NBA GMs polled: LeBron James still better than Kevin Durant

Feb 20, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) handles the ball while being guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA suits believe that LeBron James is still the better option than Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant won the 2014 NBA MVP award, but general managers still prefer LeBron James as the league’s best player.

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In a recent poll, the majority of NBA general managers said they would start an NBA franchise with LeBron over Durant, and every other player in the NBA, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports.

"It shouldn’t be shocking to hear that LeBron James is still considered the best basketball player in the world, as 16 of 27 executives who took part in this USA TODAY Sports anonymous poll picked the Cleveland Cavaliers star who has four MVP awards and two titles to his credit. But that they would still start a rebuilding effort with the soon-to-be 30-year-old is revealing, a clear sign that they don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon now that he’s starting over again in his home state — especially now that he used a no-carbohydrates, no-sugar diet to shed more than 10 pounds in this latest offseason."

While Durant’s age (26) might make him more appealing than LeBron to some, James remains the better player and, in turn, the better pick. James led the Miami Heat to four straight NBA Finals and two titles, while Durant has made just one NBA Finals and his Thunder lost to James’ Heat. LeBron also has four MVP awards to Durant’s one.

Still, both are fantastic players and obviously any general manager would be thrilled to have either one.

The new Cleveland Cavaliers forward averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists this past season. Durant averaged 32.0 points, 5.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game in his MVP season.

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