoring & Athleticism

ODEN

Rebounding, shot-blocking, rare ability to use both hands

Add to this that Oden has more time to develop, and is in the more desired position ... it's a no-brainer IMO. Even if Durant becomes the next superstar perimeter player, I still take Oden because a defensive prescence in the lane is so, so rare these days.

As for Conley, I think he'll be good -- but better than Chris Paul? Not likely.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Add to this that Oden has more time to develop,

What do you mean by this? Aren't they both freshman?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Add to this that Oden has more time to develop, and is in the more desired position ... it's a no-brainer IMO. Even if Durant becomes the next superstar perimeter player, I still take Oden because a defensive prescence in the lane is so, so rare these days.

As for Conley, I think he'll be good -- but better than Chris Paul? Not likely.

Just a question, Would you turn down LeBron James to draft Dwight Howard or even Chris Bosh?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Just a question, Would you turn down LeBron James to draft Dwight Howard or even Chris Bosh?

You're talking about already developed players. Thats like posing the MJ/Bowie question.

Also, neither Howard nor Bosh are true centers, neither are the defenders that Oden is right now, and neither has the upside Oden has.

Durant doesn't have James' upside. More along the lines of Carmelo Anthony.

[JPhillips]

Durant can't play C in the pros.

[Brian Swartz]

Both players are freshmen but for reasons already mentioned, it is far more competetive at SF than C, ergo Oden will likely see more time initially IMO and will not have the pressure of playing against as many to opponents, relatively speaking.

I wouldn't take LeBron over Howard or Bosh, but I think Oden is clearly more NBA-ready than either of those were, and Durant less-so than James with less upside. Not to mention that neither Bosh nor Howard possess Oden's defensive skills.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah and I'm not sure that Durant could develop to be as good as Melo is. In that, I don't think Durant has the ability to carry a team or be its leader basically out of the box like Melo did after just one year of school.

I think he'll be an All-Star caliber player down the line, but I think he still can stand to develop quite a bit in a way that college might help him more than it would help Oden. Oden probably needs to head to the NBA and guys who are his size knock him around a bit and show him how to play the NBA game, whereas Durant could probably benefit from the polish that college would put on his game.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

You're talking about already developed players. Thats like posing the MJ/Bowie question.

Also, neither Howard nor Bosh are true centers, neither are the defenders that Oden is right now, and neither has the upside Oden has.

Durant doesn't have James' upside. More along the lines of Carmelo Anthony.

Well of course I am comparing already developed players. How else do we compare to kids coming out of college? I look at Durant and I've never seen a freshmen(even Carmello) with his ability (rebounding, outside game, driving, mid range) at such a young age. When I see Oden I see a great athlete who will come right in be a force on defense. He lacks polish on the offensive end and he is not a big as Shaq to just bully players in the post. It hard to find a center to compare him with because it has been so long, maybe Alonzo Mourning when he was younger, that is why I used the Bosh, Howard example. My point isnt saying anything bad about Oden I just have never seen such a talented player as a freshmen like Durant.

[Gary Gorski]

How many championships has Garnett won again? Lamar Odom? Rashard Lewis? Elton Brand? Tracy McGrady? Kobe (without Shaq)?

How about how many for Duncan, Robinson and Olajuwon?

You've got to be crazy to pick Durant over Oden (PING D.Ainge and I.Thomas). Durant is an NBA small forward - SG's and SF's are a dime a dozen in the association. Adam Morrison and JJ Redick were pretty dominant offensive perimeter players - how's that working out now?

Oden is a guy you build a championship franchise around. It's so rare that you see a guy with his height and skill - I mean look what he did playing without his normal shooting hand! Durant will eventually put up good scoring numbers I think but he just hasn't shown the ability to be anything other than an offensive highlight reel. Carmelo Anthony is a great offensive player too - and he was able to lead his team to a national title as a freshman and not a second round beat down by a worse seed.

