CRAP!!!!! Whatever is going on in practice or elsewhere, Oden is NOT being developed!!! His game is gone nowhere. He can't play an entire game, his fouls are killing him early, and his footwork isn't getting better. He doesn't even get the #1 draft pick nods by the refs! Quite the opposite to be honest. I for one know this kid has TALENT. So it's time for a huge freaking change!!!! The big man coach needs to go,he's not getting Oden any better! We need to hire Kareem, Russell or Hakeem or anyone else to work with him daily! Oden looks dejected most of the time and it's clear Greg even knows there's a problem. This is a VERY DANGEROUS time! If Oden doesn't get it going in a hurry I fear he's a bust and I think most of us are thinking the same! Kwame, Sam or Olowokandi! Curse of being a Portland fan? Or maybe a franchise that's not ever had a bigger than life superstar nor the ability to develop one! Maybe that's why Jordan didn't end up here or why a Lebron is just a pipe dream. Portland has the wealthiest owner and a great fanbase but there is a disconnect between that and the NBA dream. It's not a small market thing cause San Antonio has achieved it multiple times. So my only conclusion is it's a franchise infrastructure problem. From manangement to the coaching staff something is not translating. The talent, money and fans are all there!!!! Oden is a center that appears very rarely and our team is lost as to how to use him. That's a fact! The NBA is a now league and his #'s are tragic for his talent level. Many can say it's not Nate's fault or anyone elses but a change must be made to get this kid going!!!! He is the hub for a real championship run for this team. This year can't go by with him staying at this level! The NBA is marketing and business + image. We've got a once in a lifetime franchise center sitting on the bench with 5 points while inferior centers are getting 20. This can't continue and I don't give a shit what Nate or his staff thinks about bringing him along slowly! Clearly it's tooooooo slow! So the question is did all the scouts, recruiters and NBA experts have it wrong about Greg since the 8th grade? I don't think so! Isn't it worth Portlands time to really figure this problem out in a hurry? He'll soon be an afterthought if this in not addressed , and the NBA will say Portland is cursed, just like the Red Sox were!
Um..... Greg had five points last night against a team that had no one in their stadium that could guard him! Further I live in LA and every time Bynum has a bad game they are calling for someones head!
When the Lakers start dropping games to the Bobcats and 76's then we'll see how compasionate their fanbase is about wasted talent!
First of all he had 8pts, and Okafor was guarding him. Okafor isn't some scrub, he's a tough center that's a decent to pretty good defender.
The Lakers are bonafied contenders RIGHT NOW (and last year) and their young big man has been given the benefit of three years to develop in the league -- apples and oranges. Few around here seem to want to hear it, but it's going to take Greg awhile to develop as an offensive player and to learn to stay out of foul trouble -- 21 year old big men with a year of college rarely ever dominate coming into the league, so you might as well try to find encouragement where you can (like Greg's dominating performance against the Bulls a few games back) and expect a bumpy ride for the next year or so.
It's not about patience it's about learning and growth! You must improve every game. Greg played against no one yesterday and got five points! This is a problem! The game before he was benched after getting Lopez in foul trouble and didn't return. That's coaching! Nate has no fucking clue at how to use a big man. Last night Roy was tragic, we should have been able to throw into Greg all night long and get our guards cutting to the hoop. Once again Greg is sitting the freaking bench. At some point and the allstar break is a good point to use, someone must say WTF? It's not like he was playing Shaq, Josh or KG last night! The Bobcats should have been a coming out for him!
I love the constant negativity on this board. Go out to your yard and go ape shit for awhile and come back when you feel better.
The Lakers are contenders because they play to their strenghts! Our greatest asset doesn't see the ball. Blazer fans may say it's Roy but the foundation is Greg! I don't care if this team loses but Greg must get better and become the focus of the offense rather then the iceing on the cake!
Did you just call Emeka Okafor "No one?" You really need to start watching more basketball. As for the silly assertion that "you must improve every game" growth for big men is rarely ever along a linear curve -- the ups and downs are exactly what to expect from a rookie center, even more so when that rookie hadn't played competitive ball for a year and a half and was rehabbing post surgery for 12 months. As for benching against Lopez, I can only assume you weren't watching that game either. Greg had a great deal of difficulty dealing with Harris and Lopez running the pick and roll, especially because Lopez has range out to about 15 feet; Putting Przy and then LaMarcus in the game with his small lineup was practically a master stroke of coaching and it utterly confused Lawrence Frank and likely got us the 'W'. But hey, it's your right to get all pissed off and hot and bothered I guess.
HAHAHA! The Lakers are contenders because they are stocked with long athletic veterans and all-stars who've been there, done that for 7+ years. Right now the Blazers have on occasion trotted out 3 rookies in their starting rotation and rely on two third year players in Roy and LaMarcus to be their cornerstones, and their starting point guard just went on the shelf for 2-4 weeks. And if you don't think Roy is the foundation of this franchise right now then you are not watching the same games I am. Greg might become one of those cornerstones in the future, but right now he's a very raw rookie center.
blah blah blah blah THIS is the reason why I was against all the "Imagine Oden next year" signs. We put so much hype around Oden and then when he struggles, like we ALL knew he would, then we freak out. Have some patience.
And . . . Oden is 7'0" WITH SHOES ON. So what's your point? I'd imagine player heights are listed either all with shoes on or all with shoes off - you know, to keep things somewhat uniform across the board. Okafor may not be a Hall of Fame center but he's no scrub. And he's a vet who has already gone through some trials in the NBA and isn't learning the NBA game for the first time (I won't fall back on the Oden MF surgery either since that's well used already). Howsabout we give the guy a year to work it out, eh? Otherwise, the Suns should've just dumped Amare for a 2nd round pick that first year he came back from surgery.
Yenniedn, I'm just posting my basketball thoughts! That's what this board is for. I'm not being negative on Greg at all. I've got all the confidence in the world in him. I think the changes should be made in coaching and play calling. As for going ape shit well you bring a ton to this board, thanks for making a comment that shows just how classy you are!
Objectively, I think that Oden is somewhat concerning. Yes, he is still very young and coming off a major injury. Games like Chicago give hope for what we can see come in the future. But he doesn't show the promise that a lot of other young big men have done in the past, whether that be KG, Amare, Shaq, etc. etc. At this point I don't think he'll be a dominant center in the league. Dwight Howard will have that role for quite a while. He can be a very good, All-Star caliber player however. It's still too early to tell. Hopes of him living up to the hype like LeBron did are not good, but he won't be as bad as the Kandiman or other major busts either. That being said, he still is young. You have to give him another two years to see what he'll likely become. Look at how much guys like Devin Harris and Danny Granger improved since last season.
