Anyone else notice a change in Greg the last few games? He seems more confident. He seems like his old self. The interviews... the scoring.... Even the refs seem to be calling him differently... is it just me?
It's hard to say for sure, but he sure does seem to be a lot more comfortable just in the way he carries himself on the court and he seems more relaxed and at ease when he's on the bench. Couldn't have happened in a more timely manner if true.
And he'll continue to change, and change for the good. It's a natural progression as he adjusts to the league and the league adjusts to him.
I've noticed a change in his demeanor & in the way he's been officiated lately, but I still don't think his footwork is that great yet. His legs still look a little uncoordinated at times and he sometimes lumbers around, but he'll get there. 16/9 in 20 minutes? I'll take that from a guy in his prime!
could it have something to do with him getting more actual touches on offense? when roy came out of the laker game near the 3nd of the third the blazers began using oden as the main feature of the offense and stayed in the game that way and then tonight(though i didn't watch the game) reading through the game thread and looking at the box score it appears that he was used as a more legitimate option in the offense more than usual. could it be that actually getting him the ball makes his entire game better(as several people have said it would) and even rubs off on the refs with them giving him more respect?
Yeah, I've wanted Oden to get more touches on the offensive end. Getting him involved early allows him to be aggressive and put his opponent in foul trouble, rather than being put in foul trouble first on the defensive end. Plus, success on the offensive end likely gets his confidence up and sets the narrative for the referees (absurd that they base calls on narratives, but...) that Oden is the aggressive player who deserves the calls.
Just a matter of time before G.O. becomes the force we all thought he'd be as the No. 1 pick. And it's great that he's becoming this force just before playoff time.
Oden's definitely been different. One aspect that may attribute for this is that he's been staying out of foul trouble during the last two games. He hasn't been picking up 2 quick ones within a 3 minute span and it's helped him to just be out there. He had some nice moves today and really looked like he was into the game. We just need to feed him the damn ball more often.
The thing I have been noticing is in the first half of games, Greg is much more aware and taking care to not pick up dumb fouls. He is not challenging every shot, but he is learning that sometimes, just a big dude standing there, not quite in site, is enough to get player to change and miss their shot. This is allowing him to play free in the 2nd half. Also as I have expected, in the playoffs they let you bang more, and as you head towards the end of the season, they ref more like the playoffs. That is helping too.
this is one of the reasons that, for now, i think it makes perfect sense for the blazers to bring oden off the bench(but still try to get him starters minutes when possible). the blazers always establish aldridge early. when oden starts, he isn't getting any touches early on offense so that basically gives him a few minutes of not being utilized but where he is at risk of picking up fouls without ever really getting his game going. bringing him off the bench after aldridge/roy are allowed to get started and do their thing means there are more opportunities for oden to get offensive touches in his first few minutes of the game.
Also, a major thing that comes with experience: Oden's getting used to NBA game speed. Earlier in the season, he was noticably hesitating as he tried to read the defense and decide the next move. That's way too slow a gear to play the game at, in the NBA. The read-and-react has to be instinctive and Oden didn't have that comfort level. Now he's starting to get it and it shows. It's clicking.
It also helps that a few guys seem to be figuring out that you can lob to him, even if they front him you just lob to the other side. Rudy has that weird sidearm pass to Oden that seems to be new as well over the last few games. If Rudy is in the corner, I can guarantee Oden is cutting to the rim from the back side now.
That's an excellent point. His post moves and hook shot still look really rushed and fairly uncoordinated a lot of the time, but he's getting to spots much quicker and acting more out of instinct rather than having to call a mental timeout and process everything in such a way that he almost telegraphs his next move to the defense.
Ya, I agree. If he was starting he might throw off the offense that we have now and if he wasn't utilize then we would be wasting that part of his game. While coming off the bench he gives us that extra punch off the bench offensively as well as his D. Of course later in the game he'll be playing with the starters when it counts giving us the strongest 5 when it matters most at the end of games.
I agree. The other part of the equation, is that early in the season there were too many nights when he played as if he was just going through the motions. For whatever reason, his head and his heart are back in the game on a consistent basis.
Yeah, his hook doesn't look that bad, but he sometimes tries to hook it from too far out. Tonight he tried one that was easily 7-8 feet from the basket, which is too far for that kind of move. The hook is actually pretty effective if he's close enough. The one thing I really enjoyed though, was watching Swift pick up three successive fouls trying to guard Oden. It's that kind of impact that I like to see from the big fella. We all know guys like Swift can't guard Oden. If we would only feed him the ball, guys like Collison and Swift would be in foul trouble with the quickness. I think the refs are calling him differently now, though. That play where Collison flopped and Oden dunked it, was a clear message that the refs are letting him play. Earlier in the season that would have been a foul on Greg for sure.
We need to hire away Kareem. Dude has definitely rubbed off on Bynum. The kid has some nice moves in the post. Very fluid.