To be honest I think we didn't see the real Greg Oden this year. Not only the hand thing but I swear sometimes he just looked bored out there. Kind of like if we were to take on a bunch of 5th graders - you make a play here or there and then if you're going to lose you turn it on and try to save the day. He was just silly against Florida - if the rest of his teammates could throw a ball into the ocean they win that game. It's just odd that the Oden of the first five games of the tournament was kind of meh save for a big block here or a nice dunk there (and a ton of fouls to go with it) but when the title game rolls around he plays a totally dominant game and stays out of foul trouble. It's also not fair to compare him to Shaq - Oden is a skilled player - Shaq was just a massive human being that learned how to throw his massive frame around to dominate a basketball game. That's not to say Shaq isn't one of the best players ever because he was so dominate regardless of whether or not he was truly a skilled player but I think Oden's going to have more of the career path of the centers I mentioned first.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

How about how many for Duncan, Robinson and Olajuwon?

Also Luc Longley. Don't forget Luc Longley.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Also Luc Longley. Don't forget Luc Longley.

Oden's going to be a good player but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. He's got nothing on Luc Longley or Bill Cartwright (although he may be as old as they are)

[jbergey22]

Athough I agree with most of what you are saying. I dont think calling any game Gary makes "the worst text sim" is called for. He has just as much right to comment as any of us w/o making it personal. I dont think comparing reddick and Morrison as seniors to Durant is a fair comparison. And I would say Gary is correct IF Oden is as good as Olajuwon, robinson, or Shaq and Durant ISNT as good as Lebron or Kobe. Too often teams push centers and have them bust when there is this next huge superstar just out there for the taking(Durant)

[st.cronin]

Wow, what a dick.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Brand in that mix? Redick and Morrison compared to Durant? No wonder you produced the worst text sim I've ever played.

Now, now. Play nice.

How many titles did Duncan/Olajuwon/Robinson/Shaq win without an all-star caliber perimeter player? You must have both, and while the post player is harder to find, the gulf between what Durant already has and what Oden already has is immense. Durant should be a 3 position player at least in the NBA, Oden may develop to be better than Jack Sikma.

In what universe is Durant a 3 position player? As others have said, Durant is a one position player in the NBA. Maybe the Phoenix Suns might throw Durant and Diaw in at 4 and 5 and call it a frontcourt, but put that up against a team with even a remotely talented frontcourt and it's game over.
Also, to jbergey22, Mello was a pretty good college player too. I haven't seen Durant play college hoops as much as I saw Mello, but the similarities were more striking to me than the differences between the two. That is by no means an insult to either player - I think they were both outstanding college players who will both be solid NBA players - but a dominant post man is a luxury that few teams can get a hold of, and you don't pass on it when there is a prospect like Oden on the board.

[Brian Swartz]

the gulf between what Durant already has and what Oden already has is immense. Durant should be a 3 position player at least in the NBA, Oden may develop to be better than Jack Sikma.

Agreed, but in the exact opposite direction. What Oden already has is a lot more impressive to me than what Durant already has ... and I see no way Durant plays more than two positions, one to start.

I think Durant is a comparable talent to Carmelo as has been stated, but he couldn't defend an below-average NBA player at his position to save his life. Maybe he'll get a lot better at that, but in the meantime Oden has a much more complete package.

[bselig]

Durant is a great shooter and athletic, but I haven't been too impressed with his handle when I've seen him(which is to be expected, he's 6'10). I don't think he's driving too much in the NBA. Seems like a more athletic Rashard Lewis to me, which is a pretty nice player

Oh, and obviously everyone will take Oden. He's immediately a DPOY-caliber player in the NBA and will probably average more PPG in the NBA next year then he did this year in college

[cartman]

Do people really think that Durant couldn't at least also play significant minutes at SG in the NBA? At 6'9" or 6'10", that would create huge matchup problems for the other team. If they leave their 6'5" or 6'6" SG out there, Durant will drop 3s over them all night long. If Magic could be a 6'9" PG, there's no reason with what Durant showed this season that SG would not be a stretch to play.

[cartman]

Dola,

For those saying it is crystal clear that Oden is obviously the better choice, I look for you in one of those "Talking out of his..." ESPN commercials. This to me is a 1A/1B situation. Both players have the potential to be outstanding pros.

