Standing at seven feet and weighing 280 pounds, Greg Oden is a beast of a man. His worn face wears a full beard that would lead you to believe he’s in his mid-30s. His immense size and strength leave opponents both awed and intimidated. Only 19 years old, Oden is a freak of nature, almost sure to be the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft.
Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 225 pounds, Kevin Durant is slightly less of a behemoth. The former Texas forward is long and gangly, still filling out his slender frame. He wears a boyish grin on his round face that makes you think he’s got a high-school prom to go to this weekend. His offensive skill set and sheer will dominated collegiate opponents this year, as he averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds per game. Still 18 years old, Durant is likely to be the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.
Both are freshmen finishing out their first and last years in college. Both are classy and talented kids who represented their respective universities as best as they could. Both are the centerpieces of what many experts believe to be the best draft in years.
And both deserve all the praise they’ve gotten. They’re just that good. But one of them is better. And it’s not who you might think.
With the first pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select... from the University of Texas, Kevin Durant!
At least that’s what David Stern should be saying.
When Portland is on the clock on draft day, they’ll have a tough decision to make — Oden-Durant might be the biggest debate since Lincoln-Douglas, or at least Carmelo-LeBron.
Oden seems to be to the conventional choice, however; a 7-foot monster like him is a rare commodity in a game ruled by guards.
But don’t fool yourself. Durant is the guy.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Oden would be a solid, if not perennial, All-Star player for the Blazers if they were to draft him. He would give instant credibility to their team in the paint, blocking shots and throwing down dunks.
But Kevin Durant is a star waiting to happen. He’s a nice-looking, mild-mannered guy off the court. Much like Oden, he says all the right things and defers to others. But once he’s on the hardwood, his act is over. He can take over a game with his assertiveness alone.
Sure, Durant has the athleticism, the reach and the offensive skill set that most players can only dream of. But he’s got more than just that. He’s got the right stuff: the swagger, the savvy or whatever you want to call it.
He had one of the best freshman years in the history of college basketball, and it wasn’t only because of his physical tools. He had the moxie, the cockiness and the court presence that only the greatest possess.
Oden is going to be a fantastic center no matter what. A player of his physical size, talent and athleticism is destined to have a fine career as long as he stays relatively injury-free.
But Durant isn’t going to be just great. He’s going to be up there with all the greatest — maybe not the next Bird, Jordan or Kobe, but definitely the next Durant.
Oden has all the physical tools to be up there, too. But as weird as this may sound, he’s just too nice.
When he was interviewed on College Gameday back in January, Oden showed his overwhelming humility when he was asked about his potential pro career.
“I haven’t proven anything yet. Right now it’s really a lot of talk,” he said. “I mean, I know a couple of guys right now who are really doing something, like Kevin Durant.”
Yeah, he really did say that.
Even before the NBA Lottery on Tuesday, Oden was already deferring to the Longhorn phenom. It’s very humble of him, but at the same time, it’s just too nice for an NBA center.
Oden can’t be a nice guy. He can’t be Tim Duncan. His game fits the role of the classic, dominant NBA center. The model for Oden’s game is none other than the belligerent and brazen Shaquille O’Neal.
Some might call Shaq conceited, wearing a Superman “S” on his shoulder. They also might say he isn’t the nicest guy: He has no reservations about cussing out a reporter on live television after swatting his minuscule opponents to the floor. If you piss off Shaq, you’re in a bad place.
If you piss off Oden? He’d probably act like a reasonable human being. And, as absurd as this is going to sound, that might be his biggest flaw.
You can say that a player’s demeanor off the court has little to do with his performance on the court. And you’d probably be right. But becoming one of the most physically commanding NBA centers of all time (which is what Oden’s build dictates) takes more than just size and ability.
You need anger. You need to be pissed off. You need to be like, well, Shaq.
Which obviously doesn’t detract from Oden as a person. I’m sure that he’s going to represent the NBA 95 percent better than most of its current players. He’ll be an All-Star for years to come and a hero to many.
But I have a feeling that his career may leave a lot of us wondering, “What if?”
And as for Durant: His boyish smile, his gangly features and his classy presence are merely a ploy.
The kid’s a killer.
