Kevin Durant: the comparisons

[horseofcourse]

What about Carmelo Anthony...doesn't he remind you of him just a bit??

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

What about Carmelo Anthony...doesn't he remind you of him just a bit??

Nopes.

Mellow was/is very strong with all kinds of hops and speed. He can overpower most pros that can stay with him speed wise, and go around guys that are strong. Mellow is much stronger than the 3 pros I mentioned, McGrady, Dirk, and Garnett.

Durant does not have near the athletic ability. But I think he has more skill. Like I said, the diff. between this kid and other really good college players is Durant has extremely long arms, and he is first and foremost a basketball player, not an great athlete.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Nopes.

Mellow was/is very strong with all kinds of hops and speed. He can overpower most pros that can stay with him speed wise, and go around guys that are strong. Mellow is much stronger than the 3 pros I mentioned, McGrady, Dirk, and Garnett.

Durant does not have near the athletic ability. But I think he has more skill. Like I said, the diff. between this kid and other really good college players is Durant has extremely long arms, and he is first and foremost a basketball player, not an great athlete.

I think you are wrong about this guys athletic ability. I cant understand where you are coming from. He is WAY more athletic thann Dirk and has a more polished face up game than KG. Now. He is 6'11, can run, shoot, and pass. What more do you want? He needs to get away from Rick Barnes before he kills him.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I think you are wrong about this guys athletic ability. I cant understand where you are coming from. He is WAY more athletic thann Dirk and has a more polished face up game than KG. Now. He is 6'11, can run, shoot, and pass. What more do you want? He needs to get away from Rick Barnes before he kills him.

Dirk is most likely the MVP of the NBA (I think Nash may have been out too much). You are comparing an 18 year old to a mature pro? No earthly way he is as athletic as Dirk, no flippin way. He might be in 3 years. This is not Lebron James or Carmello Anthony body wise. These guys are absolute horses athletically, Durant is a basketball player. That is what he is. Not a tight end.

Durant is playing against vastly inferior players. He is not a good passer, he will get better. What sets him apart is his variety of moves offensively. And his incredibly long arms. What I want is more muscle. I want better defense. He will get crushed with that body in the pros. It will all come along because he is a player. He knows the game, he has that knack. Just a little more beef and he will be fine.

Rick Barnes kill him? Just wait till he goes 82 games and maybe playoffs, playing 3 times a week traveling constantly, then we will see what killing means. DJ Augustin plays the whole game at point guard, he is the one you should feel sorry for.

Keep em coming. I can type extensively about this kid. I have watched almost all of his games. Villanova did the best job of shutting him down this year. But that was early. Durant continues to advance. His game gets better. Barnes is the best coach he could have had. He has the guts to mold the team to showcase Durant. And I guarantee Durant, all his family and past coaches know this. He is playing with a Point Guard that will also be a good pro, just not next year. Durant could not have landed on a better team for him.
BTW I went to the University of Texas starting in 1978. I have watched Texas basketball for a long time. Rick Barnes is the best coach UT has ever had hands down. I just dont particularly like picking up players for one year. It reminds me off the horses, wisk them off the the shed, in this case, to the pros. Makes it harder to really consider them a part of the school. My little thing. Id rather just let them go pro.

[Samarta]

I'm going old school on this one.....he is the second coming of George "The Iceman" Gervin! Not sure how many of you are old enough to remember, but I know there are some here...For those that didn't have the chance to see him, he was 6'7 or 6'8, silky smooth, unstoppable on the offensive end. Durant is as close to him as I've ever seen....

Originally Posted by Samarta

I'm going old school on this one.....he is the second coming of George "The Iceman" Gervin! Not sure how many of you are old enough to remember, but I know there are some here...For those that didn't have the chance to see him, he was 6'7 or 6'8, silky smooth, unstoppable on the offensive end. Durant is as close to him as I've ever seen....