[Danny]

Did you see Joakim Noah and his little dance earlier in the tournament? Imagine him doing that in the lane versus the likes of Shaq, Yao, Duncan and Dirk! Make him my #1 and it's not even close.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by cartman

Dola,

For those saying it is crystal clear that Oden is obviously the better choice, I look for you in one of those "Talking out of his..." ESPN commercials. This to me is a 1A/1B situation. Both players have the potential to be outstanding pros.

Both players do indeed have the potential to be outstanding pros, and hey, after 10 years maybe Durant will prove the better selection. But my point is: knowing what we know now, Oden is the better choice at #1. He's clearly the consesus at #1, and has been before he even put on an Ohio State jersey, because guys like him don't come along too often. Durant is a special player too, but not a "once in a decade" kind of special like Oden.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Danny

Did you see Joakim Noah and his little dance earlier in the tournament? Imagine him doing that in the lane versus the likes of Shaq, Yao, Duncan and Dirk! Make him my #1 and it's not even close.

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to select a Florida player at #1, Noah would be my third preference.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Wow, I think that's insane. I think Conley's going to be great - maybe better than Chris Paul.

When did Danny Ainge join FOFC?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to select a Florida player at #1, Noah would be my third preference.

He'd definitely be behind Brewer for me. That kid is going to be a stud.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by rowech

He'd definitely be behind Brewer for me. That kid is going to be a stud.

Brewer's got Tayshaun Prince-esque potential, but how well his D translates to the NBA with its "no perimeter D" policy will be interesting. I'd roll the dice on him over Noah easily, but Hortford is the Gator that I'd feel most comfortable picking up.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

When did Danny Ainge join FOFC?

Well the Paul comparison might be a stretch (though remember that he was passed up by a desperate-for-a-PG Atlanta), but I don't see any reason why Conley can't be one of the few great PGs at the next level.

[rkmsuf]

what an exhibition last night in milwaukee. redd mysteriously sits out along with most of the bucks and the immortal kevin pinkney goes for 15 pts for the C's.

C's did just enough to lose it though. good work.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

When did Danny Ainge join FOFC?

Come on, even I know more about basketball than that hoser.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Come on, even I know more about basketball than that hoser.

quoted for truth

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Brand in that mix? Redick and Morrison compared to Durant?

Yes, Morrison and Redick were player of the year and the leading scorers in the NCAA (in fact they both averaged more points than Durant did) so my point is that just because a guy wins POY and puts up impressive scoring numbers doesn't mean he's a lock to be a stud at the next level. I never said they're the same player. And I don't know what your beef with Brand is - he scores 20 a night and almost 10 boards a night and 70% of his shots are outside of the paint and the Clippers aren't anywhere near championship material. My point is simply that stuffing the offensive categories of the stat sheet are nice but it doesn't equate to championships.

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

How many titles did Duncan/Olajuwon/Robinson/Shaq win without an all-star caliber perimeter player? You must have both, and while the post player is harder to find, the gulf between what Durant already has and what Oden already has is immense.

I'll agree that it takes more than simply a great post player to win a title as Orlando proved with Shaq but look at the list of great post players in the last 15 years in the NBA. There's more "all-star caliber" perimeter players in the league TODAY than great post players over the past 15 years. It won't take long to find another Kevin Durant (like next year's draft with Kansas State's Michael Beasley). It's not like finding a guy who can shoot and drive is difficult in today's NBA. Look at the champions in the past 25 years - outside of Detroit (who won their three championships with basically a starting lineup of all-star calibur players) and Chicago (who won their six titles with the best player to ever play the game) show me a champion without a dominant post player. You have Shaq with 4 rings, Duncan 3, Olajuwon 2, Kareem, Robert Parish, Moses Malone before them...Why is it that the few teams who had dominant big men were always in the mix yet there are tons of teams in the league with a player who is a very good perimeter player but never sniff the title?

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Durant should be a 3 position player at least in the NBA, Oden may develop to be better than Jack Sikma.

