Greg Oden Didn't Watch Jerryd Bayless
This evening on 95.5 FM The Game, Greg Oden told Mike Barrett and Mike Rice that he did not watch any of the Blazers' summer league games. He also admitted that he has not seen any of Jerryd Bayless's MVP play.
First, it goes without saying that I appreciate Greg's honesty. He easily could have BS'd or PC'd the question.
Second, I realize that GO is a BUSY guy. Summer classes at Ohio State; appearing on the ESPYs; rehabbing the knee; lifting weights; the list goes on. He is a special kind of supernova that Portland hasn't seen since Clyde.
But, if I'm being completely honest, it bugs me that Greg didn't watch any of the summer league games. It doesn't anger me, but it bugs me.
I'm not suggesting that he should have flown to Vegas to cheer the guys on (playing in a game to get to know his teammates like Kevin Durant, the man he will always be linked with, was obviously off the table). And I'm not suggesting he should have stayed up late breaking down the tape in excrutiating detail (it is, after all, only summer league).
But it still bugs me. Bayless could be and should be seeing major minutes this year. He could be and should be running beautiful pick and rolls with the big guy. He has a unique, almost singular style of play at which nearly every analyst and fan marvelled. JB was THE STORY this summer league from start to finish, achieving an on-court success greater than even GO himself did the previous summer. This was something worth watching; this was newsworthy; this was on NBATV and could have been DVRed quite easily.
Most importantly, this was his teammate!
So what gives?
Like I said, this situation bugs me a little bit. But the important question is: does it bug you? Register your vote and explain your thinking.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
0 recs |
139 comments
Comments
He also sounded a little tired from what I heard
But still, it was nice that he took the time to talk about a few things.
Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...
by Norsktroll on Jul 24, 2008 6:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He sounded stoned.
That was a terrible interview.
Oden+Roy+Aldridge+Rudy=Dynasty. Believe
by OdenRoyLMA on Jul 24, 2008 6:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
lets face it
the dude is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
by Love on Jul 24, 2008 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why do you say that
and why do you call yourself “Love”?
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by CatMan2 on Jul 24, 2008 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Is that better? Or does it still offend the homer in you?
My screenname is taken from the name of a semi-famous psychedelic rock band. They have sort of a cult following. Their magnum opus is Forever Changes, released in 1967. Give it a listen if you are so inclined. Arthur Lee was a genius.
by Love on Jul 25, 2008 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm just wondering
how much you’ve actually heard Oden speak. And I wonder how it is that you arrive at the conclusion that he has less on the ball, so to speak, than your average pro-athelete, who should be roughly as intelligent as, say, the average poster on this blog. As others have pointed out here, Oden has thusfar been a witty and refreshingly candid interview subject. Some people might think your posts have a certain trollish quality to them …
And, yes, I know the band. I thought you might be into the divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful type of emotion by that name.
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
ZIIIIIIING.
"Besides, AnntheFan will be here any minute to #25 you." T Darkstar
by annthefan on Jul 25, 2008 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I heartily agree about Arthur Lee and Love, but not about G.O.
Cut the guy a little slack-he’s twenty and things like this probably bore him to tears. I would have come across as even more disinterested when I was that age. Plus, maybe Greg realizes that Summer League might not be the ideal place to gauge a teammate’s game. He’ll have plenty of time to get used to and appreciate Bayless’s game very soon, and I’m sure he’s well aware that when Jerryd breaks down the D, he’ll be one of the main beneficiaries.
As for Love and the glorious Forever Changes: it may well be my favorite out of a dozen or so 1967 albums I prefer to Sgt. Pepper’s (call me an apostate, but I don’t think Pepper is anything like the greatest album ever made. “When I’m 64” and “Within You Without You” alone disqualify it in my opinion). “A House is Not a Motel,” “The Red Telephone,” “Maybe the People…” “You Set the Scene,” everything on that record is astonishing.
by Modal Rounder on Jul 26, 2008 3:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm, Oden is a smart kid
Oden is very funny, which denotes intelligence and quick thinking, which makes me think Oden is quite intelligent and carries himself thusly.
ESPECIALLY for a 19/20 year old kid. Most of those peoples are really dumb.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 25, 2008 1:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Everything I've seen...
... points to an above average intelligence in Oden. To this point I’ve loved the fact he’s a Blazer in large part because of how he comports himself and the fact that he strikes me as a personable, intelligent and down to earth sort of guy. In other words, perfect for living in Portland.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 6:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why would he care about taking summer school classes towards his degree then?
Okay, the courses I heard about didn’t sound like rocket science (rather like cooking/nutrition/biology). But the sheer effort while working out in parallel every day shows that he is interested in learning more. A large chunk of NBA athletes don’t even bother keeping in game shape during the off-season. How many work on their education in parallel to their career? I know Shaq did, but not many more examples.
I just noted that he didn’t sound energetic in that particular interview.
Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...
by Norsktroll on Jul 25, 2008 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Doesn't bother me much
I mean the guy is pretty busy, I’m sure he has other things he needs to get done other than watch 2 hours of turnovers and foul calls. Sure it would have been nice of him to take some time and check out his new team mates but I wouldn’t take it as him not caring or anything like that.
They’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other in training camp and pre-season.
by Bskey on Jul 24, 2008 6:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Not too much.
He’s not a fan. And summer league has very little to do with the regular season.
Not sure what Oden or Bayless would’ve gotten out of Oden watching summer league games.
In fact, I don’t even remember LaMarcus showing up to the final summer league game when he was scheduled to practice with the Olympic team the following day. Come to think of it, no regular Blazer made it out to watch in summer league games. Did they watch on TV? Not sure. But even if none of them did…I wouldn’t be too concerned. It doesn’t mean he’s not interested in the team.
by JasonT on Jul 24, 2008 6:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
More importantly
He said he had not talked to anybody on the team since the end of the season. That interview really makes me feel bad.
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 24, 2008 7:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
that was strange as well
but it didn’t bother me as much… although it was weird… i guess i wasn’t bothered because everyone is spread out this summer and it’s hard to find time to connect.
plus i hate talking on the phone to other men so i don’t really hold that against him.
but the game was on at the same time everywhere and was readily accessible and recordable.
"You'd rather say 'whoa' than 'giddyup.'" ~ Dean Demopoulos
by Ben. on Jul 24, 2008 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
SoTHAT's why you haven't been calling me!
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by CatMan2 on Jul 24, 2008 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I thought it was a little strange that he hadn't been in touch with any of the guys
Does that mean he hasn’t established any close friendships on the team? I dunno.
