NBA Draft 2007: Kevin Durant or Greg Oden?

Coming into the 2006-2007 NCAA basketball season, it seemed obvious to all sports minds the Greg Oden would be the number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. But since then, things have changed. And Kevin Durant has been the one changing minds. So with another great young player stepping up to the challenge and meeting Greg Oden stride for stride, the 2007 NBA Draft picture becomes a little cloudier. So who should be the number one overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft: Kevin Durant or Greg Oden?

Keep in mind that the question at hand is who "should" be the overall number one pick, and not who "will" be the number one overall pick. No one knows for sure what team will pick Oden or Durant, but we can find a definitive answer for which "should" be picked first, so we simply answer the question of which player will add the most to an NBA in the short term and long term.

So, we begin with the short term, which leads us to answer of Kevin Durant. For a team who needs to win now, Kevin Durant is right guy for the job. Durant has impressed the college basketball world with his surprisingly polished look and ability to score from any spot on the court. Two-thirds of the way through his freshman season at Texas, Kevin Durant has averaged 25.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He has looked every bit the proto-type number one NBA draft pick and has even drawn comparisons to Kevin Garnett. Durant would help an NBA team looking to win immediately better than Greg Oden could because he will be more prepared to take over a team lacking talent superstar talent around him, just as he has done at Texas so far.

On the contrary, Greg Oden may be the proper selection for the long term. Teams looking to build around their number pick would do well to select Oden because he is a giant that plays great defense and is learning to stroke shots around the lane. Big men the caliber of Greg Oden come along once every decade or two and passing on Greg Oden may wind up becoming a Michael Jordan-like curse. Through 17 games, Greg Oden was averaging 15.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. Such freshman big man numbers haven't been seen since the days of Alonzo Mourning or Patrick Ewing. Oden has drawn many comparisons to Ewing and would most certainly make a fine number one NBA draft selection.

So if you were a NBA general manager or owner, who would you need to select for your number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft? The answer isn't a simple one, but Kevin Durant would be the best player to select first overall this year, assuming that he forgoes his remaining eligibility in the NCAA. Kevin Durant is simply too polished and too great of a scorer to pass on. Greg Oden is an outstanding player, but the NBA is transitioning away from the 7-foot plus big man. The giants in the lane are no longer a necessity for winning championships in the NBA, so picking Oden isn't as essential as it once was. Scoring has become a premium talent in the NBA and Kevin Durant can do a lot of it with little if any help from the teammates around him. So when the 2007 NBA Draft rolls around Kevin Durant should be the number one overall selection.