Positions mean nothing in the NBA - there are three offensive skill sets : Ball handler, perimeter player and post player. Anyone can play any "position" - look at Phoenix. The "positions" are the skills of the 5 guys you have on the floor. Durant has one of those skill sets - he's a good offensive player from the perimiter. He's not a great passer and ball handler and he won't be able to post up NBA PFs/Cs at 6-9 (maybe 6-10) and 225. Granted Oden isn't going to run point any time soon nor is he going to step out on the perimeter and knock down shots so he's a one skill set offensive player too.

I like Durant and if I have the #2 pick in the draft I can't get to the podium fast enough to draft him but there's also a ton of players out there that can do what he does. How often is a guy like Greg Oden going to come along? Look at the lottery picks for true centers in the last decade
1997 : Tim Duncan (1st), Adonal Foyle (8th)
1998 : Michael Olowokandi (1st), Raef LaFrentz (3rd), Michael Doleac (12th), Keon Clark (13th)
1999 : Alek Redojevic (12th)
2000 : Chris Mimh (7th), Joel Pryzbilla (9th)
2001 : Eddy Curry (4th), Sagna Diop (8th)
2002 : Yao (1st)
2003 : Chris Kaman (6th)
2004 : Rafael Araujo (8th), Robert Swift (12th)
2005 : Andrew Bogut (1st), Channing Frye (8th), Andrew Bynum (10th)
2006 : Patrick O'Bryant (9th), Saer Sene (10th)

Yes there have been guys like Amare, Bosh, Biedrinis and many more that actually play the 5 spot in the NBA but they do so because they don't have anyone better suited for that spot. Look at that list - in 10 years you have two all stars. Curry is coming along and Bynum has shown some promise and Kaman and Bogut are serviceable but the rest of the list has been crap. The league is full of 6'8+ guys that can drive and shoot (well at least shoot by today's standards). Durant might turn out to be better than many of them but I don't think he's the next MJ and with so many players like him available (even if he turns out to be slightly better than most of them) its much easier to go out later and grab one in free agency, trade or the draft than to wait for the next great 7 foot post player to come along 5 years down the road.

[Bee]

So if this were Hot! or Not, would Greg Oden rank ahead of Jennifer Garner?

[jbergey22]

Those of you for taking Oden make great points and I am not disagreeing in your logic at all. In my humble opinion Durant is the most talented freshmen to play at the college level since I have been watching college hoops. If I am wrong about Durant clearly Oden is the better pick. I have considered them 1a and 1b all year however after watching this 6 10 slasher play I dont think anyone in the NBA is going to be able to match up with him. He will shoot over smaller players or post them up, he is quicker than players his same height. I think many of us are not giving enough credit to his other skills, he was one of the top rebounders in the NCAA last year as well as averaging almost 2 blocks and steals per game. His man defense right now borders on horrible however with his height and athletic ability my belief is he just needs to make the committment to be good on d and he will be. Odens offensive skills right now just do not do it for me, his height and athletic ability alone should make him an immediate 13-10 guy, he has a lot of room for improvement as well. His touch around the basket to me is very "Shaq"esqe which is a scary thought considering Oden doesnt have the size of the diesel. At this point I am not using the first round pick on a guy I think may end up like a young Dikembe Mutumbo when I see an immediate star there for the taking.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Bee

So if this were Hot! or Not, would Greg Oden rank ahead of Jennifer Garner?

No

[stevew]

Oden being such a best on defense should hopefully be able to mask some of the defensive problems of the other players on his team. And that's why I would definitely take him no matter what. It's great when as a defender you can overcompensate defense on the opposing players strong suits, and allow him some leeway to his weaker moves. If the guy ends up getting past you, he's gotta go over Oden to score or settle for jumpers. I'll take that as a win win for the team that gets Oden any day of the week.

Projecting his stats may be kind of hard early on. I tend to think he'll do about 15/12/3 blocks early on, and will probably peak at around 22-25ppg later on his career.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

No

Nope, you're wrong.

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/...ghlight=hot%21

She got less than 50%! Oden wins! Oden wins!