As for watching the summer league games—if I was in the NBA, i would never watch any NBA games, and I would never read about the league or my team or myself in the paper or online. We tend to think that what we see is reality, but the players must experience their own much richer reality.
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by CatMan2 on Jul 24, 2008 7:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who needs teammates
when you’re friends with Justin Timberlake?
In all seriousness, I think this would be an interesting question to pose to all the players. Assuming they (like GO) don’t song-and-dance the answer, I think it might say something about how Pros view summer league, or their new teammates, or something like that.
Just go down the line: Brandon, did you watch any of the SL games?
Steve, did you watch any of the SL games?
And so on…
by Montavilla Steve on Jul 24, 2008 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
bothers me a bit but not too much
Boomshakalaka
by jksnake99 on Jul 24, 2008 7:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I've never thought he had the burning, unbalanced desire
for basketball like Bird, Jordan, Kobe and others had/have. That was one of my worries about drafting him over Durant. But still, this was just no-count summer league play.
What bugged me more than this, was that he didn’t seem to follow the team around last year all that much on road trips like it was stated he was going to do. He did that super long one I believe, but missed others. But he was rehabbing, which I’m sure was much better facilitated right there in Portland (and he was very diligent about that rehabbing). You know one of the things that bothered me the most, was his lack of enthusiasm when sitting on the bench watching while his OSU teammates played in the NCAA tournament.
Everyone likes Greg because of how laid back he is. It’s hard to have both Kobe’s driven passion and Greg’s easy going, fun personality. Fortunately, he’s supremely talented and given good health he should still contribute a ton to the team, with or without that inextinguishable fire. Just a guess, but I think the NBA season will be very long for him.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 24, 2008 7:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
yep
Greg is a down to earth and well-balanced dude. He doesn’t have the Kobe Bryant insatiable hunger to be the greatest, nor is basketball the only thing that he loves.
Fortunately, Brandon and Jerryd (and maybe a few other Blazers) do have the desire to be great. I think those two, particularly Brandon of course, will make Greg comfortable and push him to continually improve his game.
Boomshakalaka
by jksnake99 on Jul 24, 2008 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
In his defense
I think that mgt. determined when he travelled and when he didn’t. At least that was the impression I got from Mike Barrett.
"We, as Blazer fans, are perhaps the luckiest fans in the league."-Idog1976, July 19.
by jorga on Jul 24, 2008 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I felt Greg was involved with the team.
In comparison to guys like Nick Van Exel or even D-Miles (I saw him watching a Blazer home game at BW3)
M, period. Fresh, comma.
by manzell on Jul 24, 2008 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't care.
Summer league is kind of a pain to watch. I’m sure not even Jerryd’s parents watched his games at SL.
Dead Finks Don't Talk
But dead finks don't talk too well
They've got a shaky sense of diction
It's not so much a living hell
It's just a dying fiction
WORD UP. STAY. FRESCO.
by Dheepan on Jul 24, 2008 7:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
except that his mom presented the MVP trophy to him.
Boomshakalaka
by jksnake99 on Jul 24, 2008 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah presented
But he wasn’t playing that game.
Dead Finks Don't Talk
But dead finks don't talk too well
They've got a shaky sense of diction
It's not so much a living hell
It's just a dying fiction
WORD UP. STAY. FRESCO.
by Dheepan on Jul 24, 2008 7:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Doesn’t bother me one iota. Considering his schedule, that would have been a complete waste of his time. The only basketball I want him to watch on TV right now would be Pete Newell big man instructional videos (if they even exist).
MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)
by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 24, 2008 7:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
All things considered
There is a small part of me that feels a bit bugged, but you got to look at the whole body of work. Perhaps this is a gross way of oversimplying what Ben wrote, but it seems like the perception people are having with this is that….... Greg Oden didn’t watch summer league and hasn’t been in contact with his teammates, therefore Greg Oden must not care.
Greg Oden cares a lot. He may not eat, sleep, or die every tiny aspect of Blazermania yet, but he cares. Apologizing for an injury shows he cares. The kind of rehab he has been doing really shows he cares. Do I need to mention Rasheed and Darius in the same sentence when comparing them to Oden’s work ethic?
Greg said he hadn’t talked to his teammates. That is kind of sad. I’d like to see him be more proactive in staying in touch with them. On the otherhand, it is fair to point out that perhaps some of his other teammates with phones should give him a ring as well. It is a two way street.
He is a 20 year old kid who looks 40 who we seem to think should act like he’s 30. He’ll show his true colors in the not too distant future.
Can I buy you a fish sandwich?
by silkybrown on Jul 24, 2008 7:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Teammate
is an interesting word here. Greg was basically the gimpy guy who hung around practice and sat behind the bench. He wasn’t on the court, didn’t have to justify his roster spot, and didn’t wear a jersey. When Greg punks a guy on the low block and gets a high five from Roy, they’ll be teammates in more than a semantic sense.
by Engineering Problem on Jul 24, 2008 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah i agree with that sentiment
for all that he is, he has not played an NBA game and has never experienced or seen first hand what a post defender is trying to do to him, so he has no basis to talk to LMA or Frye on what they are seeing.
He is not yet an NBA player plain and simple.
by SpyderRyder on Jul 24, 2008 7:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how very bold
"As long as Yao is in the league, Greg Oden will probably never start in an all-star game, because he doesn’t have 1 Billion people voting for him."
silkybrown
"Just so we're totally clear(, y)ou’re saying you want me to kill Yao, right?"
nightbluefruit
by ptwnblzr on Jul 24, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
not to say foolhardy
This “project” is going to terrorize opposing bigs.
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by CatMan2 on Jul 24, 2008 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
agreed
"As long as Yao is in the league, Greg Oden will probably never start in an all-star game, because he doesn’t have 1 Billion people voting for him."
silkybrown
"Just so we're totally clear(, y)ou’re saying you want me to kill Yao, right?"
nightbluefruit
by ptwnblzr on Jul 24, 2008 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You are projecting
that he will terrorize opposing bigs.
I project that he will terrorize opposing smalls, too.
And opposing coaches, who will have nightmares about him.
Other people don't have as much practice at being wrong as I do -- HT, timbo
by jscot on Jul 25, 2008 1:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, they will be projectile-vomiting
at the thought of playing against him.
