Simmons... on "what if blazers picked durant"

[KingSpeed]

By the way, has anyone noticed that Durant isn't even the best player on his own team anymore?

 

[LittleAlex]

Articles like this one assume that Durant would have had the same number and quality of touches his first year had he come to Portland instead of going to Seattle.

That simply isn't true.

Durant, at best, would have been second in the pecking order in Portland.
Third if the Blazers retained Z-Bo.


Durant had a very rough first year in the league but being thrown into the fire is what made him the player he is today.
For example, Durant's first year in the league he had a usage rate of 28.1%.
B-Roy that same year (the one where the team was declared to be his) had only a 24% usage rate.
I kind of doubt Durant would have had the same amount of touches had he come to Portland.
Not even close.

In addition, Durant was fucking horrible at defense his first year.
Since Nate loves to have guys only do certain things AND the small forward in Nate's system is pretty much a defender that stands in the corner taking threes, I find it hard to believe Durant would have had the same chance to shine.

Durant went to the exact team he needed to go to to have success in this league.
There is absolutely no reason to believe his career would have followed the same path in a different environment.

 

[BGrantFan]

Articles like this one assume that Durant would have had the same number and quality of touches his first year had he come to Portland instead of going to Seattle.

That simply isn't true.

Durant, at best, would have been second in the pecking order in Portland.
Third if the Blazers retained Z-Bo.


Durant had a very rough first year in the league but being thrown into the fire is what made him the player he is today.
For example, Durant's first year in the league he had a usage rate of 28.1%.
B-Roy that same year (the one where the team was declared to be his) had only a 24% usage rate.
I kind of doubt Durant would have had the same amount of touches had he come to Portland.
Not even close.

In addition, Durant was fucking horrible at defense his first year.
Since Nate loves to have guys only do certain things AND the small forward in Nate's system is pretty much a defender that stands in the corner taking threes, I find it hard to believe Durant would have had the same chance to shine.

Durant went to the exact team he needed to go to to have success in this league.
There is absolutely no reason to believe his career would have followed the same path in a different environment.

I'd be willing to take that risk over having a guy who doesn't even play. In hindsight, of course. Plus, the opposite argument could be made that Durant would be a more rounded player had he played with two other primary scoring options in ZBO and Roy while playing on a team competing for the playoffs.

 

[BGrantFan]

By the way, has anyone noticed that Durant isn't even the best player on his own team anymore?

Well, that may have something to do with him carrying Team USA this summer and having a very sore knee right now. Still, he's playing at a 21.6 PER while being in and out of the line-up.

 

[LittleAlex]

I'd be willing to take that risk over having a guy who doesn't even play. In hindsight, of course. Plus, the opposite argument could be made that Durant would be a more rounded player had he played with two other primary scoring options in ZBO and Roy while playing on a team competing for the playoffs.

I don't doubt for a minute that Portland would be much better off today if they had drafted Durant instead of Oden.

What I have a problem with is Simmons assumption that you can just take Durant's numbers now and move them onto Portland's team without any kind of adjustment for pace, usage, role, etc.


I find that kind of analysis lazy and pointless.

 

[HailBlazers]

Oh and by the way, didn't Durant fail some sort of predraft training thingy? If I remember right, Oden passed and Durant didn't. He couldn't bench a certain weight or something. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?

I do remember but have no link. I also remember G.O. beat KD in the cross court sprint.

 

[jlprk]

No one will agree with me, but I think the same is true for Jordan. Had the Blazers drafted him instead of Bowie, Jordan would have been less of a player. He got the best coaching a SG could get from former #1 pick Doug Collins, then Phil Jackson, maybe the greatest basketball coach in history. Here, he would have competed with Drexler and others in the pecking order. The league office wouldn't have encouraged small market Portland to win championships as much as it did underused giant market Chicago. (Jordan would have become great, but just not as great.)

Under McMillan, Durant would have struggled almost as much as Batum does now. Durant would have become a league star, but it would have taken more years.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I do remember but have no link. I also remember G.O. beat KD in the cross court sprint.

Bench presses; KD couldn't do a single bench press. I remember thinking "Why on earth would we draft the 90lb weakling?"

 

[BlazerCaravan]

No one will agree with me, but I think the same is true for Jordan. Had the Blazers drafted him instead of Bowie, Jordan would have been less of a player. He got the best coaching a SG could get from former #1 pick Doug Collins, then Phil Jackson, maybe the greatest basketball coach in history. Here, he would have competed with Drexler and others in the pecking order. The league office wouldn't have encouraged small market Portland to win championships as much as it did underused giant market Chicago. (Jordan would have become great, but just not as great.)

Under McMillan, Durant would have struggled almost as much as Batum does now. Durant would have become a league star, but it would have taken more years.

I can totally see it; I also think Jordan wouldn't have resigned with us after his rookie deal. Same with Durant; I think both would (just like I think Oden might) becomes superstars on some other team, leaving Portland in the dust.

 

[HailBlazers]

So it begs the question.... WHAT IF Eve didn't bit the apple?

 

[BlazerCaravan]

So it begs the question.... WHAT IF Eve didn't bit the apple?

We'd all be naked and happier.

 

[LittleAlex]

So it begs the question.... WHAT IF Eve didn't bit the apple?

A complete myth would be slightly different?

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Oh and by the way, didn't Durant fail some sort of predraft training thingy? If I remember right, Oden passed and Durant didn't. He couldn't bench a certain weight or something. Anyone remember what I'm talking about? Don't make me look it up.

He couldn't bench 185 pounds at all. That's the weight they do to see how many reps they can do. He did none.

 

[BGrantFan]

I don't doubt for a minute that Portland would be much better off today if they had drafted Durant instead of Oden.

What I have a problem with is Simmons assumption that you can just take Durant's numbers now and move them onto Portland's team without any kind of adjustment for pace, usage, role, etc.


I find that kind of analysis lazy and pointless.

Oh, I agree with you on that. I actually think Durant would be a much better player right now while scoring less had Paul Allen and crew listened to Bill Simmons. I would have taken Oden, though. Plus, with Roy's injury issues, Durant would be ready to step up his scoring.