Bill Simmons doesn’t toss around comparisons lightly. He’s seen some basketball in his time and he has a 752-page book to prove it. Think it’s comprehensive? He called it The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy. Simmons deals with everything from the great Russell-Chamberlain debate to, of course, Magic-Bird. (Note: he’s a Celtics man, unapologetically.)
So when Simmons tries to describe the singular talents of Kevin Durant as he faces his Hamlet-like decision about free agency this summer, the writer has a great wherewithal of basketball expertise to draw on. How does Simmons decide to characterize Durant then? “He’s like George Gervin crossed with Tracy McGrady crossed with Dirk Nowitzki crossed with an alien,” Simmons writes. By alien he must mean someone who can fly. Is there a little Michael Jordan in Durant too?