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 8:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Amazing how people project their fantasies
Oden hasn’t played an NBA minute. His offensive game is raw. His learning curve will be steep and he has a lot to learn. A project with tremendous potential, but a project nonetheless.
by Love on Jul 25, 2008 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
time will tell
I think about twenty games is all greg will need.
Of course, if you consider the project to bring him up to 30/15/4 which is his potential… then yeah, it might take 2-3 years. That would definitely be a short term project.
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you hit the nail on the head.
hopefully you used a hammer.
The underlying issue is “does greg oden care?”
How do we know he cares? He can tell us and show us. He traveled with the team and that showed a level of interest. he snuck away for some b-ball games, and that shows a desire to play. He doesn’t keep in contact with his team mates… and that is worrisome but…
I knew some good friends who went off to europe and spent a lot of close in person time together. When they came back, they wanted SERIOUS time apart (apparently the barking spiders annoyed one of them). Summer is that break for the players are around each other constantly.
So does it bother me? Yeah. As a fan I have a hard time understanding why he wouldn’t be AT THE GAME!!! I mean… I was. However, my real concern is “does he care?” and in that respect… I really think he does.
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey Ben
You must have taken the sensitive pill or else its just that time of the month for you. Seriously, summer league? He doesn’t have time for that , and when he’s done lifting, marketing, promoting, pumping, practicing, training and rehabbing, I have no doubt the last thing he thinks about is his teammates or their summer league play. He probably meets up w/ old buddies, hangs w/ his girlfriend or watchs movies while wrestling w/ charles barkley mclovin. Although i voted that it bugs me, i changed my mind after I started to think. RELAX buddy, you are a G that doesn’t mean you have to loke up on everyone anytime something is not exactly right!
Sophia
Leaders build cultures that create self-esteem, generate and sustain trust, elevate the dignity of work , create community and foster open communication, and finally encourage growth and learning.
-Warren Bennis USC Professor
by BlazerFan1 on Jul 24, 2008 7:19 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Oooh!
Burn!
She burned you big time, dude.
by DonkeyShins on Jul 24, 2008 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow grrrl
he wont do it again, serious, leave im alone. Ben, stop posing questions, your making people think, and that pisses them off. lol
You must have taken the sensitive pill or else its just that time of the month for you.
"As long as Yao is in the league, Greg Oden will probably never start in an all-star game, because he doesn’t have 1 Billion people voting for him."
silkybrown
"Just so we're totally clear(, y)ou’re saying you want me to kill Yao, right?"
nightbluefruit
by ptwnblzr on Jul 24, 2008 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Remind me not to get on your bad side.
Agree with you though.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 6:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
HA!
you broked my bayless face. I’ve been working on it for a few days now… darn it.
You bring up excellent points. Greg has other interests, school, training, family, and so on. Summer leagues is… well… summer league.
It bugs most of us if we think it reflects that he doesn’t care, but you bring up good points. Plus… who the heck wants to live their job ALL the time! It’s freaking SUMMER LEAGUE!!!
Eventually when we become good, we’ll realize that draft day and summer league are not that big of a deal. Because we suck, we tend to focus a lot of hope and attention there. I’d like that to end NEXT YEAR!!! Might make for dull offseasons though.
“Gosh, we’re really good this year! I mean we won 72 games and a championship!”
“Yeah! I bet we could get better if we fired Nate and got Jackson though”
“No way, this no name rookie we’re drafting will put us over the edge and we’ll win 82 games and three championships in the same year!!!”
“What if we traded our 14th best player for that other teams 8th player? Think that could get us to 75 wins?”
“Man, we really need to sub in our 7th best player more! He could have gotten us two more wins…”
What a boring summer it’ll be.
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Understandable
I voted yes, but just barely. Here’s an example. My group at work has a new hire coming on next week. In prep, I’m following the guy’s blog. Would I follow his blog if he was starting in two months? Probably not.
In an effort to keep Oden from hitting the rookie wall, Nate and KP probably told him to keep away from basketball and just “be Greg” for a few months. Besides, I’m sure Greg feels like he’s already watched too many Blazer games this year.
by Engineering Problem on Jul 24, 2008 7:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
yah
I get along with a few of the guys at work, but dont call them on my weekends. granted, im not on the national spotlight, and we share a rather comon expirence, but….
"As long as Yao is in the league, Greg Oden will probably never start in an all-star game, because he doesn’t have 1 Billion people voting for him."
silkybrown
"Just so we're totally clear(, y)ou’re saying you want me to kill Yao, right?"
nightbluefruit
by ptwnblzr on Jul 24, 2008 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm more surprised
that he wasn’t even the little bit curious about Bayless. The national media couldn’t shut up about his play in SL so you’d have to be under a pretty big rock not to know what’s going on. Since he’s your teammate, don’t you think you’d tune in for at least a quarter or two?
by torsoheap on Jul 24, 2008 7:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Wow. Blazer fan has officialy gone off the deep end.
In an era when the Blazers are loaded with great talent and character fan seem to be obsessed with over-analyzing the personalities of our players. These are good people, from all appearances. Good players too, probably. Relax, people; not everyone is going to be Brandon Roy. Oden and Bayless have worked hard and stayed out of trouble so far. Really, that’s all we can ask at this point isn’t it?
by Larue_Martin on Jul 24, 2008 7:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
"Blazer fan has officialy gone off the deep end."
Yeh she has….but that is why we like her….plus she has a streak of “tough broad” in her.
BTW She “hearts” Boom-Boom Batum
Homer: "Oh no!! A Bear is eating my father!." (On seeing Selma kissing Grampa)
by 92wastheyear on Jul 24, 2008 8:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
fellas I was off the deep end b4 I even got here...
:)
BTW
Leaders build cultures that create self-esteem, generate and sustain trust, elevate the dignity of work , create community and foster open communication, and finally encourage growth and learning.
-Warren Bennis USC Professor
by BlazerFan1 on Jul 24, 2008 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's summer
We’re BORED!!! NEED BLAZER NEWS!!!
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It wasn't Oden's absence that bothered me
it was the total absence of ANY Blazer player. I didn’t expect any to come and watch every game, but I thought someone should have made an appearance. Chris Paul was there and I don’t know who all else. Same way with the Rookie-Soph game or All-Star Game. I saw Blaze, but no players. You’da thought that somebody might have wanted a quick trip to Las Vegas…
"We, as Blazer fans, are perhaps the luckiest fans in the league."-Idog1976, July 19.
by jorga on Jul 24, 2008 8:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Is that a picture of you holding your cat?
