Durant or Wade

[Kevin Durant 35]

Who would you take and Why?

[Juanobili]

Durant

he's younger, impressive and has a bright bright future. would be a crime if he never received an MVP award

[oh crap]

as great as Wade is, i'd take Durant because nobody knows how high his ceiling is. barring injury, the levels he can reach are limitless.

[slick'81]

durant younger and fucker is still getting better

[Halberto]

It pains me to say it, but Wade. He's a proven winner, good court vision and has a much better defensive game

[HarlemHeat37]

For the future?..probably Durant, due to age and injury concerns..

Right now?..obviously Wade, not debatable..

[himat]

Durant's younger, has a great ceiling, has been tough despite his skinny frame, isn't scared to take big shots, and has a humble heart.

I'd take Kevin all day right now.

My concern with Wade is that he is 28 and the type of style he plays might not allow him to play up to an age that other guards would be able to.

[Giuseppe]

would be a crime if he never received an MVP award
:rolleyes

[Leetonidas]

Who the fuck would pick Wade over Durant? Scoring SGs are a lot more common than freakishly long, athletic, and great shooting SFs. Dude just won a scoring title at 21 years old while leading a very young team to 6 games against the back-to-back champs. Wade is an amazing player no doubt but at this point in time you would be crazy to pick Wade over Durant if you're looking ahead.

[Leetonidas]

Seriously, what tandem would you rather have?

Durant - Brandon Roy
Wade - Danny Granger

[Jacob1983]

Are you serious with that question? Durant and Roy, hands down. No contest. Durant over Wade also. Durant is younger and still getting better. Wade has reached his peak and is prone to a lot of TOs and can't shoot 3's very well.

[Halberto]

I can't see Durant improving much more statiscally. If anything, his stats will go down next year.

[Jacob1983]

You sure about that? Who else is going to take the majority of the shots on the Thunder and score the majority of points on that team?

[TDMVPDPOY]

i take durant who will win mvp this season...

[Ashy Larry]

KD ..... that youth and just long

[cobbler]

Who the fuck would pick Wade over Durant? Scoring SGs are a lot more common than freakishly long, athletic, and great shooting SFs. Dude just won a scoring title at 21 years old while leading a very young team to 6 games against the back-to-back champs. Wade is an amazing player no doubt but at this point in time you would be crazy to pick Wade over Durant if you're looking ahead.

A complete and utter idiot with no skill at evaluating basketball talent and potential. Not even debatable.

:wow

[mystargtr34]

Harlem is right ... Right now it's Wade .. The biggest difference between the two is Wade has the ability to make his team mates better obviously because he's a much better passer. If I was to pick a guy for this coming season I would take Wade without much hesitation. Proven winner and playoff performer too.

For the future .. Durant easily because of age there's no debate there .. But people tend to over rate guys like KD because of their potential.

[mystargtr34]

In fact as of right now Durant might be the most overrated player in the NBA.. He's arguably a top 5 player .. But still really over rated.

[Chieflion]

Wade is the better player now. Comparable scorers. Wade is the better playmaker and help defender.

[Zelophehad]

Durant. Seven years younger. Should have made it who do you take at 21?

[Smooth Criminal]

Durant. He has the potential to become the greatest scorer this game has ever seen. Ever. (Don't talk to me about Wilt, if the league average for team PPG was 118 today individual scoring averages would be that ridiculous also.)

He also has the ability to be a major scoring threat without dominating the ball, thus allowing his teammates more ball time to do their thing. He could play with a ball dominant star.

He's only 21 (And already the reigning scoring champ!)

With his length and quickness he can guard 2-4, and has the potential to be an amazing defender, help and on-ball. He also has length to disturb great offensive players (I don't think Kobe scored on him once in that series, and Kobe has the most versatile arsenal on offense in the league).

He's also humble, avoids drama, and is clearly loyal and values winning over a nicer city (Looking at you LeSoufBeach)



BTW Wade is amazing, but I could not turn down Durantula

[Smooth Criminal]

On being the Games greatest scorer:
Attributes:
Tall and Long
-He can shoot over anyone, they aren't blocking that, and with his length he could be an even better post up player than MJ. Potential wise: Durant's fadaway postup J>MJs same shot
Can shoot the lights out obviously
Can take it to the basket and finish well with his length
LENGTH
He gets to the line a lot (Call it fair or ref love, either way he gets there)

[Cane]

Right now and the short term, Wade. Long term, Durant. Durant's a much better shooter and rebounder than Wade but doesn't have as awesome of athletic ability, doesn't come close in playmaking, and has a lot to prove while Wade's a Finals MVP on the underdog team.

