• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

Oden vs. Durant

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
I think it's very obvious that without Oden, Ohio State would still be a pretty good team. Maybe (probably) not the #2 team in the nation, but probably still a tournament team.

Texas wouldn't be above .500 without Durant.
 
Upvote 0
BuckeyeMike80;749373; said:
I think it's very obvious that without Oden, Ohio State would still be a pretty good team. Maybe (probably) not the #2 team in the nation, but probably still a tournament team.

Texas wouldn't be above .500 without Durant.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree if you mean .500 in conference play. Overall though, I think even sooners and aggies would disagree with that.

And I think OSU is still borderline Top 10-15 without Oden.
 
Upvote 0
I don't want to sounds like a homer, nor steer too far off topic in this thread, but I saw Fran's Top 5 PGs in the country during the game tonight and he had DJ Augustine on there.

I'm sorry, but I just think Mike Conley Jr. is a far better PG than Augustine. Conley did get some kind of "honorable mention", though.
 
Upvote 0
DDN

Durant-Oden debate heats up

Michigan State coach has faced both freshmen, but he's not sure who he would pick first in the NBA draft.

By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Asked if Kevin Durant or Greg Oden would be his No. 1 NBA draft pick, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo basically said: "Yes."
Izzo has a unique perspective. He and Tennessee's Bruce Pearl are the only ones to coach against both freshmen.


Neither Texas' 6-foot-9 forward (Durant) or Ohio State's 7-foot center (Oden) has declared for the draft, but that doesn't stop fans ? or coaches ? from speculating.
"Oden is not as polished as Durant," Izzo said Monday during the Big Ten men's basketball teleconference. "Durant is a freak of nature in a way. He really is. He's so long and so athletic, and he handles the ball so well and he can shoot it from such deep range."

Cont'd...
 
Upvote 0
That is a pretty bold statement based on half a year of D-1 basketball...
Click to expand...

Granted, but I simply believe he has the talent to be one of the best big men to play not only in college but also in the NBA. Based on that, I say you pick Oden first and Durant a close second. How can you pass up on Oden's potential? I mean he has all the tools and the right attitude to make it happen.
 
Upvote 0
OSUBasketballJunkie;749730; said:
Granted, but I simply believe he has the talent to be one of the best big men to play not only in college but also in the NBA. Based on that, I say you pick Oden first and Durant a close second. How can you pass up on Oden's potential? I mean he has all the tools and the right attitude to make it happen.
Click to expand...

Durant can do things and change a game in ways Oden can only dream...its like a Vince Young/Matt Leinart debate to me...there is just that extra dimension for one.

I agree with the tools and potential, but "once in a lifetime" is more to what I'm referring.

Jordan, Bird, Kareem...all players from our lifetime.

Just a tough statement to make imo.
 
Upvote 0
Durant can do things and change a game in ways Oden can only dream...its like a Vince Young/Matt Leinart debate to me...there is just that extra dimension for one.
Click to expand...

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one......:wink2:

I view Durant as a scorer and not much else. He will do well in the NBA. I view Oden has as a center who can not only impact the defensive end of the court but also, when healthy be a force on the offensive end, he has only begun to develop on the offensive end, give him his dominate hand and I believe this debate would be even closer.....I am not taking anything away from Durant.
 
Upvote 0
I can agree to disagree, but I'll also give Durant that same developmental pass on the defensive end...he definitely has the athleticism and as evidenced by guys like Kobe and MJ, defense can be polished by desire.
 
Upvote 0
After watching Durant again last nite, at this point while he can handle the ball pretty well he is not the greatest...

He dribbles high due to being tall and sometimes he looks as he doesnt have control of it, and got it stolen quite a few times last nite.

Also as for his shot when moves back 3 ft to the NBA 3 pointer I think his ability to hit the 3 point shot will fall off a little bit. I know that he takes some deep shots now and hits them, but the transition to the NBA 3 point line on a consistent basis can be a tough one.

As for Oden I think people are underestimating his potential, I know it is hard to do, but you have a quiet kid that wants nothing more to succeed, hell he has willed himself to shooting about the same percentage from the line as LBJ does...With his right hand he will be much better form the line, which will only had a threat to his offensive game, b/c you won't be able to just foul him like you do a shaq, you already see how strong he is and he is only 19 years old. Give him 2 or 3 yrs and he could be one of the strongest big guys in the league and if he can eventually develop a 15-18 foot jumper something that Shaq never had he will be unstoppable...

By the time he is 25 he could be putting up numbers like 25,13,5...
 
Upvote 0
Just to be the Devil's Advocate here, why are we willing to use the "could be" card on one player but not on the other? Is Oden the only one with potential to grow as a player?

I'm as big of a homer as anyone, but c'mon...
 
Upvote 0
I like Bill Simmon's comparison of Oden to Mourning. Similar offensive games...similar ability to alter shots on the defensive end....enormous hype about both....Mourning turned out pretty good, but nothing revolutionary. I don't see Oden becoming a revolution; he's too passive in his game. When someone says "once in a lifetime," then I would propose to you that his numbers should be mind-boggling. They aren't, and they likely never will be. Could Oden become a 30 point scorer as well as blocking 5 shots a game? I don't see it.

I still take him over Durant.
 
Upvote 0
osugrad21;749822; said:
Just to be the Devil's Advocate here, why are we willing to use the "could be" card on one player but not on the other? Is Oden the only one with potential to grow as a player?

I'm as big of a homer as anyone, but c'mon...
Click to expand...

I agree. I think Durant is better offensively, Oden is better defensively, and both have an equal potential to grow into a total package. In this case, the only advantage Oden has is his height, which Durant could never compete with.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top