[JoeWolf1]

How do you guys think Greg Oden will fair this year? Is the bust many fear, will he bounce back and play at an equal or higher level than he did while healthy last year? He is a really interesting prospect to me still, it’s too early, IMO, to completely count him out, but I don’t feel he’ll be the dominant center he was expected to be when he was drafted.

I think he’ll be used fairly sparingly early on as he recovers from his injury and they can afford to with Joel P. I expect about what he did last year, but for a fairly healthy year.

60 games 10.5 ppg 8.9 rpg 2.1 bpg 60% fg 73% ft

What do you guys think?

[McWinningParticipant]

It all matters how many minutes they give him.

I dont see his scoring, and shotblocking will go down from last year id say 12, 9 , 2.5 in 25 minutes?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

No way is Oden a BUST..

I saw him practice and do intra-squad scrimmages when he was at Ohio State and he a hook shot ,a few up & under moves..and a nice touch out to 10 feet..but he rarely displays since he’s been in the pros…
He just wants to dunk it everytime..
Maybe Nate doesn’t want offense from him..And that’s what has him confused on offense…

If he can stay healthy..I see him averaging 16 points 11 rebounds & 2.3 blocks…

[JoeWolf1]

RUDEBOY, I know the guy has skills, he also shot free throws with his off hand at a pretty good clip at Ohio State because of a hand injury. I think he has 16 and 11 potential, but I think the Blazers will be real carefull with him this year. I bet he only gets about 22-23 mpg as a season average. I don’t even think he is doing full contact basketball right now.

[llperez]

he could be 16 & 11, but not next year. He will be brought along slowly to make sure he doesnt get hurt again. and camby is there now to get minutes as well. Plus, the blazers dont really need a lot of scorin from him. 16 is quite a few points for a center.

[Jlv2010]

Greg Oden will have a season ending injury. He will miss the majority of the 82 games as well as playoffs. Once again, Blazers will fall short in the playoffs.

[sacphil_08Participant]

Greg oden will be a 12 and 9 guy especially with the addition of camby who i believe will start. I consider oden a bust because he hasnt lived up to ANY of the hype to this point. People were saying he could be one of the greatest bigs to ever play. He wont even be the best player of that draft. He has potential to be a legit inside stopper and overall presence on defense but he won’t be doing 16 and 11. Portland isnt looking to dump the ball down low. He’ll get put backs and easy opportunities thanks to brandon roy and andre miller but he will be far from a focal point of that offense. He doesnt have good enough offensive skills to be a 16 ppg guy.

[KevinDurantRocksParticipant]

Oden would be what Rude Boy says but he is SUPERLY FOUL PRONE. if he doesn’t get that in control he will probably only play 28min a game

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Oden will definitely be a double-double guy if he stays healthy. The Blazers don’t need that much scoring from him but we’re not talking about Jerryd Bayless, we’re talking about Oden who plays Center so if you have a center thats shooting like 60% and wants to act like Amare Stoudemire and dunk all over people when he gets the ball…you give him the ball. Oden will be brought on slowly at first but once he proves he’s healthy about a little over a month into the season his minutes will increase to around 28. In 28 minutes I can see him averaging 14 and 11 with 2.5 blocks. Next year GO could average 16, 13 with 3 blocks. The talents, and skill is still there just as long as his knee can hold up which doesn’t look like its a safe bet. I think Odens peak is around 20, 14 and 3 blocks. That may seem high but he is a dominant rebounder and has a ton of post moves I don’t kno where people got the impression he is raw on the block.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I may be the biggest Greg Oden fan on G-d’s Green Earth (well, probably not, but he is my favorite player on my favorite team). That being said, I have no idea how to predict the amount of games he plays. You can only hope it is somewhere from 60-70, but it is really unknown how the Blazers will use him and whether he may be used similarly to the way the Rockets are planning to use Yao Ming. Also, I completely feel that if healthy, Greg will be one of the better Centers in this league. He is a great rebounder and defender, and his offensive skill is underrated. He is a very tough match-up for quite a few players in this league. If he can stay on the floor for 30 minutes a game, being an All-Star is not out of the question. But, I think realistic numbers for Greg would be 13 and 11 in 26 minutes per game. Also, should be near the top of the league in blocked shots, 2.3-2.7. His shooting percentages should mirror your predictions though. I feel if Greg plays roughly 24 minutes per game, there is little reason he should not get a double double. He is a great offensive and defensive rebounder and can not really be boxed out. It may take him time, but if the guy ever catches a break, people will see why he was drafted first. I am not saying he will ever be better than Kevin Durant, but if he stays healthy he will show people why the Blazers might have taken him over Durant. I mean, it is the same reason someone might take Dwight Howard over LeBron James, because having a great Center can make a bad team good and a good team great.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Yes what you said about the center thing is exactly the reason it makes zero sense the Demarcus Cousins dropped to 5th in the draft. In like 3 years Cousins v Oden is gonna be one of the greatest rivalry’s in the league. One reason it will be is cuz Cousins, like Barkley use to do plays everybody like he’s going against his worse enemy. That’s what Oden needs to be great, Dwight Howard needs it to for that fact.