Durants a few years away before torching Boston like Wade did this past playoffs and he had terrible talent around him: 33.2 points (56% FG), 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Durant.

[DMX7]

Durant

[Nahtanoj]

Right now? Wade, and it's not even close.

[Kamnik]

Wade to win now and Durant for the long term... I think it is an obvious choice.

[ffadicted]

crofl @ the clueless "right now Wade, for later KD" crowd

[thedong]

Durant, but for this year...WADE. U can teach scoring, but u can't teach swag!

[Basketballgirl25]

Durant, I'd take him over Wade because Durant is younger and I like those younger players more. I mean Wade isn't that old, but isn't young either.

[peteee]

Who would you take and Why?
of course i'll take Durant because I'm a lifelong Thunder fan, no matter whom the other guy is. Honestly if I were a team's manager i would take whoever else over the little sissy whining bitch that D-Whistle is.

[Texas_Ranger]

Kd

[Venti Quattro]

Kevin Durant

[ffcommish]

Durant. Now and later. And it’s not even close.

[A_Duke]

I would take Durant, thread should have been Durant or Lebron.

[Flo-Rida]

Durant is scorer similar to Melo . Wade is a playmaker who makes his teammates better and a great defensive guard . I pick Wade .

[OC Lakerfan]

Tough call. Durant has a huge upside but some people are underrating Wade here. Depends on the rest of the team.

[Darrin]

Who would you take and Why?

Kevin Durant. I think he's a smart player and that's not to suggest that Wade isn't, but Durant seems to almost instinctually know where to be and when to turn it on. Wade has always gone hard. He was the quickest because he was running harder than anyone else. He's blessed with fantastic physical skill, and the combination of the two is exciting and rewarding to watch, however, I haven't seen him look effortless on the basketball floor in a long time. Like it or not, since that knee injury he has lost some of his explosion to the rim. He has to pull-up for the jumper now, and too often, especially late in games, that shot can be blocked. His lift, his explosion to the rim, he's too young for it to have taken the backseat already.

Durant is talented, healthy, young, and smart on the basketball floor. He has height that Wade doesn't. He has more room to grow than does Wade.

[Kevin Durant 35]

Right now? Wade, and it's not even close.

Why?

The only reason I would take Wade over Durant is if I need a point guard or if I have all the scoring but I need teamwork.

[JJ Hickson]

For the future?..probably Durant, due to age and injury concerns..

Right now?..obviously Wade, not debatable..



:lmao This Heat bandwagoning faggot. The answer is Durant.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

KD. Better scorer, better rebounder, there isn't much of a gap in defense given how much KD improved in that area, and KD is less injury prone. Wade is a better player but that's got a lot to do with Westbrook making it so they don't need much playmaking from KD.

[hater]

Durant >> Dwhistle already

[HarlemHeat37]

Wow, Durant is extremely overrated..I understand there are a lot of Texas fans here, so Durant gets overrated either way, but wow..he's a top 5-7 player, but people are treating him like he's in the top 3..

Durant's playmaking is still horrible at this point..he had a usage % of 32%, yet he averaged less than 3 APG..the only other wing players that have done this in the past are George Gervin, Dominique Wilkins and Carmelo Anthony..that's not a bad thing, but it's far from something you see from a championship-caliber wing player..we have yet to see a wing player lead a team to a title without any playmaking/passing skills..shit, none of these guys have even led a team to the Finals..you can understand why I'm skeptical, since it literally has never happened before, we have yet to see a player with his style of play do this..

Wade is slightly better at drawing fouls, he's levels better as a passer, he's the better help defender, he's levels better as a clutch player, and he's a much better ballhandler..

Durant is the better overall rebounder(although they're about the same if you're comparing them by rebounding to their position) and the better outside shooter..

They both had pretty much the same adjusted +/- during the regular season this year, so their value during the season was similar..it was a different story during the playoffs, where Wade killed him in this category..

Durant is one of the worst star clutch players in the NBA so far, it's probably the 2nd biggest flaw of his game next to his passing..Wade had an off-year in clutch situations, yet he still beat Durant by a wide margin..his shooting %s in clutch time are horrible..

I would also like people to hold back on the Durant talk until he does something in the playoffs..he's been in 1 series during his career, and he was horrible..to his credit, obviously Artest is a very good defender, and it also hurts that Scott Brooks is a bad coach that didn't utilize Durant's skills off the screen(which is also Artest's main weakness), but he still struggled overall..

