That’s the word from USA Basketball’s mini-camp, according to Sam Smith at Bulls.com:
It’s being whispered now among NBA types because, I believe, under a secret NBA/ESPN provision you are not permitted to say aloud anything that might be interpreted to suggest LeBron James isn’t the best thing to ever happen in anyone’s life. But sitting in the stands in Las Vegas at the USA Basketball mini-camp and hearing NBA coaches and general managers, the gasps have been for Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. I’ve now heard more than one say Durant could be a better player than James given Durant’s combination of amazing size at about 6-10 and pure shooting stroke. And he’s still 20. The feeling is Durant is on the brink of being a 30 per game scorer. Plus, Durant is a serious worker.
Both players are once-in-a-lifetime talents. Standing 6-feet-10, Durant is like a guard in a power forward’s body. He is, as Bill Simmons like to call him, a “scoring machine.” However, LeBron James is the most talented player in today’s NBA, and it’s not even close. LeBron’s combination of size, power, and speed has never been seen before.
He’s only an inch shorter than Durant, sixty pounds heavier, a better rebounder, passer, far more athletic, and he’s only 24. James averaged 27.2 per game on 47.2 percent shooting at the age of 20, and upped his scoring average to 31.4 points per game on 48 percent shooting the following year. Plus he threw in 7 boards and 6.6 assists for good measure. Durant’s length is impressive, but at this stage of his career, he is almost strictly a one-dimensional scorer.
