Quick on Oden

 I totally agree. good post.

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 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 just self-discovery piece on why he’s been so wrong about his own expectations.

Greg’s problem is understandable. He had to sit out 1 full year as the hype only kept increasing. I think he will be fine a few games into regular season

But seriously, Jason is always one of these two things now:

1. Over-the-top positive and enthusiastic
2. Over-the-top negative and pessimistic

Seriously Jason, there’s an in-between, and it still leads to interesting articles without the hyperbole. Look into it.

(This may go for other writers as well, who won’t be named, but JQ’s notorious for this right now)

Oden just needs to relax, smoke some weed, and have a couple drinks at the strip club and he’ll totally chill out. Or maybe the Blazers just need to hire a relaxation coach.

Great post Ben. You’re going to get choke comments.

is the fact that he’s expected to win right now. The Blazers team as a whole are expected to move up with the league’s elite teams. Durant doesn’t face these expectations yet. KD was expected to go out and put up numbers and win the ROY on a basement dweller. Portland is expecting Oden to basically redeem an entire city and franchise for the Whittsit/Nash era. However, he has fallen into an amazing situation and opportunity so if he’s whining at all that’s pretty weak. It’s ok for him to express that he’s not always comfortable with the pressure. Remember, Oden is 20 and still a rookie and perhaps most importantly still HUMAN!

Before you run a marathon, you still need to take your first step. I know its difficult not to look at the big picture, i.e. the expectations and the vision of a future championship, but the realization is that the team has yet to play a regular season game. Of course, his is going to anxious. Nervous, flustered and irritated too.

If you put any other NBA player in his position, with that many reporters in his face, with the heightened expectations, they would be saying the exact same things. It’s not whining. Not really. You plug K-Dur into GO’s situation and there is a high degree of probability that Quick writes the same article, pointing out the same frustrations.

Let the team get a few W’s under its belt and let Greg get comfortable playing basketball and watch the smile come out. Watch him block a last second shot against the Lakers that would have been the game winner. Watch him let out a roar so loud that is blows Quick’s toupee back into the 1990’s.

Get after the Kings tomorrow night, and all of this “underwhelming” talk will stop

If Roy thinks Oden needs a “fire lit” under him? That’s good enough for me

Greg and the trainers have had plenty of time to get him in game shape. He’s had no setbacks with the knee. It’s GO time. No restrictions re: minutes, let him play hard until he fouls out.

When they ask you to “take it easy” big man? Just say “NO!”

He’s still finding his way, and his game after the long layoff. He has expectations and high ones yes, but give him time. Such as a few games in. He should be fine.

to be critiquing our players and trying to fire them up… That’s what coaches are paid for. I don’t like what Quick tried to do with this article. I also don’t like how he defended himself by using Brandon’s comments. If Greg read this do you think he would be pissed at Brandon for not backing him up? I just dont like this type of journalism, its very amateur and counter productive.

I’m not surprised that the expectations are getting to him. I also agree with JQ that so far I haven’t been totally blown away by his PERFORMANCE, though have been blown away by his presence on the court and can imagine what damage he’ll do when back in top form. I kind of agree with Ben that Greg needs to get over it, but also sympathize with Greg because he does, no matter what anyone says, have the weight of the franchise on his shoulders.

lol calling him underwhelming after four preseason games to his face? wow…. oden should have just commented back with something even more rediculous like “i’ll eat ur babies” or “i’ve killed for less”…quick did his job by writing an article that stirs things up, gets attention, and makes a bunch of people wanna read it. i just hope oden realizes thats quicks job and not to take these bafoons in the media seriously, theyre just a bunch of clowns performing for the media circus….just do ur thing big man and all will be well in p-town

I know I don’t.
Go Oden!

for the other rooks,Batum is the same age but with I would guess at least 100 professional games under his belt and no expectations pressure.Bayless looking at sitting on the bench for the first time in his life and his pressure is self inflicted but I love his fire.Rudy is,well Rudy and he thinks pressure is fun,a rook in name only.And Greg who is a little like a kid who knows he is going to hear shots fired in anger for the first time pretty soon and would just as soon get the ball rolling as wait anymore

It’s a completely different situation. Oden has the most hype since Lebron, and expectations that aren’t fair for rookies.

