C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[Bestbuck36]

My God he is huge! He was always a massive individual but that video of him has him looking Shaq huge with less gut. I cant wait to see Greg in action this season.

[Buckskin86]

Published: August 07, 2008
Greg Oden ready for season



Little fans: Greg Oden autographs a basketball for five-year-old Rocco Roshel and his three-year-old brother Marcus Thursday night. The boys are the sons of Dr. John Roshel of Terre Haute.
Bob Poynter / The Tribune-Star


No. 1 NBA pick returns to former hometown for charity golf tourney
By David Hughes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE The bond between childhood friends Travis Smith and Greg Oden remains strong 18 months after Smith?s tragic death.

Oden, a former Terre Haute resident and No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 National Basketball Association draft, returned to town Thursday to attend a cookout promoting the second annual ?Travis Smith Memorial Golf Classic Hosted by Greg Oden? today at the Country Club of Terre Haute.

Smith, a former standout golfer at Terre Haute South Vigo High School and a Ball State University freshman at the time, was killed in an auto accident in Muncie on Jan. 27, 2007. He was 19.

Jimmy Smith, Travis? father and executive director of the Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club, said proceeds from today?s private event will go to the Boys & Girls Club, with a percentage of that going toward the Travis Smith Memorial Fund.

?It?s just a good thing that Jimmy puts on,? Oden told the Tribune-Star. ?I?m glad I can be a part of it. I?ll help any way possible. I always come back here. I just love being around the Smiths and their family. Anything I can do to come back and help, I?m here for them.?

?Greg trusted Travis to talk to him about anything,? reflected Jimmy Smith, who said he and Oden talk on the phone about once a week. ?If Travis were still alive, I think Greg would still come back and do a golf outing? But I think it?s more special to him doing it in Travis? memory.?

Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Greg Oden ‘ready for season’

[brodybuck21]

Just another example of how great a person Greg Oden really is. I'm very proud that he played at OSU even if it was for just the 1 season.

[Buckskin86]

Published: August 09, 2008
Oden mingles at golf event
By David Hughes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE ? A sporting event involving Greg Oden took place Friday in Terre Haute.

No, the former Terre Haute resident and 7-foot rookie center for the NBA?s Portland Trail Blazers wasn?t dunking a basketball against some overmatched foe.

Instead, Oden mingled, signed autographs and had his photo taken with competitors in the second annual ?Travis Smith Memorial Golf Classic Hosted by Greg Oden? at the Country Club of Terre Haute.

Jimmy Smith, Travis? father and executive director of the Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club, said 73 foursomes (six more than last year) participated in the private event that raised money for the Boys & Girls Club and the Travis Smith Memorial Fund.

Travis Smith, a former standout golfer at Terre Haute South High School and a Ball State University freshman at the time, was killed in an auto accident in Muncie on Jan. 27, 2007. He was 19 and a longtime friend of Oden.

Accompanied Friday by younger brother Anthony Oden and former Indiana University guard Eric Gordon (selected No. 7 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008 NBA draft), Oden hung out the last two days with former teammates from the Rim Rattlers AAU basketball team that he and Travis Smith played on when they were youngsters.

?I think they all had a good time,? Jimmy Smith said.

Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Oden mingles at golf event

[osugrad21]

Canton

Oden upbeat after workout
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Greg Oden can still dunk.

That much was clear Tuesday when the top pick in last year's NBA draft worked out in front of the media for the first time since right-knee surgery wiped out his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 7-footer from Ohio State showed no signs of problems in two-on-two work with teammates Steve Blake and Channing Frye and former Arkansas star Steven Hill, a 7-footer invited to practice with Portland. Oden isn't allowed to go five-on-five until next month.

"I'm feeling good," Oden said. "I do not have any pain or soreness in my knee."

Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely.

"He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors," Frye said after giving up his share to Oden in the workout.

Blazers fans fired up about Oden's arrival were stunned last year to learn that he needed microfracture surgery to stimulate cartilage growth by drilling tiny holes in the bone. Oden now says his right knee actually feels stronger than his left because of rehabilitation and conditioning.

The challenge at this point, he says, is mostly psychological, to stop worrying about the knee and to fulfill high expectations he knows fans have for the him and the team.

Oden is the first to admit he must start from scratch with his interrupted career.
Cont...

[osugrad21]

Link

Oden confident of return to court
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
By Paul Valencia Columbian Staff Writer
TUALATIN, Ore. ? Greg Oden heard the question, stared at the reporter, and replied with two words.

?No comment.?

Later, another reporter asked the same question that was on everybody?s mind, and Oden uttered the same two-word answer.

Uh, oh: Is his knee still bothering him?

Nah, the question had nothing to do with his surgically repaired right knee.

In fact, Oden has no problem talking about that.

?I can tell you right now that my right knee is stronger than my left knee,? he said confidently Tuesday, moments after a workout session in front of about 30 members of the media. ?I know it?s strong.?

His ability to play the piano, however, has come into question.
Cont...

[jimotis4heisman]

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...n.html?sid=101

Greg Oden can still dunk.

That much was clear yesterday when the top pick in last year's NBA draft from Ohio State worked out in front of the media for the first time since right knee surgery wiped out his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 7-footer showed no signs of problems in two-on-two work with teammates Steve Blake and Channing Frye and former Arkansas star Steven Hill, a 7-footer invited to practice with Portland. Oden isn't allowed to go five-on-five until next month.
"I'm feeling good," Oden said. "I do not have any pain or soreness in my knee."
Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely.
"He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors," Frye said after giving up his share to Oden in the workout.

