I can't believe how down y'all are on Oden's offense. Its COLLEGE basketball! Great posts typically don't put up very much. Its not the way the game is played. They have zones, they have a short 3pt line which hinders spacing, they have no defensive 3 seconds! Top it all off with the fact he had 1 healthy hand all year (and it wasn't his dominant)! All the while Durant is either taking sluggish posts off the dribble or launching college range 3pt's for easy buckets. In an offense that completely revolved around him. They will both be great. This BBS is completely wrong about Oden though. He will have an impact on offense. Noose me up now. But I was right about Gibson. Yall yelled at me then too. If he can shoot FTs left handed I am confident he can put together some effective offensive game...
In their first years at college... Ewing- 12.7 O'Neal- 13.9 Mourning- 13.1 Duncan- 9.8 NCAA basketball.
Couldn't go wrong? It's too early to say that. It may turn out that one of the two is much better than the other. If you ask me, Oden isn't fierce at doing anything except blocking shots. Incredible offensive potential? This is exactly what is missing. He doesn't show many skills and his potential on offense is purely based on his athleticism. Per the interview, his stated focus is to dunk more, not learn skills. You can't read everything into an interview, but I think Oden told me what I already thought: He is too humble, laid back and hasn't set the highest goals for himself. His mentality is not that of a dominating superstar. He just wants to fit in and help his team win. He's a great guy but the sky is not the limit for him because the sky isn't his goal. It almost sounds like he would be satisfied at being a great defender and that's it. Durant, on the other hand, is a focused, motivated and goal-oriented individual. Basketball is his life's blood. He sounds imbalanced and obsessive and it kind of reminds me of what separated MJ from other stars of his era.
Those rules didn't stop Oneal, Robinson and Duncan producing huge numbers in points (and rebounds and blocks much superior to Oden's as well). And Robinson put up 50 I believe in the NCAA, don't think he wouldn't have torn up a major conference. So I am not saying Oden won't develop his offense, but it isn't there yet. It would be a moot issue if there wasn't a Durant in this draft--the best looking offensive prospect in years, but he is in the draft. Nobody is saying Oden will slip to 3, just a debate in 1-2.
It isn't just about stats. Most of us here watched Oden play a few times and he just didn't appear to have the skills or mentality to develop into a great offensive player. More than any of the players above (except Shaq), what Oden had on opponents the entire year was that he was a man playing among boys. Sometimes it was a joke watching him physically dominate inside like he did. The problem: This was all he had going for him. When Oden gets a taste of NBA defenses he will learn what frustration is all about.
I don't disagree with this premise, but these days, you have to also remember that great posts typically don't put up very much in the NBA, either. Granted, that means you shoudl be able to do some damage when you have one (Shaq, Duncan, hopefully Yao), but you can also do some damage without one. The NBA today has gotten more and more "college-like". A bunch of 3 pointers hoisted, zone allowed, more spacing but faster athletes and no real illegal defense dampening post-up play. Oden definitely needs a lot of time to polish his offensive game. In today's NBA, I think it will take him even longer to develop that skill-set. Yao came in with an already decent skill-set. Amare just had athleticism, and if not for his injury, may still only have that. Dwight Howard just had athleticism and he's improving, but is still really only about that. Does Oden have Amare's athleticism? No one does. Dwight's? Maybe. He is as equally unskilled as both of them. If Oden = Dwight Howard and Durant = Durant (with a little T-Mac in there), I'd take KG. If Oden = Shaq, or even a healthy Zo then it becomes a harder question. I'd probably take Oden. Right now it looks like Oden has Dwight Howard type skill whereas Durant has KG type skills. And while it will take a while for both to develop in the NBA, in today's NBA, Durant should get there faster. I take Durant. But I don't cry if I'm stuck with Oden, that's for certain.
That's what Oden said: "I've been working out really hard so that hopefully, one day, I can be mentioned alongside a player like Tim Duncan. I don't know if I can reach his level, but I'm going to do what I can within the limits of my game." So he wants to be a role player like Duncan.
