UT talks Durant, McCoy, Knight

If for one moment you can forget, or at least forgive that it's Texas, one of the best blogs around that I've seen is Burnt Orange Nation, founded by Peter Bean. He pours it all into the site for the Longhorns' fan base and that is why I wanted to make Peter the point man for a discussion on UT basketball before this weekend's game between Colorado and Texas.

Black and Gold Truth: Peter, welcome. LaSalle Thompson, Chris Mihm, T.J. Ford, LaMarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker -- all outstanding talents at UT. Is Kevin Durant better than all of them already, as a true freshman?

Burnt Orange Nation: Let's first start by striking Chris Mihm from the conversations. The guy's a solid talent but his draft status was directly attributable to his height.

You know, what's kind of interesting about your question is that Durant is almost a Ford-Thompson hybrid. Thompson, UT's all-time leading rebounder for 21 years (until James Thomas broke his record in 2004) was sort of the ultimate inside beast. Ford, of course, was one of the best point guards and open-court players that has ever played college basketball -- and he only played two years. Durant, who is easily the most versatile player Texas has ever had, can run, score in the open court like Dr. J and is the guy the offense runs through.

Although I thought I'd never say it, Durant is even better than Ford. Just (saying that) makes me a little bit uncomfortable but there's simply no denying it. If you didn't know anything about Durant, and you watched him play for a game, you'd swear up and down that the guy was a junior or senior. He's just that much better than everyone. Odds are he is the best player to ever play at Texas. He's just that good.

BGT: What's up with the tiny guards with big games -- A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin? How do they do so much at their height (under 6-feet)?

BON: D.J. Augustin was a McDonald's All-American point guard, highly recruited and universally praised by scouts and so forth. The only question for him was how quickly he'd become an effective point guard at this level. Of all the players on the team, he's the one with the most room to grow.

Abrams sort of surprised people. There are two things I think he's got that make him so effective -- first, as quick a shot release as you're likely to see in the game today and second, a veteran's basketball awareness. He's a very intelligent basketball player. I'd imagine he's one of the most enjoyable players to coach who you could have.

BGT: Is Durant a sure bet to split after this season? Is Damion James, a bright freshman prospect himself, his replacement?

BON: It would be an upset if Durant returned to Texas for another season, that's for sure. I guess I could see it if he had a particularly bitter end to his freshman season that he felt the need to rectify. LaMarcus Aldridge, as a point of comparison, came back that way, returning for his sophomore campaign after a hip injury cut his freshman year short. Durant, though, stands to be the first or second draft pick in what will be, according to projection honchos, one of the best draft classes in years. There's not much for him to gain by coming back.

A coach of one of Texas' 2007 recruits said that Durant promised the recruit that he'd be in Austin for two years. We can hope, right?

Damion James is an entirely different story. James is a freak of an athlete but he isn't a tenth of the basketball player that Durant is. James will need as much collegiate seasoning as he can discipline himself enough to take. When he's ready, he'll make for a professional player in some capacity but he's not an NBA star, based on what I've seen so far. The best NBA comparison I can think of is former Texas Tech standout, Darvin Ham.

BGT: Where is Texas going with this team in the Big 12? Can they compete with Kansas, Texas A & M, and Oklahoma State? Where are the Horns likely to end up?

BON: In our most recent Texas Basketball Report, we broke down what the Horns had in front of them this conference season. I regret to inform you that we placed the Buffs (if UT loses) in the "Bad Loss" category. For Texas, the key is to avoid a youthful collapse and let the talent take the team up to 20-25 wins. The key for the fans will be not getting discouraged when the team has a bad night. It's just too much to expect a rotation of six freshman and two sophomores to put it all together every night during conference play.

Realistically, we're looking at a third or fourth-place finish.

BGT: Colt McCoy, a fantastic freshman campaign for the football program. Is he a Texas legend in the making or just a product of the system? How could he one day end up being regarded in Longhorns' history?

BON: Ah, the million-dollar question. McCoy's probably not a big-time NFL prospect but he's got a chance to be one of the college game's all-time record setters. Think Ken Dorsey (former Miami Hurricane star). Physically, not all that amazing, but a perfect collegiate passer. He's accurate, gritty, poised -- all that good stuff. I don't think there's any chance he was a fluke. If he stays healthy, he challenges all kinds of fun NCAA records.

BGT: Is coach Mack Brown going to feel some pressure after only winning 10 games? I mean, do you tolerate such slacking down in Texas?

BON: You'd think not but there will always be some "grass is greener" folks in the lot. Mack Brown, flawed as he is, does one thing as well as anyone -- win 10-plus games and put himself in a position to compete for a national title should all the pieces fall together. For some fans, that's not enough.

All I'll say is this: thank God we're not Alabama.

BGT: Who's the best college basketball coach in Texas -- Rick Barnes, Billy Gillespie or Bob Knight?

BON: Bob Knight, and it's not close. Barnes and Gillespie are tadpoles in Bobby Knight's ocean. Whatever you think of Knight's temper, his resume outside that speaks for itself. The man is one of college basketball's all-time best coaches.