Paying homage to this week's NBA draft, I'll step away from my usual college football writing to consider the "What might have beens" of the 2007 NBA Draft. As we all know, the Portland Trailblazers won the lottery and with the first pick selected Center Greg Oden of Ohio St. Meanwhile, with the second pick their arch nemesis to the north; the Seattle SuperSonics fortuitously added University of Texas standout Kevin Durant. These two picks, and the fates of their respective franchises, will forever be intertwined. As we all know, big man Oden has been mired with injury throughout his NBA career and was released by Portland and the franchise has been inundated with mediocrity. Meanwhile, Durant played one modest season with the Sonics before the one of greatest franchise robberies of sports history took place. Starbucks coffee baron Howard Schultz decided to get out of the basketball business and it just so happened that NBA Commissioner Stern introduced Schultz to Oklahoma billionaire and close friend Clay Bennett. Bennett purchased the franchise and after making lofty demands for a new arena to be payed for with tax payer dollars, from tax payers who recently spent over $100 million to renovate the Sonics' home, Key Arena, moved the franchise to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Over the next two drafts the Sonics--now called the Thunder, add a supporting cast around their young standout Durant--Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in 2008 and James Harden in 2009. In the 2011-2012 season that group took the former Sonics to the NBA Finals and no doubt, with this glut of young talent, will be a perrenial title contender for the rest of the decade.
Could the fates of these two franchises been radically different had the 2007 Draft taken a different course? What if Portland would have heeded doctors' warnings that Oden, while having franchise player talent, had knees of glass and would be at serious risk of injury? They prudently pass on the big man and take Durant instead and with the second pick the Sonics take Oden:
With a front court hallmarked by LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie Durant the Trailblazers, rather than posting a modest 41-41 record end the season with a winning record, qualify for the playoffs, and make a respectable showing in the first round before ultimately losing the series. The experience gives the franchise something to build upon for the future as Durant continues to develop into a super star.
In Seattle the organization is crushed when their rookie Oden is sidelined with injury and will miss the entire season. The team does far worse than the 20-62 mark they netted in actuality, posting the worst record in the league (as opposed to 2nd worst) and if fact only net 12 wins making them one of the worst teams in history. Adding insult to injury, they Sonics don't come up lucky in the draft lottery and the Chicago Bulls get the #1 pick overall while the Sonics settle for the #2 pick. Clay Bennett still wants an NBA team but isn't desperate enough to bring the Sonics to Oklahoma City. He decides not to pursue the franchise despite the fact that his golfing buddy David Stern is nudging him to make a bid. It looks as if the NBA might have to take control of the franchise but at the last minute a local ownership group emerges who is committed to rebuilding their beloved Sonics no matter how bad they are--surely they will have some good draft picks coming to them and they won't make a mistake like Oden again.
Three years later, when the New Orleans Hornets come up for sale Benson jumps at bring the team that sought refuge in OKC during the Katrina seasons to his hometown on a permanent basis--after all the cupboard isn't bear like the Sonics' were in 2007--this team has talented point guard Chris Paul. Bennett doesn't come off as quite the villain he did in the Sonics deal--he did after all take in a franchise whose city was devastated by a natural disaster. The transition from New Orleans to OKC is somewhat seamless as their temporary refuge becomes the franchise's permanent home.
This is an interesting look at what could have been. Add a healthy Brandon Roy to the Portland mix with Durant and Aldridge and this is one solid team. I wonder what their roster would look like - Camby, Aldridge, Durant, Roy, and then (Felton, Miller, Westbrook)? It is always fun to step into the realm of hypothetical, but regardless Durant could have easily changed the face of the Portland franchise.
ReplyDeleteMaybe even with Durant in the lineup, stress is taken off of Brandon Roy and he would not have had to briefly retire. Who knows, perhaps we would have seen the Trailblazers in the finals this year.
In regards to the moving of NBA franchises, I agree Bennett may not have been so eager to buy/move the Supersonics if the team was without Durant. So, maybe the Sonics do stay in Seattle. Interesting point about the Hornets, but I don't think moving the team would have made it any more enticing for Chris Paul to stay with the organization, which makes me wonder if Bennett would have purchased the team.
Who knows? Awesome article, filled with plenty of intriguing insights and speculations!
Thanks Brock. Here was my angle on Bennett passing on the Sonics and buying the Hornets was that the Hornets were actually severely strapped for cash (while Schultz had plenty of money, he just didn't want to spend it on his team) and actually had to be bought by the league. Considering how close the Stern-Bennett relationship was I'm speculating that Stern would have either connected him with the Hornets ownership or, after the league buying the team, Stern selling them to Bennett.
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