Durant or Oden? Oden or Durant? You can’t lose

Greg Oden declared for the NBA Draft and hired an agent, joining Texas’ stud, Kevin Durant,… Greg Oden declared for the NBA Draft and hired an agent, joining Texas’ stud, Kevin Durant, in the deeply talented pool of the 2007 NBA Draft. When a player hires an agent, he can no longer return to his college or university.

I guess we can start debating who should be picked first – Oden or Durant?

Oden, a 7-foot reincarnation of David Robinson mixed with a little Patrick Ewing, will most likely become one of the most dominant big men in the NBA. The question is, how long will that take? The tools are there, the potential is there, but how long will it take the 19-year-old from Indianapolis to find them?

Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 32 of his team’s 39 games. Did I mention he blocked 3.3 shots per game as well?

Durant, a 6-10 combination of Tracy McGrady and Dirk Nowitzki, might be the most talented scorer in the Draft. The combination forward took home both the Naismith and John Wooden awards for college basketball’s most outstanding player. Needless to say, he’s a freshman.

But the biggest rag on Durant is that he needs to bulk up. He probably needs another 10 to 15 pounds of muscle at least if he wants to handle the physicality of the NBA and score at the rate of which he is capable.

Durant dropped 25.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, two steals and two blocks per game in the 2006-2007 season. He can step out and hit a jumper, or he can back down his defender and score in the post.

Also, consider the teams most likely to get the top picks – Memphis, Milwaukee and Boston.

Memphis finished 22-60 this year. A main reason the Grizzlies struggled was the injury of 7-footer Pau Gasol. Gasol played in just 59 games this season, but he has had MVP-caliber statistics in seasons past.

The Grizzlies need a wing scorer to complement Gasol and help swingman Mike Miller. So, in case you can’t quite connect the dots, I’d say the Grizzlies would take Kevin Durant if they got the first pick.

The Celtics, the second worst team in the NBA and worst in the Eastern Conference, finished 24-58. Boston played most of its season without one of the best players in the NBA, Paul Pierce.

Pierce, a 6-6 wing, should be ready to play next season, barring any injuries. The Celtics will also return 6-foot-8 Gerald Green and 6-foot-7 combo forward Ryan Gomes, who has developed very well as a young NBA player.

But in the post, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins are really the only options.

Perkins is developing as a quality center, especially learning to rebound exceptionally, but is more of a serviceable backup center. Jefferson turned into the dominant post presence the Celtics thought he’d be when they drafted him in 2004.

But I’d say Jefferson needs a partner in crime. And Oden would provide that body. Plus, the pressure on Oden might be as great, because Gomes, Jefferson and Perkins already have proven themselves and can handle more responsibility.

Milwaukee just missed finishing in the basement in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks, like the Grizzlies and Celtics, suffered numerous injuries throughout the season.

Big man Andrew Bogut played well when healthy and power forward Charlie Villanueva, who has developed into a major player in the NBA, the kind of player capable of numerous All-Star selections, also missed much of the season, playing in just 39 games. So the Bucks have the post positions filled.

Maurice Williams, Michael Redd and Earl “The Squirrel” Boykins have the guard slots filled up. So Durant would fit in perfectly in the middle of the lineup, operating with the freedom of playing in the post or on the wing.