Durant No. 1? No way

There’s talk wafting around the Pacific Northwest that the draft might go Durant-Oden instead of Oden-Durant.

Yep, some folks up that way believe Portland might take Texas phenom Kevin Durant instead of Ohio State big man Greg Oden with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. That’d leave Seattle, of course, with the easy choice of taking Oden with the second pick.

Suppose that could happen.

Ain’t gonna, though.

Portland is taking Old Man Oden. Seattle is picking Kevin The Kid.

No doubt Durant wowed the Trail Blazers with his workout. They loved him. They raved about him. They talked like a bunch ready to draft him.

And in a world without Greg Oden, they just might.

But last we checked, Oden is still around. As good as Durant is — you’ll find no one who’s a bigger fan of his game than yours truly — NBA teams covet dominant centers. They will bend over backward for one. They will do anything to get one. Oden has yet to prove he’ll be dominant in the NBA, but the foreshadowing is there.

So, why the talk about Portland drafting Durant?

This draft has become highly predictable. Everyone knows Oden goes first, Durant second, even Al Horford’s spot as the third pick is almost sure. Perhaps the pot needed to be stirred a bit. Perhaps the predictability needed a shake up.

Portland might shock the world and select Durant.

Ain’t gonna happen, though.