Let's take a closer look at Greg Oden's stats to put them in perspective. How does Oden compare to the other centers in the league? (All stats are per 48 minutes, pace adjusted. If you don't like that stat, screw you...you have no idea what you're talking about. Pace adjusted per 48 is the absolute best way to compare performance.) He's 3rd in the league in rebounding at a whopping 17.4 per 48. Behind Dwight Howard (18.2) and Joel Przybilla (17.5) He's 4th in the league in blocks per 48 with 3.5, behind Dwight Howard, Marcus Camby and Ben Wallace. (undoubtedly the 3 best defensive big men in the league) He's 28th in scoring, with 17.8 per 48 minutes. Ahead of Al Horford (a guy somebody on this board said they'd rather have than Oden.) Also ahead of Brook Lopez (somebody on here said he was having a better rookie season than Oden.) Now, let's take a look at what Dwight Howard, in my opinion the best center in the league, did HIS rookie season. Per 48, pace adjusted...16.9 pts, 14.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks. Advantage Oden X 3. And it's not even that close really. Okay...you don't think it's fair compare Oden's rookie season to Howard's? fair enough...Howard's 2nd season. Howard averaged 20.8 pts, 16.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks. Advantage to Oden defensively. He's a better rebounder and a much better shot blocker. Advantage to Howard on the offensive end, due in large part to the fact that he took 2 more shots per game than Oden does. Anywhoo...people need to stop overreating to Oden's supposed 'poor performance' He actually looks VERY good for a rookie coming off a microfracture surgery. Did people REALLY think that Oden would step in and drop 20 per night from the beginning? If you DID think that, you were delusional. His defense is a game changer and has been THE biggest difference between last year and this year. I say great job Greg Oden. Don't listen to people who don't know what they're talking about.
I think that Dwight Howard comparisons are unjustified completely, even to prove a point. Oden is on a much better team than Howard was during those years, period.
So you're saying that Oden would be scoring more if he was on a crappy team? Very true. And he'd probably be getting more rebounds (less competition) and blocks (worse perimeter defense - well, maybe not). You're right - it is unjustified to compare them. It's unfair to Greg.
Oden is on a team that hasn't seen a playoff game in how many years? THAT's a "crappy team". The difference is Oden was able to instantly make this crappy team into a good team, and Howard could not.
I like GO, but really, he's playing badly. He'll improve, but it'll take some more time. I can wait. More pertinent stat: +/-: He's back to the negative category. We are outscored when Greg is playing, period. (82games.com)
Actually per 48 is the most misleading way to categorize players. Screw you... you have no idea what your talking about. Oden is going to be a stud in this league, and I'm not in the group of people who are disappointed in him, or the group that thinks he isnt playing hard, or the group that thinks he is a bust. However, I am in the group of people who have watched every game he has played and sees room for improvement, not in the group who feels the need to inflate his stats. Edit: Oh, and I'm tired of the Oden bashing too but if you dont like it dont read the thread or posters who say those things, no need to make a whole new thread about it. I haven't looked in the thread that's title 'Oden a disappointment' or whatever its title cause I dont care to hear the opinions of people who are going to say such things.
The numbers don't tell the story. If you actually watch him, he's unimpressive. The problem is how depressed he is, how he doesn't get alot of minutes because he's not playing very well, how he gets stripped constantly. That said, I root for a breakout game every game he plays. And in the meantime, because Barkley told me to, I will be patient.
Honestly, I'm not worried about the stats, or whether he makes mistakes. I just want to feel confident he is playing balls-out! Let loose a primal scream and throw down a dunk like you are trying to rupture the very fabric of time and space. SCARE people , for chrissake!
The problem with Oden is that he looks like he won't become a superstar. He doesn't look like he is going to become Dwight Howard, or even better, as a lot of Portland fans had hoped. But with the weakness of the center position, it's hard to see Oden not becoming one of the best centers in the league, unless he is bitten by the injury bug. He hasn't been a Tim Duncan run away rookie of the year, or even as quality as Rose or Mayo, or some guys in recent years. But he isn't playing like Darko or Tyrus Thomas as you would think by reading some people on here.
You're right, but he's not out of the ROY race yet. When he gets into shape, he should be getting double-doubles every night.
When Oden starts averaging the kind of game he had tonight, I'm going to pick through some of these recent bullshit posts about Greg to find some me some sigs.
Even if Oden never develops a good offensive game, he will still be a beast on defense, which is good enough for a center when Brandon Roy has turned out as good as he has. The thing to worry about with Oden is that he becomes injured badly again, since he doesn't seem to be the super motivated type. If he doesn't get injured, his talent will shine through. If he does get injured, he could be a frustrating player and prospect.
If any player gets injured badly, it's bad. Few players in the NBA have showed the ability to bounce back from a major wrist injury and microfracture surgery... I'd actually be LESS concerned about Oden's ability to work his way back from a major injury than a player who's never demonstrated the commitment to be able to do so. Ed O.
