Durant v. Oden

The Sonics have to be a little disappointed that after years of taking long shot big men in the first round (Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Mouhamed Sene, Nick Collison - more of a PF and a solid contributor), they are going to miss out on Greg Oden by 1 spot. But, Kevin Durant is a great consolation prize. Durant is a long wing, not unlike the SF they have opting out of his contract, Rashard Lewis. Personally, I'd love to see Durant, Lewis and Ray Allen playing together racking up points. Additionally, it would give them versatility implementing a zone. But, Durant is the perfect replacement for Lewis, who doesn't strike me as a great athlete for someone playing SF in the NBA.

If I were a GM, I wouldn't be concerned that Durant can't bench press 185 pounds. Now, if he can't bench press 185 pounds a year from now, that might concern me. Durant should fill out a little bit, but a 7'5" wingspan is not conducive to huge numbers on the bench. I would be concerned that Durant didn't show well in athletic tests, though. A SF should be a C in the agility drill, vertical jump and three-quarter court sprint. I don't know where Durant ranks in comparison to all the other participants, but I would have liked to see him beat Oden in something. But, if Durant's athleticism is decent, his length and skills should allow him to excel in the NBA.

Portland, Seattle's big-city neighbor to the south, has to be giddy about getting Oden because Oden will allow Portland to get rid of Zach Randolph and move LaMarcus Aldridge out of the center spot. Aldridge is not a banger and is not capable of being the main man in the middle for a Western Conference team. That being said, he is another tall, long, athletic, skilled former Texas Longhorn. Aldridge should excel at PF and will love having Oden helping him out on D and the boards. Aldridge has the range and skill set to complement Oden's developing low post game. Now, Portland needs to fill the SF spot, which they should be able to do.