[TyroberParticipant]

This is an ESPN insider article. I want to give my thoughts before you read the actual article. Blake Griffin is a superstar in the league already, but Kevin Durant has been a superstar. The Thunder are the 4 seed in the West and will only go higher with the aging Spurs and Mavericks. The Clippers are only going to get better as well with a very young core so it will be a very fun matchup to watch in the next few years. BUT I just dont see how the writer says Blake Griffin is better than Durantrula. Maybe it’s because I am a huge Thunder fan and just view Griffin as a freak athlete

 

 

GRIFFIN:

ATHLETICISM Griffin has supplanted LeBron James as the best athlete in the league. His combination of leaping ability and strength puts him in a position to score anywhere around the basket and continues to mystify his opponents. Guarding Griffin is like picking your poison. On the ground he brutalizes opponents with brute force, whether by lowering his shoulder or tearing down a powerful rebound. Let him spring into action and he’s soaring for an arena-shaking signature slam. ("People don’t even jump with him anymore," says one scout.) Terrific balance and agility let him execute his pet spin move before exploding off the floor. "He’s incredibly physical and aggressive and has a motor that never stops," says Dirk Nowitzki. "It’s easy to be in awe of how high he jumps but then you realize you don’t want to get dunked on." While shooters can have an off night, Griffin’s athletic ability impacts the game 82 nights a year.

 

DURANT:

LENGTH Durant’s fluid shooting stroke is one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. But it’s his extraordinary length that makes him unstoppable and gives him the widest array of nearly unblockable shots in the NBA. Durant uses his length to his advantage the way Shaquille O’Neal used his power in the 1990s. He’s so long that he often releases his runners and jump hooks above rim level, knocking down 67 percent of his shots in the lane. That length affords him the luxury of not having to jump high on his perimeter shots, particularly from behind the arc, so he’s saving energy without compromising form. He doesn’t waste a lot of time dribbling on the perimeter trying to create a good look, because he can usually shoot over people. But it’s not just his length and touch that make him an efficient scorer — he’s decisive, too. In other words, if he’s open he pulls it. "That’s what great scorers have to do on this level," says a Western Conference scout.

 

GRIFFIN:

SHOT SELECTION Griffin takes a lot of bad shots. In the first two months of the season he would often drive baseline, find himself behind the backboard, pick up his dribble and still try to get a shot off. An examination of 14 such drives showed Griffin failed to convert a single one of these off-balance attempts. (Twelve resulted in defensive rebounds.) He also has the habit of unnecessarily shooting 360-degree lay-ups at point-blank range, negating several of his best attributes at once. He’d be better served gathering himself and going up strong to the rim to get the "and 1." Sometimes Griffin gets a little Hulk-ish and forgets his own strength. "He’s just so powerful and athletic that he can get any shot he wants," says Clippers director of player development Dave Severns. "Sometimes it’s a case of, ‘what makes him great also hurts him.’"

DURANT:

DEFENSE Durant’s defensive development has always lagged behind his sparkling offense. While he’s improved his point-of-attack defense, he’s still working on getting the hang of team defense — particularly knowing when to help. When the opposing point guard beats his man, Durant can be hit or miss with his timing and position when he commits to help. Sometimes he misses assignments altogether, leaving his defensive big on an island having to guard two players at once. "It’s something we’ve talked with him a lot about," says Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. "Good help and rotation builds defensive trust, so we’re counting on him." The Thunder think it’s an easy fix. "He can cover a lot of space quickly and with his length he’s very hard to shoot over," adds Brooks. "Mostly, he wants to become great at it."

 

GRIFFIN:

BALL-HANDLING Griffin isn’t known for his ballhandling, but it’s fast becoming a phase of the game that’s opening up and diversifying his offensive attack. One move in particular is both highly functional and fun to watch. When bringing the ball up on the break, he crouches over unusually low for a man his size and zips a low left-to-right, between-the-legs crossover. His low center of gravity lets him keep the ball close to the ground and change direction in transition without losing speed. The lower he gets the better. Crouching low also allows him to uncoil his body like a spring and surprise a backpedaling defender with how quickly he can rocket toward the rim. "Handling the ball in the open court is something we’ve allowed him to do because he’s shown he can be very effective," says Clips assistant Marc Iavaroni.