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Positions mean nothing in the NBA - there are three offensive skill sets : Ball handler, perimeter player and post player. Anyone can play any "position" - look at Phoenix. The "positions" are the skills of the 5 guys you have on the floor. Durant has one of those skill sets - he's a good offensive player from the perimiter. He's not a great passer and ball handler and he won't be able to post up NBA PFs/Cs at 6-9 (maybe 6-10) and 225. Granted Oden isn't going to run point any time soon nor is he going to step out on the perimeter and knock down shots so he's a one skill set offensive player too.

Phoenix is the exception, not the rule. Look at just about every other NBA starting lineup and you'll see a PG, SG, SF, PF, and a C (or a PF pretending to be a C).

Position isn't as important on the offensive end, you just need a group of guys whose skill sets don't conflict. However, on the defensive end its about matchups. For those thinking Durant can step out to the 2 and be matchup problem, you have to look at the defensive end also. He may be able to shoot 3's over a SG, but on the other end that SG is going to go right around him every time he gets the ball.

I personally think Durant will eventually be a very good NBA player, but Oden will have more value to his team simply because of the position he plays. If Durant develops into an all star level SF and Oden only becomes a good NBA center(which sadly means he'd be an all star in most cases), Oden will still be a more valuable commodity because he's a true NBA center.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I think many of us are not giving enough credit to his other skills, he was one of the top rebounders in the NCAA last year as well as averaging almost 2 blocks and steals per game.

Here's what worries me about college stats (which was why I mentioned Morrison and Redick) - they lie.

Player A - 20.4 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG (6'11, 240)
Player B - 25.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG (6'10, 225)
Player C - 13.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.8 BPG (6'10, 245)

All play for schools that won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament. Player B (Durant) is projected as the #2 overall pick. Player C (Horford) is projected as the #4 overall pick and player A (Fazekas) is projected as a 2nd round pick. Obviously you look at the players themselves and you see why the players are projected where they are. I think the people in favor of Durant over Oden are getting caught up in stats more than anything else. (Oden - 15.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.3 BPG). Texas averages about 7 PPG more than Ohio St who happens to play in a conference where the pace of basketball isn't much different than football. If Oden scores another 5 a game are we even having this discussion?

Originally Posted by jbergey22

His man defense right now borders on horrible however with his height and athletic ability my belief is he just needs to make the committment to be good on d and he will be. Odens offensive skills right now just do not do it for me, his height and athletic ability alone should make him an immediate 13-10 guy, he has a lot of room for improvement as well. His touch around the basket to me is very "Shaq"esqe which is a scary thought considering Oden doesnt have the size of the diesel. At this point I am not using the first round pick on a guy I think may end up like a young Dikembe Mutumbo when I see an immediate star there for the taking.

6'9ish slasher/shooter that can fill it up, rebound decently and was a frosh phenom that can't play man to man D? PING Carmelo Anthony (Melo scored 22.2 with 10.0 boards and about 1 block and 1.6 steals per game in college) Do you really take Melo over Tim Duncan? As for Oden offensively don't forget he played most of the year with his non-shooting hand. That baseline turnaround he buried against Florida didn't look very Shaq-esque to me and while he's not a great free throw shooter at least he has solid form on the shots and makes a considerable more than the diesel does from the line.

[Logan]

For as much as you're going to have to gameplan around stopping Durant, there's going to be some balance because you'll be able to gameplan around exploiting him on defense. It's going to be a negative-negative with Oden. He'll hurt you on offense and hurt you on defense.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Phoenix is the exception, not the rule. Look at just about every other NBA starting lineup and you'll see a PG, SG, SF, PF, and a C (or a PF pretending to be a C).

Oh I know Phoenix is the exception but really there are very few NBA teams that have "true" players at the 5 spots. Many teams are masquerading PFs at the 5 spot or a SG at their PG or SF spots. In fact I bet that if you looked at every starting lineup more than half of the teams play people outside of their "true" position based on physical build and skill set - maybe not to the degree Phoenix does but so many teams do it and so many of the players are similar that it's sort of the norm now.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Oh I know Phoenix is the exception but really there are very few NBA teams that have "true" players at the 5 spots. Many teams are masquerading PFs at the 5 spot or a SG at their PG or SF spots. In fact I bet that if you looked at every starting lineup more than half of the teams play people outside of their "true" position based on physical build and skill set - maybe not to the degree Phoenix does but so many teams do it and so many of the players are similar that it's sort of the norm now.

