To me, that is dangerous terittory. If Oden stinks, I still think their will be teams out there willing to overpay for a big man. Then the question is whether the Blazer match.
Well we dont need to panic thats for sure. Oden is not going to be our Kareem or Hakeem type of player no matter how good he gets, and since we have Roy that is fine. As long as he stays healthy and works on all facets of his game we should be more then fine. Now if we didnt have Roy or LMA, and Outlaw and Oden would be running the show then yes, we have to panic and probably trade him as fast he still had any value left.
When you've got the talent we do around him, you can kind of live with a high quality, but not dominant, center. Somebody in the calibre of, say, Brad Miller or Rik Smitts or Dikembe Mutombo. Maybe Alonzo Mourning. That to me is Oden's baseline, assuming he can stay healthy. 14 more MPG and a little improvement around the edges, and that's pretty much what we've got right now. I'm also a long way away from saying we don't have a Hakeem or Kareem level center on our hands. There's no guarantee he will be that good, but there's no guarantee he won't either. Greg Oden will either be pretty good, really good, really really fucking good, or plagued by injury. There aren't other options.
Pretty much my thoughts, too. His rookie season was the worst he'll ever be (barring serious injury) and he was quite good for a little over 20 minutes per game. If all he did was learn to play at that level while fouling at a rate that allowed him to play 30-35 MPG, he'll be a top-ten center in the league. That's his floor, IMO. His ceiling is a surefire Hall of Famer. Anything from that floor to ceiling will make Portland a title contender. So, in my opinion, only career-ending/altering injury will prevent Oden from elevating Portland to title contender.
How the team reacts will depend on *why* he flops. If he is just one of those guys who can't stay healthy, about all they can do is grit their teeth and start coming up with plan "B". If he stays healthy, but just plays poorly (eg can't stay out of foul trouble, never develops an offensive game), then I suspect Nate become the scapegoat.
It doesn't and even if he does struggle. I will not be ready to cut ties with him. I will be ready to cut ties with the coach. It very will could be that Nate is not the right guy to bring him up. That's not Greg's fault. You just need to find a guy that can take Greg's raw talents and develop them into something that will make a difference on the floor for the blazers. Sorry Nate, if you can't get it out of Greg. Bring in Popp.
Match what? We sign him to a contract extension by October 31, 2010 and he never even becomes an RFA. There will be no offers to match. BNM
As to what I can do, I can cheer for Oden and the Blazers. Or not. That's about it. I will cheer for Oden and the Blazers. As for what KP would do, I agree that the team expects improvement from Oden but not necessarily a megastar year. Of course, a megastar year would be great. But if he just keeps getting better, that's enough for now. If he does turn out injury prone, that would pose a problem. But Oden's history has not been one of injuries. And he is still very young. As for the haters, ignore them. When someone decides to hate, whether it's Oden or Obama, NOTHING the person can say or do will change it. NOTHING. Say "the sky is blue" and they will tell you that is a subversive nazi comment. So don't base your life or waste your energy on them.
I will do what I do every year with players not named Roy. Namely, hope they get better the next year while being disappointed in their performance in the current year.
It's possible this will happen. It will probably be more frustrating for me then for Oden. I've been defending the guy like the English defended the hill on the St. Crispin's Day battle. The media and internets have sent wave after wave of haters but (Churchill voice) I will never surrender I will fight them on the beaches, I will fight them on the forums, I shall never surrender...
I was one year ahead. My thought is even if Oden stinks (which he won't), he won't sign an extention for cheap. Blazers either pay up or Oden tests the RFA route knowing many teams overpay for big men. But sure, if the Blazers can extend Oden for a bargin, that would be great. Terrible agent for Oden, but great for the Blazers.
Oden will struggle this year.. there is no doubt about that. Since we made the mistake of drafting him over Kevin "The Assassin" Durant.. we have no choice but to ride it out with Oden. But make no mistake about it - if Oden does not live up to the hype - we will never be serious championship contenders.
Sometimes I'd rather be around my wife during her time of the month, than listen to your incessant whining, and constant crying about the same thing.
Probably - but I don't really hate Oden... I'm rooting for the guy... but people need to be real about who Oden is. He is an offensive project and is injury prone - I've been saying it since before he was drafted. Passing on Durant was a mistake.
we've heard you the 55 thousand times. Its not annoying that you feel that way, we just dont need to hear it over and over and over and over and over. So no I wasnt referring you to be Hater Hank.
It may take a different coach and a different system to really bring out and highlight the strengths of Greg Oden. But I personally think, the magnitude of his impact, when it's all said and done, will be just as great if not far greater than Kevin Durant. I don't mean scoring. The difference he is going to make is going to be same difference Ben Wallace made for Detroit years ago but it will be far more and it will be for a prolonged period of time.
I bet if you count the number of posts in this forum you have made making apoligies for Odens crappy play last season - they would far outnumber the posts I have made calling him "The Big Disappointment".
