He’ll be just fine…...summer league is dominated by guards. Always has been always will be…....and that’s a big reason for all his fouls during that time. It’s just how it is…...

Oden is gonna be a beast, book it.

Oden will be Oden, for better or worse, so don’t worry too much.

Maybe because I don’t live in Portland anymore, but I don’t sense the same worry about Oden amongst Blazer fans… as far as I can tell, we all agree he is gonna be awesome. I doubt Mo Lucas, Nate, Roy, LMA, Blake, everyone who has talked about how Oden looks would say big things like ‘future HOFer’ if he wasn’t very impressive.

I thought he has looked better than people expected on offense in college, and fine in summer league. He’s got a soft touch (a soft touch is what seperates Dwight Howard from Hakeem), extreme power that should remain, and he’s ultra super quick for a guard, let alone a center. For his rookie season I expect something better than Howard’s rookie year (double double, 30 mins a game, a few blocks, sweetness all around) but I won’t be disappointed with less. He’s coming off an injury, after all, and playing on a team with 2 good young scorers already.

Overall my friend, don’t worry. Oden is Oden for a reason. He was born to be one of the best centers ever. Just be glad we got him, LMA, and Roy, and just let next season happen without dwelling on the negative.

My dog (who can see the future) sez we’ll be very happy with our young trio, and she never lies, not even for a puppy cigar.

Mortimer

I know it can seem like the sun will never return but,

the big man just turned 20. His is still just growing up.

Relax and enjoy the coming summer days. Once he steps back out on the court all of this will just disappear never to return.

The poor guy broke his shooting hand in his senior year. He adjusted by shooting free-throws left-handed—and making them. He had to shoot field goals and grab rebounds with a bandaged shooting hand. And he still dominated games.

He scored 25 points and grabbed, what, 12 or 14 rebounds in the championship game against four future NBA players on the defending champion and best team in college basketball. Again, with a broken hand.

His doctors discovered during summer league that he was having difficulty breathing, so they removed his tonsils. Consider that as well when you review his college performances.

And of course he’s been derailed by knee surgery.

Now consider his skill test performances. They were off-the-chart for a center and better even than most smaller players. He’s tremendously strong, fast, and athletic. He’s smart, skilled, and unselfish.

The truth is that no one has seen the real GO yet, only glimpses. I’m convinced that when he recovers FULLY from knee surgery - which won’t be until the season after next - he will make everyone forget about Dwight Howard. He will eventually join the pantheon of the greatest centers and players ever to play the game. His name will be mentioned in the company of Hakeem, Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Walton, and Shaq.

--As long as he stays healthy.

Relax.

The man has not played a minute in the NBA. Summer league doesn’t count. Let’s reserve judgment for the time being.

Greg Oden is not a project. He will be a defensive presence from minute one. His athletic ability is ridiculous for his size. His character is off the charts for a player at his level. If he’s healthy… he’s a star.

big man, future hall of fame, not become a impact player? Hakeem, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Ewing, Shaq, and Oden belong in the same breath for expectations. If Oden doesn’t dominate, it means his injuries got the best of him.

Oden will be Dwight Howard-esque. I don’t think Oden will reach the level of Hakeem or Bill Russell, but I still think he’ll be a man-child. Not right away though- a year or 2 down the road.

give us a half dozen good years out of ten, and fade due to injuries like Walton. I don’t see him staying healthy for an entire season, much less several in a row.

By all accounts, he dominated at 24 Hour Fitness.

that way you won’t be surprised if he’s hurt forever, and he does seem to get hurt a lot. If he’s healthy I think he’s somewhere in between shaq and robinson. Forget Olajuwon, that guy was a freak. I’m hoping Oden will be fine, but that doesn’t seem to be the way our luck goes.

You hope he’ll be “the best center in the NBA 5 years from now.”

If so, he may have to share that claim with at least Dwight Howard.
Too bad they’ll only play each other twice a year, save for a finals matchup (VERY possible).

That’s natural. Like you said, GO had a crummy summer league, then he got hurt before he played an NBA game. But I’m 99% certain Oden’s going to be great.

First, concerning that knee injury: if I bought the story that “it happened in the course of routine movement,” as fisheyes put it, then I WOULD be alarmed. Indeed, that would “seem to support the notion that Oden’s body is unusually fragile and injury prone.” But I don’t buy that story for a minute. 19-year-old athletes in peak condition with “pristine knees” (as revealed by MRI) who have played basketball all their lives without incident don’t tear articular cartilage 1) getting up from a couch; 2) playing Dance Dance Revolution, or whatever. I’m convinced that Oden hurt himself doing something dumb which he never fessed up to the Blazers or anyone else about. No biggie: what 19-year-old hasn’t done something dumb? My stepson got 2nd degree burns trying to jump over a bonfire on a bet (after consuming a 6-pack). Presumably, Greg learned his lesson and won’t repeat the risky behavior.

As for the rawness of GO’s game, the other night I reviewed the Blazers/Mavs summer league game on my DVR. Despite his obvious fatigue, Greg displayed amazing speed and timing at the defensive end. He did rack up a bunch of fouls (as he had in his debut), but this time around several of the calls were questionable. It seemed clear that GO would mainly need to adjust to the quirks of NBA officiating. Greg’s a bright guy, and after spending a year watching his team from the sidelines, I think he’ll make that adjustment more quickly than most 20-year-old rookies.

Speaking of Oden’s age: you should keep in mind that as undeveloped as his offensive game is, it’s probably no more so than Patrick Ewing’s, Hakeem’s, or many other bigs were at the same age. What’s important is that Oden has the physical tools-exceptional speed, coordination, hands, etc.-to allow him to develop offensively. He also is nearly ambidextrous, which bodes very well for his ability to score in the paint.

Will Oden be a “project”? No doubt. Again, he’s just 20 years old, and 7-footers generally take longer to develop than other players. But I’d label Greg Oden a “can’t-miss project.” Barring serious injury, he should be dominant at the defensive end within a year, and at the offensive end by Year 3 or 4.

tells me he will get over this and be great

and it’s possible he could grow another inch or two. Good grief.

I wrote a diary or fanpost a while back about the playoffs and how exciting it must be for Philadelphia, and most replies were, “Cuss word the playoffs, we’re going to be in the playoffs for the next ten years!” The last time I saw that much arrogance, it was from Patriot fans.

I think too much BErrogance can cancel out good karma.

Part of the problem is the “Hall of Fame” and championship talk. Believe me, it is what every fan wants for their team but you have to place your expectations and excitement on the potential of this team and not the end result…at least for now. Be excited about the possibilities because the sky is the limit but stay grounded and realize that he and the Blazers may not reach that potential for a variety of reasons. Basketball still does exist within the arena of life and last time I checked, the future is anything but guaranteed.

You may also be suffering from an emotional let down from the season ending. If you spent as much time as I did watching games and dreaming about the future, it may take some time to adjust to not being able to watch games while dreaming. Oden still has the same potential he had a couple of weeks ago but we still have to wait and see what the future holds.