Durant shot 35% and 29% from 3s, with almost 4 turnovers a game during the playoffs..historically bad numbers for a star player..this is comparing him to Wade, a proven playoff performer with a Finals MVP, and he's still in his prime..

[HarlemHeat37]

:lmao This Heat bandwagoning faggot. The answer is Durant.

I've been saying this about Durant for a while now, I'm a Durant "hater" according to some people..

I'm not a Heat fan, I'm a Lebron fan, so if I really cared, I would probably shit on Wade to elevate Lebron, similar to what Al-Quobe does..

[TheSpursFNRule]

Durant.

[Kevin Durant 35]

HarlemHeat

What you talking about Durant not being clutch?
Hes hella clutch.

[HarlemHeat37]

He shot 35% in clutch time this season..the stats show that, but I'm not just looking at that stat and forming an opinion..if you look back on the game threads for last season, I pointed it out about him a lot too..

I admit I'm not a fan of Durant, but I recognize his talent, and that's something I hope he develops over time..some of it isn't his fault though, his coach puts him in bad situations a lot of the time..Brooks' coaching in the playoffs was horrible, I hope it was just inexperience, we'll see how he does in next year's playoffs..

[Goran Dragic]

Wow, Durant is extremely overrated..I understand there are a lot of Texas fans here, so Durant gets overrated either way, but wow..he's a top 5-7 player, but people are treating him like he's in the top 3..
He was 1st team all NBA so at worst he's top 5.


Durant's playmaking is still horrible at this point..he had a usage % of 32%, yet he averaged less than 3 APG..the only other wing players that have done this in the past are George Gervin, Dominique Wilkins and Carmelo Anthony
Damn good point, those 3 guys suck.


it's far from something you see from a championship-caliber wing player..we have yet to see a wing player lead a team to a title without any playmaking/passing skills
We have also yet to see a wing player lead a team to a title alongside a playmaking PG who averages 8 assists per game. You neglect the fact KD has way less duties as a playmaker than Kobe or Wade because of the PG he plays next to.


...shit, none of these guys have even led a team to the Finals..you can understand why I'm skeptical, since it literally has never happened before, we have yet to see a player with his style of play do this..
No team in the last 20 years has won a title with a PG who averages 8+ assists per game. As far as OKC winning a title goes, their reliance on their PG creating offense is a way bigger concern than Durant.


Wade is slightly better at drawing fouls
Yet Durant led the NBA is free throws this year


he's levels better as a passer
Which has a lot to do with Durant having an almost non-existent role as a passer on his team, and the fact he has no one to kick it out to for assists. No one in OKC's starting lineup other than Durant shot above 33% from range, and they also have no big who can finish at the rim consistently. Assists are largely based off who's playing around you.


he's the better help defender, he's levels better as a clutch player, and he's a much better ballhandler..
Again, Durant isn't the primary ball handler on his team so that's hard to say, Idk how Wade is way more clutch than Durant, and while Wade might be better at help defense Durant isn't too far behind (he averaged over a block and steal per game last year).



Durant is one of the worst star clutch players in the NBA so far, it's probably the 2nd biggest flaw of his game next to his passing..Wade had an off-year in clutch situations, yet he still beat Durant by a wide margin..his shooting %s in clutch time are horrible..
Which has a lot to do with his supporting cast. When Wade won a title in 2006 he Shaq drawing attention down low and he also had one of the most clutch distance shooters in the NBA (Posey), Durant doesn't have any presence down low to draw attention


Durant shot 35% and 29% from 3s, with almost 4 turnovers a game during the playoffs..historically bad numbers for a star player..this is comparing him to Wade, a proven playoff performer with a Finals MVP, and he's still in his prime..
As you said, Brooks fucked up a lot in that series, and you're also ignoring how difficult LA was making it for him. Thabo Sefolosha enabled Fisher/Kobe to roam around and play help D while not having to worry about guarding him. Jeff Green missed a bunch of open shots so there was no way to draw Gasol or Bynum out of the paint. Durant had little to no space to work with against LA.

[HarlemHeat37]

He was 1st team all NBA so at worst he's top 5.

Lebron, Wade, Kobe and Howard are better than him without a doubt IMO..you could argue for him at 5(which is why I said 5-7), but you could also argue for Chris Paul, Dirk and Deron Williams IMO..



Damn good point, those 3 guys suck.

None of those guys have ever approached the elite level, none of them have ever been on elite teams during their primes..a lot of people were comparing Durant to Lebron and Kobe this season, he shouldn't be compared to guys like Nique/Gervin/Anthony..


