Even the Durant camp wasn’t all doom and gloom on Oden, just that they think Durant would have been better. I think next year we will pretty much know for sure if we made the right pick.

There isn’t an argument about who was the right pick. Portland chose a player that would help the team, instead of a player that would change the emphasis of the team entirely.

Ha!

Durant is an awesome scorer. He is not a good defender and is usually a pretty bad one. That wins… nothing.

I have no doubt Durant will lead the league in scoring someday. I seriously doubt he will win MVPS; Lebron is only a few years older after all, and Durant’s defense will come up more than Nash’s did because of the position he plays and the people he’ll be defending.

We are already an awesome offensive team, and I’d describe us as still pretty raw offensively. We’re going to get even better offensively over the next few years, becoming totally dominant. Adding a guy as offensively talented as Durant CLEARLY is, is both not needed and would likely cause more problems than actually help us. We hardly have enough shots to go around as it is!

Now, Durant would deserve all the touches and shots he gets, but the larger point is that offense is not our problem. Defense is, and last year it was rebounding and post play (or lack thereof). Oden directly answers all of our problems, and adds toughness and intimidation that Durant will never be able to have.

Right now, as a raw as cookie dough and sometimes pretty bad dumb rookie, Oden draws nightly double teams and even dominates some games. He is out of shape, always travels, keeps the ball low, fouls stupidly, and has kinda a hook shot. AND HE IS ALREADY EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE. It won’t even be fair once he is in shape, keeps that pivot foot locked, keeps that ball shoulder level, fouls smartly, and has that baby hook refined to go along with more power than anyone else in the NBA has.

It really, really, won’t be fair.

After next season no one will say Durant is the right pick, because we’ll have won 60 games or close to it and Oden will have his first “real” season since he’ll be in shape. I would not be surprised if Oden has some games in the playoffs that erases many doubters doubts about him being the correct pick as well.

Even if all he improves on is being in shape and staying out of foul trouble, allowing him to play around 30 minutes a night, he is a better fit than Durant. I highly doubt those are the only things he’ll improve on… that just never happens.

He is too big, too athletic, too long, too strong, too bound to get the friction on.

Even in a pretty crappy game like against Memphis last night, he changes the game.

Our team will be so good it won’t even be fair.

Mortimer

love you too