Oden to undergo knee surgery

[dan_suth]

Regardless of whether or not David Beckham is still a top-tier player, coming to America is WAY more important than Greg Oden joining the NBA. Beckham has already single-handedly increased the popularity and interest in soccer over here in America - and he has barely played so far! Even if he doesn't perform all that well over the next few years, it is still a big deal. The MLS is finally getting more fans and more airtime on television.

Anyway, what a huge blow to Portland. I will definitely be interested in seeing Aldridge get more time this season - he looks like a stud. I hope Oden recovers well, I would love to see him come back in a year or so in full force. I'm still not on his bandwagon so I am really hoping he comes back and shows us he can be something special in the league.

[J J]

I just betted a quarter of the year's allowance on Oden for winning ROY.

Bull-**cking **it.

[---]

So, you heard of that kid Kevin Durant?

[J J]

So, you heard of that kid Kevin Durant?

Uh, I'm under the impression that he won't do good in the NBA, for me, he can't handle the beating, he's too thin, sooner or later he's going to break down, well, unfortunately, it was Greg who went down first

[Christopherson]

Did you watch the team USA scrimmage this summer? That gives me the impression Durant has more than enough to make it in the NBA.

[The X]

So, you heard of that kid Kevin Durant?

Uh, I'm under the impression that he won't do good in the NBA, for me, he can't handle the beating, he's too thin, sooner or later he's going to break down, well, unfortunately, it was Greg who went down first

I think they said the same about Kevin Garnett, look how that went....he'll add some muscle to the frame in the coming years & he'll be great....

[J J]

Did you watch the team USA scrimmage this summer? That gives me the impression Durant has more than enough to make it in the NBA.

You can't judge a player by only one game, basically, at the scrimmage, there was no "real" defense, there were just zones set up that generally break down at fast breaks, still, I would say Durant is a scoring machine, but that one game is different from an 82-game basis.

[Christopherson]

Yeah, but that one game was against the best players in the NBA, and I'd bet damn sure not a single one of them wanted to be lit up by a rookie. Trust me, they were playing hard against him defensively.

[Sacke12]

I have a question regarding Odens injury:
If he doesn't play a single game during this season, will he still be classed as a rookie when the 08-09 season starts? Or will he be a sophomore like the rest of his class?

[The X]

I have a question regarding Odens injury:
If he doesn't play a single game during this season, will he still be classed as a rookie when the 08-09 season starts? Or will he be a sophomore like the rest of his class?

He will be a rookie in 08/09 season if he doesn't play this coming season....similar to what happened to Nick Collison & Speedy Claxton I believe....

[Sacke12]

I have a question regarding Odens injury:
If he doesn't play a single game during this season, will he still be classed as a rookie when the 08-09 season starts? Or will he be a sophomore like the rest of his class?

He will be a rookie in 08/09 season if he doesn't play this coming season....similar to what happened to Nick Collison & Speedy Claxton I believe....

Thanks for answering my question. Yeah I thought that's whats going to happen, just wanted to make it clear.

[Anthony15]

Is this 1984 all over again? Except instead of MJ its Durant and Chicago its Seattle, Oden istead of Bowie, but same story for Blazers...

[---]

Did you watch the team USA scrimmage this summer? That gives me the impression Durant has more than enough to make it in the NBA.

You can't judge a player by only one game, basically, at the scrimmage, there was no "real" defense, there were just zones set up that generally break down at fast breaks, still, I would say Durant is a scoring machine, but that one game is different from an 82-game basis.

This isn't exactly directed at you, but it seems people have forgotten what Kevin did during the regular season. Since the draft combine results, I've mainly heard - "Kevin's too weak", "His body will break down", "He's only a scorer", "His sumer league performance was very bad", "He's like Adam Morrison".

Did everyone forget that just a month after turning 18, Kevin played his first collegiate game, and had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in a game against a weak "who are they?" type team. It was nice, but no one really took notice.

Then not even a month later he has 29 and 9 on Gonzaga. A couple games later, 28 and 13 against Arkansas. Next game, 26 and 8 against Tennessee. A few games later, Texas beats Colorado while Kevin drops 37 points and 16 rebounds - as a freshman. That's amazing, but what makes it even more crazy is that wasn't even his best game of the season.

