I doubt Garnett could bench press 185 coming out of high school, and look how he turned out, plus he didn't bulk up either, he may have gotten stronger, but everyone gets strongers as they age. This is just a story that the media is running with, even if Durant couldn't bench press 105, you'd be a fool not to take him in the top 3.
Originally posted by Lord Evolution
The NBA has a combine??? 😕
i guess i shouldnt of used the word combine as i think its actually called "pre-draft camp" they test them in different categories and give them an overall athleticism grade. Out of 80 guys Durrant was the only one unable to lift the 185 and was graded as 78th out of 80 in athleticism. I would still take him #2 though.
again they arnt ranking their ability to shoot or their guess on his Bball potential. Their job is to rank their overall athleticism. It isnt gonna effect durrant much but if him and Oden were in a tighter race for the #1 pick it may have been a deciding factor. Where it will come in more is guys later in the draft where there isnt as much to distinguish 1 guy from the next if he is the superior athlete it could help him move up.
If it isn't called the combine then......
Boy I hope the Blazers do the wrong thing by not taking the best player in the draft. Doesn't really affect me but I would rather the Sonics get Durant, hate the Blazers.
But it looks like they'll be making the mistake teams have made in the past by not taking the best player in the draft....no matter the position.
This isn't no Bowie vs Jordan situation though. Its questionable who is even better in the first place. Yes, Durant won player of the year, but Oden missed many games and then played one handed for a while. On the defensive end, there is no question that Oden is better. Its one thing if Durant was hands down better and the Blazers just wanted a center, but when its hard to tell who is better and one guy is at a position that you need more and that position is hard to fill in the NBA (while often seen as more important for championships), it is a way different story.
I think its a no brainer for the Blazers to take Oden, if you want to go deep in the playoffs (especially in the West) you need some kind of inside game and an anchor defensively. Oden may take a while to come around offensively (although i have seen him make some solid post moves) but defensively he is a game changer. Not only is he a great shot blocker but he will alter alot more shots than he blocks, that is a stat that isnt kept but its very important for a great team to have that kind of intimidation inside. If i was Nate McMillan i would just tell Oden to rebound and go after any shot in the lane, they already have plenty of offense and Jack and Roy are good enough playmakers to keep Oden involved with the odd drive and dish. Oden could probably average 10pts a game just by using his athleticism and going after the offensive boards.
Durrant is a nice scorer but he will be going against much bigger and stronger defenders now, he will have a much tougher time getting to the hoop and finishing thats where his solid mid range game will help him out. I like Durrants game but he doesnt seem that special by NBA standards, Oden even if he just rebounds and blocks shots can change a game.
No brainer? Yeah right...
Oden may go #1 but there is no question as to who the best player in the draft is. Sonics will be the winners of the draft when the Blazers take Oden because he is a center. Lets be real here, we all know Durant is the better player and proved that but the reason why he might go #2 is because 7'0 athletic centers are "rare". But in the end, that wont matter, because you passed up on the best player available and this rarity might not be so rare, yall actin like there will never be a player like him.
Any smart GM will tell you to take the best player available.
ESPN should do a special on the last few 1st round top 10 center bust. Atop the list would be Kwame Brown and Olawakandi...good luck with Oden 😆
Originally posted by Lord Evolution
No brainer? Yeah right...Oden may go #1 but there is no question as to who the best player in the draft is. Sonics will be the winners of the draft when the Blazers take Oden because he is a center. Lets be real here, we all know Durant is the better player and proved that but the reason why he might go #2 is because 7'0 athletic centers are "rare". But in the end, that wont matter, because you passed up on the best player available and this rarity might not be so rare, yall actin like there will never be a player like him.
Any smart GM will tell you to take the best player available.
So true.
hug
A ridiculously foolish GM would tell you that, you getting your advice from Mitch Kupchak?
This is why teams look back, shake their heads and ask themselves why they didn't take the best player available.
Unless your in position to win a championship now, there would be no reason why you wouldn't take the best available player.
Originally posted by Lord Evolution
No brainer? Yeah right...Oden may go #1 but there is no question as to who the best player in the draft is. Sonics will be the winners of the draft when the Blazers take Oden because he is a center. Lets be real here, we all know Durant is the better player and proved that but the reason why he might go #2 is because 7'0 athletic centers are "rare". But in the end, that wont matter, because you passed up on the best player available and this rarity might not be so rare, yall actin like there will never be a player like him.
Any smart GM will tell you to take the best player available.
ESPN should do a special on the last few 1st round top 10 center bust. Atop the list would be Kwame Brown and Olawakandi...good luck with Oden 😆
I didnt say Oden was better, i merely stated that Oden will be alot more useful to Portland than Durrant will be. I cant see any reason why Oden cant be the cornerstone of a franchise, he is already a great shot blocker and rebounder and he has shown flashes that he can play in the post. On top of that he is extremely coachable and a hard worker (unlike Kwame and Olawakandi - since you brought them up), if you have a chance to build around a center like that you do it (especially if you have a young team like the Blazers).
The NBA is and always has been a big mans league, if you look back in history most of the championship winners have had a good big man. Even though the trend is changing with players like Dirk, KG and Bosh, look at who is in the finals again. A team lead by Duncan who is an old fashioned back to the basket type PF/C who is a great shot blocker. At the very worse Oden will be like Mutombo, great shot blocker and rebounder with a basic offensive game but he has already shown more promise on offense than Mutombo and is a much better athlete so he really does have a high ceiling.
I know the rule of drafting the best player available but to me this draft is less like Kwame's draft where he was a stand out bust with terrible work ethic and more like Howard and Okafor's draft where they are both going to be great players.
Also if you're going to do a top 10 center busts lists then here's a list of top 10 centers in the last 20yrs who went on to have solid careers:
86 - Brad Daugherty #1
87 - David Robinson #1
88 - Rik Smits #2
91 - Dikembe Mutombo #4
92 - Shaq #1, Zo #2
96 - Marcus Camby # 2
97 - Tim Duncan #1
02 - Yao Ming #1, Amare #9
04 - D12 #1, Okafor #2
Oden shows as much promise coming out of college than any of these guys except Shaq, Zo, Robinson and Duncan and thats only because he isnt as polished offensively. I understand you dont agree with Oden being the top pick but surely you can see why teams would go for a player like Oden, history has shown that it works out more than not.