:)
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 24, 2008 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Sppppffflllt
"We, as Blazer fans, are perhaps the luckiest fans in the league."-Idog1976, July 19.
by jorga on Jul 24, 2008 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The only reason Chris Paul or any established NBA player was there was b/c
they were in camp for the Olympics.
That being said, I’m not sure how true it is that Greg has had no contact with any of his teammates. Maybe he said it flippantly and it came out like he never spoke with his teammates over the summer, when in reality he has spoken with them a few times or left messages back and forth. At the very least you would think he would speak with McMillian and KP on a semi-regular basis.
Regardless, I could care less if he’s best buddies with his teammates during the off season…as long as they work well together on the court during the season.
by JasonT on Jul 24, 2008 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
yah
but some of these guys have families, and there all coming in even earlier this year. they’ll get a chance to bond ok.
"As long as Yao is in the league, Greg Oden will probably never start in an all-star game, because he doesn’t have 1 Billion people voting for him."
silkybrown
"Just so we're totally clear(, y)ou’re saying you want me to kill Yao, right?"
nightbluefruit
by ptwnblzr on Jul 24, 2008 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Our teams learnsed something last year
That the NBA is a long season. I don’t think we’ll see the teamplaying so hard in august this year; let alone July. This year they know they need to take some time off to rest. Everyone needs a vacation at some point in time.
by NWfan on Jul 25, 2008 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He sounded absolutely exhausted.
It sure wasn’t his best interview, so I’m not going to take it TOO seriously. But I gotta say I was surprised that he wasn’t curious about “the new guy” and I sure wish he’d mentioned that he’d talked to Brandon or LaMarcus or SOMEBODY.
by Corvid on Jul 24, 2008 9:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I watched summer league games...
and wished I hadn’t. Those games were, for the most part, weren’t worth the two hours invested.
I’m glad that GO didn’t watch any of the games, I wouldn’t want him picking up any bad habits that were so much part of those games. When basketball is your life, I’m pretty sure you don’t want bad basketball to be part of it too.
The summer league is for GMs and coaches to evaluate, the rookies to get started in becoming a pro and for invitees to try and get into the show.
As some posts have stated, he is probably very busy, so I have no problems with him not watching.
Also, at the beginning of the interview, he said he had a cold which is probably why he sounded so bad.
by Guyfamous on Jul 24, 2008 9:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He always has a cold .... even after his tonsilectomy.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 25, 2008 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gah, more health concerns ;-)
Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...
by Norsktroll on Jul 25, 2008 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wait - nobody is even asking what the other Blazers watched!
Why is this on Greg? Actually who cares. Greg did not play last year but by all accounts he still worked his butt off rehabbing. The guys all need a break. They don’t need to watch all 63 versions of Bayless drives in summer league. They will not need to address his strengths until coaches tell them how they are to play when he is in (more likely coaches will have to tell Bayless how to play with them when he is in).
It was a fun summer league. Now on to the big leagues. Not much correlation between them. Even the coaches were saying the summer league players were there to learn how to prepare for NBA games and the terminology used by the coaching staff. MVP was fan gravy. The meat is doing his thing.
Aldridge said. "We feel like we can beat any team. We feel like we can beat the Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, whoever any night right now, and we'll still be here when those teams get old and their guys retire. We're going to be here for a long time."
by lee3022 on Jul 24, 2008 9:41 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
+1
nothing to get emotional about
Leaders build cultures that create self-esteem, generate and sustain trust, elevate the dignity of work , create community and foster open communication, and finally encourage growth and learning.
-Warren Bennis USC Professor
by BlazerFan1 on Jul 24, 2008 9:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sweeeeet Emooooootions
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is why
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop decided he would rather have Durant than Oden: Durant lives and breathes basketball and thinks nonstop about dominating on the court; Greg Oden is a more-or-less regular kid who happens to be 7 feet tall and can play some hoop. I’m not even inferring this, Abbott actually mentioned this in his blog last summer during the GO/Kevin Durant Apocalypse debate.
So, to me, this is the price of having Oden: He’s got stuff in his world outside of Basketball, and he’s already thinking about his life after basketball, at all of 19 years old. He approaches the NBA like most of us look at our job: things we do for a living between doing things we’d rather be doing.
M, period. Fresh, comma.
by manzell on Jul 24, 2008 10:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
yep, I remember that
This was part of Ben’s argument back in his “Draft Kevin Durant” days as well, wasn’t it? To me, it was the best argument in favor or drafting KD. I was still firmly in the Oden camp, though, and still am.
Boomshakalaka
by jksnake99 on Jul 24, 2008 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was also a major part of why I was a KD over GO guy
albeit by a very slim margin.
by howlingfantods on Jul 24, 2008 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Me too. That and his health.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 25, 2008 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know, I argued for GO
That’s why I got labeled a G_ _ _ . It’s simple team mechanics.
You don’t draft a high volumne hucker who will cause problems
with shots. We already had BRoy & Smooth, we needed Defense,
rebounding and inside power, period. GO will remedy those
issues as long as he stays healthy. Cross -up.
Thanks to Canzano for giving COINCAST a hard time !
COINCAST SUCKS !!!!
It's GO time !
by walkoff41 on Jul 25, 2008 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I liked Durant better then...
But my friend who does advanced metrics for NBA teams showed me some numbers on Durant’s defense: Horrific. Combining his high-volume shooting with poor defense, and he’s a net negative on the court. He’s not strong enough to consistently march to the line the way other high-volume guys do to make up for their misses.
He was in a weird situation – what other team has really give a 19 year carte blanche to shoot as much as they like?
M, period. Fresh, comma.
by manzell on Jul 25, 2008 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He was in a weird situation – what other team has really give a 19 year carte blanche to shoot as much as they like?
A team looking to bail to OKC.
by torsoheap on Jul 26, 2008 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
AGreed
It was the argument I used as well although I was playing devils advocate. I was definitely in the Oden camp. Ultimately it came down to:
Durant has to meet/exceed expectations to be a superstar in the league and be worth the draft for this team. Greg Oden only needs to be 75% of what’s expected (not shaq, but a 15/15/3 Player) in order to take this team over the hump.
Durant high risk… and profit. Oden low risk… and profit.
He just hasta be HEALTHY!!!
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Henry was wrong
Oden doesn’t have to be obsessive to dominate.
Other people don't have as much practice at being wrong as I do -- HT, timbo
by jscot on Jul 25, 2008 1:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bingo.