[brodybuck21]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Oden doesn't feel any pain after getting back out on court

i love that line by frye....

[OregonBuckeye]

OT but since Frye was mentioned I have to give a shout-out for his blog. It's pretty entertaining and frequently updated.

Channing Frye Blog | Portland Trail Blazer’s #44 | Portland, Oregon

[Buckskin86]

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Oden And The Internet: A Brief Interview With Greg Oden


We're proud to announce a Hardwood Paroxysm exclusive. Thanks to our very supportive relationship with Yardbarker, we landed a brief interview with the Big Chill himself, Greg Oden. He was kind enough to agree to trade emails with us about his return to action, blogging, and how he likes the nickname that we gave him. It's a brief interview, no doubt because he was so busy with getting ready to destroy the entire NBA and grasp its power in his gigantic hand. You can read Greg's blog exclusively at Yardbarker.

No seriously, he actually answered these things, we're not making them up. This time.

HP: First off, how's the knee? What percentage would you say you're back to? How much would you say you're "back to normal"?

GO: The knee is feeling great. And let me say, I?m not giving out percentages. I?m not sure if I?m back to where I was because my weight is different from when I started. I?m heavier now so we?ll see. I?m still working on it, as I haven?t played in a year.


HP: Do you feel like that with the year off you were forced to take with injury, there's even more pressure on you to perform in what will essentially be your rookie season? How do you approach that kind of a challenge?

GO: I feel like I?m going into my rookie season. Because of the experience I received traveling, I feel I?ll be able to handle the pressure better.

HP: The Trailblazers were a good team even before they drafted you. Since then they've added a ton of talent, including Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez. With that kind of talent, you guys are primed for not only a good season, but a likely playoff run. Have you and your teammates discussed goals for the upcoming season, and if so, what are they?

GO: There hasn?t been any discussion yet because I haven?t seen a bunch of my teammates. They have yet to return to Portland from their summer break.

HP: Who have you built the best relationship with on the Blazers? Who do you hang out the most with?

GO: Well, last season I had the closest relationship with Josh McRoberts, but he got traded. An then after Josh, it was Taurean Green, but he got traded also (laughs). But it?s cool because I get along with all my teammates.

Hardwood Paroxysm: Oden And The Internet: A Brief Interview With Greg Oden

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Oden to host Oregon youth mentoring event


05:08 AM PDT on Thursday, September 4, 2008


By TERESA BLACKMAN, kgw.com Staff


PORTLAND, Ore. -- Trail Blazers star rookie Greg Oden will host a summer event to raise awareness about the need for more mentors for Oregon youth.

The event dubbed ?Greg?s Summer Slam: A Celebration of Team Oden? was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Rose Garden, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Continued......

[naptownbuck]

RealGM: Basketball Wiretap Archives: McMillan: Oden Is On Pace

Blazers' Coach Nate McMillan said in a brief interview with the media on Thursday that center Greg Oden is where the team wants him to be, according to Oregonian.

"He's on pace, as far as where we wanted him to be. Our doctors and (athletic trainer Jay Jensen), they've been working very closely with him all summer long. We've had a plan, from the time he came out of surgery last year, until this point," McMillan said. "He's on pace to be ready for training camp and that was the main focus, to have him ready, healthy to go in October. As far as I know, everything is on schedule."

Continued....

[Buckskin86]

Blazers? Oden Ready for His Close-Up, on the Court
By HOWARD BECK
Published: September 5, 2008

When Greg Oden last stepped into the national spotlight, he wore a tuxedo and comically oversize glasses and his lone teammate was a pop-music heartthrob. Justin Timberlake sang and danced, while Oden provided the piano accompaniment in a memorable number at this summer?s ESPY awards.

It was a new side of Oden, although, as it happens, more a product of TV magic than classical training.

?I mean, I was playing the piano,? Oden, the Portland Trail Blazers? center, said last week with a chuckle. ?It was just muted.?

Such is the story of Oden?s year. He is a celebrity, but not yet a star; an able entertainer, but not yet on the basketball court; a curiosity looming just off the N.B.A. radar, still waiting to make a splash 15 months after Portland made him the top pick in the 2007 draft. The breathless hype that first accompanied his arrival has been muted by misfortune.

Knee surgery wiped out Oden?s much-anticipated rookie season ? or, more accurately, postponed it. By league definitions, he remains a rookie, eligible for the 2008-9 Rookie of the Year award and presumably obligated to carry his teammates? luggage.

Last week, he belatedly met another obligation by attending classes at the N.B.A.?s rookie transition program in Rye Brook, N.Y.

?It?s something that I know I have to go through, and I don?t mind it,? Oden said while lounging on a plush couch in a conference room at the program?s headquarters. ?I understand I have to be a rookie again. I?m getting a lot of good information. I?m just ready for the season to start.?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/sp...tml?ref=sports

['BusNative]

So happy he is a Buckeye

TMZ Video: Default Video Player

[Buckskin86]

Greg Oden may be an idol in Portland but maybe not an American Idol

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden is part of Oregon Mentors, a program in the city where he hopes to become a superstar.

His duties include performing some feats where he is not quite as good as he is on the basketball floor. From Larry Brown Sports via Hard for the Yard here is Oden singing N'Sync's It's Gonna Be Me. Stick around for the dance moves at the end.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/200...den-may-b.html