Man it must sucks being a Portland fan and Seattle Sonic fan rite now ... right when they leave. They pick up KD and make the playoff again
Then why isn't he considered the greatest player of all time? DON'T GET ME WRONG: I love Magic Johnson as a player. But you just further add to my argument--a point guard averaging 20 points for his career, who also ended up with the all-time assists record for a while, a Hall of Famer, a multiple Champion....and he doesn't get mentioned as being a Top 3 player of all time? But Durant's career is still in its infancy so it's hard to write him off for not being able to average 7 assists a game. You don't have to have the court vision of Magic or LeBron to produce 7 assists. I get what you're saying and I'm not denying that LeBron is the best player in the NBA right now but it's just weird to me that people will use that "LeBron can do it all while Durant cannot" argument as a way to measure who's going to be better because, statistically speaking JUST FOR THIS SEASON, the lone two things LeBron has over Durant is FG% and Assists (by a big margin). Of course, if we're going to do a stat check, Durant shot an obscene 90% for a player that led the league in FT attempts. Durant's 3pt % is also a shade higher as well. James could have had that scoring title if he played that final week and a half (which cost me a fantasy bball championship btw..) but it's also something amazing that this 21 year old kid in OKC manage to increase his points per game each year he's in the league by FIVE POINTS EACH YEAR. I wholeheartedly agree that it's a lame argument. Sure, James might have a higher chance at getting injured since he uses his body and goes into the paint alot, but the dude is at least 265 lbs solid. No one is going to stop him. This is the point I tried (and I guess failed to make) to make though--does Durant have to "match" LeBron's playmaking abilities to be considered a better player than James? In all honesty, if Durant's development curve continues the way it has been in every statistical category, the difference in assists (or playmaking) might not even matter that much.
Lebron has never played with a playmaking point guard. Mo Williams is arguably the best PG he's ever played with.. and we all know that Williams is a scoring guard. Durant has a SOLID PG on his team that IS a playmaker and will dish out 8+ assists a game. Thus, Durant won't ever average the assist numbers Lebron has.. So let's throw that argument out the window. I will say that Durant will be a better scorer. Sig it.
1) magic is often in the conversation for top 3-5 of all time. i don't know what you're talking about. jordan, magic, and bird are in 90% of most people's list for top 5 of all time. and yes, durant has to match lebron's playmaking abilities to be considered better than him. why you ask? b/c lebron is just as good of a scorer as you can get. he can rebound with anyone at his position. and he's the best passer not playing the PG position. and he's an all-nba defender. and HE CONTROLS THE ENTIRE TEMPO OF THE GAME. he does everything at the highest level. lebron is not inferior or average at anything except for 3pt% and ft%.
In three years, I think it will be close, but LeBron will still be a little better. Durant will surpass LeBron in 5 years, but only due to the physical decline of LeBron.
I would take an aggresive Durant over a playmaking Tracy any day... When you have an elite PG, why try to make plays when you don't have to? Just run the freaking offense...
That's quite a stretch, DD. You can't be throwing legends out there with guys who have only been in the league a few years!
Sure you can, these guys are that good, and they will be the standard bearers for the league for many years. DD
What planet did you come from? Magic is directly behind Jordan to many If not most... That said, Durant does not have to be a playmaker (7 assists) to be better than Lebron, especially with Westbrook commanding much of the offense. He has to become an elite defender, and most importantly, WIN!
That's not the point. The fact that he doesn't create shots for his teammates is the point. He doesn't because he's never been that type of player. He's pretty much like Melo. He'll get you pts and rebs... he has longer arms so he's a better defender than Melo (and actually tries on defense) and has the length because of his wingspan to block shots. Even if Durant didn't have Westbrook, I couldn't see him averaging 8 assists per game... he's never been a point-forward. You can just inherit PG skills like that... you're a certain way when you start your basketball career... and that engraves how your career will be. The argument of Durant being a better scorer is debatable at best. Because like I said, LeBron chooses to assist more than score and he still averages close to Durant in PPG. http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/03/26/lebron-says-he-could-win-scoring-title-every-single-year/ That was LeBron earlier in the regular season saying he could win it every year if he wanted to. I just see him as someone who can get to the basket at will.. From there, he'll either get to the line or make the basket... and sometimes even both. Now that he's developed a steady jump shot that he can hit from time to time... he can do pretty much everything on the offensive end. You can argue that Durant will become much more aggressive later on in his career as he gets towards his prime. So, I mean it's debatable... People just don't see how good LeBron James really is. His PER avg right now is #2 all time to MJ. He's going to pass up MJ soon enough once LeBron gets into his prime. You can argue that Durant might be on that list too once his career is done. But right now and over the next few years.. this league is LeBron's league barring any injuries.
i think they are both really close to each other and next year it will be even closer. i also think lebron will not win it this year. also that durant will have the better team in the future, unless lebron goes to some team that sets up nicely for the next few years. he will have to have some luck though. maybe we can renounce the rights to our FA's. sign lebron and trade for bosh. pg brooks sg martin sf lebron pf bosh c yao ming bench matt maloney maybe not
can kevin durant surpass lebron? sure! why not? do i think he will? maybe... durant seems to be as good a scorer as lebron already, he definetly has a better jump shot, lebron is a better driver, both can finish at the rim. lebron is better defensively right now but wow durant impressed me last night. with his size and quickness, he can be as good as garnett in his prime defensively. that being said he is quicker than garnett and could possibly be a great defender and be put on a 2 through a 5. garnett was as skinny as durant when he came in the league. i cant think of a single person comparison, but his offensive game is reminiscent of carmelos, and defensively has the length and tools to be as good as garnett once was. i think he can be better than both those guys at what they do best. if that ever becomes true he will be scary good and definitely challenge lebron for best in the league. that being said
Durant can earn the distinction by winning more titles than Lebron. Or scoring way more and leading his teams to better records than Lebron. Durant has to do it with team succes + individual success. Dwayne Wade's already won a title and getting the all around numbers and he's not considered better than Lebron. Larry Bird snagging 3 straight MVPs before Magic getting any kinda took some of the early luster away, the Magic having AIDS, and a little of the "Showtime" pace can make some people think "pace adjusted" though thats baloney. Plus Magic might be a little over-exposed. But he's still a unanimous top 10 selection.
Yeah, once Durant has the same number of championships as LeBron then the comparisons are legit. Both are overrated, very great NBA players. According to your logic, if LeBron signs for the max with the nets this off season and turns that team into a perennial playoff team he would never be considered as the best in the league, therefore he does not deserve to be labeled as the best player or mentioned in the talks for MVP.
why do people think KD needs to match Lebron's play making? Lebron's a better player maker than Jordan was .... so? if KD can average 40 a game with the same efficiency, than i think he'll pass Lebron in PER, and as a player. not likely but possible.
