Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors disagrees with draft classmate Greg Oden's self-diagnosed "bust" claim. (Photo : Getty Images/Kevin Winter)
After former Portland Trailblazers Greg Oden called himself a bust, Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant could not help but call Oden's claim "nonsense."
Oden, in an interview with ESPN's Outside the Lines last week, said that he will "be remembered as the biggest bust in NBA history," after only playing 105 games in his seven-year NBA career as a part of the Trailblazers and the Miami Heat.
Durant, however, did not agree with his NBA batchmate, telling ESPN in their story that for one to be a bust, one has to actually play first and Durant added that Oden did not get a chance to showcase his talent after a series of nagging injuries that sidelined him most of his NBA career.
Oden and Durant went No.1 and No.2 in the 2007 NBA Draft, respectively. Durant was primed to be the next scoring superstar with his shooting and length while Oden was viewed to be a future Hall of Famer after impressing in his college career with the Ohio State University, drawing comparisons to four-time NBA champ Shaquille O'Neil.
Oden never played in his rookie season in 2007-2008 after undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee but showed glimpse of hope after submitting decent numbers of 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks amid playing in just 21 games during the 2009-2010 season.
Oden only played 82 games in his five seasons with the Trailblazers and got waived before the Miami Heat signed him in the 2013-2014 season. After not making much impact with the Heat, he has never played in the NBA ever since.
"He's not a bust. He just didn't play a long time because of injuries, and that's just what it is," Durant added.
Oden averaged 8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his NBA career. According to Sports Illustrated, Oden is back in school at Ohio State, working with the basketball program.