[gainsey15Participant]

I think they’ll bring him along very very slowly 15-18 mins early on and build the mins up as the season goes along.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Couple things

A) Since Camby has been on the team, Oden hasn’t been around the team much. I got that from a Blazers blogger who’s close to the team.

B) Greg Oden is coming off the bench

I factor that and I believe he will get: 22mpg, 12ppg, 8rpg, 1.5bpg, 3fpg,

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Also, before they traded for Marcus Camby, Greg was also seriously thinking of coming back towards the end of the season. The Blazers had no one to play Center, as Przybilla went down as well. When someone is rehabbing from injury, do they always stay around the team? Maybe more so than Greg has, but I think it was just the best thing for him and not any sign of anymosity towards the franchise for trading for or signing Marcus Camby. I think Greg is happy in Portland, as happy as he can be given everything that has happened to him. But, Greg is going to start as soon as he is deemed healthy. If he does indeed average 3 fouls per game, than you have to believe he will be averaging 26-28 minutes, maybe 30. Fouls have been a big problem for Greg, as he is a physical player and just a big guy. Footwork may play a small part, but it also has a lot to do with the Blazers lack of perimeter D, and honestly I felt like Steve Blake was one too let a PG blow past him and have Greg pick up a cheap foul on contact. With experience though, it was becoming less and less of an issue. With all of this being said, how in the world did Wilt Chamberlain never foul out of a game? I mean, Wilt may have been more graceful than Greg, who knows, but for a player like him to NEVER foul out. It is just unheard of. Boy how the game has changed, either in what they call a foul or in just how physical the game has become.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

I disagree, I think Camby will be the starter.

[knicksfan7Participant]

I believe with Greg Oden here are the steps they should take to ensure a healthy Greg Oden for the playoffs.

1. Greg Oden should play no longer than 24 minutes a game, and no longer than 6 minutes at a time.
2. Sit him out on back to backs, I don’t think his body is physically healthy for him to do that wear and tear.

Greg Oden has great skills as well as size, I don’t think he will ever be the player he was expected to be, but that doesn’t mean he is a bust. I think Greg Oden could be a top defensive player when healthy w/o a doubt in my mind.

As for his stats.

I see about 60-62 games 22 mins per game 9.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg.

[OMARtheLEGENDParticipant]

greg oden is a injury prone BUST

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

its impossible to predict greg oden’s stats because its impossible to tell if he will play all year…

IF he plays all year… with his minutes hovering around 30 per id expect something like this

16ppg
14 reb
2.8 blocks
1 stl

60 fg%
85% ft

and to this numbskull above me who said greg oden is a bust… maybe you should look up his
per 36 minute numbers… cause theyre a f uck of a lot better than dwight howards…

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Compared to Kevin Durant…Greg Oden is a bust. Plain and Simple.

Let’s not go with PER 36 or PER 48. How about we go with what we see?

[Dr.RedParticipant]

Oden is one of those fragile C’s that will never last a season! He has size, which makes him a good defender and rebounder, even though he averages a foul per 5 minutes. He has very little offensive skill and will not develop any as long as he keeps up the injuries… even when healthy he doesn’t get big minutes because he is one of the most foul prone fools in the NBA. I personally think he is extremely overrated, because he has not proven that he can be a significant factor for anyone. He didn’t do it in college, and he hasn’t done it in the pros. Blame it on injuries, but that’s what happens. The guy is just brittle. If he gets over 50 games in any season I will be shocked! And even if he does, I don’t see him being a franchise center. The guy wasn’t even that good against bigger centers like Roy Hibbert or Aaron Gray in college… how has he ever been labeled a “Frachise Center”? I just don’t see it…

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He wasn’t a significant factor while at Ohio State? He averaged nearly 16 points, 10 rebounds and over 3 blocks, while leading his squad to the National Championship Game. He gave Joakim Noah and Al Horford all they could handle during that game too.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

LMAO @ Redman..

