According to this guy....... http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/213520/Odens_Agent_Says_Client_Will_Play_Next_Season
His agent annoys me. He acts as if it's the Blazer fault that Greg has been so fragile. They have invested over $21m with little in return (due to the injuries) and for him to even bring up the possibility of Greg bolting if disrespectful. Mike Conley, PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP!
It's a business, you gotta do what you gotta do I guess. Oden doesn't have to stay if he doesn't want to. He's not a slave.
I presume that is $21 million in salary? I wonder how much more they have spent on doctors, MRIs, surgeons, hospitals, physical therapists, transportation, training facilities, personal trainers, individual coaching and other overhead?
Isn't it interesting that his agent says "as long as he keeps his weight down" and Cho says "as long as he works hard"?
I had a dream last night that the Blazers were playing at Sacramento, and before the end of the 3rd quarter, Oden had 18 rebounds and had just got fouled after making a big basket for an And One. I'm not sure what the final score was, but the Blazers won, and I never did get Greg's final stat line for the game. Not joking. The last time I posted about a Blazer dream, it was Wesley scoring 30 in Game 3 against Dallas after struggling the first two games. He "only" scored 25, and played by far his best game of the series.
Conley is just trying to soften the blow for when Greg accepts the Q.O., and leaves for another team in 2011-12. I appreciate him for trying to give us all a soft landing, after we all invested so many hopes and dreams in Oden.
If Conley actually thinks that Oden may ditch the Blazers; whom have supported them through all his injuries, he's got another thing coming. The media, fans, and whomever else will label him an ungrateful piece of shit. Oden doesn't seem the type to do something like that, but you never no.
I was a little vague. I don't think Oden will leave because it's too big of a financial risk. Bottom line is he's injury prone. I don't see him turning down 4yrs/$40 mill and gambling that he won't get hurt. I sure don't see his agents who make a percentage of what Greg earns wanting to take that risk.
I've been pondering the appropriate reaction if GO left after his QO and dominated for another team. I would imagine in many ways it would be worse what than LeBron did to Cleveland or Shaq did to Orlando. At least they gave them winning seasons and a trip to the Finals. As I said before, if he turned out to be such an ungrateful cur, I would make sure to be Oden's first game with another team with a sign that simply read "Judas". But for him to make that step would mean that he fooled us all. He seems like a decent kid, who has a sense of right and wrong. I hate to say it, but he owes this franchise and this fan base for our financial, strategic and emotional investment in him; I'm not sure if I've ever said that about a Blazer before.
Another issue regarding his contract is that his injuries have killed his "brand", i.e., his ability to make money from endorsements. His money is now going to come primarily from his NBA salary, so he may wish to maximize it.
That can change if he actually plays in the NBA. In fact, if Oden is confident, like Conley, that he can come back and be everything people talked about; then those deals will come back to him.
I'd hope that any agent would say they fully expect their client to be a great player and to stay healthy. Whether or not Conley is confident doesn't matter. He's just trying to get Greg the best contract that he can. If Conley came out and said "Greg is injury-prone, and we're not sure he can stay healthy", then I'd expect Oden to fire him immediately, even it were the absolute truth (which, I'm not saying is the truth).