Don’t you love all the Dr Phil clones. Analyzing where Oden has the requisite desire to play basketball, or why is it he’s not closely following the play of Bayless or keeping in touch with any of his teammates. Like he isn’t aware of the fact that in a few short weeks he’s going to be seeing all of them when he comes back to town for voluntary practices, which will run up to October when pre-season camp starts, which immediately leads into the regular season, followed, most likely, by more games in the playoffs. He’s going to be around these guys for the next 9 – 10 months. If you spent as much time with your co-workers as these guys do, you’d want to go someplace for a few weeks during the summer and not talk to anyone.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 6:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hasn't stopped shaq's career
Hasn’t shaq been masquerading as a cop during the offseason for several years now. (That is when he’s not getting canned from said job for poor displays of rap to knock old teammates.) It doesn’t seem that having off-season pursuits will prevent that big man from entering the hall of fame someday.
by NWfan on Jul 25, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's so great!
It’s so nice when we have a off season where the big debate about a Blazer player is only whether he should of watched a few summer league games. How can I worry about this? I can’t! Come on! Gregs a young guy, he spent far more time this past season only “watching” basketball. So he’s busy being Greg. No…sorry not an issue. He’s got a whole lot of time to get to know Bayless. Infact if he’s going to be playing with him it might be better that he doesn’t watch the summer league games. I think Bayless in the N.B.A. is going to be asked to play with more focus and a different role with different expectations. If he had said something like he didn’t even know who we drafted? Well then we might have a problem, but admiting to not sitting down to watch what really are exhibition training games? Greg’s a player, not a coach. Sorry I vote relax. Relax, remember summers past? This is NOT a problem.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
by Krang on Jul 24, 2008 11:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
yeah...
the jailblazers gave us SOOOO much more to talk about! BAH! BRING BACK THE JAILBLAZERS!!! I NEED MY SUMMER DRAMA!!!
Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624
by ratbastird on Jul 25, 2008 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This does bother me.
i havent been able to read through the replies so i apologize if i rewrite a point.
But Greg at the very least should have watched the Summer League Games. I think he shoulda been there in person to watch.
He is a busy guy, but he is still a rookie, and an aggresively hyped one at that, he needs to be familiar with Monty as a coach, coaching Bayless and Batum, and he should be hungry to see the rookies coming in.
Maybe I’m off base, but Greg needs to start watching his mouth a little in interviews. He is a praised individual in the sports world, but I’d like for him to start earning the right to make crazy statements.
Man I love tongue tacos - Mortimer
Only thing better is Trout on a stick roasted over an open fire - annthefan
I have a pic like that of my dog - tominhawaii
by Outlaw is Rejector on Jul 25, 2008 12:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd posit that it will be more important for Bayless ...
... to learn how to play with Oden, then it will be for Oden to learn how to play with Bayless.
And I believe you are off base. How does the degree of aggressiveness he may be hyped have anything to do with whether he should be following Summer League play or not? If you feel a player should be giving it his attention, then it should be based on the merits that accrue from such attention. Not on any degree of hype. It should be equally important for second year player in the league to watch, assuming it were important. And why should he be hungry to see the rookies? Particularly in Summer League play. He will get to see them soon enough. Besides, none of them are projected to be a starter. If I’m Oden, watching the play of recent draft picks in SL is pretty far down on my list of to do items for the summer.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 7:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He is a Rookie.
Dont forget that.
Man I love tongue tacos - Mortimer
Only thing better is Trout on a stick roasted over an open fire - annthefan
I have a pic like that of my dog - tominhawaii
by Outlaw is Rejector on Jul 25, 2008 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can't approach it like a fan is all
To me, Oden proved he cares about basketball with how he has approached his rehab. He didn’t take the Darius route with a bad injury. That means a lot, and it’s a helluva rehab.
Second of all, I’m sure 90% of NBA players don’t want crappy ass summer league. It’s for the players in summer league, front offices, and fans. It’s really crappy basketball, bad reffing, and really has no bearing on what Greg and Bayless will be doing in the fall.
Oden will have plenty of time to play with Bayless in training camp, and will get more from 1 day of that then a week of watching Bayless drive and score in summer league. This is silly.
THE REAL BLAME FOR THE INTERVIEW is on the Courtside crew for obviously not even doing a basic pre-interview to go over what they will ask Oden and make sure he KNOWS something about what they’ll ask him so he and they don’t look bad. Oden had just told another show he hadn’t watched summer league (who knows or cares about the reason, maybe he doesn’t have NBA TV in Ohio), his two best friends on the team were McRoberts and Taurean Green who are no longer Blazers, and most players don’t reach out to non-best friend teammates during the summer AND Oden is perhaps the busiest dude with the most media and rehab and school stuff to tend to.
We gotta not overevaluate every little dumb thing our players do. They live in enough of a fishbowl in Portland, we can’t overanalyse every stupid word and take it to mean something it doesn’t.
As long as he’s rehabbing, getting healthy, and adding to his game, it’s all we can ask. He is a nonchalant guy in interviews, and by all accounts a very hard worker. He’s PERFECT—a Shaq-level guy both in talent and charisma who will likely be the most popular player in the league because of his game and personality, AND seems like he wants to stay in Portland for the long haul.
Let’s not muck that up by overreacting to silly stuff. This is nothing.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 25, 2008 1:32 AM PDT reply actions 5 recs
Just as long as he's not missing summer league games
to hone his DDR skills. Other wise, i don’t care how Greg spends his free time
by NWfan on Jul 25, 2008 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mortimer said crappy ass
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 25, 2008 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
WHAT WHAT
My first green post! HUZZAH!
Finally, proof a kid from the streets like me can make it in this crazy world.
Oh, and I actually had a dumb typo in the post above… “Most players don’t want crappy ass summer league” should be “Most players don’t WATCH crappy ass summer league”. Want = WATCH.
Oopsie, I’m dumb.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 26, 2008 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nope
I flagged it…...HARD. That is a un-green. Better luck next time.
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 26, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Guess what?
Greg is going to get to see Bayless playing with legit NBA players and against legit NBA players for hours before there is even an exhibition game.
If LMA went and played in a scrimmage with the Texas team this summer, just for the fun of it, should Greg watch? Sure, Lamarcus will dominate. GREG OUGHT TO WATCH!
Fans are nuts.
Other people don't have as much practice at being wrong as I do -- HT, timbo
by jscot on Jul 25, 2008 1:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You know what worries me the most?
