C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Pressure on Oden is as big as he is


By JOHN SUPINIE
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

Published Tuesday, November 07, 2006

If Ohio State coach Thad Matta wants to keep the pressure off star freshman center Greg Oden, well . . . good luck.

A 7-foot, 270-pounder, Oden finished his career at Indianapolis Lawrence North High School as a two-time national Player of the Year, the likely No. 1 pick in the NBA draft had he been eligible and the most anticipated big man in decades.
Oden's impact has been compared by Big Ten coaches to the arrival of Magic Johnson at Michigan State and Isiah Thomas at Indiana.
"I wish him well at Ohio State,'' Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. "I wish him better luck in the NBA.''
His maturity is well beyond his years, coaches say, and Oden stood as the centerpiece to the nation's No. 1 recruiting class nicknamed the Thad Five.
"I'm glad he's in the Big Ten, but that's bad for us,'' Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "It's great to have him in the league. It's great for the Big Ten.''
The NBA's loss - for a year anyway - is Ohio State's gain. Oden, a first-team preseason All-Big Ten pick, isn't expected to play until after Jan. 1. He underwent surgery to reattach a torn ligament in his right wrist on June 16. The screw holding the ligament in place was removed in late October. Oden remained limited to conditioning drills and working with his left hand.
"He's a very talented kid,'' Matta said. "Greg is going to need time to develop. When he comes back, he won't have played basketball for eight months.''
His Big Ten peers don't feel sorry for Matta. Mainly because of Oden's presence, the Buckeyes were picked to win the Big Ten in a media poll.
After averaging 22.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots while leading Lawrence North to a third consecutive state title and a 45-game winning streak, Oden eventually accepted an invitation to the USA Basketball camp in preparation for this summer's World Championships.
At first, he declined.
"I honestly felt that I wasn't there yet,'' Oden said. "I've got to be there mentally and physically, and I'm not there yet.''
The surgery kept him from attending. Unlike other big men, who carry unrealistic expectations just because of their size, Oden has the complete package of size, strength, athleticism and maturity, Sampson said.
Oden became the fourth two-time national Player of the Year, joining LeBron James (2002-03), Lew Alcindor (1964-65) and Jerry Lucas (1957-58).
"It's the big man's syndrome,'' Sampson said. "A lot of 7-footers can't play, but you think they should because they're 7-0. This one is different. Greg Oden has the package.''
The rest of the package must be assembled by Matta, who led the Buckeyes to a surprising outright title last season. Freshmen Michael Conley, Oden's high school teammate, and Daequan Cook also were McDonald's All-Americans.
Junior guard Jamar Butler is the only returning starter. While Oden rehabs his wrist, Matta must decide how to develop his team, which will play a decidedly different style when Oden returns.
"I don't know exactly how it's going to turn out once he's back,'' Matta said. "What do you want to teach - what you have now or what is coming? We're trying to get our guys to play extremely hard and smart.''
John Supinie can be reached at 377-1977 and Johnsupinie@aol.com.

[Buckskin86]

11/06/2006 12:24:00 PM
The Oden Effect

The preseason question I hear most -- even more frequently than "Can Florida repeat?" -- is about Ohio State's Greg Oden. People primarily want to know when the big guy, who had surgery on his right wrist this summer to repair ligament damage, will play his first college game. The answer is that he started physical therapy late last week (after having a screw removed from the wrist) and the Buckeyes are targeting their Jan. 2 Big Ten opener against Indiana for his debut.

They'd obviously love to activate Oden sooner if he's ready; and on the flipside there's still a remote chance he could come back even later if the rehab isn't on schedule. OSU had been taking weekly X-rays of Oden's wrist, and when I talked with Buckeyes coach Thad Matta a few weeks ago, he said that if one indicates his prize center has miraculously healed, "you'll be able to hear me yelling." He was well aware that I was on the East Coast.

There's a different Oden question that I'm more interested in, though -- and it's one that's bound to come up in March: How will his late arrival affect OSU's NCAA tournament seed?

