Would a healthy Nic Batum equal a healthy Greg Oden?

by haildablazer on Dec 21, 2009 8:35 PM PST

Hey dwellers on the Bedge!

A question has been percolating in the French Press that is my mind (slow, but I miss a lot) for a while; would a healthy Nic Batum mean that Greg Oden wouldn't have gotten injured? Obviously there are those that believe him to be the gigantic version of Mr. Glass, the Samuel L. Jackson character on "Unbreakable," but despite the obvious similarities in appearance:

Why do they even bother with this "THE JUMP" thing?

Anyway, it's a simple question, if Nicolas hadn't been injured, would that have taken the pressure off of Greg to do too much?

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Greg would still be hurt.

It was technically a Blake blow-by that had Oden trying to pick up the driving player.

I don’t blame Blake, but it was a zippy point guard that directly brought about the circumstances, and Batum doesn’t help that.

by Free Bayless on Dec 21, 2009 8:50 PM PST reply actions

The jump

It helps on iPhone. You view all the recent posts, with the jump acting as preview.

by jiminut on Dec 21, 2009 8:51 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Yes

And I wish more people would use it. Especially for long posts.

Still on the Rex bandwagon.

by dan_the_man on Dec 21, 2009 9:32 PM PST up reply actions

Ah, good to know

Thanks.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on Dec 22, 2009 9:59 AM PST up reply actions

I can see that, It might not have mattered, but it might have.

Nic sometimes was put on fast points, and just the fact that Oden would have ended up having to make less difficult moves on defense might have lessened the stress on his body. It all depends on if he has some sort of thing wrong with him, like bad bone chemical structure, or if it was just random. Who knows, but I sure as hell miss Nic and he is one of the most exciting guys on the team. I can’t wait until he is back.

by twggyy on Dec 21, 2009 9:17 PM PST reply actions

How does Greg Oden look like Samuel Jackson, exactly?

Marginal. Really marginal.

by Marvin100 on Dec 21, 2009 10:15 PM PST reply actions

He's black!!!!!!!

I have no idea, I don’t see it. To me, Oden looks like Grandpa Lebron (or some call him, Lebron) from those old Nike commercials.

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Dec 21, 2009 11:10 PM PST up reply actions

That's kinda what I feared. Ugh.

by Marvin100 on Dec 21, 2009 11:42 PM PST up reply actions

It's the beard, laddie.

It’s the beard.

And te old thing.

Oh my gosh, they’re both black? I hadn’t noticed…

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on Dec 22, 2009 9:58 AM PST up reply actions

i dunno

they both have a minor gap between their front teeth, their noses are pretty wide at the nostrils, they rock the beard with a light ’stache and a little soul patch,

by pdxlifer on Dec 22, 2009 2:28 PM PST up reply actions

Jackson has a beard in that photo, but he's not really known for wearing one.

And they look nothing alike.

It’s like how kids here in Seoul tell me I look like Tom Cruise or John F. Kennedy (or Iggy Pop, or Mick Jagger, or Justin Timberlake—it really doesn’t matter)—it’s the “they all look the same” casual racism of people inadequately exposed to other ethnicities. And I find it in poor, poor taste.

That may be just me, but I’m going to call it like I see it.

by Marvin100 on Dec 26, 2009 10:44 PM PST up reply actions

It's an "Unbreakable" reference

Sam Jackson played the guy in Unbreakable who’s bones were brittle and broke at the slightest touch…

myspace.com/marktwainindians

by mark twain on Dec 22, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions

Freak accidents are freakish.

"Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train."
-- Charles Barkley

by halo_on on Dec 21, 2009 10:59 PM PST reply actions

Greg got hurt because of Nate

I always thought he should get 1 foul per quarter in the first half. Oden wouldn’t have even been in the game if I was coach.

"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST

by tominhawaii on Dec 22, 2009 3:23 AM PST reply actions

You're consistent...

Your tongue-in-cheek comments always make me laugh.

by dbomb on Dec 22, 2009 12:07 PM PST up reply actions

Thanks Friend

I’m just filling my role, one fanpost at a time, day by day.

"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST

by tominhawaii on Dec 23, 2009 5:02 AM PST up reply actions

It may be compareable is we had Joel

You have my axe!

by you have my axe on Dec 22, 2009 6:49 PM PST reply actions

He got injured jumping straight up in the air. It could have happened while practicing his jumpshot.

He’s got bum knees. Two of them. He’s not the first 7’ guy to have that issue, but there was no way to predict it for sure. A few big guys have had long careers, and it has paid off for their teams, so when you have a chance to draft one, you take it. But, it’s a gamble.

Batum could help the team defensively, but you can’t predict injuries. Greg was injured last year too, while Batum was playing with the team. The French overvalue their players just like fans of teams do. Even though Batum is mostly a defensive roll-player on our squad, they think of him as more of a key guy. Don’t get me wrong I think Nic is great and has a ton of potential, but more critical injuries like those to Outlaw and Rudy have hurt the team more. Also the chemistry destroying addition of Miller has taken a lot to absorb, and is even more painful in light of the fact that we needed a big, not a point guard, as now made painfully obvious by loosing both Oden and Joel, and having no legit back up for LMA. How long do we think 36 year old Howard will survive playing heavy minutes? Trade Miller for a big now, and hope we start getting guys back sooner than later.

by wingzeta on Dec 22, 2009 8:26 PM PST reply actions