The kid has yet another cold. It seems he gets a cold a month. I want someone to tell him that he has to wash his hands many, many times a day. He’d get far fewer colds if he would just wash his hands. He probably shakes hands with people a hundred times a day. Yeah, I’m sort of anal (can I say that/) about hand washing but it really, really helps to minimize the spread of disease.
"Besides, AnntheFan will be here any minute to #25 you." T Darkstar
by annthefan on Jul 25, 2008 2:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I've noticed that too
I always just figured Greg Oden had AIDS and his immune system was real low so he got colds all the time.
Washing his hands, taking some Airborne, keeping up on his vitamin C will help him get over a bad case of the AIDS if that’s what he has. I hope the microfracture took care of the AIDS flare up in his knee last summer, which is the real reason he needed the surgery.
I dunno why he gets colds. I hope it’s just a diet thing and just not being clean like most young men. If he isn’t circumsized, that could be the root of the problem as well. Lord knows what gets stuck under that thing and gets ya sick. I volunteer my reknowned services to check to make sure the area is clean, but no one from the Blazers front office as responded to my numerous calls, emails, faxes, and telegrams.
Maybe he’s confusing a cold with allergies? This has to be something the Blazers have noticed since we are noticing it and should know what the problem is (AIDS).
Lucky for us and Oden, he can just take the modern medicine for the rest of his life and be just fine.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 25, 2008 3:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stinker!
"Besides, AnntheFan will be here any minute to #25 you." T Darkstar
by annthefan on Jul 25, 2008 3:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I knew I shouldn't have used that word.
"Besides, AnntheFan will be here any minute to #25 you." T Darkstar
by annthefan on Jul 25, 2008 5:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it's hilarious that everyone +1s threads
But nobody does -1.
by royroty on Jul 25, 2008 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
-1
--. --- | -... .-.. .- --.. . .-. ...
by tominhawaii on Jul 25, 2008 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You have a full plate
Is PA’s Battle cruiser, err Yacht in harbor ?
You want to drive and work on balzac ?
That kind of dedication will have people calling
you a Blazermaniac ! Or maybe just Maniac !
It's GO time !
by walkoff41 on Jul 25, 2008 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
AIDS are not funny Mortimer
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 25, 2008 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That should read "AIDS is not funny, Mortimer".
Just thought you’d want to know…
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 9:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dude, that's harsh!
It hurts my feeling. And I’ve only got the one.
[This space temporarily left blank.]
by CatMan2 on Jul 26, 2008 6:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You sound like my wife.
I get a one day head cold and don’t feel good and she’s harping on me, telling me I’m always getting sick.
Married life, ain’t it grand.
Ok, it is pretty grand, but as a guy I can’t admit to that.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 7:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hand washing +
Replace pop/coffee/sports drinks with water and get on the
JUICE.
Juice = Celery + Carrot + Apple (Natural cold protection)
It's GO time !
by walkoff41 on Jul 25, 2008 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tea, both black and green, and food from scratch (for the most part). Home grown food when possible.
Lots of vegetables and fruits. Whole grains. Olive oil, grape seed oil. Meat as a condiment except for sometimes. Also decent (at least) beer and the occasional bottle of good wine. Scrapings from the inner bark of a willow tree once a day. Wash your hands. That will keep you going for a long time.
"Besides, AnntheFan will be here any minute to #25 you." T Darkstar
by annthefan on Jul 27, 2008 2:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now...If he showed up with Melo's posse
That would bug me! 82 games, plus training camp, plus pre-season, plus playoffs…..Man that’s a grind, no matter how you look at it. Some guys just don’t eat sleep and drink the game 24-7 and G.O appears to be one of those guys.
2-4 the who
by 24thewho on Jul 25, 2008 7:14 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Ben,
chill a little. Perhaps you are too close to the Blazers, if something like this bothers you. For all the reasons mentioned above, this is easily one of the most non non-issues ever discussed here.
Imagine you are on summer break and somebody is criticizing you for not having been to the University bookstore to buy next semester’s text books and not having already read the first three chapters in each. You’d probably turn Sophia loose on them.
Furthermore, reading ahead in your textbooks has some value. Watching a summer league game has little, if any. Besides, as Mort points out, how do you know if the games were even available to him? It’s my understanding that Portland was one of the few cities where fans could watch the games. I wasn’t able to up here in Seattle.
by timg56 on Jul 25, 2008 7:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
A little something called the internet
I watched every summer league game online through NBA.com.
by torsoheap on Jul 26, 2008 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Then next summer
Offer to set up Oden’s laptop for him, make him an NBA.com account, tell him when the games are or that he can watch the replays, and presto hope he remembers his unimportant account name and password and can watch the games.
It just isn’t important to someone actually IN the league to take time out from what they are doing and watch summer league games. It isn’t realistic. That’s like expecting Oden to hate the Lakers or something—he’s from Indiana, and might hate the Lakers, but not from a Portlander’s perspective.
I am as big of a Blazer fan as there is, I daresay, and summer league was painful save for Bayless. When I had something else to do, I DVRd the games and watched later to watch Bayless. I did this as a fan. I can’t ever expect Brandon Roy or Greg Oden to do this. That would be insane.
I think a lot of people here didn’t know the game were free online, I doubt Oden did as well. It’s not really something he was even thinking about, I’m sure. Summer League is for the rookies, the front office, and the fans. The players who go to watch and not to play are either in Vegas for the Olympics or want an excuse to go to Vegas.
It’s a non-issue. We cannot expect our players to approach their job the same way we approach their job as fans.
When you watch or play the best basketball everyday and your job does not rely on scouting what Stephen Hill can do, then you don’t watch summer league.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 26, 2008 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was just
replying to the comment that Oden might not have been able to access the games, which is bunk. I’m sure he could have someone set it up for him if he wanted to. I don’t really blame him for not watching because the games were pretty ragged, but it seems like he wasn’t even that curious.
To give him the benefit of the doubt, he’ll get to see Bayless “live and uncut” in the immortal words of ODB, during training camp.
I am a little concerned that Oden doesn’t seem to possess much fire. Maybe that’s just his off-court persona since we haven’t seen him in a real NBA game yet. I’m hoping he can act a bit like Mourning out there and punk people trying to come into the lane.
by torsoheap on Jul 26, 2008 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He totally COULD have someone set them up
But I doubt that summer league in general mattered to him since he wasn’t playing, AND he probably didn’t even know he could watch them on his laptop like a fan would know.
If it was important, KP woulda’ called him and said “Hey Greg, this guy at OSU’s computer science department is gonna set your new laptop up to watch the summer league games. Check out that Bayless kid”. That didn’t happen.
