I don't think so. As I remember, it wasn't a clear cut decision. They were both seen as can't-miss prospects. Blazers went with Oden because of a team need.
While there was speculation that Durant could end up going #1 because of the absolutely spectacular freshman season that he put up combined with the fact that there had never been a prospect quite like him (being billed as a 6'11" SG), it was pretty clear that Oden would have been the choice by nearly every team in the league. Oden had been extremely hyped all throughout high school as the next "big thing", and he didn't do too badly once he finally played in college either, being the best player on an eventual national runner-up. But I can't stress how much Oden was hyped. There were a
lot of people saying that he was the next Bill Russell, a center who would be great offensively, but really dominate the game on defense and on the boards. Being compared to Russell, who some claim is the best player of all-time, is some high praise. Combine that with the fact that in the draft you always draft "big" and Oden was the clear pick at the time. (As an aside, I strongly encourage everyone to read the Grantland article about Greg Oden. Very insightful and just a good read overall.
Link Here)
As for the LeBron v. Durant debate, give me LeBron. I know he's not labeled as a "winner" and it's an unpopular pick because the guy is so polarizing, but the difference for me is that LeBron is essentially a point guard. A massive, insanely athletic point guard who is great in every facet of the game. Durant is getting better and better as a passer and defender, but he's not even close to LeBron in those areas. LeBron is the most versatile defender in the league, and there was a strong case to be made that he could have been defensive player of the year this year. Defense is half of the game and LeBron stands pretty far ahead of Durant in that regard.
Also, something that I feel is never brought up enough and is often lost in the LeBron "no heart, isn't a winner" discussion is that, as a 22 year old, he essentially single-handedly willed the Cavs to the NBA Finals. Durant is currently 23 and has a much, much better team around him than LeBron did in Cleveland. That much isn't very close. But not only did LeBron carry the team to the Finals in just his fourth season in the league, but he had some impossibly clutch performances down the stretch that season. Most notably, Game 5 of the ECF LeBron scored the Cavs' last 25 points, and 29 of their last 30 in a 2-point OT win. To this day, I don't recall seeing a more clutch performance (other than Kemba's heroics of course!).
When it comes down to it, LeBron impacts the game in more ways than Durant. Durant may be seen as a better scorer, but through their first 5 years in the league, LeBron even averaged more points and at a more efficient rate. Durant is an absolute stud, and at his current pace is going to go down as one of the all-time greats. But despite his shortcomings, LeBron James is still the best player in basketball by a decently wide margin.
