Greg Oden a freak of nature

Excellent post. Sums up so much.

 

Playing basketball is a craft. The body is one side of the coin, with the other side being the brain.

 

Those are some strange number comparisons.

My thinking of it is, even though there's millions riding on it, basketball players arent as "combine minded" and max-effort as, say, football players. Some b-ballers will take it seriously and some, even though its important that they should, cant turn up the intensity and seriousness on command that much. What they think is 100% is actually more football 90%. Really, what football player getting measured and tested will only do the beginning minimum weight ONCE? But I could be wrong. Maybe Chris Kaman can outsprint TJ Ford in a 100 meter dash.

 

I don't buy into durant as much as Oden

Durant will need a PG look at how his team was knocked out. Neither Seattle or Portland really can say they can give him the ball. Oden on the other hand will make the front court of Portland dangerous

 

Pre-draft stats don't really mean squat...once the new season starts, let's see if the hype matches reality.

Portland will draft Oden.

 

Jason Smith was one workout warrior in this draft.

Then again, Kirk Snyder had the best combine testing numbers of his draft class and hasn't amount to much in this league. These camp drills, though, measures running through a pre-determined path, and basketball requires reaction, so the combine testing are only somewhat useful.

 

Is there a complete combine stats somewhere?

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2893057&name=ford_chad

Gotta have insider though, and since its in a table copying and pasting will look disorganized.

 

Too bad, I don't plan to subscribe to inside for just this, oh well.

 

This thread reminds me of the follow thread when people were saying how freaky Mario Williams is:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=109493

 

Combine stats and measurements can be found here too: http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2095

 

Thanks, I am wondering why Yi does not have any stat? Did he not go through the workout?

 

Exactly! They're still going 1-2 in the draft. This is not going to hurt Durant's stock whatsoever.

 

Yes, Yi and his handlers decided that they would only get weighed/measured by teams they did private workouts for. This was done supposedly to help control who would draft him (the thinking being that teams would be less likely to draft him if he remained too unknown and by choosing who they granted workouts to they could control who would be more likely to pick him).

 

That is a bad sign for Durant. I know he still has a long time to get stronger, but the fact that he didn't lift hard in high school or college makes it seem like he isn't that concerned about it, which isn't good. If he didn't lift growing up or in college, who's to say he'll be able to get hardcore about lifting now? No one can seriously tell me that he lifted at least semi-consistently in high school and college, because anyone with just a little bit of experience can get 185 up at least once. I know he's got long arms, but at 215 he should be able to get 185 easily. You'd think after the season ended he would be in the gym working out hardcore. I know he has a good basketball work ethic, but to be able to post guys up in the NBA he better get in the weight room.

I'm 5'10", weight 165-170, and I have narcolepsy (no joke, sadly); I can get 185 up over 10 times and I don't consider myself strong. Any NBA player should be able to get up 185. I still think Durant's gonna be a stud though. I wish Oden could've done the test.

 

Thing though is...
The same weak spindly Kevin Durant body that was tested in the combine was destroying 'em in the college game, just that we didnt know his measureables. Now that we actually see the measurables of the same body, he's gone down to a piece of crap now?

This just makes him more of a project to take a chance on...imagine when he ACTUALLY does gain strength? Look out, league

 

Well, there was some debate over whether or not Oden or Durant will go first and I'd be willing to bet that if Portland hadn't already decided on Oden, they're decided now. So it's possible that Durant stock dropped enough for him to slip all the way down to the second overall pick in the draft.

 

Brendan Wright is only 200 pounds. How is he going to play PF?

 

I take your view. When Durant starts working out, gaining strength and a little weight, the sky will be the limit. I'm in the minority, but I think Durant is further away from his ceiling than Oden.

 

You're crazy. There is no way I would take him over Lebron.