Dallas Mavericks' Johnson sees Garnett in Sonics' Durant
Kevin Durant is a former Texas Longhorn and perhaps a future Oklahoman, if Seattle relocates as many people suspect will happen.
As a Sonic, he's a probable rookie of the year.
A lanky, 6-9 guard, Durant is adjusting to life as a 19-year-old professional after one year of college. And the last teenager to have the kind of impact he's having was a kid named LeBron.
True, Durant is starting from scratch with the Sonics, who jettisoned their veteran stars to begin anew. But it's nothing he hasn't been through before.
"They did the same thing in college," he said.
In his only season at UT, Durant was surrounded with fellow freshmen and the odd sophomore. At that level, he still got a youthful bunch deep in the NCAA Tournament.
There will be no playoffs for Durant in his first NBA season. He and the Sonics are taking their lumps, sort of like another long, lanky teenager did with the Mavericks 10 years ago.
"Hey, I was 20," Nowitzki said Friday after practice.
That's true, but when Nowitzki was being drafted, he was 19 and tilted toward frail-looking, like Durant.
But coach Avery Johnson said he thinks Durant has more in common with a young Kevin Garnett than he does with Nowitzki.
"He's a little bit different than Dirk," Johnson said. "Dirk was more of a shooter, shooter, shooter. I thought Garnett was a little gangly like that, being a little bit athletic. It's hard to connect these [guys] to Dirk, because he had that one skill when he came in that was absolutely flawless. He had a great stroke at an early age. And his game since he's been in the league has evolved quite a bit.
"I'd say a little more like Garnett, with the athleticism and that kind of body."
Interestingly, Durant is having a lot more success as a rookie than Garnett did, at least statistically. He's averaging 19.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting just 40.4 percent from the field.
Garnett, who came to the NBA straight from high school, averaged 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds as a 19-year-old rookie. In his second NBA season, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds, shooting 49.9 percent.
No matter who he resembles, Durant is extending a wonderful run by the Longhorns sending NBA-ready talent to the league.
"He's a terrific young player," Johnson said. "I don't know what they're feeding those young boys down at UT, but they're surely turning out some nice players over the last few years. You look at Durant and what [LaMarcus] Aldridge is doing and [Daniel] Gibson up in Cleveland, they're turning out some pretty good kids."
Photo shoot: Although their seven-game winning streak ended Monday at Sacramento, the Mavericks showed enough in that stretch to give Johnson a good feeling about his team. But not necessarily because of the wins.
"We had a snapshot of our team when we were whole, when everybody was there," he said. "In the midst of that snapshot, we played some decent basketball, and we won some games in different ways.
"So I have a picture in my mind of what it looks like when we're whole and how competitive we can be against anybody."
MLK tribute tonight: Before the 8 p.m. tipoff tonight, the Mavericks will pay tribute to civil rights advocate Martin Luther King Jr.
"There were a lot of people who sacrificed for us to be where we are," said Jerry Stackhouse. "And he was a pioneer."
Briefly: There was a funny scene after practice Friday when Johnson was asked by a Spanish-language reporter about Puerto Rican guard J.J. Barea. As to why Barea doesn't play more, Johnson laughed and said: "Devin Harris and $45 million." ... Eddie Jones, the Mavs' starting shooting guard, will be a game-time decision tonight because of a strained left groin muscle, but he said he was fine after Friday's practice. Stackhouse (right knee and hamstring) is expected to play, Johnson said. ... After four days without a game, the Mavericks are ready for a game. "Boy, we really are," Johnson said. "I saw it today in practice. A two-day break, maybe three [is OK]. But four is quite long if it's not called an All-Star break.
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