We have also yet to see a wing player lead a team to a title alongside a playmaking PG who averages 8 assists per game. You neglect the fact KD has way less duties as a playmaker than Kobe or Wade because of the PG he plays next to.

He has a usage % of 32, which is ridiculously high, so he has the ball plenty, and he has one of the worst assist to turnover ratios for a high usage wing player in NBA history..among small forwards that averaged 20 MPG or more, Durant only finished ahead of Travis Outlaw, Al Thornton, Mikael Pietrus and Donte Greene in this category, all guys that are both ballhogs and terrible passers(not calling Durant a ballhog)..

I concede that Durant has less playmaking opportunities than Kobe and Wade, but he's still a horrible passer, as shown by his putrid assist totals and high passing turnover totals..



No team in the last 20 years has won a title with a PG who averages 8+ assists per game. As far as OKC winning a title goes, their reliance on their PG creating offense is a way bigger concern than Durant.

I'm not going to look into this, because it's irrelevant to my point..I'm not a fan of Westbrook either..it doesn't really have much to do with Durant's ability as a passer though..both guys have the ball a pretty high amount, it doesn't excuse Durant's passing..


Yet Durant led the NBA is free throws this year

They drew virtually the same amount of FTA/g per 36, I consider Wade better because he draws a much higher amount in comparison to his FGAs..



Which has a lot to do with Durant having an almost non-existent role as a passer on his team, and the fact he has no one to kick it out to for assists. No one in OKC's starting lineup other than Durant shot above 33% from range, and they also have no big who can finish at the rim consistently. Assists are largely based off who's playing around you.

It doesn't explain his high number or turnovers..also, having mediocre teammates(which Durant doesn't) hasn't stopped other elite wing players from getting their assist totals..


Which has a lot to do with his supporting cast. When Wade won a title in 2006 he Shaq drawing attention down low and he also had one of the most clutch distance shooters in the NBA (Posey), Durant doesn't have any presence down low to draw attention

Durant doesn't have a championship supporting cast, no argument there..it still doesn't change the fact that he's been in 1 playoff series where he was really bad..I'm not saying he won't be a good playoff performer, I think he will be, I'm just saying that people should hold back on their extreme praise when it concerns players that have never won or even performed well in a playoff series..

[oh crap]

lmao. harlem heat on kevin durant threads like flies on shit.

[Goran Dragic]

Lebron, Wade, Kobe and Howard are better than him without a doubt IMO..you could argue for him at 5(which is why I said 5-7), but you could also argue for Chris Paul, Dirk and Deron Williams IMO..
The majority of the people in this thread say he's better than Wade, so I don't understand where "without a doubt" comes from.




None of those guys have ever approached the elite level, none of them have ever been on elite teams during their primes..a lot of people were comparing Durant to Lebron and Kobe this season, he shouldn't be compared to guys like Nique/Gervin/Anthony..
Neither Nique Gervin or Anthony were/are the efficient scorer KD is. I'd say he's ahead of them and in behind Kobe/Lebron.


He has a usage % of 32, which is ridiculously high, so he has the ball plenty, and he has one of the worst assist to turnover ratios for a high usage wing player in NBA history..among small forwards that averaged 20 MPG or more, Durant only finished ahead of Travis Outlaw, Al Thornton, Mikael Pietrus and Donte Greene in this category, all guys that are both ballhogs and terrible passers(not calling Durant a ballhog)..
His job is to score, because of his high usage rate he's bound to rack up turnovers, but it's not like all of those turnovers were errant passes, a lot of them were probably due to the congestion and traffic in the lane he has to deal with every night. Someone line Lebron surrounded by good shooters is bound to have more assists and less turnovers.



I concede that Durant has less playmaking opportunities than Kobe and Wade, but he's still a horrible passer, as shown by his putrid assist totals and high passing turnover totals..
What do you mean by passing turnover? He has a lot of turnovers, just like anyone who has ever averaged 30+ PPG. That doesn't mean he's a bad passer.



I'm not going to look into this, because it's irrelevant to my point..I'm not a fan of Westbrook either..it doesn't really have much to do with Durant's ability as a passer though..both guys have the ball a pretty high amount, it doesn't excuse Durant's passing..
Durant is not supposed to be creating off the dribble, his job is to score more than anything else.