Phoenix does it because of scheme, other teams are doing it because of what they have available. The NBA isn't a very innovative league and just about every team outside of the Suns would prefer to have 5 guys playing the classic positions.

Durant's size isn't going to make him special at the next level, his basketball ability will. A 6'9" wing that can step out and knock down 3s isn't uncommon and is something you see more and more of every year.

[st.cronin]

This thread is the first I've heard that Durant doesn't have the ability to be a good defensive player. I don't think I have ever seen him play, so I have no idea, but my impression was that he was an all-around prospect, not a one-dimensional shooter.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Tell me he didn't just say that! Great line. Oden will be a good, maybe, C in the NBA. Durant, if his defense picks up just a bit, will be a dominant point forward type who can give minutes at the C spot. This is a slam dunk decision in favor of the much more talented Durant.

Oden will be good, maybe? I saw Ewing, Olajuwon, Duncan, and O'Neal all play as freshmen in college, none were as good then as Oden is now.

Ewing was closest, better defensively, but surprisingly nowhere near as good offensively as a freshman as Oden is now. Ewing would block everything into the bleachers, utterly dominant on D, very unpolished offensively.

Olajuwon is the guy who Oden reminds me of the most in terms of physical presence combined with athleticism and power. But as a college freshman Hakeen was still learning how to play the game so not a fair comparison.

Duncan was pretty raw as a freshman and made a huge leap his sophomore season.

O'Neal was a physical freak from day one, but as a freshman utterly unpolished. Nowhere near the kind of skills Oden has on either side of the ball.

I read an interview yesterday with Thad Matta where he admits from December to Feb the team was desperately trying to hide just how bad Oden's injury was. He took a lot of heat from critics blaming him for not using Oden properly, when the simple fact is Oden was doing about all he could do. The Oden we saw in the final and in the Big 10 tourney is the real deal. And the foul trouble? Compared to all the guys I mentioned except Duncan, Oden is much better at playing with fouls than they were as freshmen. He is more polished than any of them were, and perhaps not more spectacular, but certainly a more fundamentally sound defender that any of them were. The only thing that will prevent Oden from greatness will be injuries.

As for Durant, tremendous skills. Very reminiscient of Bob McAdoo who IMO is one of the most overlooked players in NBA history. Problem with Durant is he will get tossed like a ragdoll in the NBA. He simply does not have an NBA body, yet. I think he needs at least another year in college to get some strength work done. He needs 30 pounds.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

This thread is the first I've heard that Durant doesn't have the ability to be a good defensive player. I don't think I have ever seen him play, so I have no idea, but my impression was that he was an all-around prospect, not a one-dimensional shooter.

At Texas he's shows that he's a good shooter all around (47% from the floor, 82% from the line, 40% 3s), can get to the basket, and rebound well. A lot of that changes in the NBA. He doesn't handle the ball well or pass well (1.3 assists, 2.8 TO), his rebounding will not translate at all unless he gets much, much stronger, and he's simply not going to be able to guard anyone in the post right now.

For anyone to suggest Durant will be able to give minutes at the C spot is crazy.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Leonidas

And the foul trouble? Compared to all the guys I mentioned except Duncan, Oden is much better at playing with fouls than they were as freshmen.

They don't call fouls on big men in the NBA. Plus, they sure as hell would never call a foul on a screen 30 feet from the basket. He won't have a problem defensively next year.

[Danny]

Hopefully you guys knew I was kidding. I would take Oden #1 and yes, Noah would be my 3rd choice from Florida as well.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Logan

They don't call fouls on big men in the NBA. Plus, they sure as hell would never call a foul on a screen 30 feet from the basket. He won't have a problem defensively next year.

QFT.

He may take half a season for the refs to call his blocks correctly, but I have little doubt that once he gets the proper respect that he'll have no trouble playing 30+ minutes per game with limited foul problems.