I don’t think Oden was even thinking of summer league, let alone how to watch it, and I doubt the front office minds that at all, since it is summer league. Nothing happened there on the Blazers team that will be similar during the season.
Yeah, Oden could have access to the games since he has internet, but that’s assumin’ he has been following the goings on of summer league and knows that he could watch it online. Summer League is crappy enough on a nice TV, watching a low resolution feed on NBA.com’s crappy streaming video isn’t high on MY list of things to do, and I’m a HUGE loser!
By all reports, Oden is rehabbing as hard as anyone has ever in the history of the world. Someone who doesn’t have ‘fire’ doesn’t do that. I think he wants to be good, but is nonchalant in interviews. Someone doesn’t work that hard if they don’t really want to be good, if ya ask me.
It isn’t unrealistic to think Oden might not have known he had access to the games. Remember, he isn’t a nerd like us.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 27, 2008 4:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
As Mort guessed...
... I was unawre the games were available on the Internet. I only heard Portland was one of the cities where local cable was carrying them. Besides, availability on the Internet can be problematic. I watched several Blazer games on the computer last season, but was not always able to get them. The links and sites did not always work and I often had to log onto the game thread here to ask about sites to pick up the game. (Dheepan was a big help.)
I don’t know whether to be surprised or amused over the concern some folks have over Greg Oden’s supposed like of fire or passion. Clyde Drexler was not exactly the most demonstrative player ever to suit up for the Blazers. Tim Duncan is not usually referred to as a ball of fire. I don’t recall Bill Walton ever being considered the most serious or focused player int the game.
Just what is it that makes people think that Oden has no fire for basketball? The guy who yells the hardest or scowl’s the meanest is not necessarily the most driven. That some people think so is just another example of how too many place appearance over performance.
by timg56 on Jul 28, 2008 7:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow!
69 comments?! SIXTY-NINE? Lotaa people with lotta time on their hands talking about a non-issue… myself included. Gotta love ann’s comment and responses though.
by rburg on Jul 25, 2008 7:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
this site could do 69 comments on what color Brandon Roy's shoe laces should be.
Bayless4Ever
by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 27, 2008 1:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
RED
No, BLACK!
DAMMIT, I meant black!
Nooooooooo…!
Why the number 69? Brings to mind other stuff that detracts from your joke. 73 is a much funnier number.
Mortimer
by Mortimer on Jul 27, 2008 4:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Red and Green
You want a link? I'll give you a link. www.google.com
by tominhawaii on Jul 28, 2008 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've loved a lot of your stuff Ben, but this is not your best work...
What is one of the things we’ve loved about Oden? His honesty, and humor during interviews. During the first year as a Blazer he was one of the best interviews in sports (IMHO). The guys was such a crack up. He shot from the hip and came across intelligent, personable, and funny.
Over analyzing what he says will force him to push all of that inside himself and he’ll become the interview clone we all hate. When member’s of the media (such as Ben with this piece, and old man Conzano falling of his rocker because of a 10% difference in how Oden’s knee felt) go Freudien on Oden and start questioning everything he says Oden will eventually start saying things like “It was a good game. Both teams played hard.”
Is this really what we want? It’s off season, news is a little slow with SL done. Do we really need to go so in depth on a guy?
As an example I have a friend who lives in Tigard. I haven’t talked to him in probably a month, maybe two. Does that mean we’re not really good friends? Is our friendship at an end? Can John and Marsha ever get back together? No. I’ve known this guys since the second grade which is slightly more then twenty years ago. We consider each other brothers. He was one of my “five equally best men” at my wedding. I’ll very likely see him again soon. Our friendship does not depend on nightly phone calls.
To close I guess I’m saying that if we want Greg to feel free to just talk during an interview we must allow him to do so without scrutinizing every detail. Greg has proven in every way I can think of that he loves basketball, and that he is passionate about it. Also his want to complete his education shows a maturity that is rare. Lets all remember what we have here. The kid wanted to play so badly he even played at 24 hr fitness.
Everyone take a collective deep breath…. and relax.
/end rant
I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.
by JAB21 on Jul 25, 2008 8:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
*guy not guys (D'oh!)
I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.
by JAB21 on Jul 25, 2008 8:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
There's an apostrophe in "Doh"? D'oh!
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Heh
I didn’t bother to watch a single summer league game, either. I’m busy, but I bet nowhere near as busy as GO.
So, no. If this is the worst thing Oden will do this summer, then my gosh, we better trade him now.
Yes, I’m being facetious.
by damir on Jul 25, 2008 8:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
When your guys are on the road
during the regular season, and they all decide to go out to eat together, that’s good enough for me. They can’t all be in a fishing hole in Mississippi. Chemistry won’t be an issue. Let the man have his stinkin’ off-season and worry about game-time, they will be ready. They are all coming back early again from what Nate said, isn’t that enough?
I want to be tucked in by Greg Oden and have him tell us stories about the old days.
by MGNNoah on Jul 25, 2008 9:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't care if he missed the SL action,
but if he missed the Blazer Dancer auditions, I’ll be so disappointed with the big man.
GO will have plenty of time to get to know JB’s game during camp and in the preseason. I just hope that next summer he won’t have to rehab any injuries so he’ll be able to dis-attach from NBA concerns even further and just relax. When I’m on vacation, I don’t care one whit whether I missed some “all important” conference meeting where the newest employees were introduced. I’ll have plenty of time to get aquainted when I get back.
"...and that loud noise you hear coming is the Portland Trailblazers." - Charles Barkley
by RebelRogue on Jul 25, 2008 9:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't think Ben is insinuating that Oden has done
anything bad or that he is reading too much into this as some of you are suggesting. He’s just wondering if this otherwise innocuous act of omission could possibly be indicating Greg’s passion level for the game. That’s not an unreasonable thought. We’ll know more in 82 games.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 25, 2008 10:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
It bugs me
that Greg not watching SL games bugs any of you. How many of us live and breathe our jobs, hobbies, spouse, kids, etc. 24/7 to the exclusion of everything and everyone else in our life? Ben, I appreciate your blogger’s honesty about your fan feelings, but having that reaction would make me wonder if my perspective is skewed.
If Greg were to read these comments, I imagine he’d wonder if there’s just no way to please Blazer fans…
Asked his specialty in the kitchen, Oden paused and said, "Hamburger Helper and tuna fish."
by MiledAnimal on Jul 25, 2008 10:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Please stop distracting me
I have to get back to work.