Oden lead his team to the national game.and played guys like Horford & Hibbert using only 1 hand…

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’m probably biased because I watched him play for four years at Lawrence North, BUT… I wasn’t a fan. I was usually rooting against him, since I went to North Central. I didn’t become a fan until he went to Ohio State.

Man… He was a special player though. He had it all. Height, length, strength, athleticism… He ran the floor like a guard. Excellent defensive IQ, with tremendous offensive potential. He was an intimidating defender and was intimidating when he got the ball under the rim. All he needed was refinement/repetitions in the post. He had very good hands and was quick off of his feet. He had a little 15 foot jumper. He could even handle the ball decently for someone his size. The only problems I saw was offensive refinement and playing with a slightly higher motor.

It’s sad what’s happened to him. He’s suffered freak injuries. He was never injured in high school, other than when he injured his wrist during the McDonald’s All-American game.

I think the Blazers should take it slow with him this season, which is what they’re doing. It’s not even known at this point how much he’ll participate during training camp. The good thing is that they did an abundance of tests on him this past summer and there’s NOTHING wrong with his body. He’s just been unfortunate.

[McWinningParticipant]

He didnt just play that game, he dominated it i think like 21 & 12.

Againsty two very good defensive bigs.

[bobbybParticipant]

He had one great game with Ohio State, if it wasnt for a miracle shot by Ronny Lewis( i think that was his name) against Xavier they wouldnt even had made it . there were so many games he tottally dissappeared on offense. If he doesnt have a huge year this year, he is a bust. How many years do you give a guy. This is gonna be his 4th Season. IF you miss a season like blake griff, i understand , but if this year he doenst perform then he is a but. Im talking at least a double double with at least 2 block.

[HaleParticipant]

“IF you miss a season like blake griff, i understand”

He did miss a season like Blake Griffin.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

In that championship game bobster, and he had 24 and 12 against the infamous Joakim Noah last year. The thing that most people seem to be missing is, that on championship teams, strong interior play is a must. For those that say such and such a team won a championship without strong post play, than you need to study NBA champions a lot more closely. Their have been a few teams that have won the championship without a post player maybe being their best player, but I gurantee that interior defense and rebounding have been near the best in the league on those teams (Bulls, Pistons both different times, Super Sonics, Golden State, etc.). The only time the Blazers won the championship, in 1977, they just so happened to have a transcendant talent at the Center position. He was literally a player who not only raised the level of play of his team mates, but he also could kill you without scoring a point due to everything else he provided. That player was Bill Walton, and for two seasons, he was the best player in the league. Those seasons comprised most of the games he played during his ten year career, where he played 482 games in total. The Blazers more than likely would have repeated as champions in 1978 had Walton not gotten hurt, as I believe they were 52-8 in the games Walton played before he went down with a season ending injury. They had a good team, and Maurice Lucas (who nickname "Luke" was given to Bill’s son who has played in 4 NBA Finals winning as many as his pops though without close to the effect) was the leading scorer, as well as having some great lead guard play from Lionel Hollins. But, the point I am trying to make, is that while Bill Walton all in all had a career nowhere even close to what was predicted, he still has that moment of greatness. Greg Oden is not Bill Walton. He will not become the best player in basketball, and the Blazers are indeed Brandon Roy’s team. But, what I am saying is, gambling on Greg Oden is more than likely the Blazers, or possibly some other franchises, best chance of possibly winning an NBA title. I just can not see Oklahoma City doing it with their bigs, and Serge Ibaka’s potential only goes so far. Greg Oden is big and athletic enough to kill Centers and mangle offenses on most given nights. He has had an incredibly short leash and a lot of bad luck. Marcus Camby is a perfect example of someone written off as a bust, and he was an injury prone tooth pick for his first few seasons on a terrible team, only to back-up Patrick Ewing, get thrown out of Dallas, lose in the first round a lot in Denver and than eventually go from the Clippers to the Blazers. Marcus’ ceiling was nowhere near as high as Greg Oden’s, for the fact that it took him 10 years to finally get something close to an NBA body. Greg has not come in and become Shaquille O’Neal, or Tim Duncan, or Dwight Howard, but those expectations were incredibly high. What I do think is that with time, Greg Oden can be an All-Star Center, a defensive force and more than likely the leagues leading rebounder. How many players can you that about other than the ones I just mentioned above? Greg Oden will never be a go to offensive player, but write him off due to injury at your own risk, because if Greg gets a chance to play a couple years without injury, than do not be surprised if that means big things for whatever team he is playing for.

