25 Dec 10 Overhyping Durant

Don get me wrong: Durant is anexciting young prospect and I'm not trying to demean hisaccomplishments. He one of the most humble and mature superstars in the NBA, and handled his newfound attention and fame very well. It is very probable he will be a future MVP and NBA champion. However, the media has been overrating and overhyping him like no other. I acknowledge he is the future of the NBA, but he not just being compared to, but surpassing Wade or any other elite or complete player in the NBA for that matter. Durant is aware of his limitations, Detroit Lions
as he tweeted at Kenny smith comments of "praise" that he "better" than Dwyane Wade, To be honest I appreciate Kenny smith comments but I'm not on dwade melo dirk Paul p level, I ain't done nothing yet...but stay tuned! I'll keep it simple: Kenny Smith is wrong and Durant is right. Here's an in-depth comparison.Wade is superior to Durant in almost every facet of the game, and those in which Durant has the advantage, the disparity is slight. I look at production in each category, in terms ofconsistent, versatile,efficient, dominantproduction in accordance tominutes,athleticism,height, teamsystem, and role. Ranked in order of importance:Defense: Wade is an all NBA-caliber defender and arguably the best shot-blocking guard in NBA history. Durant is an average defender despite better physical tools, lacking proper awareness. Wade has the best body control in the NBA as well. And if that ins't enough, Wade is a top pickpocket in the NBA. Wade wins in a landslide.Leadership: No question here, Wade is a top tier leader in the NBA. When Wade was in his third season, he was singlehandedly crushing the Mavericks in the Finals. He is an established leader in the NBA, and has always risen to the challenge when he had to compete with the best of them.No knock on Durant, I expect him to be a very good Duncan-esqe leader as well. Still, another blowout by Wade.Scoring: Durant gets a ridiculous amount of one-on-one isolations, while Wade has to create his own shot. Wade has a more developed scoring arsenal. Still, Durant scores more and more efficiently, and has become the youngest player to win ascoringtitle in the NBA. Not fair to compare Wade in his third season because they had other very capable scorers and they did not set up THAT many plays Green Bay Packers jersey
for him. As for the present, I'd call it a wash or the slight edge to Durant. Clutchness: This is probably Durant's biggest downfall. He really doesn't hit the big shots. It'll some with experience. It's not fair to judge him now, so let's discount this one. I also consider cliquishness ability to step up to the occasion. You can compare Wade vs. Durant in the post season of their respective third NBA years: Durant's first round or Wade's aforementioned outing against the Mavs in the finals? Passing: Wade is somewhat of a PG so it's not completely fair to judge, but he averages 7.5 apg (with scoring more than Durant) with a mediocre surrounding cast and not very many decent options to pass to. Unfair to compare, still.Rebounding: Note that both Miami's 05-06 team and OKC 09-10 averages around a total of 43 rebounds per game. Durant is six inches taller and has a five in longer wingspan. Still, Wade averaged 5.7 rpg in his third season (was playing with Mourning and Shaq) in comparison to Durant's 7.6 rebounds. I'll call it a wash.Basically, Wade takes the cake in all but one category, including two of the biggest ones by a LARGE margin. The only thing category Durant wins at is arguable actually, and scoring is VASTLY overrated. I have no idea how Durant can possibly be better or in the same conversation right at this moment. Once he gains better awareness, his defense and decision making will improve greatly (will come with experience) and so will all his facets of his game. Lots of time to develop. He has literally infinite potential, but IHouston Texans jersey
fear these heightened expectations and unitary pressure will hinder his development from one of the leagues brightest young stars to a true competitor and a MVP-caliber basketball player. Right now he have to stick to borderline top ten player in the NBA, like most of the stars today when they were in their third season. So, like Durant himself said, "Stay tuned!"But wait, there's more. I'll compare him to Rondo and Gasol here.Feedback isappreciated.This article is also featured onNBA Blog