FanPost

My letter to Bernard Fernandez (the phili.com guy) UPDATED WITH REPLIES

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

"Portland hoping Oden isn't another Sam Bowie"  

Really?  

That's the best you could come up with? You were really scraping the bottom of the recycling bin on that one, huh? I mean, this is a comparison that's been done to death, and I could go off and list every single article I've read about it, but quite frankly it doesn't matter. It looks like you went "cut-and-paste" from those other articles to create your super-frankenstein "Oden-is-a-bust" drivel.  

You want a rundown of the injuries?  

1) Right Wrist (Collegiate) Came back early and played, shot his free throws lefty (making 62% of them)

2) Tonsilitis, Aha! the Surest sign of a big bust!!! You can't really be a MAN if you don't have tonsils, right?

3) Microfracture on  right knee, the big injury. Yeah, we all know about this one.

4) Rolls right ankle after Derek Fisher steps under him while he's up in the air for a rebound being pulled down by Bynum. Good basketball play all around, just bad timing and bad luck. Still makes me hate the L*kers more, for reasons still unclear.

5) Bangs left knee against Corey "I can take 8 steps" Maggette, chips kneecap, missed 15 games but since he's been back appears not to have missed a beat.  

 

Yeah. OK, so well, Bernard, you got me. Clearly the Wrist and the knees are a related injuries. How could I have been so blind??? It's just like the old song "The leg bone's connected to the... knee bone! The knee bone's connected to the... wrist bone!"  

 

And, just to be throurough, here's a rundown of Sam Bowie's injuries:  

 

1) Shattered leg. Needed surguries and screws.

2) More on same leg

3) Even more on same leg

4) Just a couple more things on the same $%#& leg.  

 

I wasn't gonna do this... I really shouldn't...

 

...Oh, what the heck. Here are a few of those other articles I was talking about:   http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=3019727 http://blacksportsonline.com/index/2008/10/rlgregodensambowie.html http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/10347801 http://www.protrade.com/content/DisplayArticle.html?sp=S131cab10-0503-11de-9044-c7669e6ce22d http://brandonmay.newsvine.com/_news/2007/05/23/735669-greg-oden-olajuwon-or-bowie?category=sports http://bleacherreport.com/articles/133928-greg-oden-is-no-sam-bowie http://nba.fanhouse.com/2007/09/15/sam-bowie-on-greg-oden/  

Need I go on? Next time, try and actually do an article that hasn't been done 178,000 times already, ok?

 

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Bernard Fernandez was courteous enough to reply to me a couple of times! What a guy he can dish out AND take criticism!!!

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Bernard Reply 1:

Nate MacMillan certainly seemed high enough on Greg Oden's long-term prospects for NBA success and was quoted as such. I never stated Oden was or would be a bust, only that his early history of injuries was reminiscent of those that bedeviled Sam Bowie. And as far as "178,000" stories about such comparisons, I'm not sure all of those made it to Philly. Also, I didn't cut-and-paste anything. I asked, and got, direct quotes from coach MacMillan and from Greg Oden himself. For the young man's sake, I certainly hope he remains injury-free and productive throughout the remainder of his NBA career. He seems like a nice kid. But if he does remain relatively healthy, he will need to cut down on his penchant for getting into early foul trouble. Is pointing that out negative?
 -- BJF

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My response:

I guess I'm just a sensitive guy, what can I say?

We're pretty insulated here in Portland, so naturally one extension of that is to read everything we can get our hands on regarding our beloved Blazers, so it makes a lot of sense that it'd be tough to keep track of in Philly, especially with that nice new and shiny World Series trophy you guys are sporting (what I would give/do to get a MLB team here in PDX....) the Sixers and the Eagles.

I guess for me, I was tired of hearing the Oden/Bowie connection, it's been a long year and a half

Good job on getting Greg to give you the time of day, from the media reports we've read this season, he ducks out pretty quickly from the press.

So, I aplogize. You were doing your due dilligence, and I overreacted like a typical Blazer fan. It's Pavlovian, but instead of a "bell", we have a "Bowie".


Keep up the good work,
Brendan


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Bernard's Reply 2 (!!!)

Brendan: No problem. I understand your reaction perfectly. It's the same all over. Here in Philly, people get upset whenever anyone makes a generality about Philadelphia fans by pointing out that snowballs once got thrown at Santa Claus at an Eagles game. That one also gets recycled a lot. Similar sore points can be cited for every group of fans in every city, although not all of the stories are as well-known as some others. Let me tell you a secret: I've always liked Portland, for the same reason I like Seattle. It's clean. There is a health-consciousness among the citizenry that is refreshing. Nature is close by. And you get to really love your Blazers because there isn't MLB, NFL or NHL. Now, if only it didn't rain quite so much ...
 -- BJF

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And Finally, me once more:

Hey, I love my rain.   It keeps out the Californians. Like Phil Jackson (talk about a recycled joke) every time his L*kers lose here they blame the weather. Only problem? I just checked the weather archives, and for 6 of their last 8 losses in P-town, the weather has been as dry as the humor of Ambrose Bierce. So, yeah, I hear you. I guess this season in particular has been rough on Blazer fans when it comes to Greg, we can handle criticism (I don't know a one of us who is happy about the foul situation) but the word Bowie is our bell. Ring that sucker, and we come out of the woodwork.   If you tell me Oden needs to work on his footwork? I'll say heck yeah, but it's really improved so quickly I'm sure he hasn't hit his celing. Tell me he needs to expand his offensive game outside the painted area? Well, sure, a little jumper to keep the D honest is great, but Greg is already such a willing passer that I'm able to take it for now. (If you haven't seen the passing, don't worry, he's the hockey assist, he gives it up to Steve Blake who swings it over to Rudy Fernandez. Blake gets the dime, but it doesn't happen if Oden doesn't kick the ball back out.)   I guess for me, as close as I am to this team (and as many thousands of articles I've read) it's sometimes tough to take a step back from certain players and criticize. And dealing with the Bowie crowd for the last year-and-a-half has gotten old. And not a fine wine that only gets more true with time old.   My biggest beef with the "Greg Bowie" crowd is that they think somehow all of the injuries are connected in Oden. Has he had an inordiant amount of injuries? Heck yeah. Are they related enough (i.e. leg, to knee to back) to draw a clear line of progression? Heck no.     Thank you so much for your responses!  

 

Brendan


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Yes, the Phil Jackson thing WAS supposed to be a double joke. And YES, I know he kept misspelling Nate's name.