[dahoodrecruiterParticipant]

10ppg 10rpg 2.0bpg

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Knicks boy was actually right that if you compare Oden to Durant, Greg is a bust thus far.  We all love Oden but let’s just be honest.  Most of us knew going into that draft that Durant should of been the first pick it wasn’t rocket science and I believe Presti when he said if he had the first pick Durant was their guy anyway, because thats a smart man.  And it’s pretty obvious that Oden is injury prone I mean just look at his one year in college anybody remember something?  He was friccin injured!!!

Having said that I do believe that Oden will eventually get on track.  I have to believe it I just don’t know if it’s possible to be hurt every single year even Grant Hill made a comeback.  And when Oden is healthy he is a FORCE IN THE MIDDLE. 

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

I feel what your’e saying about title teams and the Bill Walton anology but I feel he hasn’t even earned the "man, when he’s healthy" card. He’s a great defensive player and all but I doubt he nothing but that.

Even when healthy, he isin’t a top 6 center to me. I think he needs 2 seasons of staying healthy to prove it to me.

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Very right, he has not proven it, and I am sorry I have to play the potential card, but that is usually how it goes with young players, especially those with Greg’s type of injury history. He is a very solid defensive player, and I can not believe that his ability to get double double type numbers in half a game does not at least say that he is a great rebounder and not as terrible of an offensive player as everyone is convinced he is. Their are so few Centers in the league with offensive ability, nothing like the early 90’s when you had O’Neal, Olajuwon, Robinson, Ewing and Mourning who were all consistently above 20 and 10. Right now, you have Yao Ming and Dwight Howard, with Howard’s offense seemingly always questioned, with his majorly reduced scoring this past year. All I know is that Shaq never was forced to take like 10-12 shots per game like Howard with constantly being hacked and such, so I will either look at Howards inability to be a dominant low post scorer consistently or point to the coach, who I refer to as lunch pail (this was after my friend called him a "lunch pail coach" and I decided he only had the lunch pail part correct). Chris Kaman, Andrew Bogut, Al Horford, Nene, those are the other centers who seem to be close to consistent offensively, but all of them have holes in their game as well, and 3 out of 4 have suffered from recurring injuries as well. Andrew Bynum may be better than all of those in the previous sentence, but his injuries limit him greatly. I think Greg Oden is one of the hardest players in the league to keep off the glass, and that leads to him being dangerous offensively, as you have to account for his rebounding efforts there. When Oden has been healthy, the Blazers have been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league, with Greg leading in them in that category on a per game basis. You may say that he has not shown you, personally, but I gurantee that if the Knicks had someone like Greg Oden, it would be something to be excited about rather than having, well, no one at Center (unless you count Amare, who’s 31 inch waist would be much happier playing beside a huge 7 footer). You can not just discount has ability due to his injury. It is not like the guy was shooting 40 percent from the field and in the coaches dog house. The Blazers had another Center in Przybilla who would more than likely start on most teams in the league, who is a great rebounder and defender, but has nothing compared to Greg in athleticism which hinders his offensive ability. So, now with Marcus Camby, they have a player that has proven he can play at either 4 or 5, and is a tougher and better rebounder than unofficial predecessor Channing Frye, who was similar to LaMarcus Aldridge except for the athleticism, freakish wing span and LA being a better rebounder (which is saying something considering rebounding is not exactly LA’s strongest attribute). Believe me also, that if LA was in Phoenix, the dude would be stroking 3’s, the Blazers just do not function the same way offensively as Phoenix, which plays to their advantage (By the way, have people thought about who other than Robin Lopez is going to grab a rebound in Phoenix? Just a thought). So, with all of this pointed out, Marcus Camby may indeed start a few games if they really bring Greg along slowly, but Greg Oden is indeed the starter. Their starting line-up, that never got to play a game together last year, will and should be Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. All except for Miller have played less than 5 years in the league and I think they will work tremendously well together if given a chance. The best part about this will be that Marcus Camby can spell Greg if he picks up a couple of quick fouls, and at points in the game will more than likely play with Greg, which will make driving to the basket against the Blazers one hell of a chore. LaMarcus usually would have to play center quite often, and this will hopefully mean he will not have to, especially once Joel returns. Marcus I am guessing will average around 24-26 minutes per game, with Joel in the 18-20 range. This just gives the Blazers a lot of insurance in the front court, as all of these players have had issues with injury, but if they are healthy, they will give the Blazers a huge advantage inside. All are players who could start on at least half of the teams in the league (possibly not Joel, but he could start on quite a few). Luke Babbitt should also get minutes and either forward, as will Jerryd Bayless at either guard. This is a talented young team that people are severely sleeping on, and while they suffered all of these injuries, they still managed to win 50 games and take Phoenix to 6 in the play-offs, with Brandon Roy only coming back for one of those wins and fresh off of surgery. They lose a few players, but they gain Camby for a whole season and also Greg and Nicolas hopefully being healthy. What I really want to see is Greg playing with Andre Miller, someone who knows how to get players the ball. I never thought Steve Blake was a good starting PG for the Blazers, though he is a great back-up for any team. But if you put Greg Oden into that starting line-up, than I say that is player for player one of the most dangerous starting 5’s in the league. The only teams I might (MIGHT) rank in front of it would be a healthy Lakers, Spurs, Heat (though again, they could have two huge weak links), Celtics and I think that could be all, possibly the Magic as well. The Blazers depth may indeed trump all of those, again, if healthy. As well as the Thunder played last year, and while Kevin Durant is an amazing player and better than Brandon Roy, while Russell Westbrook may indeed be better than anyone on the Blazers other than Roy, I just do not love the rest of their team. I think Jeff Green playing 4 is just not a good move, and Sefolosha and Harden should just merge into one player to solve both of their deficiencies. Plus, do you really see Cole Aldrich being a solid NBA center? I have a hard time doing so, and Nenad Krstic has never lived up to his huge potential. While Serge Ibaka is a freak, he is still incredibly raw in his knowledge of basketball, though you have to love the fact that he plays with fire, it is not apparent how much he will develop as far as being the man in the middle for the Thunder. Maynor is a great back-up, but I take Bayless. So, when you see my rankings, taking all of these things into consideration, I am one who will be ranking the Blazers ahead of the Thunder. I just think the Blazers have to much to count them out due to past injuries. If history proves anything, it is that most players tend to eventually play a couple seasons with minimal injury, and I do not know why Greg Oden is the exemption. Nene ending up playing a few healthy seasons after years of getting hurt, so did Sam Bowie. So, if you are going to discount all of this, just because he is injured, than you can do so and just roll with his own history. But I will roll with basketball history along with what I have seen and the numbers Greg has dropped as well as has the potential to drop. You may indeed be right, but only time will tell and all I can do is look to the future. If you just play Janet Jackson on the "What Have You Done For Me Lately" front, than their is no way to convince you. But I just felt like pointing some of these things out. I know you love basketball and are very interested in it, but it seems like a lot of the time you spend very little time on your follow ups and responses, which is probably why you need to make so many.

