This morning, 3 of the Google Alerts for “Best Player in the World” that were delivered to my email box were devoted to the emergence of Kevin Durant as possibly the best basketball player in the world.
That’s right Durant. Not James. Not Bryant.
Now, two of those alerts were connected to “mere” bloggers.
There was JLogan declaring: “In a league headlined by LeBron, Kobe, Melo and Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant somehow, some way, slips through the cracks when talking about the NBA’s best. But, when it comes to the best basketball players in the World, Durant is making a strong case for himself, especially after setting a USA National Team record by scoring 38 points versus Lithuania in the semifinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championships Saturday.”
And there was Brady observing: “Team USA is now one win away from their first World Championship gold medal after routing Lithuania 89-74 behind a U.S.-record 38 points from Kevin Durant. Is Durant the best player in the world? Yes, LeBron James is still LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is the best closer in the game. But Durant’s success in the NBA last season (when he won the scoring title and finished second in the MVP voting) and his astounding play in Turkey (where he has grown more and more comfortable with the rules and style of play each game) has at least made the question legitimate.”
Legitimate? Yes – it’s true.
For it’s not just “mere bloggers” who are touting Durant as the best baller. It’s also real, live journalists on real, live websites like Sports Illustrated.
If you go today’s SI article on Durant, you will find a picture of the player there with the caption: ”Kevin Durant is currently in the discussion for best player in the world.”
Chris Mannix wrote that article and went so far as to say:
“Is Durant the best player in the world? Yes, LeBron James is still LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is the best closer in the game. But Durant’s success in the NBA last season (when he won the scoring title and finished second in the MVP voting) and his astounding play in Turkey (where he has grown more and more comfortable with the rules and style of play each game) has at least made the question legitimate.”
Hmm – So SI.com, Chris Mannix and two little bloggers are this morning saying that Durant could be the best?
Sounds like a legitimate discussion to me…
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