Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are Cool article on Oden the person..not just Oden the player..if you're interested. He's also gonna be on ESPN tonight at 11PM with a full interview with LZ Granderson.Travis Smith, Oden's best friend, was killed in automobile accident in January.It's hard to develop street cred when you spent part of your childhood in Terre Haute, Indiana.haha look at Oden..3rd to the right<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I thought Greg Oden was pulling my leg.Sure, "Switch" was hot for a minute but who actually knows every song by Will Smith? Least of all the guy who is supposed to be the NBA's next great big man? But Oden didn't blink when I asked him to give me a couple of bars of "Summertime," a classic, but Oden was what, 2 years old when it came out? "Here it is, the groove slightly transformedJust a bit of a break from the norm ...""I don't want to go no further, you know, make him mad, copyright his stuff ..." Oden says with a smile.His admiration of Smith doesn't end there. Not only does Oden own every CD but he also has all of Will Smith's movies and has seen every episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air."He also watches way too much CBS for a 19-year-old.To look at Greg Oden -- his towering frame, dark skin, grizzly face -- he fits the stereotypical image of one not to mess with.But to know Greg Oden, how could you not?The future lottery pick has this refreshing affinity for some of the corniest things middle America has to offer. There's nothing edgy or hardcore about Will Smith and there isn't anything edgy or hardcore about his biggest fan -- pun intended."I wanted to be a dentist when I was younger," Oden says, ironic, considering he recently had 11 cavities filled because of his sweet tooth. "But then I started to get big and realized that my hands were so big, I'd kind of scare the little kids away."I just realized that basketball and going to the NBA was a possibility and that's something that I want to use to better my family and possibly help the world if I can."You want to help the world, Greg?Don't change.Stay the same warm, slightly goofy and totally un-hip person that you are. Love Will Smith, TiVo "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and if you want, wear a fanny pack on road trips.OK, don't wear the fanny pack.But do continue to be yourself.It's hard to develop street cred when you spent part of your childhood in Terre Haute, Indiana.One of the reasons why black men in general, and those in the NBA specifically, have an image problem is because too many of us treat street cred as a precious commodity to obtain, as opposed to what it really is -- the byproduct of unfortunate circumstances. The rationale is so perverse that otherwise friendly players will scowl in photo shoots and spin tales about the hustle despite growing up attending private schools in the suburbs or in a loving home with two parents. Listen, regardless of what they will tell you, every black person over 50 did not march with Dr. King and every black NBA player did not dodge bullets to get to school.Members of the media will often blindly play along, walking into an interview with the story already written in their heads because, "Hey, it's a black ballplayer, of course he had it rough." They will edit video footage to show players looking menacing on the court and yelling toward the heavens while a voiceover describes them as a "beast" or "monster" over a hip-hop beat. They will leave clips of a smiling Greg Oden on the cutting room floor because it doesn't fit the theme they are going for. They will briefly mention how the death of his best friend, Travis Smith, affected his life because he died in an automobile accident but had it been a gang-related death it would have been the dramatic lead. I've already had an exchange with someone in the media wondering how Oden's love of Will Smith will affect his street cred. All I kept thinking was, "Greg Oden grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. How much street cred can he have?"It doesn't help that shoe companies prefer their basketball players black, intimidating and with a high level of street appeal. It makes it easier to market their products to consumers who wear "Stop Snitchin'" T-shirts and the people who inspire them. This explains why the last two NBA MVPs -- Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki -- don't have their own shoe and Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady do. All are talented players but obviously the who-gets-what decisions are not based solely on wins. A shame considering there are tons of 30-something gym rats who would probably love to buy a Nash shoe if for no other reason than they can identify with him.And there are plenty of young, black men who identify with Greg Oden. Not everyone is edgy, or hardcore, or from the streets. Some are warm, slightly goofy, and totally un-hip and they need someone they can relate to as well.You can't control what people think about you but you can control what you think about yourself.Very soon Greg Oden will be presented with that opportunity to help the world. But it won't come from writing a check or volunteering for a charity. It will come from his willingness to continue to say "Two and a Half Men" is his favorite TV show and "Parents Just Don't Understand" is the greatest rap song ever recorded.Corny? Yes. But it's important to remember the street is not the only place where cred comes from.</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...mp;lid=tab1pos2
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are Indiana basketball players are generally always good guys (except for Bonzi Wells)
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are That was a good read. Street credability is bunch of malarky. Greg Oden doesn't need it, he's not going to sell shoes or become the next Shaq in terms of marketing. Most NBA fans are white, most people that go to NBA games are white. White NBA game-goers hate thugs. Oden having no street cred doesn't mean anything....if he were a guard...I could see it being more of an issue.
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are It's good to finally have a couple young stars come into the league that don't have that "I'm a tough guy" attitude. Everybody is so concerned with how they look or what people think of them, they try to act "harder" to get more attention. That isn't the right way to go about it. I'm glad we have a young star who isn't from the hood, and doesn't need that badass image to get by. This is another reason why this draft class is so special, all the players at the top of the draft boards are good kids. Oden, Durant, Wright, Horford, Brewer, Noah, Horford, Hibbert, Conley, Green, etc. They are all good kids with good heads on their shoulders. At the end of the day, the biggest thing is their production on the court, but a good attitude and personality means more than you'd think.
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ May 21 2007, 10:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It's good to finally have a couple young stars come into the league that don't have that "I'm a tough guy" attitude. Everybody is so concerned with how they look or what people think of them, they try to act "harder" to get more attention. That isn't the right way to go about it. I'm glad we have a young star who isn't from the hood, and doesn't need that badass image to get by.This is another reason why this draft class is so special, all the players at the top of the draft boards are good kids. Oden, Durant, Wright, Horford, Brewer, Noah, Horford, Hibbert, Conley, Green, etc. They are all good kids with good heads on their shoulders. At the end of the day, the biggest thing is their production on the court, but a good attitude and personality means more than you'd think.</div>Yeah, I was thinking about that just yesterday. It's so unique and great that there are so manygreat guys in this class.
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are They just had an interview with Greg Oden on ESPN's Draft Special, wow, Oden's such a goof.
Re: Dear Greg: Don't change who you are I just saw the interview about oden on ESPN hes a real goofing and fun guy. First time I saw him he seemed like that. He'll make a great teammate in the NBA and make his team alot of fun
