Archived: Apr 16, 2007

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Durant-Nowitzki comparisons mixed

College star more athletic than Oden

By Brett Winkler

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His shot blocking and rebounding abilities are exceptional, and he took on a leadership role at Texas that will no doubt translate to the NBA. Hell be a star in the game for the next 15 years â?? at least.

The Milwaukee Bucks recently shelved Michael Redd for the rest of the year, increasing their slim chances at earning the second worst record in the league.

The two worst teams will have the best odds in the NBA draft lottery at landing the top two picks, which are almost certain to be Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, although not necessarily in that order. In the event that the Bucks defy the odds and win the No. 1 overall pick as they did in 2005, theyll have a choice between the two soon-to-be-millionaires.

Last week, we took a look at the pros and cons of selecting Ohio States Greg Oden. Now well take a look at Texas Kevin Durant, who officially declared for the draft Tuesday.

Pros: The best news is that scouts are comparing Durant to Dirk Nowitzki, whos a good bet to win the leagues MVP award this year seeing as Steve Nash has already won it twice and the NBA hates Kobe Bryant.

Adding to that good news is the fact that Durant is more physically gifted than Nowitzki, and is one of the best pure athletes to come out of the draft in years.

Hes a forward with the quickness of a guard and he can reasonably hit any shot within half court on a routine basis.

His shot blocking and rebounding abilities are exceptional, and he took on a leadership role at Texas that will no doubt translate to the NBA. Hell be a star in the game for the next 15 years “ at least.

Cons: The worst news, though, is that scouts are comparing Durant to Dirk Nowitzki. This means that if the Bucks do end up with him, theyll likely trade him away for Robert Tractor Traylor.

Other than that, his defense needs some improvement, but thats for the team that acquires him in exchange for The Tractor to worry about.

Durant is not as NBA ready as Oden, but he has the potential to become one of the best players in the game. While Oden may have a bigger impact right away, he is a bigger injury risk than Durant, whose raw athleticism will make it easier to play through some of the injuries that might hold the big man down. So whos it going to be, Oden or Durant?

Most likely for the Bucks, it will be neither. The Grizzlies and Celtics will probably end up with picks one and two. This will leave the Bucks to select from a depleted talent pool with the third selection, making this entire argument absolutely meaningless.

With the third pick, Milwaukee should still be able to improve, although they wont be getting a superstar like Oden or Durant.

With or without Oden or Durant, if the Bucks just steer clear of Joakim Noah, they will be a better team next season.

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