Endangered Species

By John McMullen
The Phanatic Magazine

If you were a fly on the wall at The Phanatic Magazine offices, you would know the staff has some pretty entertaining arguments.

Most of them involve the more mundane topics like calling out the slobs who can't clean the microwave or contacting Jack Bauer to find those missing pens. But, some actually involve sports -- the most spirited of which this year has been Greg Oden versus Kevin Durant.

Being the wily veteran of the group I, of course, have been on the right side since Day 1 -- Oden. But, more and more of my colleagues have been seduced by Durant’s unbelievable skill.

It seemed like every time the Texas freshman buried another three, it was like the Dark Lord of the Sith had clouded the vision of the staff.

I thought I could yell gin then I pointed out an ESPN poll where 20 of the 21 NBA general managers with the courage to answer the question of Oden versus Durant picked the obvious choice. And 20-of-21 isn’t exactly a tight knit affair.

Then, it was Ohio State that punched its ticket to the Final Four while Durant was stuck on the sidelines accepting his AP Player of the Year award and dreaming about that upcoming $70 million dollar Nike contract.

And I guess the ultimate validation will come in June when David Stern steps to the podium and tells us Memphis or Boston has selected Oden with the top pick.

Of course in the end -- at least to the people in the know -- it was never really a choice. Oden versus Durant was the ultimate no-brainer.

That’s not a shot at Durant. You see there are always skilled wing people. Athletic guys on the outside are as overpopulated as it gets in the NBA landscape. That’s not to say players as good as Durant come around all that often -- it just means guys you can win with do.

Oden on the other hand is an endangered species. A true big man that actually plays like a big man in a game bastardized by the three-point shot.

And spending a year with the Buckeyes has only sold me even more on Oden. While others saw it as a chance to poke holes in his game, I saw Oden developing the attitude it takes to succeed at the next level.

He is a huge and intimidating presence standing next to his college foes and that’s where you develop the “big man” mentality, at least according to the generation’s most dominant center -- Shaquille O’Neal.

"When you got three little dudes hanging on you and you're still dunking on their mugs, it makes you feel like a superior being," O'Neal told Mike Wise of the Washington Post.

Now that Oden feels that -- he’s well on his way to becoming a superior being in the NBA.

-You can reach John at jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com