As kids on the court thats who we all were in San Antonio. Smooth is absolutely correct, I have a hard time thinking of a guy who made basketball look so easy.

The only downside is George would give up as almost as many points as he made.

I am going out on a limb. Durant will be better. They might be tied for the thinnest arms.

[pmayjr]

I agree with the T-Mac comparison, and Mix in a lil Shawn Marion to go with it.

I say these names, because he's much more likely to be a really big #2 (Shooting Guard) or #3 (Small Forward) than he'll ever be a power forward. But The way he can fly over guys to get rebounds with those long arms (when he'll be boxed out a lot lol) is very T-Mac or Marion-esque. That would be the one area where you could compare him to Garnett, is his ability to grab bnoards over people, and if he shows some ability to swat too. But for the multi-faceted inside-outside game that he'll bring on the offensive end, it's all T-Mac and Marion.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Dirk is most likely the MVP of the NBA (I think Nash may have been out too much). You are comparing an 18 year old to a mature pro? No earthly way he is as athletic as Dirk, no flippin way.

Maybe we are thinking of a different Dirk. I am thinking of the one who runs the floor as though he has cement shoes and hasn't bent down in 3 years. The one that has a bunch of quick little tricks and fade aways to get his shot off. The one that has a vertical leap of 3 inches. The Dirk who I think is a great player despite his lack of athleticism. And you were the one who started the comparisons. I believe that he reminds me most of Tom Chambers with Caldwell Jones body.
His body surely is underdeveloped compared to mature NBA players but saying that he is not athletic or is just better than inferior players has me puzzled.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Maybe we are thinking of a different Dirk. I am thinking of the one who runs the floor as though he has cement shoes and hasn't bent down in 3 years. The one that has a bunch of quick little tricks and fade aways to get his shot off. The one that has a vertical leap of 3 inches. The Dirk who I think is a great player despite his lack of athleticism. And you were the one who started the comparisons. I believe that he reminds me most of Tom Chambers with Caldwell Jones body.
His body surely is underdeveloped compared to mature NBA players but saying that he is not athletic or is just better than inferior players has me puzzled.

Watch Dirk when the playoffs start and he grabs double digit rebounds every game. A 7 foot player getting perimeter rebounds. The guy is as mobile as they come for a 7 footer. And much, much stronger than Durant. If Durant becomes Dirk Nowitzki he will exceed all expectations. We are talking MVP of the NBA, not the NCAA. Your are watching Dirk's athletic skills against men, Durant against boys. BTW I got Durant listed as 6' 9".
You are correct about his little tricks, they are amazing. But the guy is all over the place in the playoffs. Especially against San Antonio.

Now compared to McGrady and Mellow Dirk clearly lags. But the guy is 7 feet tall. What 7 footer do you know of that moves better than Dirk? The guy is amazingly mobile. He is a freak. Maybe because he is white...

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Watch Dirk when the playoffs start and he grabs double digit rebounds every game. A 7 foot player getting perimeter rebounds. The guy is as mobile as they come for a 7 footer. And much, much stronger than Durant. If Durant becomes Dirk Nowitzki he will exceed all expectations. We are talking MVP of the NBA, not the NCAA. Your are watching Dirk's athletic skills against men, Durant against boys. BTW I got Durant listed as 6' 9".
You are correct about his little tricks, they are amazing. But the guy is all over the place in the playoffs. Especially against San Antonio.

Now compared to McGrady and Mellow Dirk clearly lags. But the guy is 7 feet tall. What 7 footer do you know of that moves better than Dirk? The guy is amazingly mobile. He is a freak. Maybe because he is white...

He gets rebounds because he is seven feet tall plus he guards post players on D because he is not athletic enough to guard anyone else. I am not saying that he is not a great offensive player, because he is but he is not mobile, cant jump, and has no lateral movement. He is a great player because he can score period. Sure he is stronger than Durant now but he is 10 years older. Name one big man who came into Pro basketball with size and skills to match as a teenager? I can think of one. Moses Malone, and he was weak then compared to his later years when he bulked up.