The game right after that, he has 34 and 13 against Missouri. Next game? 28 and 13 against Oklahoma. Please keep in mind he's not long gone 18 years old. Right after that, he drops 28 and 13 against Oklahoma. Next game, Kevin drops 37 and 12, to go along with 4 blocks against a tough Oklahoma State team. The next game, he get's shut down against Villanova, probably his worst game of the season - he finishes with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. He bounces right back against Nebraska and Baylor - giving them 26/15 and 34/9 respectively.

Then comes the big game - that huge performance against Texas Tech - were Kevin with 37 points, 18 defensive rebounds - which when added to his 5 offensive boards, results in a total of 23 rebounds - he also had 3 steals and a blocked shot in that game. I still remember alot from that game, and I'll be buying it from Pontel when I get some money so I can relive that crazy performance.

Right after that, he drops 32/9 (plus 5 blocks) and 28/15 (plus 3 blocks) on Kansas State and Texas A&M. When you see a heralded senior have games like this, you're amazed. When you see an 18 year old freshman doing this against strong teams, there's no words to describe it. Its the guy's first season of college ball, and he's doing this to teams? Imagine if he stayed another year? What would he do with one season under his belt?

Fast forward a few days, and Kevin drops 21/12 and 20/15 against Oklahoma State and Baylor. It's crazy to think that those performances are actually sub-par. Right after that, he rattles off three big time performances - 32/10, 30/16 and 32/9 (not to mention 5, 5 and 3 blocks in each game, respectively) - against Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Kansas.

Next two games come against Baylor and Oklahoma State. At this poit I just feel bad for them. They're good teams, but we're talking about Kevin Durant. Yes, that 18 year old freshman from Texas. He gives them 29/13 and 26/8 respectively. Ouch.

What game is up next? The big 12 championship game. It comes against a really touch team in Kansas which features some big time players - Julian Wright, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins and Brandon Rush. Can this young freshman get it done on the big stage?

Yes he can. Texas barely lost the game - in ovetime, but Kevin did what he was supposed to do. Abuse Kansas.

He put 37 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks on them. Texas may have lost the game, but if you watch that game you'll see that Kevin did everything he could to keep Texas in it. Let me remind you that Texas wasn't a really big time team. They had Kevin, James Augustine (really good looking point gaurd, but his role was to get Kevin the ball and that only) and a spot up shooter in AJ Abrams. The rest of the roster was essentially garbage guys like Damion James who would go in, play defence and get boards. Even though Texas had Durant, talent wise, Kansas was far ahead of the Longhorns. Yet the game goes to OT and Kevin has a huge game - that's just a testament to how good he really is.

First game of the NCAA Tournament, Kevin has 27/8 in a win over New Mexico State. He took a 13 shots in that game, got the rest at the line.

The second round matchup against USC is a game I wanted Texas to win so badly, I was pretty broken when they lost, knowing that was the last game Kevin Durant would play in a Longhorns uniform. That Daniel Hackett kid from USC done a great job on Kevin and was praised by many throughout and after the game. However, when you absolutely smother a guy defensively with some of the best defence I've seen at the college level and that guy still walks away with a 30 point, 9 rebound performance - you know that man you were gaurding is a once in a lifetime talent.

That's a run down of what Kevin did in his only season of college basketball. By the way - he turns 19 years old in 2 weeks.

Once in a lifetime talent. Ignore his summerleague perfomances, his body and his combine results. The kid can play like no other.

[Its_asdf]

^I think it's pretty clear that Kevin Durant sucks.

[---]

That's funny because some people actually argue like that.

eg.

KOBE SUCKS

FAGGOT

0 CHAMPIONSHIPS FAGGOT

WITHOUT SHAQ FAGGOT

Yes. Some guy actually does debate like that. I want to ignore him but when it pops up (he comes onto a chatbox thing where you can watch basketball online), I can't help it.

Anyway, Kevin went from overrated to underrated pretty damn quick.

[maceo24]

Durant is an awesome talant, but ill wait for his second year to pass judgement. There weren't any players in college with his stature AND skillset, but that is a different story in the league. Skillwise, he would draw a comparison to Lamar Odom, a "do everything" Point Forward.

