Oden vs. Durant

[The_Lillard_King]

Bargnani hasn't shown nearly the production Oden has. Roy has described his teammate as "dominating." Has anyone in a Toronto uniform said that about Bargs?



They probably would. But you also have to remember that GM's have to take into account what moves will and won't get them fired.

If they could draft the current version of Durant and put him next to Roy and Aldridge, nobody will ever question the move. The Blazers might or might not win a championship or two, but Durant would put fans in the seats, and it'd never be second-guessed.

As a fan, however, I'm not accountable for being fired. So I have the luxury of hoping not just for a championship and a crowded arena, but a Blazers Dynasty.

I just don't see that happening with Roy/Durant/Aldridge. Aren't enough shots to go around to keep all three happy for more than a year or two. Isn't enough defensive talent there to really dominate consistently.

I really don't know if Oden will be an elite center. His injury history is concerning. But I do know that if he actually lives up to his potential, Portland could be looking at multiple championships.

If GMs were given the hypothetical, today Durant or Oden, I think most or all would pick Durant and not because it's based on keeping their jobs. Durant is already proven and his future potential can be as high as Oden. (Some are claiming Durant will be a superstar before all is said and done.)

I think your last paragraph is why most would pick Durant. We just don't know with Oden whereas you know what you already get with Durant.

IMO, Roy, Durant and Aldrdige would make the Blazers a powerhouse for years and more oif a dynasty than any other time in Blazer history. That might be true with Oden, and I'll conceed that Oden may actually fit better if he develops into the player we all were hoping for. But there are too many players who have never reached their potential, and I think any GM would be hard pressed to take Oden over Durant when it comes to the futuer of a team.


Let me say I'm not putting blame on the Blazers for drafting Oden or think Oden is trash. But when I see so many posters saying they would take Oden over Durant "today" . . . well that's when I know I'm on a Blazer board.

Bargnani scored 28 points in the season opener and 26 points his last game. They are pretty high on him and if you go to their fanbase, some will tell you tehy wouldn't trade Barg for Roy.


Being able to observe a young player grow into the type of talent that is capable of taking over a game through willing these kinds of moments is a rare treat for any basketball fan. Like watching Neo discover his control of the Matrix, fans in Toronto have been privy to another such becoming in the form of their first pick overall, Andrea Bargnani
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Finding-the-‘It--Factor-Andrea-Bargnani-1884/

Andrea Bargnani scored 28 points and had a team-best FIC game score of 16.5 in Toronto's 101-91 Opening Night win over Cleveland.

"I was talking about that with a friend the other day. I was saying if Andrea gets going, if he's scoring the basketball a lot, then we're going to be tough to beat," said Chris Bosh. "He had a great second half of (last) season, but we haven't had that consistency with him scoring so many points. So that's a plus for us."

"I think there's not too many 7-footers who can do the things he can do," added Toronto point guard Jose Calderon, who picked up 11 assists. "Maybe (Dirk) Nowitzki is the only one."

 

[LittleAlex]

Bargnani hasn't shown nearly the production Oden has. Roy has described his teammate as "dominating." Has anyone in a Toronto uniform said that about Bargs?



They probably would. But you also have to remember that GM's have to take into account what moves will and won't get them fired.

If they could draft the current version of Durant and put him next to Roy and Aldridge, nobody will ever question the move. The Blazers might or might not win a championship or two, but Durant would put fans in the seats, and it'd never be second-guessed.

As a fan, however, I'm not accountable for being fired. So I have the luxury of hoping not just for a championship and a crowded arena, but a Blazers Dynasty.

I just don't see that happening with Roy/Durant/Aldridge. Aren't enough shots to go around to keep all three happy for more than a year or two. Isn't enough defensive talent there to really dominate consistently.

I really don't know if Oden will be an elite center. His injury history is concerning. But I do know that if he actually lives up to his potential, Portland could be looking at multiple championships.

This lineup would be like the Wizards of the west coast.

But with a half court oriented coach.

In otherwords, a complete disaster.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

This lineup would be like the Wizards of the west coast.

But with a half court oriented coach.

In otherwords, a complete disaster.

So you think a Roy, Webster, Aldridge is OK, but a Roy, Durant, Aldridge is a complete disaster?

 

[mook]

If GMs were given the hypothetical, today Durant or Oden, I think most or all would pick Durant and not because it's based on keeping their jobs. Durant is already proven and his future potential can be as high as Oden. (Some are claiming Durant will be a superstar before all is said and done.)

I think your last paragraph is why most would pick Durant. We just don't know with Oden whereas you know what you already get with Durant.

I think we pretty much agree. Durant is more of a sure thing. A really good sure thing.

Oden is more high risk, high reward. On the low end, he could have a foul/injury-plagued career, whereas Durant hasn't really shown that yet.

If Oden pans out, the Blazers will be more dominant and for longer than they would with Durant.

I like that gamble on Oden, but I can see why a lot of people wouldn't.

 

[mook]

This lineup would be like the Wizards of the west coast.

But with a half court oriented coach.

In otherwords, a complete disaster.

Well, a much more talented version of the Wizards.

Aldridge is better than Jamison.
Durant is better than Butler.
Roy is better than Arenas.

I'd say it's more similar to the Celtics' Pierce/Allen/Garnett, but younger. A really nice team. I would've gladly taken that before I knew we could get Oden.

The problem is that you always hear how much those three "sacrificed parts of their game to win a championship." That's great and all for a one or two year championship run for vets at the end of their prime. But it doesn't seem sustainable for more than that, especially for younger guys.

*shrug* I guess eventually you wind up trading one of them, retooling with some other piece that's just as deadly.