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Greg Oden doesn't need to watch Summer league
Chuck Norris Doesn’t
Mike Barrett Says "Yes Sir!', Wheels Says "Boomshakalaka!'
by BlazermaniacAndy on Jul 25, 2008 10:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
That's because Chuck Norris was in SL this year, as our prized pick.
I want to be tucked in by Greg Oden and have him tell us stories about the old days.
by MGNNoah on Jul 25, 2008 7:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm more upset that Brandon didn't call Greg all summer
than GO not watching SL
by DucRider on Jul 25, 2008 1:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Eh
You have to kind of wonder if the kid is a little too caught up in the sideshow of being a well-known NBA player, but on the other hand he’s really young and he was forced to sit out a year with a busted knee. I’d probably be bored too.
Too early to say if this is a red flag, let’s see what happens once he’s actually played a season.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Jul 25, 2008 1:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sheesh....
Caldwell Jones used to come into fall training camp and ask everybody where teammates were that had been traded over the summer…. At least Oden knows who Bayless is!
by R11 on Jul 25, 2008 2:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I was going to post that R11
but I didn’t think anyone would remember. At least two of us do.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 25, 2008 6:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
At least two old dudes...
Ahh, the benefits of advancing age… lots of useless Blazer trivia stashed in the deep recesses. At least we can still remember it ;-)
by R11 on Jul 26, 2008 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see a problem
Keep in mind that Greg Oden, just because he is under contract to play for our beloved team, might not share our enthusiasm for it (or Barrett and Rice’s, for that matter)—indeed, he might never feel the way we do. That might sound odd; let me make myself clear: a Blazer player might never be a Blazer fan, and it’s pretty clear Greg isn’t a fan like we are. I know Greg has mentioned on his blog that he intends to “bring back the glory days,” but you hear similar sorts of promises whenever, say, one of the tanking American car manufacturers gets a new CEO or CFO who promises to get every American back behind the wheel of a Ford. They don’t say such things because they “love” their company. They’re paid to do a job they enjoy and are good at. Of course Greg wants to help the team win. Does that mean he’s infected with Blazermania? Well, I don’t think so. He’s paid to do something he loves, and he wants to succeed.
You may recall Bill Walton’s comments around the time the Celtics picked him up. Sure, we associate him with a lot of the good things Blazermania represents for us…particularly winning a championship, selfless gameplay, a countercultural, progressive attitude…but I don’t believe he won the championship for the city of Portland or its fans or anyone in particular. And once he got to Boston he said, “The Celtics were always MY team.” That may well be a lot of “oh, gee, thanks” baloney after he signed the Boston contract, but I’ll take him at his word—Bill Walton was a Celtic fan. Maybe he wishes he’d gotten Boston a championship instead of Portland. Yet he loved winning games, no matter where he was, and he was under contract. Thank goodness he played for us!
Remember Walton calling Blazer games against the Shaq Lakers? He was as far from being a Blazer homer as I can imagine. At my young age I resented him for it. Now I can understand. The NBA gives us this illusion that our team’s players are playing for “us”. Nonsense. They’re getting paid to entertain. And who are “we”, really? I met a guy in Chicago the other day who said he was a lifelong Blazer fan. He’d never set foot west of the Rockies. In my gut I felt he was wrong. But why? Walton fancied himself a Celtics fan, way out in San Diego. How ridiculous.
Anyway - back to Oden, in the light of these comments - if I were making buckets of cash, sitting out with an injury, going back to my home state to take some some cool summer classes and jet around the country for the ESPYs and a few interviews - and if I were twenty years old - of course I wouldn’t watch the Summer League. A bunch of sloppy basketball from rookies and a few dozen fourth-stringers? No thanks. You say some guy from Arizona’s scoring lots of points? All right, I’ll wait for the regular season before comment. Until then I’ll be out for a nice bike ride. Shoot, I’d be lining up for Batman and working out and doing some homework and catching up with my mom on Sunday afternoon.
Then again…if I were Oden, and if I were genuinely a fan of the team, of course I’d watch the Summer League. I wouldn’t miss a second of it. I’d trace the bitterness behind Snapper’s commentary. I’d downplay Bayless’s turnovers and zero assists. I’d pooh-pooh comments about Koponen being a “better Steve Blake”. Basically I’d do the same things we do every day at BE and all over the web. But that’s not Oden: he’s not a fan. In fact, I bet he gets a little sick of the NBA altogether - the media, the hype, the fans, maybe even the game itself. I’m guessing I’d get sick of it, too, if I were in the same position. People value him only for his basketball talent. People insult him, saying he looks old or sounds stupid - but when he dunks, we love him. What a crock. People were oddly surprised to see him singing and playing piano. Forget basketball. We haven’t begun to discover what a remarkable young man he is…and here we go again insulting him because he didn’t wait up for the Bayless Show? Ease up, people.
Now, for people getting upset that Oden and Roy and LMA don’t call each other up over the summer—we can’t just assume they’re best buddies. First and foremost they are co-workers. How often do you call up the people at work and say, “Hey, let’s go hang out over the weekend?” I mean, really. Sure, Oden and the others might become friends after a while, but who knows if they are right now? Just because they’re on the same team, we can’t assume they hang out after work.
I really felt nauseous listening to that interview. Poor Greg Oden. Replace “Blazers” with “Coca-Cola” and you’ll see what I mean. In fact sometimes I worry that’s all it is; we’re cheering for a brand name. “Oh, Greg, aren’t you excited to work for Coke? Our clients can’t wait to see you out there selling lots of Coke. When are you coming back to work? You know, a couple of our other sales associates, they’re doing great this summer on behalf of Coke! What do you think about that? Don’t you love Coke? Don’t you Greg? Don’t you?”
by rpeachey on Jul 25, 2008 3:15 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Very good, or should I say real peachy?
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by CatMan2 on Jul 25, 2008 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was embarrassed to admit to my friends that I watched the summer league.
Maybe GO really watched the games but was too ashamed to admit it.
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by tominhawaii on Jul 25, 2008 7:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Good points -- all of yours rpeach.
Greg could be either unwilling or incapable of possessing that single minded obsession with the game most of us would like to see. That being true, he will never be quite as good as he could be although he has so much talent he should still be a special player.
I remember telling him how impressed I was with a player during summer league. In Avery's unique voice, he replied, "Marc, it's summer league." I
by TwoDeep on Jul 25, 2008 7:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

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