They drew virtually the same amount of FTA/g per 36, I consider Wade better because he draws a much higher amount in comparison to his FGAs..
Durant had 20.3 FGAs and 10.2 FTAs per game. Wade had 19.6 FGAs and 9.1 FTAs per game. 10.2/20.3 = 0.502, 9.1/19.6 = 0.464. Durant averages more free throws per FG attempts. Try again.



It doesn't explain his high number or turnovers..also, having mediocre teammates(which Durant doesn't) hasn't stopped other elite wing players from getting their assist totals..
ROFL a lack of teammates who provide spacing/defensive attention don't explain some of his turnovers? Thabo Sefolosha being so bad on offense that he enables a defender to help on Durant on every single possession doesn't contribute to Duran'ts turnovers? Having no interior scorer for other teams' bigs to worry about won't lead to more turnovers when he's blind sided by a big who can help away from Nick Collison with impunity?

[mystargtr34]

Lmao at people completely ignoring passing and playmaking as a basketball skill..

KD > Wade because he is taller and a better scorer.

[HarlemHeat37]

The majority of the people in this thread say he's better than Wade, so I don't understand where "without a doubt" comes from.

Nobody has made an argument for Durant yet..I literally haven't seen one that explains why he's better than Wade..I already posted my argument, as did mystar34..even in your argument, you're just trying to defend Durant, you aren't really making an argument as to why he's better than Wade..

I don't believe there's a legit argument for Durant..he's clearly an inferior playoff performer, there's no argument there, as you conceded to..you're defending his passing ability, and even if I concede that argument, which I won't do, he's still an inferior passer to Wade by a significant margin, which isn't debatable..



Neither Nique Gervin or Anthony were/are the efficient scorer KD is. I'd say he's ahead of them and in behind Kobe/Lebron.

I agree he's better than all those guys if we're comparing them at the same time of their careers..I'm just saying they're comparable passers, which isn't a good thing for Durant IMO..


His job is to score, because of his high usage rate he's bound to rack up turnovers, but it's not like all of those turnovers were errant passes, a lot of them were probably due to the congestion and traffic in the lane he has to deal with every night. Someone line Lebron surrounded by good shooters is bound to have more assists and less turnovers.

Again, Durant has a terrible assist to turnover ration..82games.com has a stat that measures passing assists to bad passes, among other things, and it comes up with a passing rating..Durant's passing rating is horrible for a wing player, trailing all the other all-star caliber wings..he even trails Carmelo Anthony by a massive margin..

Saying his spacing isn't that good is a fair point, but it doesn't excuse it at all..it's definitely not enough to make up for these horrible passing numbers, and it surely isn't enough to get him close to Wade as a passer..




What do you mean by passing turnover? He has a lot of turnovers, just like anyone who has ever averaged 30+ PPG. That doesn't mean he's a bad passer.

His assist to turnover ratio and passing numbers would indicate that he's a bad passer..



Durant is not supposed to be creating off the dribble, his job is to score more than anything else.

He obviously excels at scoring, but you're trying to compare him to guys like Wade..a guy like Wade scores at a high level AND makes plays for his teammates at a high level..it's clearly a big reason why Lebron, Wade and Kobe separate themselves from him..




Durant had 20.3 FGAs and 10.2 FTAs per game. Wade had 19.6 FGAs and 9.1 FTAs per game. 10.2/20.3 = 0.502, 9.1/19.6 = 0.464. Durant averages more free throws per FG attempts. Try again.

82games has a stat that measure FTAs, and Wade is ahead of him..either way, I said I would take Wade by a slight margin..I don't mind if you want to take Durant here, it's not by a significant margin either way, and it doesn't change much on either side of the argument..



ROFL a lack of teammates who provide spacing/defensive attention don't explain some of his turnovers? Thabo Sefolosha being so bad on offense that he enables a defender to help on Durant on every single possession doesn't contribute to Duran'ts turnovers? Having no interior scorer for other teams' bigs to worry about won't lead to more turnovers when he's blind sided by a big who can help away from Nick Collison with impunity?


Having poor teammates hasn't stopped many all-star caliber wings from racking up assist totals in the past..Wade has continued to manage it despite poor supporting casts..Kobe did it with his poor supporting casts, so did Lebron..

Again, his passing rating is HORRIBLE, as is his assist to turnover ratio..I'll give him some credit for the bad spacing and all, but it doesn't make up for these terrible numbers..

My main arguments are passing and playoff performance, two pretty huge factors..

[spursfan1000]

For the future?..probably Durant, due to age and injury concerns..

Right now?..obviously Wade, not debatable..

[HarlemHeat37]

:lmao:lmao:lmao..

[Ghazi]

:)