Maxey: No Workout With Sonics For Durant? No Worries
This isn't necessarily the way you want to start a relationship.
Or is it?
Apparently Kevin Durant, who likely will be the second overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, is trusting his impressive resume' of being named the consensus NCAA men's basketball player of the year come June 28th at Madison Square Garden.
He just won't to walking the talk.
According to today's Seattle Times Kevin Durant will make his first trip to Seattle but will not workout for the team. He could however meet with team representatives for a meet and greet but the Times could not confirm this and Kevin Durant's agent Aaron Goodwin was unavailable for comment.
Instead, the 6'9 do-all from Texas will work with the team's basketball-skills coach, Eric Hughes and Tim Manson, a conditioning coach from the Athletes Training Institute in Bellevue.
Down 1-5, both Kevin Durant and instant friend slash draft night foe Greg Oden should hold interviews with the Portland Trail Blazers and GM Kevin Pritchard sometime next week. Although mock drafts galore and numerous NBA analysts say Oden is a lock at the top, Kevin Durant still has a fighting chance with the Blazers.
Pritchard is a good judge of character. Mostly because he has a strong one himself. And the Blazers GM hasn't been shy about explaining how face-to-face interviews go a long way in this whole draft process decision.
Brandon Roy worked out for the Blazers last year and tore-up workouts in Portland. Yet it wasn't until Pritchard and Roy sat down over dinner where Pritchard was truly convinced Roy was the right choice for him and the franchise. Roy's Rookie of the Year Award says he was the right pick. Chances are Pritchard will use the same approach with the kid from Ohio State and Texas.
Oden may be getting the votes. But Pritchard casts the final ballot.
The question now is does Kevin Durant's non-workout with the Sonics tarnish his draft status at all?
Even if he is working out with a team representative at an offsite location outside of Seattle, is this as good as getting in front of Seattle's President of Basketball Operations Lenny Wilkens, new GM Sam Presti and the rest of the Sonics brass to showoff? Kevin Durant has already been knocked for his inability to bench 185 pounds. Does his option to avoid a Sonics workout add rust to his record?
The hungry kids who have been in and out of individual pre-draft workouts busting tail for the Sonics may think so. Then again, they may not even care. Much like "Oden or Kevin Durant", it's open for lively debate. It's also not likely that neither the Sonics or the Blazers will think any less of Kevin Durant for it.
Hardly.
More likely than not, David Stern will call Kevin Durant's name second on June 28th and is heading to Seattle regardless. Let's just call it like it is and understand that stopping by to at least chat with the Sonics is as good as the gold and green he'll be wearing next season in Seattle.
Workout-shmirkout.
A firm handshake and a smile is going to have to do.
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