Durant was going into a bad team, no expectations for wins, media didn’t write a 5 page article about his every hiccup and none of the national media expected him to be the next best thing.

Oden on the other hand had all these expectations, then got injured. Sat out a year and is coming back. He’s not in shape which unless you’re not being realistic is completely understandable. He’s played very respectfully for a rookie, and yet here you have a reporter telling him he’s been underwhelming when he has all this pressure on him already.

You know I expected fans of other teams to be harsh on Oden if he doesn’t dominate right away but I would have thought local media and fans would be much more understandable.

The main difference between Durant and Oden is that nobody expected Durant to be winning games his rookie season, and he didn’t. KD didn’t “whine” because nobody told him he was doing a bad job, nobody cared if he won a game or missed 15 shots a game. He didn’t have people calling him a hall of famer or once in a decade player since high school. He still has no where near the pressure of Oden.

Oden has not played for a year, and in that sense is doing very well on the court yet some media, including Quick has the nerve to call him underwhelming. Many fans are just as guilty.

Whatever happened to letting Oden get his legs back. Whatever happened to waiting until the second half of this year to start the heavy analyzing of Greg Oden. He is a kid and has more pressure on him now than most people have in their entire lives to perform well.

This is a league driven by guards nowadays. He’s only one piece to the puzzle of many if this franchise is to get a championship within the next 10 years.

To the big fella " If it’s any consolation to you Greg. I don’t think you’ll ever be the best player on this team. I’m looking at you as being good, not great. Try playing 60+ games a year, average 30 minutes, and go 12 and 9 with a couple blocks thrown in there for good measure before you foul out.

…As for the sports media, it’s big business. if you’re not making the news, they’ll make it for you. Hell, they’d analyze your stool sample if you gave them one. Play games with the media. Have fun with it.

Didn’t everyone freak out about how he looked in preseason and the early games of the season he returned from microfracture surgery? I mean, this was a veteran returning and he took time to get the feel for how to get back into game form. If I remember right he did. It took more than a few pre-season games for him to start showing the skill he had demonstrated before his injury.

Greg can’t quite do what he could before. He is frustrated about it because he wants to perform and meet expectations. He expresses this frustration and now he is whining. This is why guys get frustrated with members of the media.

when he was asked a question. Seems to me like he’s trying to be candid, which, in my opinion, is never a bad thing. Greg could have said that nothing bothers him, but he chose not to give the “both teams played hard” answer.

I don’t think the KD comparisons are really applicable either, but I could see how one could make the argument.

I’m not really interested in the question of whether or not Greg is handling this well. I’m not really interested in judging his reaction to expectations. I’m not interested in judging how realistic those expectations are. And, I’m not interested in judging how the media has judged him.

I’m interested in what would help Greg reach his potential as a basketball player. To use the language of economics, Greg is (probably) the most valuable asset of this franchise. It is in our interest , as fans, that the team maximizes the value of him as an asset… It’s obvious to me that he is struggling with the expectations that come with being the centerpiece of the franchise. Based on the reports that are in the media, it sounds like he could use some spiritual guidance. By spiritual guidance, I mean guidance in understanding how to relate his own hopes, dreams, and aspirations with those of other people and with reality. This guidance could come from his mom, a teammate, a friend, a sports psychologist, pastor, or priest. If I were Nate McMillan or Kevin Pritchard, I’d make this a priority. I even have some resources in mind, but that’s their job.

If it were up to me, I’d be telling him things like the following:

-Wherever he is as a basketball player today is EXACTLY where he is supposed to be. If he were supposed to be better—farther along, more dominate, etc—he would be.

-His frustration comes from not accepting, in the moment, his level of development as being just fine, at that moment. While it is productive and healthy to want to improve—even to have a burning desire to improve—in the moment there is nothing you can do to change how good you are.
 
