I cant see how this will help Oden. Come on its been four, count that, four pre-season games. The dude is 20 years old, hasn’t played in forever, and Quick is telling him he’s been disappointing, to his face! I guess I missed it when Quick became one of the coaching staff.

Personally I’m not surprised that GO is a little rusty and not really that upset about it either.

Message to Greg! “Bro, focus on the positives man! Your scaring the crap out of every team and every opposing player when they see you come out of the tunnel and take the court. Their all thinking how the heck are we gonna get inside on them now. If your shot aint falling your dunks are. Work on the fundamentals, you’ve got all the rest of the season. With you on the court we are way better than we ever were before!”

Ka FOEY!!!…..lol…

Underwhelmed hu?

let me see if I can take this into context…underwhelmed.

if my betterhalf told me that last night was “underwhelming”……

if my employeer told me that my last assignment was “underwhelming”

if the police officer who gave me a ticket last week told me this week while writing another ticket for the same exact thing last week that he was, “underwhelmed” with my driving…

underwhelming…..

why feel underwhelmed? becuase he know’s he’s better? becuase he know’s that when he does make A mistake that it will be diagnosededed and skrutinizedededed to the max? becuase of expectations?….but who’s?

his? does greg expect to be the greatest center who’s ever played the game?..or does he just plan on being….average?..

it really depends on who he is underwhelming too…..if it’s just me, WHAT THE HECK DO I KNOW….. if it’s jason quick, well….

but if greg is angry becuase he’s “underwhelming” to us……..well then….that would be hurtful and make me sad. I don’t want him to feel like he HAS to win R.O.Y. I don’t want him feeling like he HAS to bring portland a championship…..

THAT IS ROY’S JOB. THAT IS LAMARCUS’ JOB, THAT IS TRAVIS’ JOB, THAT IS JOEL’S JOB

not our rookies….his job is to go out there and impose his will with the ball. push bodies asside, and let the world know who GREG Oden is.

that’s his only responsibilty this season….and he needs to be having fun.

how to get rid of the pressure….time….time is the only thing that makes that go away.

he’ll loosen up soon as the season starts rolling….

just so you all know, ODEN DID GREAT HIS FIRST GAME AGAINST THE PUDDLERS WITH 5points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks….(if we win, I’ll be estatic with them stats)

that’s all that matters greg….WE WIN. that’s all that will matter. so quit trippin on quick and us. :)

I can see Greg dunk or block real hard in the next game and yell “underwhelmed”

He will remember that every time he sees Quick for a while, that’s for sure. That being said, yeah is hook shot and jumper don’t look fluid, much less automatic. He still puffs after running up and down a lot, his hands grabbing the end of his shorts. He doesn’t get great elevation, like J.A. Adande also pointed out in his observations. And depending on what your expectations of him were, that can be a bit "underwhelming". He doesn’t look as smooth yet explosive as a young Shaq or Robinson right now. But there is no reason why that can’t still come over the next months with some improved conditioning – and more experience actually playing the game against big guys trying to stop him. If it takes him a season to get really above the level he already was at athletically, so be it.

For age 20 and so few NBA games under his belt Oden’s development is just right — big men take longer — this guy will get stronger for the next 8 years without trying — that’s just biology…everyone is piqued on his potential — and should be — but he might not reach that for awhile — but it’s gonna be a great thing to watch! Meanwhile he will begin his career at a level most never achieve — and have the potential to be one of the best ..

11pts, 6.3reb in 20 min=22pts, 12.6reb in 40min all on 53% shooting from the field?

From a guy that has not played for a year, is coming off knee surgery, is dealing with being one of the most hyped players in the last 5-6 years, does not have his NBA game shape and has a bit of a confidence problem at this time?

I just do not see how this is constructive towards the situation. Yes his hook shot need some work but a dunk is the highest percentage shot to take yet the hardest to get. If he can only dunk so what?

The scary thing is what will it be like when Greg DOES settle down and start to play with confidence, much like Brandon is playing with this year.

“I know that I am better than most of the players in the NBA and now I do not have to fear what they can do to me.”

Once that time comes the NBA should quiver in their Nikes.

Quick has been the Blazer’s biggest sunshine pumper and cheerleader this past year. On paper, on radio, and in chats, he has been hyping up the potential of Oden to the point where a performance anything less than Olajuwanesque would be “underwhelming.” He’s the victim of his own hype. The Blazer front office and coaches have consistently stated publicly their reserved expectations for this year. He’s coming off a major surgery, he’s out of shape, and he hasn’t played organized basketball for one year on top of being a young rookie BIG adjusting to the NBA. Quick’s article is a just self-discovery piece on why he’s been so wrong about his own expectations.

The media is not on the outside looking in, they are on the inside looking out (towards the fans)….Hype is part of the media agenda because it is their news story and they can add whatever flavor they perceive….It’s about basketball, but it is in his perception …..So it should be taken within that context…..He’s a fan too, …..that is doing his job (connecting to the fans)
    His dissappointment is his cross to bear and he is unloading that on Oden (quite unfairly) and then passing it on to fans to draw conclusions

can’t we just sum this up and say that Quick probably shouldn’t have written this article and Ben went a little overboard? I mean, some people are sticking up for these guys but the ratio is like 10 to 1 in favor of “that article sucked.” What I’m wondering though, is will all this reaction only reinforce this style of (reckless) writing? Do people look at all these comments and attention the subject brings and think, hey I’m on to something here! I’ll get hits and sell papers if I just write controversial “commentary.” Sometimes I think its best to ignore guys like John Canzano because hating on him only makes him more egotistical. But then I remember that this town only has one pro franchise and if you’re hungry for sports news, your options are extremely limited. I think people will always read the articles, the majority is just usually silent until you piss them off by writing something kind of silly.

THIS is what I expect from oden.

it’s what I know to be true so I will wait for it.