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Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? |
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Written by Wendall Stevens
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Tuesday, 13 February 2007 |
Lets say you're Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge staring down the bow of the Titanic called the Boston Celtics, 17 straight losses and counting. That’s another story. Stay tuned for an article on that one. NBA waters are cold, the media ocean is vast and there are not enough lifeboats to go around. Who gets left in steerage? Who dons the remaining boats? Ok, that’s another story but we in the sports world do know for certain that the Celtics are at least a lottery pick.
If you're the Celtics, you have been down this road before. 1996, worst record in the league, the most theoretical chances to get the top pick and it goes to the San Antonio Spurs. If the Celtics do not get the right to draft #1, they'd better get #2. Fortunately for them, if it works out right, the way it should work, maybe it won't be so bad but it’s still complicated. If Greg Oden and Kevin Durant declare for the NBA draft this spring, who would you take if you're Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge? No, you can't take them both.
Coming out of high school, Oden and Durant were #1 and #2. Oden, the 7-foot shot blocking dynamo center and Durant, the 6' 9" guard/forward combo whose game is reminiscent of one Magic Johnson. Oden and Durant have set the college world on fire. Every week Oden and Durant are on prime time TV and getting better every game.
In regards to pure average production, Durant is definitely ahead of the two whileOden, playing hampered while he recovers from a right wrist injury is developing a low post presence not seen since the days of a young Patrick Ewing. Both players enjoy the benefit of good point guards who can distribute them the ball. Durant is not only getting All-American consideration but player of the year nods as well. ESPN's Len Elmore is anointing him player of the year while North Carolina head coach while pressed mentioned he would take Durant by a slim margin if he had to make a choice.
Oden's offensive skills definitely need to be polished but his upside is tremendous. He is an instinctive natural center who stakes a claim in the paint, rebounds and defends like a machine. He is a man among boys who plays in a tougher conference than Durant. If Durant is put at the guard position at the next level could be dominant. He can put the ball on the floor, defend, rebound, but the topper is his ability to know when to take over. The great ones have that eye of the tiger. Durant definitely has it.
While Shaq, still the force that he is, is not logging as many minutes, it leaves Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, and Dwight Howard as the dominant centers in the league. While the guard position still leaves a lot to be desired for the young Celtics, it’s clear they want that dominant big man. True dominant centers these days are rare birds. The Jordan-Pippen Chicago Bulls are the only team in the last 20 years that won championships without a dominant center presence. Wellington, Longley, & Cartwright basically got in the way while his Airness and "The Pip" did their thing. The triangle offense was guard oriented but you have to have quality guard play to pull it off.
So if your Doc and Danny who would you take Oden or Durant? Remember 1996?
The Spurs won the right to pick Tim Duncan. All you had after that was three world championships and the Spurs are still winning. David Robinson didn't do it by himself.
I would say Oden. Orlando is building around Dwight Howard and the Celtics can build around Greg Oden. True dominant big men are rare and when you get a chance to catch one, get it or else.
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