LOL, yeah I'm not talking about you. I just get tired of the Oden haters. People really need to get over it. We'll see how he does and if he is a bust this year, well that's it cause we won't renew his contract or pay him what a bust is worth. Then we will be freed from this albatross as people portray him. People calling Oden defenders "apologists" a term usually used for Nazi sympathizers or others who support the actions of people committing high crimes is just fucking insane. Of course it's PapaG/BGrantfan so really that's to be expected and my fault really for not having him blocked. Oldmangrouch is at least fairly reasonable although definitely consistently seeing the glass 1/2 full. Mullet man gives you what you'd expect from someone who's handle has mullet in it. Still people's whining has REALLY ramped up during the dead period because Durant is playing USA basketball and Oden is rehabbing. People might as well be pissed we didn't move up to 13 and snag Kobe in his draft, or any of the other great players that we could have potentially gotten. It's just sooooo lame. Thank god we got rid of Webster so I don't have to hear about CP3 every time Webster misses a shot. People want this retrospective draft where we get 2 seasons of watching players in the NBA play (or be injured) and THEN we get to pick our players. Sure everyone would love that. I'd like to buy Apple in 1983 and Microsoft in 1987 etc. etc. GET OVER IT. You have ALL fucked up and made stupid choices in retrospect I hope you all have gotten over them. If not, how's about spending a bit more time mulling over your personal failings and quit bitching about Oden all day it's beyond tiresome.
Yes. I am equating people making excuses for Oden raising fan expectations on his own as "Nazi sympathizers". You're onto me!! cuckoo cuckoo
Yes, Oden "hoped" to have a bunch of team success. What a selfish prick. Durant would never have made such an arrogant comment prior to ever playing an NBA game! Where does Oden get off hoping to be a part of a lot of championship teams?
Oh, were it that Greg was as unselfish as Kevin Durant. We'd have at least as many titles as Durant has!
My point was to illustrate how Oden helped raise expectations by his own words and actions, and not just the words of the front office and the media. Surely a fan can't be blamed for being a bit excited, and having elevated expectations, when the #1 pick is musing about winning 15 championships. Whether or not Oden wants to win titles isn't the subject I was adressing. I don't recall Durant, on the front cover of a national magazine, talking about winning 4 more more titles than Bill Russell won. I'll concede that the media can be blamed for allowing Oden the forum to talk about winning titles, though.
He said he hoped to win many titles, not that he was a dominant super-force that would win many titles. But you're right that Durant never said he hoped to win lots of titles. I guess he doesn't dream of team success. Concerning point about his character, you're right. What does Durant hope for? We're left to wonder. It's a good thing Oden made it clear that team success is what he hopes for. He's a team guy...awesome!
I agree. Next time, try to actually comprehend what you think you're mocking, though. You whiffed on this effort.
What that has to do with Oden's words elevating the expectations of fans eludes me. So ... what was your point again?
My point is that "hopes" don't elevate expectations...they mirror expectations. All Blazers fans "hoped" for a bunch of titles...Oden was sharing that hope. Had he said "I will lead us to a number of titles" or "I expect us to win a number of titles," I'd better understand your point.
Well, Oden appearing on the cover of a national magazine hoping to win 15 titles didn't raise my expectations, but I don't think it is outside of the realm of possibility that him sharing this hope with the nation did elevate expectations for more myopic Blazer fans. So, you don't think that the ESPN Oden cover could have played a role in raising the expectations for some fans. I think it could have, and did. Oh well! I guess we can just blame Pritchard and the media, since that requires less critical thought.
Did you actually READ my post? I expressly said it wasn't Oden's fault, and that his injuries were legit. I don't "hate" Oden - hells bells, I don't even know the kid! I just want the team brain trust to stop pining for what Oden should have been, and come up with plan "B".
Probably when there's actual proof that plan "A" is bad. You know, that the injuries are connected, show a pattern, and is something he'll have to worry about his whole career.
Exactly right. The jury's still out. (BTW, I watched an interesting episode of Biography last night on Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski's mistrial, etc.)
What should plan "B" be? Tell the Thunder we changed our mind and want Durant instead? We got Camby at center now and will continue whether or not Oden plays. Do you think we should trade Oden while his worth is at the lowest and possibly watch him lead another team to a championship? What would you suggest doing that is possible to do? What are the Blazers doing that is so wrong?
Plan B is to give up on him, that is, to trade him. Or to lowball his next contract and let him walk. If he goes down again this season, many of us will advocate Plan B. Personally, I'm on the fence, ready to jump if his health fails us again this season. I don't like his lazy, business-as-usual, devil-may-care attitude at this crucial juncture of his failing career. He should be the most worried among us, not the least.
I just don't see this, in bold, at all. He's doing what he needs to do to rehab. Should he stress over his injuries to a point it's a problem? No. People seem to be so judging and have such knowledge of how he feels and what he's doing. Unless you are with him all the time you have no idea. Before he worked out so much with weights the team had to slow him down not wanting him to gain to much weight up top. That doesn't sound lazy. I like him sounding happy, to me that means he's feeling good and is making good progress, but everyone seems to know what he should be doing that he isn't while no one on this board has much information on what he's doing rehab or what his work habits are. Just what is reported and most is just people on boards like this.
It is strange how people are overly critical about certain players "rehabbing". I would bet a lot of it is because of how the media in the region likes to play the negative stories more. Kind of like how they made a huge deal about how he was in Indiana, and certain fan types ate that up as though it was proof he didn't care about Portland, the Trail Blazers, or the fanbase. It might seem like it's taking him a long time to recover, but compared to who? How long was it before Griffin returned to playing full on 5 on 5? His injury was a few months before Greg's, how is his timeline by comparison? Just because fans think something should happen quicker, doesn't mean it will, should, or could have. It's a lot like trades...just because you can make it work on ESPN trade checker doesn't mean it was offered or doable.
