Greg Oden
Hasn't he said multiple times that he would have taken Durant if he got the first pick?
If he has I think he's lying
and the basis for your accusation would be...what? please support such statements with some links, quotes, anything to make this rise about the level of character assassination and become a real point for discussion.
I have to post links and whatnot to say I don't believe everything Danny Ainge always says? You believe in his role as GM he tells the media, fans, players, agents, and other GMs everything he believes with 100% truth all the time? That's a very interesting theory.
you stated that your views are driven by a pre-exisiting disbelief of what danny says. i asked for proof to show your accusation is not simply a fiction driven by this extreme view.
please show me where i say "100%" trust in danny. i never have. no need to make things up.
I don't even understand what you're saying. You're saying I have to believe Danny was going to pick Durant over Oden, given the opportunity, because he says it? Is that what you're saying? He said it so I have to believe it? I don't believe him. I think he conveniently Monday Morning Quarterbacked. If you can show me evidence that he said that right after the draft or before Oden was hurt I'd be more inclined to believe it. That's not my memory of it at all.
I'd go so far as to say it might be possible he was high on both but was higher on Durant and maybe would have traded down to the 2 spot given the opportunity. I think the draft was widely seen as a two player draft, and not only was there universal agreement Oden was the top pick, but that agreement had existed for years, similar to how people agreed for years that Lebron would be the top pick. Open was seen as possibly the biggest no brainer pick I have ever seen in any sport. More than Manning over Leaf. More than M Vick. More than even Bron over Melo. Way way way more than Karl Anthony Towns over Jahil. I don't remember a single analyst or team suggesting Oden could go after Durant. So to be more clear not only do I not remember Ainge suggesting Durant over Oden (at any time immediately near draft day...when it would have mattered), I don't remember ANYONE suggesting that.
Furthermore. We all heard raging rumors Danny was trying to trade up this year big time. Was there even one credible rumor that year that for even one second Danny attempted to trade up from 5 to 2 Penny Hardaway/Chris Webber style? Anything? Or did he just immediately ship it out for the much older Ray Allen?