If he can stay out of foul trouble enough to average 30 MPG, he'll average a double-double (13/10) - even without any other improvement in his game. If he shows modest improvement in his per-minute stats, and Andre Miller gets him one more easy bucket per game, he'll be at 15/11. And his REAL impact will be on the defensive end. BNM
Oden should average 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks a game if the refs will give him a fair shake. If that happens it frees our other guys up so Roy's numbers will go up, Miller will average over 10 assists a game and LMA should be around 20 ppg.
The refs did give him a fair shake (for a rookie) Greg earned most of the fouls he accumulated whether because he was a step slow or didn't make a good read or didn't react properly on defense. He might get that under control in his second year, but my guess is that he's still going to struggle some to stay on the floor. My gut instinct tells me something closer to 27 minutes per game, 12 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks per game for this coming season ... and I'll be perfectly satisfied with that so long as his contributions are made toward a winning effort and he's a net positive player on the court (meaning not only efficient individual production, but a good adjusted +/- and a high defensive rating). It should be a very instructive year with respect to Greg; we're either going to see a nice leap forward or we may discover that he's still getting tripped up when it comes to his feel for the game on offense and his ability to avoid foul trouble.
I disagree. It seemed there was at least one foul a game if not more which SHOULD NOT have been called against him; regardless of whether he was a rookie or not - they just weren't fouls. The Houston series was a complete joke from this standpoint. I still remember one play where Yao was walking down the court and as soon as he stopped, Greg got whistled. It was an instantaneous whistle and couldn't have been more obviously preplanned. AS SOON AS Yao reached Oden, the whistle blew. This sort of thing happened too frequently to call it "fair". That's my opinion of course. I've never seen a player treated so differently and in a negative form in my life. I've definitely seen the "Jordan Rules" in effect with certain players(Kobe, D-Wade, Shaq, etc), but Greg was literally working against the opposite set of those rules. Maybe the "Oden Rules".
for all of you who have never played sports in your life this is prolly a shocker!!!!! wookie cough cough
Dear lord....not you too? When contract extension talks roll around, Oden is NOT going to say "08 was my rookie year - I'll play for one more year on my rookie deal to make up for the year I sat out." Legally and contractually this IS his 3rd season. Put-up-or-shut-up time.
I don't know why you keep beating your drum expecting others to show up and form a circle on this trivial point. The league categorized 08-09 as his rookie year and they are the authority in charge. Why is it at all surprising that fans would accept the league's judgment on whats what here? STOMP
Trivial? The team will soon have to make a decision. Do they throw money at Oden based on his draft position/potential, or do they make him an offer based on his actual performance? If they take the first route, they run the risk of a Sam Bowie/Grant Hill level mistake. If they take the second, they run the risk that he will jump to a new team and become a star. You refer to the "league's judgement" - but is the league giving KP an extra season of Oden on his rookie deal? Are they giving the team an extra season so they can make a more informed choice? Bottom line - I care about the TEAM more than I do about Oden....and from their perspective, he is a 3rd year player.
Technically it's his 3rd year, but in context to what the article was saying about big men should be judge by their third year it's only Oden's second year. Hopefully Oden will have a break out season so the Blazers decision is a easy one.
Thats a whole lot of bluster over a strawman. Has anyone indicated they are at all confused over how many years he has left on his contract? For that matter, has the subject even been brought up? There is a salary link at the top right of this page if anyone is needing it. The discussion was about record keeping, and technically dude just finished his rookie year. regarding the discussion you seem to want to have on Greg's potential resigning, the organization is in the cat seat seeing if 2 seasons removed from MF he regains his athleticism and is able to stay healthy. If he does on both counts, clearly he'll be worth a substantial investment as able bodied, skilled, athletic giants are valued in the league. Being able to offer the most years and $$$ stacks the odds in their favor in either signing him to an extension next year or (if they want another year to kick the tires) outright the year after. If I were them I might drag my feet next offseason to delay committing for a 2nd year to see if he remains healthy. If so, I've got to imagine he'll have demonstrated much more then enough for the club to feel lucky to give him a max deal. Supply and demand dictate that quality Bigs get paid. While some can he stay healthy questions linger, he's already shown to be a very effective player. I'm not worried. STOMP