I recently posed a couple of hypothetical scenarios to a trusted tourney source to get an idea of how they might be addressed by the selection committee. The first had Oden returning on Jan. 2 to an 11-2 team that had been killed by North Carolina and Florida, but with the big guy in the lineup, went on to win the Big Ten regular-season title. Would those early losses be completely forgiven by the committee because Oden wasn't involved? And would the Buckeyes be cut some slack in consideration for a No. 1 seed?

The feeling I got was that while early losses wouldn't be entirely ignored, OSU would get special consideration as long as it's clear that Oden had a measurable impact on its success down the stretch. If he changes games and puts up big numbers, than the Buckeyes will be evaluated as a different team. The Oden Effect could end up being the reverse of the Kenyon Martin Injury from 2000, where Cincinnati was demoted from a No. 1 seed after losing their Wooden Award winner to a broken right fibula during the C-USA tournament. The Buckeyes could get a minor promotion, perhaps from a 3 to a 2, or a 2 to a 1. If (by chance) Oden turns out to just be a role player, than OSU's entire body of work is more likely to be evaluated on the same level.

The second scenario is more improbable: What happens if Oden's wrist doesn't heal as quickly as expected, and as a cautionary measure, OSU waits until midway through Big Ten play -- say, 23 games into a 30-game regular season -- for his unveiling? If the Buckeyes were .500 in the league at that point, but went on to win their last seven games and finish strong in the Big Ten tournament, how much impact could a run such as that have?

The committee, my source assured, would have to evaluate Ohio State's whole season -- especially since Oden would only have played in one-third of the games. A couple of important factors would come into play, though: First, a team's last 10 games are used, for seeding and selection purposes, as a "snapshot" of how well it's playing heading into the dance -- and the Buckeyes could finish strong with Oden. Second, the committee also considers factors such as how much a good young team has gelled down the stretch, and therefore might be more willing to overlook early losses. The Buckeyes would probably be looking at a bump in this scenario, too -- although more like from a 5 to a 4, or a 4 to a 3.

Fans of other NCAA tournament teams shouldn't get upset. The committee has been using the same set of rules to deal with injury cases for years. No unique exceptions will be made for Oden. And believe me, it's better off if Ohio State gets seeded in the right place. Do you think some unlucky major-conference champ wants to get stuck with Oden's Buckeyes in their region as a No. 5?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_...en-effect.html

[osugrad21]

Official Site


Davenport and Oden Recognized for Accomplishments

Downtown Columbus Banner to be unveiled Wednesday


COLUMBUS, Ohio - As part of its on-going community relations commitment to communicate with its many fans and the Columbus community, the Ohio State Athletics Department is promoting two of the most recognizable names in men's and women's collegiate basketball in Jessica Davenport and Greg Oden with giant murals on a downtown building located at 145 S. High St. The murals are expected to be completed Wednesday.
Davenport is a two-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year. The 6-5 center, who has won two gold medals with USA Basketball, averaged 18.7 points and 8.9 rebounds a game last year for Jim Foster's 29-3 Buckeyes.
Foster, Ohio State's head women's basketball coach, said the recognition for Davenport is well deserved.
"I cannot think of a better role model than Jessica," Foster said. "She is a lifelong Columbus resident and is highly visible in this community. Her academic and athletic accomplishments can serve as an example to a whole generation of youth in this city."
Oden is expected to be one of the premier players in college basketball this year for Thad Matta's defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes. The 7-foot freshman center was a two-time selection as the National Player of the Year and was considered the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation last season.
Matta, Ohio State's men's coach, said Oden, though he has not yet played for the Buckeyes, has made significant contributions to the game of basketball already in his young career.
"We are certainly proud of what Greg has accomplished to date in the game of basketball and wanted to recognize the honors he's earned," Matta said. "The downtown banner is unique and well-deserved."
David Brown, associate athletics director for marketing and promotions, said the banner is a small piece of Ohio State's effort to bring extraordinary efforts by Buckeye coaches and student-athletes to the public's attention.
"This is part of our continuing effort to recognize our athletes and teams and to allow our fans and the community to share in their accomplishments," Brown said. "We have a lot of good things to share with the community."

