Basketball What if the Trailblazers would have picked DURANT #1 instead of ODEN?

[mattyj]

As a Blazer fan all my comments from this point forward are said with Blazer-colored glasses on. That being said, I think it's too early to jump off the Oden ship. Would they be better right now? Almost definately. The only reason they wouldn't be is if, for some reason, Durant and Roy couldn't play together. In the long run, say in the next 2-4 years, if Oden stays healthy, Oden is the correct pick. Look at the box scores and say what you want about Oden, but he is a game changer. I've watched just about every game he's played and the presence he brings on defense changes what the opposition does. That will only get more pronounced as he matures and can stay out of foul trouble.

The problem I see with Durant on the Blazers is on the defensive end. You would have a starting line-up of:
Blake
Roy
Durant
Aldridge
Pryzbilla

That gives you one defensive player in the middle. Coming off the bench is then:
Channing Frye at center? (another move may have been made to upgrade this position)
Outlaw at PF?
Batum at SF
Rudy at SG
Sergio/Bayless at PG

Now you have a second team with one defensive player and a well-undersized PF.

That starting line-up would scare any team on the offensive end, that's for sure. I hope that Oden can shake these early problems, get his head right and continue to develop. He is a beast out there at times and I look for him to be able to expand that in the very near future.

What? All 3 of them :box:

haha

But i dont think Durant on the Blazers would make a huge difference right now - they have no trouble scoring, Durant would just give more scoring...someone like Al Horford would be interesting in place of Oden

But i agree with the OP - Oden = Sam Bowie V2

 

[nbacardDOTnet]

I would just want to share this.

Sam Bowie(rookie) VS Mutombo (40 years) VS Oden(rookie) VS Olowokandi(rookie)


Player Comparison Finder - Basketball-Reference.com


Greg Oden = Most foul, worst pts , blks.

But remember. Opponents of Bowie was Olajuwon, Kareem , Parish Kinds Legend.

And For Olowwokandi, Opponents were SHAQ, Old Olajuwon, Old Ewing, ZO and Duncan-Robinson etc.


But Oden's crazy opponent is only Crazy DH12 and Yao Ming.
(Bynum run only a little period so it wouldn't be considered)



SO 40's Mutombo > Bowie > Olowokandi > Oden


At least now, that would be truth !

 

[cowboyzqna]

wow... interesting question and even better "answers' !!!... my (not my sport) opinion is that durnant would be Much scarrier (sp) w/ the Heat than any other team in the league.

 

[bgomourto]

I would just want to share this.

Sam Bowie(rookie) VS Mutombo (40 years) VS Oden(rookie) VS Olowokandi(rookie)


Player Comparison Finder - Basketball-Reference.com


Greg Oden = Most foul, worst pts , blks.

But remember. Opponents of Bowie was Olajuwon, Kareem , Parish Kinds Legend.

And For Olowwokandi, Opponents were SHAQ, Old Olajuwon, Old Ewing, ZO and Duncan-Robinson etc.


But Oden's crazy opponent is only Crazy DH12 and Yao Ming.
(Bynum run only a little period so it wouldn't be considered)



SO 40's Mutombo > Bowie > Olowokandi > Oden


At least now, that would be truth !

Check out the per 36 minute #'s. Oden is avg. 14.2 pts( #1), 11.7 rebs (#2) and shooting 56% (#1) from the floor. This is after missing a year and coming back from an injury that takes two years to recover from. His minutes can be attributed to fouls, injuries and having a darn good back-up in Joel Pryzbilla. His coach, Nate McMillian, rides the hot hand. If Pryzbilla is playing well, he stays in there. Last night, Oden was making a huge difference on the defensive end, so he got the most minutes in the 4th qtr.

 

[bgomourto]

So comparing Dwight Howard's rookie season vs Greg Oden's:

Player Comparison Finder - Basketball-Reference.com

Oden's per 36 minutes 14.2 pts and 11.7 rebounds vs Howard's 13.2 pts and 11.1 rebounds.....

so Oden > Howard.....

 

[mattyj]

Howard played 32.6mpg (thru all 82 games)
Oden is playing 22.2mpg (and is on track to play about 55 games)

Unfair to compare their per 36 min numbers


Howard >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Oden

 

[nbacardDOTnet]

Greg Oden is just a low level ninja ?

Howard played 32.6mpg (thru all 82 games)
Oden is playing 22.2mpg (and is on track to play about 55 games)

Unfair to compare their per 36 min numbers


Howard >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Oden

Yah that is really unfair.

If we compare like that every time, George McCloud or Ricky Pierce could be Michael Jordan.


Anyway No offense but I came across this Shaq's comment.

(..)Article
Courtside Blog


/So what did Shaq think of Oden?
"I don't. I'm a Shogun. You can't ask me about a low level ninja. I still have to worry about Yao Ming, Dwight Howard."
Hard to beat a good Shaq quote. /



My OP is the same as SHAQ's.
(I haven't liked SHAQ though)

The only really worried Center Position Players are only 2 players in this league.

East - DH12

West - Ming