There are quite a few players in the league I could see giving him fits defensively, Namely Tayshaun and Chris Bosh, toss in Odom and you have 3 guys that match his physical presence and can do pretty much the same as he can. What worries me the most about him, is not his numbers, he's proven he'll get them. But his body will not hold up against the larger forwards in the league. What happens when he goes up against Brand? Forget Brand, any F with some meat on his ass will be able to physically dominate this kid. Haslem, Millsap, Boozer, Chuck Hayes - people like this will make him a non-factor on the rebounding side of the equation. Not to mention, they arent as quick to put people on their ass in college as they will in the NBA. Because of his lack of mass, it will require much more effort to maintain his high level, and he will hit the rookie wall much faster. He will have to gain weight in order to stay dominant. Especially in the talent drenched Western conference. He's gone from Giant fish in small pond to Giant Fish in the middle of an ocean of Giant Fish.

Not saying he wont be great, he already is. But to be great at the next level he needs to develop his body. The NBA game will have him playing the 4 just as much as the 3, he needs to not be a liability down there.

[J@3]

He won't be guarding any of those guys you just mentioned. They're looking at playing him at either SF or SG, he's not going to have to bother with Haslem, Millsap, Hayes etc.

[maceo24]

I cant see him playing at the two that much. Don't forget hes still due for another growth spurt. Hes too slow to defend a quick SG, and any guard with quick hands will pick him clean. He'd have to dribble nearly doubled over to protect the ball, which negates his height advantage.

6'7, 6'8 is about the PRACTICAL limit for a a guard. Past that, even if he has the skills to play the position, his height will become a hinderance in some form or another. Theres a reason Dirk went to PF instead of staying a run and gun 3 from his early days.

Theoretically, Durant can play a 2. But just because he can doesn't mean that he should.

[---]

He went up against some pretty big dudes downlow in college. He abused tanks like Mario Boggan. He's took quick downlow, IMO the only real reason for needing alot of strength (he will need some offensively, but not badly just to contribute) would be to hold his own defensively down low.

He'll play more 4 than 2. He isn't slow by any means, but maybe a tad to slow (and tall) to go against quicker shooting gaurds. If not too slow, just not fast enough to really merit playing the 2 when he can slide to the 3 or 4 and abuse most players offensively.

Anyway, I can't wait to see him play. He'll put up anywhere from 19-24 PPG for those Sonics. I'd guess around 22-23. He should be a top 3 player for the next 15 years. What's scary is in 15 years he'll only be 33.

[J J]

He should be a top 3 player for the next 15 years.

[shadowgrin]

Idiot.


(Why did I post 'idiot'? Same reason the poster above me only posted an emoticon without saying a reason for that emoticon to backup the 'statement' of his post)

[---]

He should be a top 3 player for the next 15 years.

Maybe that was slightly exaggerated. Obviously there's a build up to a players career and then a let down. Let's say 10 years. Anyway, if he's a top 3 player in 3 years, he'll be be 31 - 10 years down the road. Alot of guys are still going very strong at 31, so I assume Kevin will be too.

Still, he'll be a star for 15 years, if he chooses to play that long. And alot of those 15 years will be spent as a very top level player in this league.

I love me some Kevin.

You should watch him some time. Just curious, have you ever seen the guy play?

[shadowgrin]

I stopped riding the Durant badnwagon when in an interview he said he idolized Dirk Nowitzki and wanted his game to be like that of Dirk. I don't want Durant to be a choker. He can be better than that.

[Silas]

People are taking this "weakness" thing way to far. He won't directly have to deal with guys like Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, or Carlos Boozer. Don't forget, the Sonics have Nick Collison, Robert Swift, and Chris Wilcox.

Also, whenever Jeff Green, their much heralded second option, is on the floor, he'll be dealing with the big guys, not Durant, and I think there's a good chance both of them will spend a lot of time on the floor together.

Rashard Lewis is certainly not 6 feet, 10 inches of muscle, and he's still able to be a one of the more effective players in the league as a SF. Durant can do the same thing. And remember, Rashard has played second fiddle to someone his entire Career, that's something I doubt Durant will be doing this season.

People give Durant crap about how weak he is, but he doesn't have to be strong to be effective. With all the hand-checking rules, it'll be hard for people to really give him a tough, physical time on the perimeter anyway.

[magius]

This might be a blessing in disguise if portland drops the season and gets yet another high pick to fill their pg hole.

Then again, who knows how it'll play out. A big man having injury problems so early in his career doesn't sound good.