Keepin' it real means being even keeled and not flying off the handle (up or down) and having an ability to look at things without passion -- ie. being objective. The fact that you think he's a bust (today ... who knows what tomorrow holds) tells me that he's probably just fine.
Wow, you guys are being kind of hard on KingSpeed. He does have a point. It is really too hard to tell what GO will end up doing. He is more than Darko and Kwame at this stage. You know who GO reminds me of? Martell. Seems to have lots of talent with a great body for the game, but has something going on upstairs that is preventing him from seeing his potential. I'm willing to give GO more time though.
i think Hoopworld's rookie rankings is pretty right on this week: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10871 #3 – Greg Oden – Portland Trail Blazers (15-7) – 7.9ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.6bpg Oden, who was ranked one spot lower last week, is starting to show flashes of the dominance he's going to exhibit in the not-too-distant future. Added to that is the overall team success of the Blazers, and you've got a defensive superstar in the making.
I will agree that his body language is less than inspiring. But I was hoping that was because he was a 7-ft guy. He needs a bit more swagger in his step. If the Blazers want to hire me I'll coach up his confidence using NLP, Hypnosis and other techniques.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Do you think players want to always talk to the media? But if a player told Quick the media is a downer and I have no interest in talking to them, Quick would tear them a new ass faster than you can say "Oregonian article." Yet QUick can come out and make a public statement that he has no interest in doing his job? Quick, since the days of the jailblazers, has always put himself above players. That being said, I don't think Quick would say all this without a little foundation there. I get the feeling, GO is a bit of a head case. But as long as he dominates the paint on the defensive side and brings much needed muscle to the Blazers, I think the easy answer is a team therapist and medication.
he is a tool's tool. This isn't the first or second time he's demonstrated that being the O's Blazer Beat Writer is really about who Jason hearts. We deserve better STOMP
You can tell after 15 games? LOL. Bottom line is that the dude averages 8 boards and 8 points after ONLY 15 games. But I am sure he appreciates you giving him more time.
Wasn't that interview a perfect tool storm? You have Big Suck and Ian Furness (I think) talking to Jason Slow about something other then College Football. I think my IQ went down 10 points just from listening to that.
Not really. Oden is dominating, for a rookie, on a per-minute basis. His raw numbers aren't dominating becase he doesn't play a lot of minutes...which is due to being in basketball shape, having spent a year away from the game. What's difficult to understand about that? Funny, he doesn't remind me of Webster at all. Maybe because Webster was very unproductive in his rookie season, while Oden is extremely productive. Also because Webster didn't contribute much on defense, while Oden has transformed the team defense from one of the worst to one of the better ones. Outside of that, they're pretty similar. Except that Oden isn't in peak shape yet, while Webster was. More than 16 games? Generous. If by the 30-game mark, though, Oden isn't arguably the best player in the game, then KingSpeed has a point and we should probably start looking for a new center to back up Przybilla, long-term!
LOL - I'll rest Fez's case for him. Classic. Those quotes were taken in reverse order . . . no sooner than Fez makes the statement, KingSpeed goes way negative on the next post, then follows it up with a way upper woohoo post! Awesome!
LOL, dude is under a lot of pressure. The national media, local media, and himself all think he should be playing better. He is also only 20 years old and IMO a little immature (not a bad thing) I know at 20 I was very different in dealing with my faults and problems as I am today. A lot of that is attributed to the fact that I have no faults now though....except spelling of course. Greg Oden could probably really use Conley to help kick him in the rump. It might also be a good thing if Brandon and/or LaMarcus reached out to him and tried to befriend him a bit more. I wouldn't really put a lot of stock into it honestly. I really think the kid just needs to get his confidence up and he'll be fine. Remember that this is a guy who has been THE man everywhere he's been. Now he is struggling a bit, has some injuries, and is just learning how to deal with it.
Hmmm, I guess Tim Duncan is a bust as well. We should also probably call Roy a bust as he also generally has very little personality on the court. Yup, a great indicator of bust. Gramps...
actually MW didn't commit to lose the baby fat until last year when he showed up noticeably slimmer... to play SF not SG as before STOMP
Well, what I said was too imprecisely worded. I didn't mean peak shape, as in the best he possibly could be. I meant that he wasn't out of shape, from having been away from the game.
Remember when Quick called Oden underwhelming, then wrote that he immediately felt bad about it because he'd just contributed to the tremendous pressure Oden was under? Well, congrats Quick, like Britney Spears before you, you just did it again. Way to learn from your mistakes you hack. And way to admit on air you don't do your job.
Please... Darko didn't record his first double-double until the 39th game of HIS 4TH NBA SEASON. Oden had his first double-double in his 3rd NBA game. After 16 games, Oden already has more points and rebounds than Darko had in his first two NBA seasons combined. And while Kwame was better than Darko his first two years, he still isn't close to Oden's level. Kwame had two double-doubles as a rookie and five more as a sophomore. He recorded his 7th triple double in his 134th NBA game. Again, Oden in spite of the injuries and long lay-off has 7 double-doubles in his first 16 NBA games. People need to look at the big picture here before labeling Oden a bust or comparing him to Darko or Kwame. Oden missed 18 months with major knee surgery - and he's already becoming a double-double machine and a game altering defender.- and he will only get better as he continues to recover from his MF surgery, get in better shape, and get used to the NBA game. It's a learning process. He has the physical tools, but needs a chance to learn how to use them. BNM
Let's remember to focus on the Blazers and the posts, OK? No need to rip into any poster here, no matter how much you disagree with her or him. Ed O.