[osugrad21]

Link

A tale of two centers

First published: Wednesday, November 8, 2006 NEW YORK -- He fills the No. 1 criteria for success at his position: He's big. He also can run the floor, find his way around the basket without seeking directions, is capable of big nights and still hasn't touched his potential.We've just summed up Eddy Curry, the center the New York Knicks are still getting to know. But that also describes Greg Oden, the center the Knicks will never know.
Here's what everyone in basketball knows: The Knicks blew any chance of getting The Next Great Big Man, should the 7-foot consensus high school player of the year leave Ohio State after his freshman year.
Among other goodies, the Knicks gave Chicago the right to swap first-round picks next June in what could be one of those special drafts where the top pick is a true lottery jackpot.
The legacy of Isiah Thomas with the Knicks will not live or die with Stephon Marbury, his pet player. Isiah's job status rests with the decision he made two years ago when he ignored red-alert warnings about Curry's heart and intensity level and hunger and not only gave him a big contract, but took the Knicks right out of the Oden sweepstakes. No other general manager in basketball thought Curry was worth all that, and pretty soon, we'll see if Isiah was smarter than all the rest or just a bigger fool.
When Knicks owner Jim Dolan turned to Isiah last summer and demanded "significant progress" or else, without defining "significant progress," let's assume he was referring in part to Curry this season.
The Knicks must and should see a better center, but given his history of disappearing in and out of games, nothing is certain.
Should Curry turn mean enough to land a role in "Saw IV," learn to attack more and foul less, the Knicks probably will win games, never worry about a center for 10 years and keep sending Isiah paychecks. If Curry averages more silly fouls and turnovers per game than tough rebounds and can't dominate the souped-up power forwards that most teams stick at center, and if the Knicks wind up with a lousy record and Oden with the Bulls, Isiah will be christened the worst executive in New York sports history.
There's another scenario, in which Curry finally figures it out next year, but by then Isiah will be long gone, living in shame with Larry Brown. That's why Curry's time is now. It has been almost six years since he made the jump from high school. That's long enough. So far, in this young and pessimistic Knicks season, Curry is giving mixed messages. Through three games, he was one of the few bright spots.
But Monday night, he was yanked, along with three other starters, and the Knicks played their best ball without him. They trailed by 19 with eight minutes left, and Curry was booed when he went to the bench. In four minutes they cut the Spurs' lead to one, helped by Malik Rose's smart defense on Tim Duncan.
Then Curry returned, heard boos and promptly had one shot blocked, then missed a hook, and the Knicks' rally ended. His mild numbers were 13 points, 11 rebounds and five painful turnovers, and they pale next to these numbers: three straight losses for the Knicks with six games coming up against playoff teams, four on the road."I didn't play well," he said. "That's going to happen. I know what's at stake and what I need to do. The better I play, the more chances my team has to win."
Usually, when a big man comes up big, his team wins. Except these are the Knicks, and this is Curry, still searching for himself.
Until he finds what he's looking for, the big man the Knicks need is suiting up for Ohio State now, and maybe Chicago later. Shaun Powell writes for Newsday.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Oden content to be in Columbus instead of the NBA

