FanPost

Team USA - player development

Leaving aside which player we end up picking (mantra:pick Oden, pick Oden, pick Oden), what will the remifications of playing on Team USA over the summer be?

For Oden, I think it will be a great opportunity for him to see what it will take to become great. The kid seems to be pretty smart, and being able to guage yourself against the best in the business gives you a good idea of where you'll need to improve.

It will also be invaluable to have Nate guiding him through the whole process too. The kid's a beast already, but there is so much to learn and improve upon.

I'm concerned that we might end up with a great kid suffering from burnout pretty early into the season. Will the summer league and Tean USA zap his fire too soon? How will his body respond to the heightened demands? Will this leave him open to a higher risk of injury, or will it give him the opportunity to learn how to take proper care of his body sooner?

I'm obvisously of two-minds on this subject. On one hand, the whole experience would be great for his development, but on the other hand, it might end up being too much too soon. The kid's going to need some time to adapt to the NBA, will this be a slow ramp-up to that higher level, or will it be sink or swim? With Nate there, I'm pretty sure it's the former, but I figured this would be a great place to vent the concerns. I just don't want to start the season with him suffering from exhaustion. I know, Nate and KP would never let that happen, but I must vent the poisonous thoughts.

Are there any other positives/negatives that we can take from Oden's participation?