ItsTheBlog™

Pretty much all the talk up until now has suggested that there is no doubt that Greg Oden will be the first pick in tomorrow night's NBA Draft.

Then, Bill Simmons, whom I generally agree with completely, suggested that the Blazers should select Kevin Durant with their #1 selection.

He just got it flat wrong.

While Simmons does make a good point (that Oden is the guy who plays because he is bigger than everyone else, and Durant is the guy that plays because of his raw talent), that shouldn't be the reason to select Durant first. You can't teach size--we all know that. That's why Shaq (in his heyday) was the game's most dominant player, why Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, why Bill Russell won 11 NBA Championships, and why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most points in NBA history.

Granted, many guards/forwards, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, have become some of the game's best players ever. But, the point is, size hasn't stopped some of the league's greats, so why hold it against Oden? Simmons says that Oden could easily become like Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Mourning (which isn't too bad, is it?), but he fails to mention that Durant could fizzle into another run of the mill swingman despite lofty expectations.

The fact is that both could become some fantastic NBA players, but the jury is still out. Both have just 1 year of college experience, and some incredible expectations to live up to. Whether they can fulfill them, we don't know.


In the meantime, like I said, you can't teach size. And in a game where the basket is 10 feet tall, I'd take the dominant 7 foot beast over the skinny swingman who can't bench press 185 pounds.

I'm not saying Durant won't be solid, but I think Oden not only has a better chance of becoming a superstar, but fits the Portland Trail Blazers much better.

Trade Randolph for a point guard, and stick young guys Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge down low, with Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, and Travis Outlaw outside.

Just my two cents.

11:02 PM EST UPDATE: ESPNNews suggests that the Blazers will draft Greg Oden No. 1. I wrote the above post before seeing that headline.

Labels: draft, Durant, Kevdog, NBA, Oden