By NANCY ARMOUR
AP National Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? As he squirms in his seat, uncrosses and crosses those long legs and plays with the cast shackling his right wrist, Greg Oden looks like a kid who's been cooped up for far too long.
Which, say those who know him best, sounds about right.
The Ohio State freshman is the biggest thing to hit college basketball in decades. Only the fourth two-time national high school player of the year, the 7-footer has dazzling, game-changing skills at both ends of the court. He's already so good, USA Basketball invited him to hang with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and other NBA stars at its training camp this summer.
But the 18-year-old might not be as eager to join the NBA as everyone thinks, especially with a wrist injury forcing him to miss the first half of the season.
"He wants to experience the college environment, and he still hasn't got to experience that yet," said Mike Conley Jr., one of No. 7 Ohio State's five heralded newcomers and a friend and teammate of Oden's since grade school.
"He still thinks he needs to get better," Conley added.
First, Oden must get healthy.
His right wrist has been immobilized since June 16, when a screw was inserted to repair a torn ligament. The injury kept him off the U.S. team for the world championships and, though the pin was removed several weeks ago, still limits what he can do in practice.
Off the court, too. Ohio State coach Thad Matta doesn't allow newcomers to speak to media until they've played a game, so Oden was unavailable for comment.
But a warning to everyone on Ohio State's schedule: The cast on his right wrist ? Buckeye scarlet and grey, naturally ? could make Oden even better. A weight-room regular, Oden has added about 15 pounds of muscle since arriving in Columbus and now weighs 280 pounds.
He's also been working on his left hand. Tirelessly.
"We had a coach in there the other day who said, 'I didn't know Greg Oden was left-handed," Matta said. "I know Greg's tired of being injured. But he's had to do some things that he maybe needed to get better at. I thought his left hand was pretty good when his right hand was not injured. But I think it could add more to his game.
"I hope there's a silver lining in this, because it's been tough."
Oden is expected back in time for Ohio State's Big Ten opener Jan. 2 but not for games at North Carolina and defending national champion Florida. After six months off, no one knows how rusty he'll be when he returns. Or how long it will take him to adjust to the college game.
That hasn't stopped people from anointing him as one of the best in the country.
He was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team, believed to be a first for a true freshman. He also received votes for the preseason All-America team.
"From what he's shown in practice, I'm sure he'll have NO trouble adjusting," said Matt Terwilliger, who will play some center until Oden returns. "Everything within 7 feet of the basket is an easy dunk for him, with how he gets up for rebounds and things.
"He's so much more advanced (mentally) than most freshmen," Terwilliger added. "Just the way he goes through drills, thinking about positioning and how quickly he picks things up. The mental aspect won't be a factor with him."
Basketball phenoms are nothing new in Indiana, home of Oscar Robertson, Kent Benson and Damon Bailey. But even there, Oden was something special.
A starter all four years at Lawrence North in Indianapolis, Oden scored 1,873 points and had 1,058 rebounds and 341 blocks. He led Lawrence North to three straight Class 4A titles and a 103-7 record, and he never lost a home game.
"He affects the game," said Jack Keefer, Oden's high school coach. "Our defense last year, people only averaged 32 percent. They only shot 3s because they didn't want to mess with him. He not only takes the paint away from you, he takes the area around the paint away from you."
His size alone makes him a force, but great timing and an uncanny sense around the basket make him particularly dangerous. Matta remembers seeing one game where Oden blocked 18 shots in 32 minutes.
Don't overlook him offensively, though. He's a great passer with soft hands and quicker than most realize. Content to let his teammates handle the scoring his first three years at Lawrence North, Oden picked it up as a senior when he and Conley had to carry the offense, averaging 22 points on 74 percent shooting.
"The level that he could escalate his game to was amazing," Matta said.
By Oden's junior year, he'd been featured in Sports Illustrated, and his games were being shown on national TV. The question wasn't if he'd follow James ? one of the other two-time players of the year ? straight to the NBA, but which team would be lucky enough to get him.
The NBA had other ideas.
Tired of teenagers who came in needing heavy on-the-job training, the league established a minimum age limit in the summer of 2005. Precocious players now would have to play a little college ball before entering the NBA draft.
That was Oden's plan all along. Unlike everybody else, he didn't think he was ready for the NBA yet.
"There was no chance he was going to the NBA. It would have been me and his mom and his high school coach grabbing his ankles, telling him to do it," said Conley's father, Mike Sr., an Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump and coach of the AAU team his son, Oden and fellow Buckeyes freshman Daequan Cook played on.
Besides, Oden likes school. An honors student at Lawrence North, he's majoring in business at Ohio State and wants to be an accountant.
He also relishes being "normal," refusing to get caught up in the hype surrounding him. His wardrobe is more prep than pro ? he showed up at an Indiana Pacers game last year in a polo shirt and jeans, and wore khakis and a brown sweater to Ohio State's first exhibition. And he rarely talks about being a potential No. 1 draft pick, even with his closest friends.
Teammates use words like "silly" or "goofball" to describe him. He likes cartoons and video games, and he's already surprised Ron Lewis once with his Nerf gun. He likes to dance ? not well, Conley and Cook quickly point out ? and tell corny jokes.
"People look at him like 'Greg Oden, the basketball player,' but Greg tries to walk around and be a normal person," Cook said. "That's the great thing about him. He wants to be like the rest of us."
When he'd phone Matta after committing, he continued to say it was "Greg Oden from Indianapolis" calling. And it was no coincidence the secretary in the Lawrence North athletic department retired after Oden graduated, Keefer said.
"She thought it would never be the same," Keefer said. "He just treats everybody very nicely. Our school misses him dearly right now."
People at Ohio State likely will feel that way someday, too.
When, though, is the question. Though Oden has told friends he'd like to stay in school, he also has said he thinks he could play in the NBA after his time at the U.S. team training camp.
"I think he feels a lot more confident about it today than he did eight months ago," Conley Sr. said. "But with his injury and his hand, and coming back, you just never know. You just never know."
___
AP Sports Writers Pat Graham in Denver and Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Oden is up to 280 now?! Holy crap!