DURANT:

STEP-BACK MOVE The combination of length and pure shooting skills makes Durant nearly impossible to stop, but his newest move is downright unfair. Durant has developed a killer step-back move that is highlighted by an enormous step backward that can cover about eight feet thanks to his long legs. Add a quick release and he can clear a chasm of space and get the shot off before his defender has time to react. He almost exclusively employs this move on the right wing in clear-out situations, oftentimes when the shot clock is running down. In a March 16 meeting with the Miami Heat, the move continually frustrated LeBron James, who at 6-foot-8 couldn’t make up the distance Durant put between them. "He’s worked hard on that move," says Brooks. "It’s part of his need to continually expand and get better."

GRIFFIN:

INTIMIDATION NBA players are used to getting dunked on. At this level it’s a part of the game and there’s no shame in it. But Griffin’s dunks demoralize opponents. "You don’t want to be that guy getting dunked on because everyone will see it," says Shawn Marion. The Clippers try to capitalize on every drop of adrenaline delivered by one of Griffin’s dunks, usually going on a run immediately after. But as important as a game-changing dunk can be, coaches would like Griffin to worry less about throwing it down in favor of finding an early rhythm. "We actually like for him to get that big dunk out of the way early so he can settle down," says Severns. "But whenever he gets them, we don’t complain."

DURANT:

ATTITUDE There’s no bigger cheerleader for the Thunder than its best player. After a teammate’s dunk, assist or drawn charge, Durant is fist-pumping and working his teammates into a lather, regardless of whether he’s having a good game or not. "It all stems from his genuine love of the game," says Brooks. "What he does for team spirit you can’t measure." Durant’s boyish enthusiasm is contagious. The bench will routinely stand up and wave towels not only after big dunks but when the team smartly executes a set or someone dives for a loose ball. That in turn extends to the entire arena when the Thunder are playing at home, making the Ford Center one of the loudest arenas in the league.

 

Winner

BLAKE GRIFFIN

Durant is as pure a scorer as there is and looks to be a perennial MVP candidate. But the league has simply never seen anything like Griffin’s skill set before. Despite the fact that Griffin has not yet mastered the nuances and subtleties of the pro game, Durant’s efficiency rating is only slightly better. Griffin is the first rookie since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969-70 season to average 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. His March 23 triple-double of 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists was the first time a rook posted at least 30-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and 10-plus assists in 50 years (Jerry West, 1961). Griffin is a raw, mountain of a power forward in the early stages of understanding the NBA game, yet still averages a full assist more than the highly skilled Durant. He already does a lot of little things better, too. For example, passing out of double teams. (Griffin’s assisted on 85 3s to Durant’s 40.) With his rapidly improving ballhandling, floor vision and understanding of the game, Griffin could average six to seven assists without compromising his scoring one bit. Continuing to improve his free throw shooting would add 2-3 points to his average. Durant’s averages of 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists are very solid, but he loses ground because he doesn’t necessarily improve those around him. Both players have a tremendous work ethic but what makes Griffin scary is his time warp-like improvements. He seems to add a new element to his game each month. In November, his bringing the ball up the floor was a novelty. Now it’s a weapon. Despite his victory, Griffin has a long way to go. He isn’t particularly long and is bothered by post players who have exceptional length and must learn not to beat himself up when he makes a mistake. He could also stand to block more shots given his terrific hops. Durant is a phenomenal talent who can explode for 40 on any given night. But there’s a way to deal with him — be physical and push him as far out as possible to disrupt his rhythm. With Griffin, the league has figured out no such approach. Chris Palmer has been a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com’s NBA coverage since 1999. Follow him on Twitter.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=6283857