-There is no doubt in my mind that Greg Oden will be a great basketball player.

-Even if his worst fears about basketball came true, it would not be as bad as he imagines it to be. If he re-injured his knee tomorrow and never started a single NBA game, his life would not be a failure. That injury would be an opportunity to do something else with his life—and there’s no reason he could not be just as happy and successful doing that.

-He will find that when he plays the game with joy, he will play better—that, ironically, if he plays the game just for the joy of the game and forgets about the expectations placed on him—he will be more likely to reach those expectations.

Anyway, it does concern me that he would be angry with Jason Quick for saying he was underwhelmed. A confident NBA pro would let that kind of comment roll of his shoulders. Of course, Greg is a rookie so it is understandable that he has not reached the point in his own spiritual development where that type of comment is unimportant. But, I believe Greg is a wise dude and will get there.

Greg Oden isn’t fragile enough to be bothered by whatever the rip the media says, and if he is, then they are way out of line and he needs to turn someone into a grape.

In either way, I think the “how’s the knee” comments really need to die. I hate when I’ve got a slightly runny nose and everyone asks, “how’s the cold” for the next 3 months.

I have seen him play a few times and he isn’t moving like the 18 year old guy at the ohio state, but he is still effective. He doesn’t lumber around much worse than any of the other 7’ 270lb centers in the nba. If you translate Oden’s preseason stats thus far to 30mpg, he would be averaging 16.5ppg, 9rpg, and shooting over 50%. Add a rebound or two througout the year due to better conditioning, and take a way a few points as he gets scouted and gameplanned around. Wouldn’t most people take 12-16ppg and 9-11rpg back in August when we were just hoping he would make it back.. Lay off the guy, he is off to a reasonable start, and all sign point to plenty of improvement throughout the year….

Ben’s premise is that GO is whining, followed by Durant had a worse situation and performed without whining. So quit whining GO.

I don’t see GO whining. I see him in a moment of honest reflection telling a reporter that he hasn’t learned to handle the pressure and to just relax and play. If he was complaining that the expectations on him were too high, or his teammates were to blame for his performance, or the referees to blame for his traveling calls, that would be whining. After the preseason games he told reporters that he was to blame for not being in the right place to get entry passes from his teammates, or we didn’t win because he needed to do more.

A tremendous amount of pressure has built up on the kid over the past year and he hasn’t learned to relax and just let it rip yet. Whining has nothing to do with this and neither does Durant, who had no pressure or expectations put on him to make his team into a winner his first year.

I’d rather have a kid who is a overwhelmed by it all than one that is cool as long as he is stacking paper. Sometimes players like Kareem, Duncan, Russell needed less intense guys around them to help them get over mistakes and not dwell on stuff. I think that Greg will work through these things better when he is playing every game with his the real rotation and it counts. Losing streaks will probably get to him, but the leadership of the others and his continued improvement will be the key to making it through it and growing up.

After a series of injuries, ailments, and operations, maybe Greg is starting to wonder if he really is injury-prone. Maybe he is thinking that his immense talent — his innate ability that not too long ago enabled him to dominate on the court — is now lost to him or will not suffice to overcome what may continue to be a steady parade of physical setbacks.

If we live long enough, most of us eventually confront the reality that some of our long-held dreams must remain unfulfilled. If Greg is indeed worried that his greatest hopes might now be beyond his reach, then perhaps he is undergoing a similar experience. And that would be very difficult for any 20-year old who has been accustomed to thinking that he might be remembered in the same breath as greats like Shaq.

Let’s hope the big guy is able to play through this before too long and gets back to where he was mentally a couple of years ago. I’ll be there on October 31 to cheer for him and urge him on.

was defending himself against a reporter who was out of line. GO was the one being interviewed, not Quick, so JQ should not have interjected his opinion. Quick just wants to be able to say he was involved, maybe being so delusional as to think he is helping the team, even though he shouldn’t be. The is nothing wrong or whiny about what Greg did, it is just natural.

