I feel like bringing about the unbalancing of the scales with this one. Here is the 7th post on this site, the 4th of which is sports related, and thus a 4 vs. 3 situation; something lopsided and unfair.
The other human which contributes to this blog, my younger brother, very recently (yesterday) called LeBron James the best player in the world. This statement comes on the heels of my calling Kevin Durant the very same thing. Now, there cannot be two "best in the world" of something. This is especially true of entities engaged in competition with one another. Whether it be objects, people, or feelings, there is not enough space in the "best of" category for multiple titleholders.
I will retract the variable of personality from my argument. It is just something that does not matter as much to me as what an athlete contributes on the court or field. James did divorce the state of Ohio after a fruitless seven year marriage, but, most couples that get hitched end up parting ways at some point.
What I boil silly things such as best athlete of said sport down to is the ever ridiculous question: "If you owned a sports franchise, who would you prefer on your team?" This simply makes things easier. So, with my first pick I select Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant is 23 years old to James' 27. Four years matter in sports, because age matters in sports, because wear and tear on the body matter in sports. Unfortunately for James he is reaching his thirties, and, most importantly, he carried an entire team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for seven years. Durant has had the overzealous legs of Westbrook and James Harden's beard to distribute some of his workload on over the years, he has also been afforded the occasional breather by a deeper bench and better coaching than LeBron, and the difference in media scrutiny (aka stress) between Durant and James is a widely overlooked factor. Fans and analysts poke fun at LeBron's receding hairline without wondering if they have contributed to it over the years.
The idea that James makes his teammates better is true but not for the reasons specified by most analysts and talking heads in general. James' game is not that of a jump shooter, he makes aggressive moves to the hoop and is usually able to muscle the ball in for 2. If he sees a double team coming, which many times is the case because he is LeBron James, he does quick math and kicks the ball out to the wide open guy who should knock down a shot while also thinking about what book he would have with him if he were all alone on an island. Pun intended. If James makes his teammates better because he commands more attention from opposing defenses then Durant also makes this contribution because he is the league's 3 time scoring champion. Or so my sports reasoning goes. I think we can all agree that James' assists are not Rondoesque and that they many times occur during fast breaks which are an easy meal he has gotten accustomed to while in South Beach.
I also tap Durant as my first pick because I believe he is a scoring force unlike anything we have seen since Michael Jordan. What about Kobe Bryant? Yes, what about him? Let me just rattle off a few names: Shaquille O'neal, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Phil Jackson. What in the shape and size of any of these players and coach does Durant have on his side? Westbrook does the majority of his scoring in acrobatic displays usually preluded by extensive dribbling; you can't hand him the ball in the paint and expect him to turn, dunk, and/or get fouled. Shaq did this for the Lakers and Kobe, and Andrew Bynum can do the same to a lesser extent. Pau Gasol is a proven all star, a scorer which lacks toughness but can put up double doubles when playing to his full potential. Durant can very well be looking at defenses whose sole purpose is to stop him night after night, Kobe has had some breathing space over the years thanks to the big men he has had the luxury of calling teammates.
Still, Durant and his freakish proportions, another factor in his being the face of my imaginary franchise, scores like he was built to wreak such havoc. Durant is almost a 7 footer, his wingspan resembles that of a pterodactyl's, and his jumper is art. He dribbles as well as middle of the pack and lower end NBA point guards. He can and does use his dribbling to create shots for himself, some of which end up being dunks which centers many times contest because they forget his length. James has myriad of highlight reels which demonstrate his muscle. And what happens to overpowering players who rely on the muscle, speed, and agility of young age when time collects its due? Somewhere in LeBron's game exists a decent jumper, but it is nothing like Durant's. James' scoring arsenal pales in comparison to the repertoires of Durant and Bryant (Bryant is 33 and 2nd only to Durant in scoring, thanks to the development of a jump shot throughout his career).
Kevin Durant may seem like the silent type, unsure of himself and still growing into his body. He is the embodiment of pubescence in many ways. But what I have noticed, mostly throughout the 2012 playoffs, is his willingness to silently lead by example. Durant would not chew out Mario Chalmers the way James and Wade have seemingly grown used to whenever he commits a mistake. He never carries himself as what he is, the best player on his team, and instead opts for acting like one of the guys. This is a necessary quality needed to build what has been built in Oklahoma: a team.
With that said, if I were given control of an NBA team and the ability to pick any player on this planet it would be Kevin Durant. If Kevin Durant was taken I would settle for LeBron James.
Alex
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