Sħãlïq™ Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Greg Oden can really play Oden was mocked for doing a lot of awkward-looking things in his 1,816 NBA minutes, which were way back in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Falling over, spinning the wrong way, knocking people over accidentally and generally looking like he was just getting used to a new pair of legs (which, post-surgery, he essentially was) -- Oden provided plenty of fodder for observers committed to mocking him as a poor choice to precede the devastatingly fluid Kevin Durant in the draft. But make no mistake: Despite some awkward moments, he made the Blazers vastly better. His amazing size was only part of the story. He also brought plenty of skill to the court. His scoring was efficient, his blocks were numerous, and his rebounding was some of the best in NBA history for a player so young. On Dec. 5, 2009, Oden was carried out of his last NBA game with a fractured left patella -- and a PER that would finish the season in the league's top 10, between Chris Paul and Dirk Nowitzki. It wasn't a case of empty numbers either. The Blazers generally destroyed people with Oden on the floor -- outscoring opponents by almost nine points per 100 possessions when Oden played compared to three when he sat -- even though he glaringly had room to improve. Not just bad knees Windhorst and Stein's story includes the eye-popping phrase "third microfracture surgery." Let that sink in. Although it's nothing like the sentence it once was, players who have had one microfracture are considered compromised. Three is a huge number. (...) Two Greg Oden comeback thoughts His plan was pretty much to sit out this entire season, to heal as much as possible and come back next year. The Blazers rushed him back from his previous injuries which contributed to him getting hurt again, so I see why he wanted to be extra safe this time around. I read somewhere he'd like to play for the Heat and they do need better bigs and can probably afford him because he'll maybe get minimum till he proves he can stay in a lineup.He's only turning 25 this month, if can get fully healthy he could still have a career. I'd definitely give him a shot.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted January 11, 2013 Owner Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 It wasn't his offense that made the Blazers so good, as the article may suggest...but his defense. Oden's defensive numbers were similar (and at some point, were better) than Dwight Howard's (and not this year's Dwight, either). I truly think that, if he had stayed healthy, Oden would be named among some of the greatest defensive centers we've ever seen, right up there with Howard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha 4 Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 That man needs bionic knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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