Ben, I think this is sensationalism again, like the Sergio thing. Two posts declaring the end of his tenure as all but complete, and now where is he? This is unnecessary.

I do think GO has to chill out, though. I understand why that would be nearly impossible, but as soon as he realizes he CAN actually relax, it will happen and he will dominate.

Someone said how all things considered, he’s achieving expectations, if not exceeding them. And that this is the pre-season. How is this underwhelming? Quick needs to shut his trap and listen, not go trying to incite things for article fodder. He is not part of the coaching staff, no matter how much he wants to or thinks he should be.

I think this is the most important article he has written on Greg. This kind of releases a lot of tension on the Oden hype.

without having read every word of the 90+ posts ahead of me, but I did skim them and didn’t see much relating to my thoughts so I’ll go ahead and jump in.

You (universal you) cannot simply tell someone to “get over it” and expect results. I find that kind of advice comes from someone who has absolutely no idea how the person really feels. Unless you’ve walked that proverbial mile in their shoes … with their personality …. then you should not be telling them how to react.

Just because he signed up to be in the NBA doesn’t mean he’s a rough tough everything like water off a duck’s back person. His size has nothing to do with his psyche. He may have lots of worries. I really appreciate timbo saying “he’s got lots of people to help him” … well, let’s make sure those people ARE helping him. Sure, Greg will probably be fine … but he’ll be finer faster if he gets some help instead of everyone ragging on lackluster performance and expecting him to simply “step it up a notch.”

As a pretend shrink it almost makes me ill to hear “get over it”. The proper response (OK, I sound like an advice columnist) is “I’m sorry that you are feeling so bad about that; it must be rough.” If you are so inclined you can add “is there anything I can do to help”. And if you care about the person make sure they are getting proper help.

/rant

he doesn’t even take into account that Greg knows he is going to be pulled any minute and is trying to do something in a limited amount of time. As a matter of fact Quick is ignoring so much by talking down to Oden like that. This is an good article though because it shows you that Oden pretty sensitive to his expectations and that it might be a while before he shows the crowds what he’s got. This is a lot of pressure for such a young man who hasn’t play in over a year.

Sorry, but I’m not hearing whining from Greg Oden. He IS under tremendous pressure, and has handled it as well as anyone his age could be expected to.

First, GO was labeled a “generational center” as a teenager, then many labeled him a bust when his knee got hurt before he played an NBA game. And unlike Kevin Durant, Greg has had precious little opportunity to blow off steam on the basketball court.

Fact is, I think it’s remarkable how LITTLE whining we’ve heard out of this guy. In my opinion, he’s mature beyond his years. Geez, will SOMEONE lighten up on this 20-year-old?

I like the post. I like it. It’s good for star athletes to get called out like this.

Ben’s right: Oden’s coming into an amazingly good situation. Almost perfect. If anything, his year off should make him hungrier to play and happier to be on the court now.

Oden—when coming into an ideal situation—should be able to figure out a way to enjoy himself. He needs to figure out how to do that. If he can’t, he’s not going to mentally survive and he’ll be just another journeyman center like Kandi or that first round pick of Jordan’s back in the day.

It ain’t whining to state the truth. There is a lot of pressure on Greg, and he simply said he can’t relax. Sounds to me like he cares, which is not a bad thing. Get off his back, media parasites.

<<To whom much is given, much is expected.>>

Oh goody ! WWJD?

The guy says he’s feeling pressure so ya throw the bible at him.

Oden was told he’s got the starting position over Pryz straight off of knee surgery. I’d feel the pressure too.

Personally I prefer a guy who says what he feels in a interview rather than just says all the “right things.”

I cannot believe you wrote that Greg was whining. I thought he was just being honest about his feelings, a trait we all love about him. Comments like yours will ensure that eventually Greg learns to mumble incomprehensibly like Shaq during interviews, or to reply to all questions with, “Both sides played hard.”