A "role player" like Duncan? Lets get real. Duncan is the focal point of the Spurs offense. When the going gets tough, the Spurs go low post to TD who will get the basket and/or foul. On offense, TD has a tenacious "will not be denied" mentality on the court that Oden has never shown except when it comes to putback dunks against smaller defenders. TD plays both ends of the court very well. Right now, Oden is more like a Deke than a TD. TD is not a role player: He is an all-time top 10-15 great. It is extremely doubtful Oden ever grows into that kind of player, but you never know.
If I recall all had more blocks and steals even as fresh (except maybe Ewing)--implying better hands, anticipation, and/or athleticism. And Shaq, Duncan and Robinson all hit 20PPG+ in college and the latter two if I believe had played internation/exhibition where even NBAers knew they were NBA caliber. You just can't assume Oden is on the same growth trajectory, especially considered how physicially developed he is. Pervious Ellison was a great freshman, but never got substantially better. Mourning and Ewing only got incrementally better, if I were betting from Oden's physical development and long bb tutalidge/training I would bet on incremental development as well. Oneal, Robinson, Hakeem, Duncan exploded during their college years in harnessing their physical gifts in the game of basketball--I would doubt the same pattern in Oden.
From what I've gleaned over the last couple of days from websites that cover the Blazers, I'd say Durant looks like their choice. If not, their GM will have some explaining to do unless he was misquoted, chose his words very carelessly or was deliberately trying to mislead people. Sarge would push Durant to his limits and encourage him to be all he can be.
Here is the interesting thing I noticed while reading all these draft articles.No one has said Oden is the better player. The only common factor they agree on is choosing him number 1 because good big men are so rare.
I think Durant is better now and will always be better. I agree with him seeing himself as a franchise player but oden is also a franchise player.
You guys do realize that Oden was basically playing with one hand in his freshmen year, right? Oden is stronger, faster, and has more hops. Players like him only come around once in a while.
my thoughts exactly....ask olowokandi... although i do think oden would be a pretty good player in his career
And players with skills and drive like Durant are a dime a dozen, huh? That article paints Durant as more of a basketball freak than I already thought he was. I'm even more convinced he will be better than Oden. Drive, intensity, love and devotion to basketball and the passion to get better are something that cannot be learned after getting to the NBA. I see a vast chasm between the two players in this regard.
I think you guys are really selling this point short. Now, I will admit, as a Buckeye, I am just as biased about Oden as you guys are about Durant, but Oden has a ton of talent, a very polished game for his age, and he played last year on one hand. Seriously. He had to shoot free throws and jumpers with his left hand because his first 10-15 games back, he literally could not shoot them with the other hand. Oden has phenomenal skills for a guy his size. In draft drills, he worked out next to Mike Conley (phenomenal point guard, one of the best pure ball handlers I have ever seen), and Oden was keeping with Conley on the dribbling, speed and agility drills. Off the court, you will find that Oden is very similar to Duncan, although maybe a little more fun loving (kind of like our big man, Yao). On the court, Oden has a mean streak and he is very serious about the game of basketball. I think when all is said and done, Oden will definitely remind folks of a cross between Bill Russell and Tim Duncan. All that said, from what little I have seen of Durant, he is also a phenomenal player who had a sick year. I don't have any idea who in the NBA to compare him to. Is he a T-Mac type of player? Kobe? I'd almost consider him a flashier Larry Bird to some extent with his all around game. His biggest problem will be that Seattle doesn't have as much as Portland around him to help. I do think we could see Oden and Durant renew this battle in the playoffs time and time again just like Bird and Magic did. Both will be phenominal.
I still think Portland should trade the #1 to Seattle for the #2 + next years #1 and another favorable contract/player exchange. Oden to Sea, Durant ++ to Portland. Win-win.
Seattle getting excited... I now get Sports NW and Bay Area on Dish, so I get to watch both the Blazers and the Sonics as well as the Warriors this year. It's small compensation for not being able to watch all the Rockets games and being too cheap for League Pass, but I'll take it.
