Durant has been playing incredible basketball since moving back over to small forward.
He really has. He's been outstanding. It just goes to show that Carlesimo really had it all wrong.
Question, are the Blazers kicking themselves yet? If not then they will be.
Blazers shouldn't be kicking themselves. I would be upset if Danny picked Durant over Oden. Durant is great, but Oden is going to be dominant, the type of dominant center you win championships with. Heck, he's already making an impact on a winning team as a rookie (well technically he's not really a rookie, but this is the first year he's played).
How many points does Durant have to score before you admit that there's even a possibility that he might just have been the better pick?
Haven't we learned anything yet? Winning a championship is about DEFENSE, something Oden brings, but Durant doesn't. See the difference between KG's numbers and BigAl's numbers? Al's numbers are way better, but KG plays defense, which makes him more important to a championship team than BigAl would be. Same case with Oden and Durant. BTW, I heard what Ainge said, but I still don't believe Ainge would have taken Durant over a center like Oden.
You're right, defense wins championships. And in related news, offense wins championships. I watched the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics. I know that there are a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket in this league, and that the guys who win rings are the ones who commit to defense. You're completely right about KG and Big Al, but Greg Oden is not Kevin Garnett, and Kevin Durant is not Al Jefferson. I understand why you still prefer Oden, but I think you're getting a bit carried away with the defense wins championships argument.
Granted, Oden is basically a rookie, while Durant already has a year under his belt. But Durant is doing what he's good at - scoring, and doing it consistently. Oden still has yet to prove that he can be a consistent force on the floor.
Edit: Just to make it clear, if in 3 years, I look up and see that Oden is clearly the better player, I'm not going to be all that suprised. My point is that as of right now, Durant's stock has to be higher.