Two weeks ago this was an easy decision, and maybe it still is.
But that was before Kevin Durant took the practice court on Friday and wowed Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard, leaving the executive shaking his head and calling the workout of the former Texas standout one of the best he’s ever seen.
“When you look at Kevin,” Pritchard told reporters, “you think the kid was built to play basketball.”
But the question remains: Will Durant play for Portland, which has the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, or Seattle, which has the second selection?
Pritchard won’t say. But if you’re into signs, chew on this: Durant’s competition to be chosen No. 1 is Ohio State center Greg Oden, who like Durant had a spectacular freshman season. When Oden worked out for the Blazers two days earlier, several Portland players watched. None attended Durant’s session.
Durant professes to be nowhere near as concerned as fans and media with whether he or Oden, whom he first met at the Wooden Award ceremony in Los Angeles, is drafted No. 1.
“We just talked, and we rarely talked about basketball,” Durant said. “We text each other here and there. People are going to link us together for a long time, I guess.”
The Durant-or-Oden debate is intriguing because of the newly heightened sense of uncertainty coupled with their uncannily high skill level. There arguably hasn’t been a one-two duo like this since Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby were selected with the top two picks in the 1996 NBA draft.
“Those two right now, very rarely in the draft do you find two players such as them who are just pretty much heads and shoulders over the class,” New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
So who are you with?
Hardware favors Durant
Exhibit A: Durant
Start with the trophy case.
There sit the Adolph Rupp Trophy, the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, all given to the nation’s best collegiate player. Durant is the only freshman in NCAA history to win any of the awards, much less all three. Can all three be wrong?
The 6-9, 220-pound small forward ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. His offensive skill set is unmatched by any other player in the draft and his willingness to rebound and defend are often underrated. He was among the tops in the nation in steals and averaged 1.9 blocks per game.
And all of this without losing his head.
He has one tattoo – his mother’s name on his chest over his heart.
“Other than that,” Durant says, “I’m staying tattoo-less.”
His mild-mannered attitude was instilled by his mother, Wanda.
“I was always taught to be humble,” Durant said. “Any day this can be taken away from you. I never take it for granted. I started from nothing, and that always humbles me knowing I started from nothing and worked my way up.
“You’ve got to play with that confidence on the court. Off the court you’ve got to be thankful for what you’ve been given.”
His jersey number, 35, was a tribute to his AAU coach and mentor, Charles Craig, who died at age 35.
As for Durant’s shortcomings, strength is always at the top of the list. He played at a razor-thin 220 pounds at Texas, but says he’s on his way to being more than 230 pounds by the time the NBA season starts. Durant’s weak showing in his first workout in Orlando at the beginning of June gave way to Pritchard’s gushing assessment just weeks later.
“You don’t just wake up a great player,” Durant said. “Everybody had to work from the bottom to get to the top. I’m not at the top yet, but I’m on my way.”
Tape measure: Take Oden
Exhibit B: Oden
Start with his heart. It’s in the right place, on and off the court.
Oden is affable, funny, sincere and believable. When Oden says he would have attended Ohio State despite the new rule that required high school players to attend at least one year of college, it is hard to question.
On the court, his heart wouldn’t allow him to sit too long, despite a wrist injury on his shooting hand that required a clamp and screw to fix a torn ligament. He played in 32 games, but didn’t have adequate use of his right hand until late in the season.
Through all of that, Oden averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots and helped his team to the national championship game. He had 14 double-doubles and possesses the one thing no one can teach: size.
“Sixth grade I was 6-6, seventh grade I was 6-7, eighth grade I was 6-8, end of high school I was 6-10,” the now 7-0, 250-pound Oden said.
And with that size comes limitless potential.
Because of the injury, Oden played mostly left-handed at Ohio State. His size, athleticism and skill could make him a top-five center as soon as he steps on an NBA court and his potential to be great rivals that of the league’s best middle men of all time.
“I’m not a go-to-sleep all the time, boring, big man,” Oden said. “I have energy, and I’m going to go out there and be excited to play and I’m going to fight and I’m going to work hard.
“I’ve been working on a lot of post moves, turnarounds, Tim Duncan bank shots. I want to be a great player.”
And does Portland, which passed on Michael Jordan to fill a need with center Sam Bowie in 1984, really want to pass on another potential great player, even though the Trail Blazers have a bright young talent in center LaMarcus Aldridge?
“Whatever happens, I’m going to be there and be committed to it,” Oden said. “This is out of my hands. They are going to pick me. All I can do is be happy. I’m going to be the best player that I can be.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