[joecheck88Participant]

greg oden, whats not to like about his game? he almost had it all. there really wasnt much of a question about the number 1 pick. oden was number 1 no doubt and durant was number 2 no doubt. big always go before wings, always. durant has turned out to be special, it happens but we cant label oden a bust yet because of the injuries. and as a matter of fact im going to go out on a limb.

greg oden predictions this year, 32 mpg, 16ppg, 14rpg, 3.2bpg, and defensive player of the year.

i mean i could see it, he probably wont get that many minutes but he is easily top 2 defensive center in the nba and thats only because we cant compare him to howard due to injury.

[stanford hoops]

oden isnt confused on offense. his offensive game justg isnt very good yet. at ohio st and in college he didnt deal with real nba centers so of course his moves would work with ease there compared to the nba

 

my predictions is another injury or a so so year because hes getting back into basketball shape

[McWinningParticipant]

The thing is hes clearly the offensives fifth option, they dont run any plays for him, he still managed 11, in 24 which is pretty damn good for a fifth option.

I would be very interested to see if he was taken by Oklahoma city and was used more offensivly how his numbers would be.

He wouldnt be shooting 60% from the field but he would get a lot more shots because theres no Aldridg, or Roy if he goes to Okc.

 

I think hed be putting up a lot higher scoring numbers.

With being able to run the pick % roll with Westbrook.

 

 

[stanford hoops]

i think thats ok for a fifth option. pretty much most fith options get near double figures. if healthy he can become a very very good player from the flashes he has shown. the key things is being healthy

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