Can Joel work with him? Can Nate help? It can't all be the refs' fault. Greg's gotta get over this so that he can be on the floor. He plays so well when he's out there. How can we fix it? It's been going on all season.
Experience. It will come with time. He's still a rookie who has missed several games this season. As he gets in better shape and continues to learn the NBA game, it will improve. BNM
I think you saw today on more than one occasion that it was a ref's fault. He'll be a magnet until the refs decide he isn't a magnet anymore. The game tonight was allowed to play as rough as I've seen in a while. I personally don't mind, since for the most part it was relatively fair. But twice Oden was called for tick-tack stuff, and Joel got 3 hammer-blocks that should've been. Not that I'm complaining, but I think it's called "dues", and only the zebras will tell us when Greg's paid them.
The fouls he actually does commit are just an inexperience thing. It's basically what every young big man does - bring the hands down, a little too big of a hip check, etc. The problem is that his legit fouls are being combined with mindboggling fouls called by the refs. I think we'll definitely see a decline in the hands-downs, hip-check variety fouls next year as he works over the summer and reviews game tape. Just an experience thing.
He gets more minutes every game... I don't think he needs more minutes per game, although it might help for him to get more extended stints on the court. He still has so much to learn that every time he suits up and plays he's getting that much closer to "getting it", even if the results have been uneven. Ed O.
He's going to fix it like any other rookie. Play enough to figure it out. Before the season started, half the people in here were saying that fouls would be the only thing that would hold Greg back this season. That's just how it is for some rookies. I wouldn't worry about Greg. He was he right pick, and he's going to be an animal. I about pissed myself when Greg powered through BOTH Boozer and Okur hacking him hard across the middle of his forearms, at the same time. Dunk, and 1. THAT ALL YOU GOT? Greg is going to be just fine.
Nate needs to explode at a ref after a bad call. Like, immediate ejection, huge fine, and suspension.
I was thinking the same thing tonight after Oden received his second foul and the ref and Westbrook were giggling about it.
A big part of Oden's problems are physique. He is a Rottweiler who still thinks he is the grayhound he was in college. He is a defensive end trying to play cornerback. There are parts of his game he needs to relearn and adapt.
so now we are using fouls as the EXCUSE on why he sucks? k... cause before i was pretty sure it was injuries or something lol. he stinks
The horrible bum only got 8 points and 7 offensive rebounds in 16 minutes. Please cut him so we can play Ruffin more. Wait, in 16 minutes he only got 2 less offensive rebounds than the entire OKC team did in 240. Is that worth anything? He got as many offensive rebounds in 16 minutes as LMA did in the game of his career in 39. Bastard. Rudy must "suck", too....since in his 15 minutes he had 0 points and 5 fouls. Guess our definitions of "suck" are different, Mixum. I say that meaning that your definition of suck sucks.
Nice to see that after another win and moving up to fourth in the West, that 'someone's' first post after the fact is that "Greg Oden sucks". How surprising.