Athletic is athletic is athletic. You have athletic skills regardless of your competition. I'm sure that Durant could outrun Dirk, out jump Dirk, out move him. By a signifigant margin. Is he the player that Dirk is? Not right now he's not. But he is still growing, has not filled out his frame, he looks like he is about 12 when you see his face. His touch is uncanny. I have probably seen him play 10-12 times this year. As a matter of fact he is one of the few interesting players in college basketball. Love to watch him and I didn't judge Barnes on one game. I thought he let the Kansas game slip through his hands and I still cant figure out how you dont double team Acie Law at the end of the game.

[Samarta]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Maybe we are thinking of a different Dirk. I am thinking of the one who runs the floor as though he has cement shoes and hasn't bent down in 3 years. The one that has a bunch of quick little tricks and fade aways to get his shot off. The one that has a vertical leap of 3 inches. The Dirk who I think is a great player despite his lack of athleticism. And you were the one who started the comparisons. I believe that he reminds me most of Tom Chambers with Caldwell Jones body.
His body surely is underdeveloped compared to mature NBA players but saying that he is not athletic or is just better than inferior players has me puzzled.

I must be watching a different guy. All you have to do is listen to the experts. I'm not talking about old play by play guys, I'm talking about guys like Magic, Barkley, Smith, and all the ESPN guys. All they do is talk about what a freak he is. Never not one time has anyone mentioned a lack of athleticism. This guy is hands down the MVP. 7 footer, that basically plays between a 2 or 3. Sure he gives up points, but the upside is he is the MVP.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Samarta

I must be watching a different guy. All you have to do is listen to the experts. I'm not talking about old play by play guys, I'm talking about guys like Magic, Barkley, Smith, and all the ESPN guys. All they do is talk about what a freak he is. Never not one time has anyone mentioned a lack of athleticism. This guy is hands down the MVP. 7 footer, that basically plays between a 2 or 3. Sure he gives up points, but the upside is he is the MVP.

He is a freak because of his offensive skills at his size, not because he is athletic. In the NBA there really arent 2's or 3's. It is all about matchups and exploiting them. He is a tough match up because of his shooting skills. It is hard for most guys his size to play perimeter D and if they put a smaller man on him, Dallas will try to post him where he can take advantage of his size. Height and touch are not athletic attributes. I never said he was not a great player and I could care less what TV analysts say because they are paid to talk up the guys that are going to be featured on their networks. What they tell you as the general public is often contrary to what they really believe. My observations are based upon watching an unhealthy amount of games and talking candidly, off the record with knowledgeable basketball people. It is all just opinion but I do enjoy the debates.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

. He has the guts to mold the team to showcase Durant.

You are kidding me? It takes guts to showcase the best player in college basketball? It would take guts to take him out occasionally and give him a breather so he does not run out of gas late. Rick Barnes is a terrible game coach.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

You are kidding me? It takes guts to showcase the best player in college basketball? It would take guts to take him out occasionally and give him a breather so he does not run out of gas late. Rick Barnes is a terrible game coach.

Barnes is a great coach because he molds his schemes to fit the talent, not vice versa. Every year. You call him a horrible game coach after last night? He has 1 of his 4 freshman playing extremely nervous. Blows two layups. He brings in a little used senior, knows exactly what he can do, and has him hit a three in a critical point in the game. The kid is 6 10, he puts him down low to bang because Texas is very weak down low and the Barnes knows the refs are calling the game in a brutal manner down low. So the kid is just mugging people and getting away with it. Setting moving picks the refs are not calling. Instead of screaming at refs, Barnes goes with what they are not calling. The kid fouls out with 2 minutes left in the game, its already over. He has done his job. HE PLAYS THE MOST MINUTES ALL YEAR IN THE FIRST NCAA PLAYOFF GAME AND YOU CALL BARNES A BAD GAME COACH? I call that knowing your talent and knowing the way the game is being called. I call that flexibility and creativity. You call it bad. Barnes may not be the best game coach, but he certainly is not bad.

