C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by BB73

I think Rosen also sells him short offensively. There's no mention of his jump-hook, or how well he uses both hands. It sounds like he's only seen highlights of Greg playing prior to the tournament.

that was a breakdown of the tennessee game. i didnt see him use it.

[heisman]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

thats a nice little breakdown.

though i feel that it addresses the situation very well. but, in doing so it fails to mention what causes most of these weaknesses: FOOTWORK.

On the money! When you make your living with your back to the basket, everything is footwork. Unfortunately for Greg, it is his biggest weakness at this point in his career. It's also easily fixed with alot of repetitive hard work in the offseason. Maybe he can workout with G'Town's Hibbert in the offseason. Hibbert is about 1/100 the athlete of Oden, but his footwork and technique are absolutely outstanding.

[Dryden]

Originally Posted by Thump

Yet another reason for him to head to the NBA.

Conley and Oden aren't going into the NBA draft as a package deal, so that fact makes me more worried about what happens to Oden when he doesn't have Conley around anymore to get in his face and wake him up. I mean, it was pretty apparent, as far back as two years before they even arrived on campus and throughout their recruitment, that they were a duo.

I honestly wonder sometimes if he's mentally/emotionally ready for the NBA. He's too humble and too damn modest. He needs to do a little daily affirmation with Stuart Smalley and go out on the court and dominate. When he defers to Conley and deflects praise he's sincere about that, he's not just paying lip service or putting on a front.

As long as that continues I don't think he'll ever become the player everyone expects him to be. Paul Pierce certainly isn't going to help Oden blossom into the next Russell or Wilt.

[BB73]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

that was a breakdown of the tennessee game. i didnt see him use it.

Well, he was commenting on highlights also, which apparently were quite limited.

Highlights of his previous games show that Oden does have a quick drop-step, but in the game at hand all he did when he received the ball in the pivot was to drive to the middle and look for a layup. No trickery. No duck-unders or fakes. No jumpers or jump hooks. It remains to be seen exactly what kind of junk the youngster has in his trunk.

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by heisman

On the money! When you make your living with your back to the basket, everything is footwork. Unfortunately for Greg, it is his biggest weakness at this point in his career. It's also easily fixed with alot of repetitive hard work in the offseason. Maybe he can workout with G'Town's Hibbert in the offseason. Hibbert is about 1/100 the athlete of Oden, but his footwork and technique are absolutely outstanding.

i think a lot of that has to do with a couple more years of.

growth.
strength.
coaching.


oden missed this summer. i think that really hurt him in things like footwork. i dont know how much time titus and peters spent spinning a rope for greg. but, that is one thing that will really help greg.

ive said it before the two biggest things he needs to work on are footwork and postioning. interesting enough. they go hand in hand. but, in my view are two completely different things.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by Thump

Yet another reason for him to head to the NBA.

During most of the season I did not think you would go to the NBA after 1 year but after last night and the cheap calls called against him and all the hammering that he takes, he might as well go and get paid for it.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

http://jwinslow.fotki.com/osuarchive...0322oden9.html

that one was a foul for sure. i was about the only one who thought so.
..

After watching the game for a second time, the only other foul that could be called "legitimate" was the one when he bodied the guy when the Tennessee player was taking the ball to the basket but even that one was pretty small in my imagination.

[hutch]

Sadly, after seeing his frustration and now with word of his losing a tooth I think Greg is outta here after this year.

Sad, as I don't think he probably accomplished what he wanted to at this level, but what a ride it was having him. If he goes I think we will all wish him a resounding "good luck!".

[buckeyeboy]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

After watching the game for a second time, the only other foul that could be called "legitimate" was the one when he bodied the guy when the Tennessee player was taking the ball to the basket but even that one was pretty small in my imagination.

I thought two of Oden's fouls were legitimate: (1) the one where he used his arm to wrap around the defender while spinning toward the basket (a clear violation) and (2) the one where he challenged the driving UT player who seemingly stayed in the air forever and did a good job of just keeping the ball out of Oden's reach so that Oden hit him on the UT player's upper forearm/wrist area.

IMO, the fourth foul (in which the UT player ran into Oden only so slightly and then took a dive) was one of the worst calls I've ever seen.

EDIT: I didn't see the first foul. All I know is that the whistle blew, the announcers were shocked that Oden was the one who was called for the foul, and there was no replay. If anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear what happened.

[sandgk]

Originally Posted by hutch

Sadly, after seeing his frustration and now with word of his losing a tooth I think Greg is outta here after this year.

I really don't believe that the loss of a tooth in a game will play into Oden's decision making.

Originally Posted by hutch

Sad, as I don't think he probably accomplished what he wanted to at this level, but what a ride it was having him. If he goes I think we will all wish him a resounding "good luck!".

When he does leave, if it is this year the next or one thereafter, then we will certainly all wish him good luck.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by buckeyeboy

I thought two of Oden's fouls were legitimate: (1) the one where he used his arm to wrap around the defender while spinning toward the basket (a clear violation) and (2) the one where he challenged the driving UT player who seemingly stayed in the air forever and did a good job of just keeping the ball out of Oden's reach so that Oden hit him on the UT player's upper forearm/wrist area.

IMO, the fourth foul (in which the UT player ran into Oden only so slightly and then took a dive) was one of the worst calls I've ever seen.

EDIT: I didn't see the first foul. All I know is that the whistle blew, the announcers were shocked that Oden was the one who was called for the foul, and there was no replay. If anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear what happened.

The first foul was when the guy Lightly was guarding came across the lane and Oden stepped out in front of him and the offensive guy just ran into GO. It was pretty ticky tack and the announcers thought the foul was initially called against Lightly. I agree with the first two that you mentioned.

[hutch]

Originally Posted by sandgk

I really don't believe that the loss of a tooth in a game will play into Oden's decision making.



When he does leave, if it is this year the next or one thereafter, then we will certainly all wish him good luck.

I really hope that you're right and I'm wrong.

FWIW I didn't mean that it was 'that' tooth, per se, but just that the event might be driving home how easily/quickly/regularly injuries happen.

[JCOSU86]

Will Conley coming back influence Greg any?

[Oh8ch]

think it will change at the next level?

Yes. He will get paid for it.


That said, I just listened to an interview with David Robinson. He gave some great reasons for kids to stay longer in college. In particular he talked about maturity and leadership. Said Oden will be looked at to be a leader at the next level. If you recall Robinson not only finished his college but did two years active duty before turning pro. Still said he wasn't ready mentally.

Oden said a lot of things coming out of HS that reflected a level head that would appreciate the sort of arguments Robinson was making. Nothing has happened that should have changed the way he thinks. New experiences, but the same thought process.

It is the purest speculation by any of us as to what he will do - but my money is on at least one more year.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by Oh8ch

Yes. He will get paid for it.


That said, I just listened to an interview with David Robinson. He gave some great reasons for kids to stay longer in college. In particular he talked about maturity and leadership. Said Oden will be looked at to be a leader at the next level. If you recall Robinson not only finished his college but did two years active duty before turning pro. Still said he wasn't ready mentally.

Oden said a lot of things coming out of HS that reflected a level head that would appreciate the sort of arguments Robinson was making. Nothing has happened that should have changed the way he thinks. New experiences, but the same thought process.

It is the purest speculation by any of us as to what he will do - but my money is on at least one more year.

I would like to put my money with your money and hope