The Kevin Durant Mock Draft -- Round 1, Pick 7

With the final pick in the first round of the Kevin Durant Mock Draft, Abram selects the Boston Celtics.

Despite the fact that this would make Bill Simmons--in all his Barnes-bashing sin--a very happy man, I think Boston is the best place for KD to end up (especially since all 3 teams within my driving distance were taken in the first 4 picks). Let's start with reasons to love the city itself.

KD will have the chance to join such historic Boston heroes as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, and Carl Yastrzemski. Along with delightful clam chowder and lobster, Boston has much to offer to keep KD entertained. Yes, the city is full of history--but despite Kevin's reputation as quite a good student, I somehow doubt his first act upon arriving will be to stroll the Freedom Walk. The main feature of Boston that I am referring to is the fact that there are 50 colleges and universities in the metro area. Durant said repeatedly that leaving UT was a very tough decision for him because he loved college and loved the college lifestyle. Boston is a college town on steroids. Remember, the kid is going to turn 20 during his rookie year. He would love living in such a young city.

Which brings us to basketball (here comes a killer segue!). KD would come in and make an immediate impact on what is a relatively young Celtics team (10 of their 15 players are 25 or younger). More than that, he would have the opportunity to rebuild a once-great team back into a winner; he'll have a chance to "pull a Mack Brown," if you will. When you think of NBA greatness, two franchises come to mind before any others: Lakers and Celtics. For KD to join the tradition of Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and (my childhood favorite) Larry Bird would be a huge honor. True, their last championship was in 1986. And true, they tore down the Gahden. But the Celtics are an important part of this country's sporting history. And they are in danger of becoming irrelevant in their own city. The Sox are Yankees Lite at this point with the way they buy their way into the postseason every season, and the Patriots have been the most consistent franchise in the NFL for the last few years. New Englanders (New Englishmen?) expect winners, and KD represents the Celtics' best shot at winning them back.