I have no problem with what Quick wrote. It was fair of Quick to say that he felt underwhelmed by Greg’s play so far. You saying that Greg was whining is like calling him a sissy or a crybaby or a coward. You crossed a journalistic line, Ben. You owe Greg a public apology.

you totally killed my buzz dude…

of course, this is all from the creator of the “draft kevin durrant” movement

This quote

“I mean, I wish I could (have fun), but I see it as so much more. I’ve got a lot riding on this,” Oden said. “Coach is like, ‘Calm down and relax, it’s just a game’ … but I’m like ‘Look, I’ve got so many people wanting me to do this and that for this team, and the pressures of this team, the expectations of this team … I can’t relax.’”

Is a whole lot different when prefaced by this one

“I take this very seriously,” Oden said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to do good and to win, and I guess Coach sees that I keep a straight face when I’m in the gym, but I want him to know I’m not (messing) around.

Together, they provide context. I don’t think I have to explain context to an astute and intelligent person such as yourself. I think you misconstrued his statement by placing more emphasis on the second part of that quote than on the first, and I think that is a mistake. If you disagree with that sentiment, then that’s fine, but here is why I think it’s bad to do so:

“I take this very seriously,” Oden said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to do good and to win…

That directly tells us that Oden is the one putting pressure on himself because he wants to be great, and he wants to be great so he can help his team win. What’s wrong with that? We have witnessed and experienced far too many players on this team that just did not give a damn. The Bonzis and the Darius’ of this world. We have seen them come and go, and both times they have played the victim card because they cared not whether they made their team better or were appreciated by fans. Hell, even when they left, they still played the victim card, and when they screw up again on a different team with a different coach and under a different media light, they still play the “I ain’t do nothing wrong, quit fronting me son cause you just trying to bring me down” card at every opportunity.

I don’t see Oden doing that at all. Not even close.

Oden is putting pressure on himself because he wants to impress; he wants to prove that he’s every bit as good as he’s billed to be. The true whiners of Blazers past did not care and had no intention of pleasing others — they just wanted to take their check and go home. Greg Oden is far removed from the likes of the true whiners we have seen come and go.

Being frustrated is not the same as whining. Greg is frustrated not because of some media scrutiny, but because he just wants to be the best player he can be. There’s a difference. Would you rather he was as impassive and removed like the likes of Kwame Brown and Andrea Bargnani? I’d be more worried if he took upon their approach to basketball and dealing with the media.

is to get some insight into the team and the league. But frankly, I don’t come here to read two bit amateur psychoanalysis and to see decent community minded players bashed by sports writing wannabes.

If I want this crap, I’ll read Canzano.

Many are saying Durant had no pressure, but being an ex-sonic fan (only “ex” because they don’t exist anymore), I have to point out that Durant was asked to be the savior of the team in that region. There were significant expectations and pressure on him – you should have heard the “bust” talk from him pre-season performances. His good health and easy-going demeanor allowed him to handle those expectations despite the worst owner in basketball (not to mention the most dishonest one as well). I absolutely am not comparing Oden to Durant (or even comparing their pressures), just saying Durant didn’t have a “pass” in that department.

I think Oden will be fine, he sounds like someone who really wants to please and perhaps cares too much what people think about him. Does that means he’s a “whiner” because he opens up and talks about it? Hardly. He sounds like somone who just found out that he’s human…surgery and a fishbowl might do that to someone. Luckily this team doesn’t need Oden to be “the go-to guy” – Portland already has that person in Roy. Oden needs to learn how to compliment the team, not dominate.

I don’t agree with your post mainly because I read Oden’s comments as an expression of frustration, rather than whining. I’m completely ok with Oden being frustrated…. he really hasn’t played that bad and if he (his coach and teammates) know that he can play much better then we should all still expect great things.

Re: Ben. I don’t know if it’s been said, but we should remember that Ben gives us so much more at this site that Dave can’t do from Idaho. I’m assuming Ben works for little or no compensation and he must put in a tremendous amount of time & effort for this site. Going to every game, practice, media session is no small thing. This site is better with Ben here. Insulting Ben is a slap in the face from unappreciative short-sighted posters. Have you forgotten the excellent posts that Ben has written?

