Colin Cowherd take on Oden

I’m not a big fan of colins show just happened to catch it on my drive, and just happened to agree with a little bit of what he had to say not all of it. I actually find him arrogant most of the time!

As if he didn’t need anymore…

I can’t dispute his observations from the game last night, but I must say that first impressions are overrated. Sure they help, but they are not the end-all like Coherd claims. All I have to say is Dwight Howard. He couldn’t hit the side of a barn his first few years in the league. I expect much of the same out of Oden, defensive beast and rebounding machine in his first few years. His point in that we don’t need him contributing much on offense now is well taken, but I’m definitely giving the kid a chance to grow into his game.

However, after taking in all of the things that have been said about Oden from the media and others. I personally choose to believe only things mentioned about him by those that are actually seeing him day in and day out in practice. Namely his teammates, Blazers coaches, and front office.

Not the media.

Sorry, but the media isn’t exactly right all the time, neither are we for that matter.

BROY says that Oden is gonna be better than Dwight Howard. Read the post. Why would Brandon just spout off about something like that. Truth is, Oden didn’t do much the other night… Offensively… (Nobody is denying he’ll be a great defender, media or otherwise) Plus, its obvious that he will be able to move much better when he gets in shape. Of course he can dunk it. Yet until he gets his quickness back, teams are gonna be able to easily deny him position down low enough to get those.

He did show a nice quick move into a hook on the right side of the basket last night. Yeah that didn’t go in, but that move is starting to look way nicer than the first time he played. I am willing to bet that Brandon has seen him tear that up in practice. The jump hook by a 7 footer, who can make enough space to get it off just by using his body is pretty much unstoppable when he gets the ball close enough for a high percentage shot. That, plus his D, plus his potential speed that he once had, (and will get back) alone makes a really scary center.

It would take an extraordinarily lack of skill to be as bad as Mutumbo and Ben Wallace on defense, and I think that’s selling Oden wholly short. That’s just such a horribly bad comparison. Oden at least has foot work. If you are gonna compare him to Ben Wallace on offense, you might as well go all out and compare him to gulp Kwame Brown. That’s how bad Ben Wallace was offensively, and there is no way that Oden is that bad. Not even close.

I reckon that once he gets his conditioning around, people will realize that he has more offensive skill than Howard did in his rookie year.

he’s had so many guys come in…scouts, coaches, GMs, and he’s constantly peddling his GREG ODEN IS BEN WALLACE theorem, and I think it was…dang…who was it…..some retired player or coach and he said comparing Greg Oden to Ben Wallace is an insult of mammoth proportions. No offense to Ben, but Oden is already better as a center than Ben was. Ben was a scrappy short guy who worked to get rebounds. Oden gets them naturally just from his size. If he adds even a hair of athleticism, he’s far above and beyond Wallace.

Someone should sneak it into the pregame or his ipod before Friday nights game. In seriousness though he does make a few good points even though I hate to give it to him since he thinks he knows all. Bill Simmons sounds like he is a bit harsh though his words may have been taken out of context. I agree that first impressions are overrated most of the time but I do agree that the truly great players (i’m talking Lebron great) show what will separate them from the rest even if it doesn’t translate into a great game, you can tell they have that something special.
Point well taken about the media and those around him knowing more.

someone mentioned that amar’e (i think thats the way he’s spelling his name now!?) did not look good at all when he first came back after his surgery. It took him a while to get his lift and speed back. I think it will take a while but if Oden can move like he did in the one or two summerleague games he played in last year he will be great. He needs to get his head right also, I would like to see him crack a smile on the court, at least get excited and loose.

That’s all i got to say! do yourself a favor and search online for his highlight against Robinson. I truly doubt we see another big that moves like that.

Parish started out averaging 10points/10 rebounds and slowly worked himself up to 20 and 10 after a few years. He anchored to the defense in the middle and blocked a lot of shots. I think Oden might be a better passer, but they have similar games.

watching a guy play for 29 minutes after a 500 day layoff and major surgery.

for trying to project somebody based on 30 minutes of play.

Rememeber how terrible Amare looked coming off microfracture?

It will take time. People that are Cowardly will be taking this back a year or two from now. But what do they care? They just want to amp up ratings for their show.

He claims Kobe Bryant was “special” the first time he saw him running up the floor. No he was not. That’s not your memory speaking but seeing him as a star player now for years and years! In his first two years, he rarely started. For good reasons. I remember his first playoff series, and he shot horrible air-balls you would never see from him now again. You might also remember he won the MVP award in his first season. Or at least the Rookie of the Year. False memories. He won nothing. He was “All-Rookie Second Team”. Because people had better first impressions of Allen Iverson (ROY), Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury (yeah, that Marbury) and — wait for it — Antoine Walker. First impressions can be so wrong it’s not even funny.

a fat one. I’ve spoken with him before, and he’s truly as smarmy as he comes across on radio. He’s what the younguns call a ‘jerk-off’