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technomaster
Posts: 23358
Alba Posts: 0
Joined: 6/30/2003
Member: #426
USA
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While the reports of wrist issues/back problems, misaligned hips, and different length legs are probably being leaked through a source who chooses to remain anonymous based in Seattle, there is some cause for worry.
We know how debilitating back injuries can affect a player long term (see the sudden retirement of Larry Johnson... or even Bryant Big Country Reeves!). And we had first hand experience with a player who had uneven legs - Kurt Thomas. Thomas had arguably one of the greatest regular seasons statistically in NCAA Division I history. But the start of his NBA career was seriously slowed by numerous ankle injuries, more or less knocking him out for a few seasons.
Why Durant? He's a smooth player. Everything in his motion looks effortless. Some compare him to a more athletic Dirk or a KG with even better perimeter skills. How about Darius Miles with a high basketball IQ? :)
It may be hard to see it, but maybe Durant is really just like a new-school Larry Bird. He won't outmuscle you - he'll just outskill you inside and out.
There are worries about his weight - and that his frame may not be ready to take a pounding. We're talking the NBA of the 2000's, where defenders can barely lay a finger on the offensive players. No one's playing defense nowadays anyway.
Of course, it's interesting to look at Portland's roster - With Aldridge supposedly the center of the future and Randolph as the current franchise scorer, where would either Durant or Oden fit in?
Seems like Oden should grab the starting center spot, and Aldridge turns into a back PF/C.
As a #2 overall pick coming off a pretty solid rookie campaign, would Aldridge relinquish his job so easily? I remember reading an article a few months ago about young centers in the NBA w/ HOF potential. They chose to list Aldridge, along with folks like Bynum. In any event, Oden would fit in simply because he's not a shoot-first kind of player. He'd be able to impact games without scoring (yeah, if that's all you want, don't you already have Pryzbilla?).
With Portland, Durant would logically slide into a starting role at the SF position, by far their weakest position. However, with his all-world scoring skills, certainly he'd take shots away from Randolph (23.6ppg/10.1rpg). And with the reigning ROY, Roy at SG, he's going to need his opportunities on offense too...
“That was two, two from the heart.” - John Starks
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6/23/2007 9:04 PM