For every Rebecca Harlow Likes to Party, Madgesdiq or Quick on Oden post that I didn’t like there have been other high effort and high quality posts such as:

Blazer Fans Hit the Jackpot
KEVIN PRITCHARD READS BLAZERS EDGE
Notes From Practice
Honor Terry Porter
Jerryd Bayless Interior Monologue
A Chat with Tom Penn
Mike Barrett Interview Parts I, II & III
Sherman Alexie Needs Our Help
Mike Golub Loves You
Media Row Reports

I generally lilke your stuff, and this certainly includes the “stimulating” factor, judged by responses. But I do have to agree, use of the word “whining” was not spot on. More accurately, Greg’s main “fault” here is simply his pure candor. The guy is real, and we really like that about him. He has certainly won me over as a man, and I’m not at all concerned about his play. He’s been bustin’ his butt all through rehab, and now practice, and I could even venture a guess at a little thought caption for Greg, as he gave Quick “the look” on the “underwhelming” characterization: “Oh yeah, pencil neck, how bout I rip your talikng head off and dunk it ? Would that be more "whelming” for you ?? " And I don’t have a problem with Quick’s story. It was interesting, and he survived.
Greg, your doing GREAT, and wer’e with you. An useless as it might be to say, don’t worry about it.
I definately think a lot of, particularly remote, commentators put way more emphasis on Oden as the face of the franchise, when we all know there is a lot more promise emerging on this team. Maybe the greatest pressure factor I would question, is how Greg has been handed the starting job so readily. I mean, comming off one year of college, microfracture, and a year not playing. That seems to me the biggest real “pressure” considering it comes from coach. I wonder if it would be more comfortable to be with the, distinctly gifted, “second” unit, at least to start, and “work in” to the starting role. Giving him the start right off, kind of endorsed the hype, rather than letting him play into it, however quickly. Of course now, might be tough to change that.
Ben, you do a great job. You and Greg just arent perfect yet. Keep trying !

But yeah… I don’t read “whining” at all.

I see and hear a kid who actually really cares about being good, and wants to get this stage of his pre-career over with and onto the actual “playing” part of his legend.

I doubt Ben is truly colored by his Durant love (I like Durant too) in a biased way, and is just making a true point— for a lottery pick, ESPECIALLY a #1 pick, Oden is walking into the best situation I could imagine. HOWEVER… the pressure on Oden is a lot, lot more than any rookie I can remember in my years of following the NBA. If we don’t make the playoffs, it will make him look bad. If he doesn’t have good numbers (nevermind he is 20, and all other HoF centers would still be in college), he looks bad. Lots of rookies have expectations coming into the league and the pressure that comes with them, but Oden has DOMINANCE expected, plus elevating our team to a playoff team and above— which means 50 wins and above with how the West is.

Teams, on average, tend to win quite a bit more after adding a #1 pick, but the jump we’re expected to make and the level of play expected from Oden (plus the difference in making the jump from really-bad-to-just-sorta-bad is easier than .500-team-to-50-wins) is pretty lofty. And since Oden seems pretty thoughtful, it can lay heavy on the mind (I don’t picture Lebron worrying about disappointing people that much).

The success of the Blazers, whether true or not, are viewed as resting on Oden’s shoulders. If he didn’t really care about how he did, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem. But, in the long run, Oden wouldn’t be nearly as good of a player as he could become if he didn’t care.

Caring is the best thing we could see from a hyper-talented kid like Oden. He could easily coast and have a great career. Wanting to show everyone he is great makes things tough at first, but will pay off with lots o’ interest.

AND REMEMBER, one of the BIG knocks against Oden was that he didn’t have that FIRE, didn’t CARE about basketball… he wanted to be a dentist and all that. From his apologies for getting hurt, his dedication to his rehab, to his frustration with wanting to be great, I think we can see Oden really wants to be great.

