Kenny and Barkley said Durant is a top 5 player right now. He is only behind James, Kobe, Howard, & Wade. Is he a better player than Anthony, Dirk, or Roy?
I don't know about Anthony but I'd say he is better then Dirk RIGHT NOW and while Roy is very good he doesn't score, rebound or shoot FTs at the same rate as Durant.
But, Durant hasn't proved himself in playoffs. Other 4 players have proved themselves in playoffs, and played in finals at least. I don't think a player can be called a top 5 player if he hasn't proved himself in the playoffs.
I normally would agree but Durant is a once in a lifetime type talent so he gets a free pass but even that will change if not this year, next.
His numbers are pretty amazing, but I can't get myself to call him a top 5 player without a solid post game. Just like how Melo can't be called a top 5 player without serviceable defense. Lets all hope for Durant's sake that he doesn't follow in the shadow of Mac.
It's tough because I would say Kobe, Lebron, Howard, Wade, Melo, and Durant are the top 6 and it's tough to decide which one should be just outside of the top 5. They're all better than Roy and Dirk.
I personally believe there was a time TMAC was a top 5 player(LONG TIME AGO) but that is beside the point.
Yes, absolutely yes. In fact, the only player in the league right now I would even consider building my franchise around over Durant would be LeBron, if I could get him on a long-term deal. Durant is 21 years old and is pillaging the league. OKC is fortunate to have him and I would not be surprised at all to see them win a championship in the next five years as they build around his talent.
I agree. I would take Paul over Howard for that fifth spot. My top five: LBJ, Kobe, DWade, Durant, CPIII. Then you have Howard, Melo, BRoy, DWill. It seems that many on this board think that Deron Williams is better or on par with Chris Paul. I personally believe that Paul is slightly but noticeably better. Deron has more size and better range, but Paul is a bigger scoring threat and is better at running fast breaks, with his shooting catching up as well.