Durant takes breathers during games on defense and offense. Barnes tells him to do exactly this. He moves him down in the zone when he tires instead of the middle where he belongs with those arms. Still effective but he does not have to move. This then leads to the Cherry picks. Durant rebounds and heaves the ball down the court. You saw last night if you got the Texas game. He does not even come down the floor on offense. It is an absolutely great way to keep the best player on the floor. Brilliant.

Again if you want to gripe about overuse, its DJ Augustin. A point guard in fantastic shape that plays the whole game. Point Guards dont get to false post up (rest) and lay back in the zone(rest), and not run down the court on Cherry picks(rest). But Augustin has become long distance hound.

BTW Mr. Cannon. I appreciate your challenging questions. It allows me to spout off... my wife and daughter have stopped listening, can you believe that.

[jpops757]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Dirk is most likely the MVP of the NBA (I think Nash may have been out too much). You are comparing an 18 year old to a mature pro? No earthly way he is as athletic as Dirk, no flippin way. He might be in 3 years. This is not Lebron James or Carmello Anthony body wise. These guys are absolute horses athletically, Durant is a basketball player. That is what he is. Not a tight end.

Durant is playing against vastly inferior players. He is not a good passer, he will get better. What sets him apart is his variety of moves offensively. And his incredibly long arms. What I want is more muscle. I want better defense. He will get crushed with that body in the pros. It will all come along because he is a player. He knows the game, he has that knack. Just a little more beef and he will be fine.

Rick Barnes kill him? Just wait till he goes 82 games and maybe playoffs, playing 3 times a week traveling constantly, then we will see what killing means. DJ Augustin plays the whole game at point guard, he is the one you should feel sorry for.

Keep em coming. I can type extensively about this kid. I have watched almost all of his games. Villanova did the best job of shutting him down this year. But that was early. Durant continues to advance. His game gets better. Barnes is the best coach he could have had. He has the guts to mold the team to showcase Durant. And I guarantee Durant, all his family and past coaches know this. He is playing with a Point Guard that will also be a good pro, just not next year. Durant could not have landed on a better team for him.
BTW I went to the University of Texas starting in 1978. I have watched Texas basketball for a long time. Rick Barnes is the best coach UT has ever had hands down. I just dont particularly like picking up players for one year. It reminds me off the horses, wisk them off the the shed, in this case, to the pros. Makes it harder to really consider them a part of the school. My little thing. Id rather just let them go pro.

You make me wonder if you have seen Dirk. Durant is head and sholders superior athleticaly. Im a very strong Dirk fan but this is very obvious. Dirka weak point is athletic ability. Im not sure what position will be Durants strongest. He has th skills for all 5 and could cause match up nightmares at any of them. He has shortcommings that could be exploited at all of them too.Even with his scoring potential the one could be his potential strongest position. Shades of Majic , just bigger and probably quicker. King got it right Barbosa is the fastest with Jet Terry chalanging for pure speed but harris is Quicker moving with the ball.

Originally Posted by jpops757

You make me wonder if you have seen Dirk. Durant is head and sholders superior athleticaly. Im a very strong Dirk fan but this is very obvious. Dirka weak point is athletic ability. Im not sure what position will be Durants strongest. He has th skills for all 5 and could cause match up nightmares at any of them. He has shortcommings that could be exploited at all of them too.Even with his scoring potential the one could be his potential strongest position. Shades of Majic , just bigger and probably quicker. King got it right Barbosa is the fastest with Jet Terry chalanging for pure speed but harris is Quicker moving with the ball.

I have seen them both play right in front of my face. Dirk is the better athlete right now. No ifs ands or buts in my mind. None at all. Again you are watching Durant against college players, Dirk against the best in the world.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

What about Carmelo Anthony...doesn't he remind you of him just a bit??

NO