How good is Portland with Kevin Durnat?

[triplehorn]

In reply to:

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[buckhorn]

Durant has been great.

Still, if you can put a stud in the middle of the block, do it and do it quickly.

Big men usually take a little time to develop. Oden is extremely young and inexperienced, learning to play within a system that has another big man that needs touches, and is coming off of a string of injuries. At this point it makes sense to wonder if he can stay healthy. It is well premature to think of him as something other than a tremendous talent in the process of development.

At this point, given Portland's success, no one can say they ****** up by taking a guy that could still turn into a dominant force. It is hard to imagine that having Durant would make them much more successful. A gam or two better perhaps, but maybe a game or two worse. He is a gravitational force that is largely unrepresented on the Portland ledger. Who knows how Durant would effect the team's chemistry, its balance and logic. I just don't see Portland's error here, and I see no results that suggest error.

The Trailblazers are on the cusp of erecting a scary-good team, and they are there in part because they have put into motion the classic 'three-stud-rhumba' that is a proven formula for championships (multiplicity, baby).

Funny how often in life you say something like 'Durant is better than Oden' and within 48 hours an event seemingly directly on point appears to utterly refute your position. The refutation isn't always actual, but this kind of thing happens all of the time and warrants a little bit of superstition.

 

[13evO]

Based on my in-depth analysis of watching ESPN, I concluded prior to the draft that Oden would be plagued by injuries, and that Durant was more of a can't-miss than Oden.

Granted, good big men are rare in the NBA, I just was unimpressed with Oden. And, given his injuries his senior year in high school and freshman year at Ohio St, you didn't have to be a doctor to figure it would carry-over into his pro career.