Texas Longhorn fans will have to accept that the last time they saw Kevin Durant in the burnt orange will be the last time he'll be in the burnt orange, as he shocked absolutely no one by saying he will enter the 2007 NBA draft.
The essential debate is whether he will be better off in the pros or by staying in college.
Pros:
1) Lottery ticket. Cash it.
2) He's dominating college competition on an individual level.
3) The Shaun Livingston factor.
4) No more of Rick Barnes' lousy coaching.
Cons:
1) I still think he's too skinny -- he's gonna get bashed around by pro players, and badly.
2) One more year of figuring out how to win at the college level couldn't have hurt. There's a learning process to dominating. That USC game was the quietest 30 points I'd ever seen from him.
I can't count my preference for college ball as part of a "con" -- that's a personal opinion, really, but it's easy to imagine how good Texas might have been with him next year. Now, the competition begins, and whether Greg Oden comes out or not adds a new dimension to this.
Teams that have a shot at him, and whether they should draft him or not:
Memphis -- Yes. This is the complementary swingman you're looking for next to Pau Gasol.
Atlanta - No. You've already got too many small forwards on that team. Trade down and pick Taurean Green, Mike Conley, Jr. or Acie Law IV.
Boston - No. Don't you guys have Paul Pierce playing the same position, who's already a great NBA player with too much youth around him? Take Oden instead if he comes out. If not, trade down.
Philly - Yes. They need SOMEONE.
Milwaukee - Yes. Redd, Bogut and Durant would be a good combination.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Nothing's Shocking.
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6 comments:
If Atlanta gets the first pick though, they have to take Oden.
Durant's ready to leave. He'll be getting his 15pts in the league next year, and I bet that whatever team you listed below makes the playoffs next year with him, albeit as a low seed.
For selfish reasons I wish Durant would stick around... realistically though, I'm not sure there's much more he could have accomplished in college.
Mini Me - oh yes. If Oden's available to the ATL, he should go first. I'm working under the assumption right now that he's not coming out.
Larry Brown - there's too much talent there for the team that picks him not to make the playoffs with him.
twins15 - Final Four, maybe? I would have liked to have seen him stick around to get there -- there are plenty of good pros that don't win college championships.
Can I add another pro to the list?
- chance of suffering a horrific injury whilst still an amateur negated.
Atleast if it happens when you turn pro, then you have the money already.
Sanchez - I think that's covered under "Shaun Livingston factor", but definitely, it's better to suffer those freak injuries in the pros and have a guaranteed contract rather than insurance money.
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