Ben mighta’ just chosed the wrong word, because it really shouldn’t be seen as whining. Oden can be in a great situation, KNOW he is in a great situation, and still feel tons of pressure to do well and be hurt when someone he talks to and sees every day says he is underwhelmed. When you’re already worried about how you’re playing, something like that can hurt.

Sure, he needs to move past it and not care, but that can take time. I’d rather have it this way than the alternative.

Like with all of the off-season drama shows we’ve had, the only cure is for the real damn season to start already!

Mortimer

After reading the same article it appears we came to very divergent P.O.V.S. . In my fanpost I’m calling for continued patience with Oden and at least an understanding of the massive media scrutiny the young man is under. It appears you want Oden to suck it up and quit whining?

Sorry, but I really do think you missed the boat on this one. First of all what would you rather have? While I’m hoping Oden can find a balance between professionalism and enjoying the game, because I think that is important. The greatest of the great players not only were great professionals but also maintain a true love for the game. Oden aknowledges the very real pressures he is feeling and you I think are misinterpreting that as “whining”. I’d rather have a player that understands what is expected of him, that is struggling to meet those expectations. While I clearly think it is better for Oden if he does “relax”, it’s his I can’t relax attitude that will probably lead him to success.

You then go on to try and compare Oden and Durants situation? You know many of the very things you sight are the same reasons Durants situation is NOT Odens. It is a huge difference that Durant came to a franchise in flux. It left Durant with almost no expectations to meet. If Durant succeeded? Great. If he floundered? Pick any or all the reasons you put in your piece, he had a built in safety net.

Beyond that I disagree with your contention that it’s simply the N.B.A and Oden should just deal with it. Odens situation is very unique even within the rare enviroment of the N.B.A.. On some level how can you, I, or “Joe The Plumber” even imagine what it is like to be as highly a touted young prospect as Oden, be thrust into a situation as if not the franchises cornerstone at least the aknowledged difference maker of the future? Nobody signs on for the scrutiny or exposure at the level Oden has applied to him as simply the #1, #1 pick. Anyone else sprains an ankle in a practice and only maybe do we even hear about it. Oden sprains an ankle and the next day there are full page photos on the front page and headlines screaming Oden rolls ankle. Point is Oden is under unusual and extreme levels of exposure. Sure enjoy the endorsements, maybe Oden should understand that exposure is a double edged sword but do I fault him for realizing he is under massive scrutiny? From a Blazer standpoint, Oden is everybodys, Everything at that is hard to live up to.

I’m pretty sure given some time and success Oden will relax, I’m also pretty sure he wasn’t whining so much as simply communicating an understanding of his reality and thankfully demonstrating that he cares about what happens not only to him but also this team.

I disagree with this post.

Durant is and was playing for a team that wasn’t and isn’t going to do anything anytime soon. Greg has far bigger expectations laid upon him in playoff and championship hopes. Nobody thought the Sonics were going to win a title when they drafted Durant and nobody thinks the Thunder will win one now a year and a draft later. And does anyone really think that they will be contenders anytime soon? But the buzz around Oden is far different, there are many who feel that Oden is the main piece in making Portland a dynasty. I can see the tremendous pressure he feels. I think calling him out was totally wrong at this point. Greg is going to be great. You can tell by watching him play. Once the season gets going and everything is more routine he will feel more comfortable and all of this will go away. But yeah, great idea… let’s go and piss off the man that is supposed to lead us to the promised land. JQ does a great job but I really do question this move on his part. Yeah maybe it will light a fire like Brandon says but it just feels really really wrong and really really harsh to me. At least let the guy get 10-15 games that count under his belt before you say anything. I mean, seriously.

whining?….

are you kidding me????
the only whining i’m seeing isn’t from greg.
how is he whining when someone calls him out as “underwhelming” and he responds with how he feels?
i mean, who wouldn’t feel defensive and have their feelings hurt by that.
especially someone who has worked so hard to come back and be part of this team.
you should seriously be ashamed of being so cold and indifferent towards how much effort and work he has put into coming back and being the “monster” he’s supposed to be.
greg is not whining and i think it’s despicable that anyone thinks that he is. what was he supposed to say to THAT?
critics need to calm down… breathe… the regular season is nearing and the other teams better head for the clearing.

