If the Sonics had ended up with the #1 pick, would you rather them take Greg Oden, or still go ahead and take Durant? And at #5, would you change the Green pick, possibly to someone like Joakim Noah? This thread is certainly not for taking a shot at Durant or Green, it's just a thing to ponder while we haven't been hearing much Sonics news.
Yes i'd take oden. scorers are freely available, guys like oden simply arent. the risk associated with him is not big enough to warrant passing up the potential he brings. we all know what a talented big is worth.
regarding #5, i think Green would still have been a good pick. he's versatile and thats always good when you're rebuilding. Yi may have been an option for obvious reasons.
I see Yi/Oden as a very good mixture of inside/out game, but I don't know how Yi would be able to handle it. Oden's injuries scare me, but I'd probably end up taking Oden.
Yes i'd take oden. scorers are freely available, guys like oden simply arent. the risk associated with him is not big enough to warrant passing up the potential he brings. we all know what a talented big is worth.
The NBA is in the middle of a transition that includes evolution at nearly every position. How often does a big man like Oden come around? Not too often, but lately, often has been more often than not. 15 years ago, agile 7 footers were a rare commodity and guys like Olajuwon, Robinson, and Ewing were nearly bigger than the game itself. Here we are in the 21st century and that evolution has approached. In the late 80s, no one would of called Kevin Johnson (5'11), Terrell Brandon (5'10), or Tim Hardaway (6'0) undersized point guards. Now, the prototypical size for each position has changed. Athletic 7 footers, though not growing on trees yet, are becoming more and more common. Oden can rebound and block shots, but his offensive game still needs work. Lately, every team is looking for that 7 footer and more times than not, it has become a mistake. Players like Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, Milicic, Shawn Bradley, and Bryant Reeves have yet or have never lived up to their expectations with being lottery picks. The last three #1 picks have been athletic 7 footers (Oden, Bargnani, and Bogut). Next summer, we'll see a bunch of them with DeAndre Jordan, Brooke Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Kostas Koufos, Hasheem Thabeet, Ante Tomic, Semih Erden, Nikola Pekovic, Longar Longar, and a few more. I don't remember seeing that many 7 foot prospects in one draft. As for Oden, he'll be a solid NBA player for the span of his career, but I don't expect much and could be a player closer to Tyson Chandler than David Robinson.
The NBA is in the middle of a transition that includes evolution at nearly every position. How often does a big man like Oden come around? Not too often, but lately, often has been more often than not. 15 years ago, agile 7 footers were a rare commodity and guys like Olajuwon, Robinson, and Ewing were nearly bigger than the game itself. Here we are in the 21st century and that evolution has approached. In the late 80s, no one would of called Kevin Johnson (5'11), Terrell Brandon (5'10), or Tim Hardaway (6'0) undersized point guards. Now, the prototypical size for each position has changed. Athletic 7 footers, though not growing on trees yet, are becoming more and more common. Oden can rebound and block shots, but his offensive game still needs work. Lately, every team is looking for that 7 footer and more times than not, it has become a mistake. Players like Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, Milicic, Shawn Bradley, and Bryant Reeves have yet or have never lived up to their expectations with being lottery picks. The last three #1 picks have been athletic 7 footers (Oden, Bargnani, and Bogut). Next summer, we'll see a bunch of them with DeAndre Jordan, Brooke Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Kostas Koufos, Hasheem Thabeet, Ante Tomic, Semih Erden, Nikola Pekovic, Longar Longar, and a few more. I don't remember seeing that many 7 foot prospects in one draft. As for Oden, he'll be a solid NBA player for the span of his career, but I don't expect much and could be a player closer to Tyson Chandler than David Robinson.
Yes but an agile 7 footer is not the same as an agile post-based 7 footer. Oden isnt Bosh or KG, he's a guy who can really patrol the paint, its what he does. That is still rare. And he clearly has the potential to be better than Chandler (on offence, especially) due to his superior hands and I.Q. I think Robinson, whilst possibly a stretch, is not a bad likeness.
Marny, what do you mean about Yi? If you mean having a new frontcourt pairing, both rookies, trying to work it out at the same time then I agree but we'd be biting the bullet anyway, knowing this season wouldnt be too pretty lol.
Ha, yes, the season would be quite scummy, seeing as Durant and Green wouldn't be their to put up their points, and Yi would either be starting next to Wilcox or coming off the bench. Wilkins would probably be averaging 40 a game. I mean more along the lines of in the future, when you've got a great seven footer able to hang near the perimeter and nail jumpshots or drive, and then having a competent center down low that could end up being the best in the league. Imagine a lesser version of the Twin Towers. It'd be sweet, if both would be healthy at the same time.
Looking Back...
