Is Durant a Younger Dirk?

Last night as I was watching the show that both Dirk and Durant put on I kept on thinking how these guys would be viewed if there roles were reversed. Let's say Durant was from Europe and Dirk was the American golden child. Or let's say that Durant came into the league first and Dirk was leading OKC to the Western Conference Finals.

Would Durant be labeled as Euro-soft? Though he is more athletic than Dirk but I could see it. He flops around quite a bit and generally gets calls. KD usually is content with taking jumpshots just like Dirk did when he was younger. I would say that right now KD is definitely more of a scorer than Dirk was at his age but Dirk's array of runners and fadeaways are unmatched by anyone that has ever played the game. Maybe KD will develop that in his game but I doubt it.

One thing I would like to mention is that both of these guys are unbelievable talents. I think Durant is a more athletic version of Dirk but there certainly are a lot of similarities between the two. Both are hovering around the 6'10" to 7'0" mark (I don't think either of them are that tall or at least 7 foot, but that's what everyone says), both are perimeter oriented, and both have skills that you don't see of guys their size. They both have an array of shots that are essentially unguardable.

After Dirk's performance of 48 points on 15 shots, 24-24 from line, the commentators were talking about him being a top 30 player in NBA history. That's a heck of a statement but if you look at his all time stats of 23ppg and 8.4rpg while shooting 48% from the floor, 38% from 3, and 88% from the line. I'm going to have to agree.

If you look at Durant's career stats as of right now his putting up a little more points and a little less rebounds while his shooting percentages are a little lower. I think as he continues to grow his stats will be better than Dirk's as a whole but it's a heck of an accomplishment for him to be put in the same group right now through his four year career.

Question is, who do you want to build your franchise around, Dirk or Durant?