NBA Draft 8 Days Away.....

The NBA Draft is just over a week away, and the speculation is nuts. I swear, some of the stuff I hear is absurd, some is actual good ideas, and yet by draft night stuff will happen thats beyond absurd, and things that seem obvious wont happen (Hello Atlanta).

So lets talk about what Portland should do. Everyone in the state of Oregon is basically screaming for them to take Oden, and all the basketball "experts" are saying the same. You know, the big guys always win, scorers are a dime a dozen, Durant is too weak, those silly lines. Well, let me tell you something. The Trail Blazers may be downright foolish to take Oden over Durant. Yes, I know Oden is supremely athletic, and a great guy to boot. But does he really love basketball? He is always talking about things he loves to do outside the sport, and it doesnt seem like it is his true passion. Also, he has never faced stiff competition before, and could be in for a rude awakening in the NBA.

Anyone who has watched Texas this year though, knows that Durant is just sick when it comes to talent. He is a freak of nature, and impossible to stop. He can drive, dribble, shoot, block shots, basically do it all. Its like an evil cross between Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki that the NBA has never seen before. In 1984 Portland picked the "safe" big man in Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. Well, do they dare make the same mistake twice? Durant has potential to be special. Make that very special. A kind of special that the league has never seen. He is like that guy in a pick-up game that you would never expect to be dominant. Doesnt look to be strong or especially good, but is smart, athletic, and competitive. There is always the skinny guy who gets every rebound, and it defies all logic. Maybe he cant put up a 185 pound bench press yet, but he still manages to outrebound almost everyone with his wire-like decptive basketball strength. Durant has the ability to be a dominant superstar, a marketing genius(with Nike in Portland's backyard, and we all know scorers sell more shoes than big guys), another in the long line of Jordan-Magic-Bird etc. abilities. And did I mention Durant is a gym rat? The kid lives basketball. He is unstoppable as it is, and isnt even close to reaching how good he eventually will be. It is straight scary.

Greg Oden is going to be a great player to, dont get me wrong. Alright, yes you couldnt go wrong with him, but thats beside the point. You can be even greater with Durant. What also is scary is that Oden reportedly has some serious injury issues. NBA teams are concerned with his right wrist, which still isnt fully back to 100% from an injury last summer. Even more concerning in my view is his bad back. Will be breakdown too quick? Look, I dont know. But it is something to be concerned about.

Portland also needs to look at the fit of their team. They are basically begging people to come play ther SF position for them. If they draft Oden, then Zach Randolph needs to be dumped. So why make it harder for yourself? LaMarcus Alridge is better suited for Center, which is exactly where Oden needs to be. Randolph put up eye popping numbers this season of 23.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG. That is fantastic for an NBA PF. He should of made the All-Star team. Basically, the Trail Blazers DONT NEED another big man.

At SF, the Trail Blazers have Ime Udoka. He is a local guy, and did an acceptable job starting during the season, doing all the little things for the team. Other than him, they have Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw, both of whom came out of high school, and are still very raw. Outlaw is athletic as heck, but still cant shoot a lick. Webster can shoot with anyone, but still has to learn all the other basketball nuances.

Can you imagine a lineup that involves Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, Zach Randolph, and LaMarcus Aldridge????? No matter who the PG is, and currently Jarrett Jack and Sergio Rodriguez look pretty good, this team cant fail. Alll the key players are young, with potential to make this club a powerhouse for years to come.

Kevin Pritchard has all the makings to be a great GM. Deep down, I know his heart wants Durant. But will he give into the coaches, the media, etc. in going with Oden? Pritchard saw what Durant did to his alma matter, the Kansas Jayhawks this year. He ate them alive, and Kansas was a team loaded with future NBA players. Even in the Big 12 tournament Durant put up 24 points in the first half, before spraining his ankle and not being able to contribute a lot in the seconed.

All I know is that I hope this turns out well for Portland. It is an awesome city for basketball, with some of the best fans the NBA has ever seen. They unfairly got saddled with the "Jail Blazers" of the early 2000's, after some extremely good teams from the late 90's, along with the 2000 version, which was the best team that year, just stacked with obscene talent......and to this day I am still wondering how they blew a 20+ point lead to the Lakers in Game 7 of the Western Finals, and choking away an easy NBA Championship (although the Pacers would have put up a decent fight). I love their uniforms, love their fans, their history.......the list goes on. Nate McMillen is a GREAT coach, and Portland is lucky to have him.

So Portland, take Kevin Durant. Dont be ridiculed even more for passing on the next great superstar that will redefine the NBA. All you have to do is put in a tape of any Big 12 game from last season, and it will be quite clear how good he is. When was the last time a player dominated college basketball like that? I sure cant remember, probably not since the days of UCLA and Lew Alcindor. Kevin Durant wont be contained in the NBA, and I pray Portland fans wont be crushed by another Jordan type pass in the draft, only to see the player involved this time right up the road in Seattle. Think hard Portland, you know what to do.