Ben, I feel for you man. You should not have to take some of this.

Guys, Ben wrote this article—a perfectly legitimate one—to raise discussion. I happen to agree with it; many of you don’t.

But these ad hominem attacks based upon little more than ridicule… that’s gotta stop. You should be happy that there are people working on this site that generate interesting topics.

As I read a lot of these responses—when I was hoping to see other historical examples of sports figures in similar situations, perhaps a psychologist commenting on these sorts of effects, or insights from others who have coached—instead I see a whole chorus of bleating sheep that basically follow this formula:

“Ben said something that I don’t like! Ben said something that hurt MY MAN Greg! Let’s form a mob and shout him down.”

That’s worthless. If you disagree, say something useful.

A couple points: first, I would expect Quick to have a more even-handed approach to evaluating Oden’s performance this summer. In what way has Oden’s performance been underwhelming? Because he hasn’t dunked from the foul line or scored 30 points in 20 minutes?

Here’s the reality – as a first year center coming off dreaded MICROFRACTURE surgery, he draws automatic double-teams and fouls out opposing centers even though he’s only playing 20 minutes a game. His per-minute stats have been solid despite the double-teams and constant fouls. I’ll take that any day of the week. I’m decidedly NOT underwhelmed.

It’s precisely this sentiment – that DESPITE all this, Oden’s performance has somehow been underwhelming because he hasn’t yet walked on water during the halftime show – that the big guy is feeling so much pressure. So for Quick to FIRST criticize Greg being underwhelming, THEN criticize him for feeling pressure and being too serious, is pretty ironic.

I can appreciate what Quick was trying to do here – and I absolutely agree that Greg is feeling the pressure and needs to try to relax a little bit – but his initial "underwhelming" premise misses the mark badly. It’s amateur-level analysis. Jason, you’re better than that.

As for Ben’s take, here’s the issue. Ben evaluated Greg’s comments as if he made them out of the blue, at a press conference, to complain about all the lofty expectations.If that were the case, I would agree that he’s whining.

But that’s NOT the case. This was Quick’s premise. He asked Oden about all the expectations and about why he’s being so serious. He called Oden overwhelming to his face and then asked him how that feels. Hard to criticize Greg for just answering the questions honestly and explaining that he wants to do well and take his job seriously. That’s a GOOD thing.

Also, though, I completely agree with somebody’s comment above that everyone should cool it with any personal attacks on Ben. It’s fine to disagree with his take, but criticize the idea, not the man. As much time as Ben and Dave put in, and as little (if any) as they get paid, they should have absolutely immunity from any personal criticism on this site.

I fail to see any connection to Durant……why even bring him up in the discussion?

People need to chill the f’ out. Let Oden be and give him some time to get his feet wet. The PREseason isn’t even over and people are already writing about his dissappointing season. Give me a break. It takes time to get comfortable as a rookie. It takes time to come back from MF surgery. People act like he should be in the greatest shape because he’s been playing pick up ball for two months. It takes time to get into NBA shape. Most of us have never been to that level and never will. Plus, the dude’s a mammoth.

All of this scrutiny on Greg, before the season even starts, is getting really old. He’s just starting out on the comeback trail, and people are knocking him because he isn’t immediately playing like Olajuwon or Shaq or Russell……

You made the comments, so all I have to say is
Deal with it!

I’ve been underwhelmed by your preseason performance after 4 games. How does that make you feel?

Official response: I’m just working hard on getting into the flow of the game…..etc.

Unofficial thoughts: Did this guy just call me underwhelming"?
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Point is, any player on our team would be offended by Quick’s comment, no matter what their official media-hardened response was. Here’s hoping G.O. let’s this roll off him like water, and that the local media stops this kind of reporting.