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Going With G.O. on the Offensive End

Greg Oden's offense is more complicated than his defense. Half the teams in the league don't have a player physical enough to guard a center like Oden. We saw a lot of these mismatches this year. This is one reason why having a big center like Shaq, Andrew Bynum, or Dwight Howard is so beneficial to a team. A quick disclaimer: I'm not saying that Oden is as good as any of those centers; I'm just saying that he is the same type of player.

Now, the Blazer coaching staff's strategy this year was to focus on defense with Oden, and let his offense come mainly from offensive rebound put-backs and the occasional lob to the rim.

There is definitely some merit to that approach. Most of us can probably remember at least one instance (if not many) when the Blazers fed the post, Oden started to make his move, and either travelled, had the ball slapped away by a double-teaming guard, or somehow messed up in another way. Personally I think that these turnovers and mistakes are a small price to pay to develop Oden on offense. At the same time though, I think that there is a better solution than simply throwing him the ball in the post 5 times a game, and acting upset when he turns it over.

Many Blazer observers have noted that a large portion of the team's points come out of isolation sets. When the Blazers run a pick and roll, they use it primarily to get space for the guard, or to pick and pop with Aldridge. It is very rare for the Blazers to run a pick and roll where the guard looks for the big guy rolling into the paint. If anyone wants to buy me a membership for the Synergy Sports website, please let me know and I'll be able to get conclusive evidence on this (just kidding).

Now, imagine Greg Oden setting a pick for Andre Miller, turning, and running down the lane. Who can easily fight through 270 pounds of a G.O. screen? And who on earth wants to get in the way of that guy running down the lane? Nobody! Miller is certainly talented enough to get Oden the ball, whether it's through a lob pass at the rim or a bounce pass as Oden rolls.

I don't mean to say that this is the only way that the Blazers should involve Oden in the offense. It's easy to imagine the possibilities. For example, as Oden jockeys for position down low, Aldridge could come across the paint and set a down pick on Oden's man, freeing Oden to spin and catch a lob pass at the rim (and hopefully make one of his signature rim-grabbing dunks!).

The point is, I think that the Blazers should seek to actively involve Oden in their offensive system, rather than either ignoring him or feeding him in the post in isolation sets. As always, feel free to share your thoughts, as well as comments about my writing. If you like the post, go ahead and recommend it. If you don't like the post, share why in the comments. And vote in the poll!