Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Durant
A potential NBA superstar, one who could redefine the Trail Blazers' franchise, arrived at Portland International Airport on Thursday evening, eager to convince the team that he should be the No. 1 pick in next week's NBA draft.
Wait. Didn't we just go through this?
Hours after Greg Oden concluded his three-day Portland visit, the other half of "The Great Debate" arrived, as Texas freshman Kevin Durant strolled out of Concourse A and into a horde of media, fans and autograph seekers.
"I just want to come in and have a good workout," the versatile 6-foot-9 forward said. "I'm trying to sell myself to Portland."
At the very least, Kevin Durant struck a positive cord with folks at PDX. They snapped photos, shook his hand and even joined the media in asking questions. After Kevin Durant signed one autograph for a teenage girl, she screamed, "Oh, my, gosh," and sprinted down the terminal to show friends.
Kevin Durant, who was greeted by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers -- just as Oden was Tuesday -- handled the blitz in stride, revealing the poise that most experts say will help make him one of the top two selections in Thursday's draft.
"I'm just here to play ball," Kevin Durant said.
Kevin Durant is scheduled to participate in a solo workout at the Blazers' practice facility today at 11 a.m. and undergo a series of interviews that will help the team decide whether it should select him with the top pick. The Blazers, as they have done since overcoming a 5.3 percent chance to land the pick, insist that they are keeping an open mind but almost certainly will draft Oden or Kevin Durant.
Despite a so-so showing by Oden in his Wednesday workout, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan said the Ohio State center made an excellent case during his visit. Does Kevin Durant need to do to anything in particular to surpass Oden?
"We're not closed down on saying Kevin has to do X ," Pritchard said. "We're just going to keep an open mind. I have a feeling that he's going to come in and really try to show everyone in the world that he's the No. 1 pick. He will be offended if he's not the No. 1 pick. He's got that killer instinct."
Kevin Durant has spent the past week in Seattle, where his agent Aaron Goodwin lives, preparing for his Portland visit. But he has not, and said he will not, participate in a workout for the SuperSonics. He plans to meet with the team Sunday for interviews.
"I'm just happy to be in this position," Kevin Durant said. "I can't be picky, so if I go No. 1 or 2, I'm happy. I don't have a preference."
At the Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin, the team continued to hold workouts Thursday morning in preparation for next week's NBA draft -- and continued to discuss the impression Oden made on the organization.
One thing on everyone's mind is the health of Oden's back and right wrist. In between his workout and dinner on Wednesday, the 7-foot center from Ohio State underwent a physical exam by team doctors. Pritchard would not detail the results, but hinted that they were positive.
"We're getting very comfortable with his physical," Pritchard said. "I'm not going to comment on each individual thing that we looked at, but as we've talked to the doctors, as we've talked to (team trainer) Jay (Jensen). We are getting very comfortable that those aren't long-term, serious things for us."
So was Pritchard happy with the results?
"It's one less worry," he said, laughing.
Now Pritchard and the Blazers will shift their scrutiny to Kevin Durant, and Pritchard said he expects to see a motivated player ready to be an "assassin."
"That's what I do every time I step on the floor," Kevin Durant said. "That's what I'm going to do (today)."
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