Second to None

I've been having trouble w/ my DSL service for the past 12 hours or so. Considering that my disconnections first occurred while I was in the middle of a rather sizable pot in online poker and I was forced to auto-fold, it's amazing that my laptop hasn't been smashed against a wall.

Since I don't know how much time I'll actually have online, I'll make this entry short. While it seemed going into this season that it was foregone conclusion that Greg Oden would be the #1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft, is it possible that Kevin Durant has actually surpassed Oden as the best NBA prospect in college hoops? Durant has been putting on quite a display this season, demonstrating a great outside shot to go with very quick post moves and rebounding skills. Since Big 12 play has begun, the 6'9" forward is averaging 34 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, including a 37 point effort in last night's triple overtime classic at Oklahoma State.

It's hard to imagine any team passing up on Greg Oden, as there is a dearth of true centers in the league, and it's rare for a team to get an opportunity to draft a 7 footer who can defensively dominate the post. But while, it's becoming clear that Durant may very well be the next Kevin Garnett, it's still hard to tell whether Oden is the next Olajuwan or the next Mutumbo.

My guess is that an NBA GM would never risk the possible backlash that would come with letting Oden fall to #2, so he'll still go first overall. But this year, when an NBA league executive is pulling envelopes out a giant clear ball, it might be the team that gets the #2 selection that ends up being the real lottery winner.

(Update: I've just been informed that Bill Simmons also wrote today about Durant potentially being a better NBA prospect than Oden. It's pretty sobering to realize that my topics have become so obvious that even Simmons is aware of them. It's not a good feeling (not the being unoriginal part...the sober feeling. I don't like it all.) I guess I need to expand my thought processes a bit more. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on my preview of the NFL Conference Championship games, and the inevitable arrival of the Peyton Manning face giving the Patriots another trip to the SB and a chance to avenge their 1985 Super Bowl loss to Chicago that my buddy Sully is still upset about. Also, I'm thinking about adding a sidebar so that the Insomniac's Gal can write about American Idol and shopping at the mall in LA. Yeah, that will be fun.)