Do you wish you had Durant?

Toine43 — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:46:41 -0000

I'm a diehard Celtics fan from over on CelticsBlog, and we recently had a discussion about Kevin Durant's play this year, and how well he has scored the basketball. Inevitably, since we were talking about Durant, Greg Oden's name came up in conversation, and we got into a bit of a debate about the two. The majority of the people in the CelticsBlog forum, I'm sorry to have to report to you guys, would rather have Durant at this point. And I think I have to agree with my fellow CelticsBlog members on this one.

I know you might want to ask the people of CelticsBlog, who are probably all mesmerized by Durant's 25 points per game (including 46 in a losing effort against the Clipps), didn't we all see this coming? Yeah, Durant would do his thing, score his points, torch his opponents night in and night out, while Oden would accumulate modest numbers and fly under the national radar. It was no secret that Durant could do what he does - score, from day one, while Oden might take some more time to develop into a player worth ESPN's mentioning. The GMs and the analysts all knew this, and the fans for the most part knew. But now that it's all happening, Durant is all of a sudden the consensus preference between the two. What has happened between two years ago and now besides what everyone thought was going to happen? Well, that season-ending injury last preseason may have been slightly unexpected, but Oden's play so far this year is about what you wanted out of him as a rookie, no? The point is, did we all suddenly forget that defense wins championships? So Durant can score 25 ppg, guess who else knows how to put the ball in the hoop: Gilbert Arenas and Jamal Crawford. How many rings do those guys have? Oden's offense is going to come around, and his defense is what is going to make him the better player than Durant, when it is all said and done.

Now, you might be thinking, didn't I begin by saying I agreed with majority of CelticsBlog, in their choice of Durant over Oden? Yes, I did, and after about a dozen lines of playing Devil's advocate, it's time for me to make my true stance clear. I have not forgotten why the Blazers drafted Oden as the 1st overall pick of the 2007 NBA draft. I know that defense wins championships - I mean, who won it all last year? But I also know that offense wins championships. Hey, there's two sides of the ball, isn't there? Nothing should be taken away from a player's impact on a game simply because he's a better scorer than he is a defender. Kevin Durant will eventually learn to be a better defensive player. He's going to grow stronger, he's going to try harder once he gets some teammates who can help out on offense, and he's going to be smarter, because he genuinelly cares about improving all facets of his game. It's my opinion that Oden is going to improve offensively, and likewise, I believe that Durant with improve on defense. At the end of the day, regardless of how many other scorers there are out there (I know that Oden is of a far less common breed), I think that Durant's dominance on offense will outweigh Oden's on defense. And certainly, in terms of where both players are right now, Durant has the decided edge.

Now that I have presented to you my humble opinion (I'm far less qualified to discuss this than any of you), I'd like to know what you think. I made this post completely out of my own curiosity. Do any Blazers fans wish they had Kevin Durant? If so, did you always wish you had him, or have the events of the past 1.5 seasons changed your mind? I hope that I get some honest responses, and not a billion people ripping me for even thinking that Durant could be better than Oden. To attempt to placate you one more time (as if half my post talking about why Oden will be better wasn't enough), I would not be surprised at all if Oden wound up the better player, and I will have no problem reevlauating my stance about the two at the end of this year, in two years, or in five years, and admitting I am wrong if I am wrong.

Poll

Which player would you rather have?

Kevin Durant

62 votes

Greg Oden

575 votes

637 votes | Poll has closed

On Jared Dudley

Toine43 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:49:39 -0000

Hey Suns fans, I spend most of my time over on CelticsBlog, and I just wanted to give you the scoop on Jared Dudley. I live near Boston, and I'm a huge Boston College fan. Although I haven't seen much of Dudley in a Bobcats uniform, I've probably seen about 60-70 of his games at BC. Here's all you need to know.

His coach at Boston College was Al Skinner. Skinner played his college ball at UMass alongside Julius Erving, and is highly respected for what he did in his playing days, as well as the work he's doing now for BC. The one knock on Skinner, possibly the reason why he hasn't jumped to a higher profile program after years of success at Boston College, is that the offense he runs defines a college-style offense. In other words, the offense that Dudley played in for 4 years at BC is unlike anything he will play in or play against at the pro level. In fact, the tight flex offense that Skinner employs is the exact opposite of the run and gun Phoenix Suns attitude (although I understand that that has changed a bit this year). Skinner's version of the flex fit Dudley's playing style perfectly, as the entire offense is meant to be run inside of the 3-point line. It is not pretty to watch, but it's extremely effective if executed properly. Now, onto Dudley's scouting report, which should help explain why he's a good fit for such an offense.

- Excellent court vision. Capable of making seemingly impossible passes that most other players aren't capable of making.

- Great at creating space down on the block. Made a living in college scoring easy buckets simply because he was able to seal off his defender.

- Has a high-arcing shot. Solid free throw shooter. In college, showed the ability to get hot from deep. I'm not sure about how his shot has progressed since he's entered the NBA, or whether he can shoot an NBA three, but I'm sure like most tweeners he's worked on his shot extensively and it's getting more consistent every game.

- Yep, he's a tweener. See Ryan Gomes or Craig Smith (also a former BC Eagle) for recent tweener success stories. Dudley doesn't have great speed, and isn't a great athlete. If he were a bit taller, he'd play the 4 position. It's questionable whether he has the quickness to guard opposing 3s. His ball-handling is passable for a wing player's.

- Good rebounder in college. Not sure if he can be a consistent force on the boards in the NBA against superior athletes.

- Very smart, reliable player. You can count on him not to blow the game for you.

- It never came easy for Dudley. He signed with BC only at the last minute - no other premier D1 college teams offered Dudley a scholarship. I'm pretty sure his next best option was San Diego State.

- Dudley is fiery. He was BC's emotional leader along with Sean Marshall. Without the passion for the game that he has, he definitely wouldn't be in the NBA today.

I have nothing but great things to say about Jared Dudley the person. Sure, he's not the model NBA player physically, but up to this point he has succeeded despite doubts about his athleticism. There is no question that he has a good head on his shoulders, that he will work hard, and that he'll be ready to play when called upon. Hopefully, he'll find a home for himself in Phoenix.

SB Nation User Blog: Toine43

Do you wish you had Durant?

Which player would you rather have?

Kevin Durant

Greg Oden

On Jared Dudley