 

All credit goes to ESPN.com and Chris Palmer

 

 

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

ESPN, the hype machine at work…Durant doesn’t really have that great of a need to make his teammates better, that falls on Westbrook. Durant is a SF and they NEED him to score, not average 6ast a game. Stupid concept on that one. And Durant has a way better organization backing him, who knows what could happen to the Clips. Big Blake obviously is a stud, but we need time to see his progression. His D and knee also scare me, why is he not blocking shots at a higher rate?? We’ll see

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 That would be a fun match up to watch. I can just those two cracking up jokes with eachother before tip off and then being the best of competitors and going at each other’s head trying to top what the other just did. Should be fun. The Clippers and Thunder are definitely my favorite teams to watch as now the Jazz are struggling. (I still think they can get it together next year, but every game its getting harder to harder to watch them) 

I just love the young brewing energy on both teams. But unfortunately the Clippers have that jerk owner Donald Sterling who cares more about money than building a good team. They might have to leave LA and get a new owner in order escape from the shadow of the big brother Lakers. (Maybe its a good thing the Sonics left Seattle for OKC, but Seattle needs new team and I wouldn’t mind seeing the Clippers move their.)

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

You have to stop really paying attention to these ESPN comparison articles. Blake is a great young player having a great season, and maybe in the future he could become a better player than Kevin Durant. With that being said, I highly doubt it and Kevin Durant is by far the better player right now. Believe me, I have no problem taking shots at Durant and probably like Griffin more personally, but their is a WORLD of difference between the two at this point. Blake Griffin still has A LOT to prove before being a better player than Kevin Durant. He has had a better rookie year than Kevin Durant did, but Durant improved greatly in his next two years, and I have no idea as to whether Griffin will reach that same point. For now, there is no doubt in my mind that Kevin Durant is the better basketball player and that these comparison articles have pretty much lost all credibility.

[HaleParticipant]

I find it highly unlikely Blake will ever average 6-7 assists a game. That’s just dumb. Garnett in his prime averaged 4-5. And Blake is going to be a better scorer then Garnett was, so how will he get 2 more assists per game?

[iminipandaParticipant]

KD has proven so much more then Blake. Durant’s ceiling is still much higher and he will always play on good teams.

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

Mr. Durant is much more talented.  He seems like a humble and articulate young man.  On the other hand, Mr. Griffin doesn’t play fundamental basketball with all his "jams".  He should just lay the ball off that glass.

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

This is really no argument, while griffin is slightly more entertaining, Durant has better stats, more wins, and plays better defense.

[SteroidParticipant]

It will be close in a few years. If Durant doesn’t evolve his game more, it will be for sure.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

This article acts like no one ever dunked in the NBA before Griffin. How about Shawn Kemp? He was a nice sized power forward that dunked on everyone! Very similar game to Griffin. The game is officiated a little different these days because of the handcheck rules. That has allowed even big guys a little more freedom to make their moves to the glass. That might be freeing up Griffin if you want to say that he is dunking more and harder than Kemp.

Also, lets not forget what monster hops Shaq had when he started out. Talk about a guy that you didn’t want to jump with. People didn’t want their hands caught between the ball and the rim, so they would just try to get out of the way.

[SteroidParticipant]

Why do people bash ESPN articles so much? I mean we do the same thing when we create thread on a certain player(s), and lets not act that most of the threads on here don’t have an agenda to hype or prove a point.  The people who write these articles are human just like everyone else. Call it hyping or whatever, but I could link 4-5 threads on here that are way worse than this EPSN article. Yeah, they’re professional journalists, but they still have opinions. Sports is a very opinionated subject and it’s inexact. For all we know, Blake Griffin could become the better player. We can never know until everything unfolds, and no one is wrong at this point. Most of the speculation is on "ceilings" and "hype". Without hype and potential, we would have nothing to talk about.

[Author]

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