[osugrad21]

Link

College Basketball | Oden, Gators make it a young man's game

By Bud Withers
Seattle Times staff reporter





Freshman Greg Oden could have Ohio State opponents running for cover. The 7-footer likely would have been the top pick in the NBA draft had rules not changed.

If college basketball were tilting on an old, familiar axis, Greg Oden would be playing tonight in a glitzy but somnolent NBA arena. And somebody on the other team might be named Joakim Noah or Corey Brewer.
No, no and no. As the college season tips off tonight, new rules and novel thinking are in place, each element destined to dramatically impact schoolboy hoops.
Oden is the Indianapolis 7-footer and poster child for the first year of an NBA rule forcing high-school graduates to wait a year before they can be drafted. Instead of occupying the roster of the Toronto Raptors, who had the first pick in the pro draft, he's with the Ohio State Buckeyes, who suddenly will become a factor in the national-title race when Oden debuts in January after a wrist injury.
"I'm not sure there's been a better big man coming out, in terms of all aspects of the game ? passing, scoring and shot-blocking," Arizona coach Lute Olson said last week at the Pac-10's media day. "He pretty much eliminates everything from 12 feet in. He has a chance to be another [Bill] Walton or [Kareem Abdul-] Jabbar."
If the fates, or CBS, have their way, Oden will run into Florida. It was the Gators who marched convincingly to the 2006 national championship, after which leading lights like Noah, Brewer and Al Horford were expected to bid goodbye to Gainesville and hello to a rookie contract.
They announced shortly after returning from the Final Four that they would take a pass on the pros for now. Refreshingly ? stunningly ? they then kept their word through the spring dance of posturing and agents and draft camps.
What's left for Florida is a rarity on the order of the hook shot ? five starters returning to an NCAA championship team, trying to become the first to repeat since Duke in 1992.
Of course, the downside is that anything less than trophies and snipped nets is liable to be viewed as failure. Billy Donovan, the coach, is already bracing for that eventuality.
"I'm not going to allow anybody to take away from the enjoyment we're going to try to have, taking on the challenge of this year," he told reporters recently. "If we don't get to the Final Four, I'm not going to sit there and say, 'What a disappointing season.' "
Rest assured, there will be people who will do it for him. And there will be no lack of hopefuls looking to bump Florida from the winners' stand ? among them, North Carolina, Kansas and possibly UCLA or Arizona.

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

I was reading bucknuts, so all the credibility I read is probably poor, but a lot of them seemed to think Oden would be back nearly a month earlier than expected. Meaning he would be ready for the UNC game. Someone claimed to have a little inside info. Is this just optimistic fodder?

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

If anyone claims to have inside info on his recovery, well its purely speculation.....Oden's recovery is a day to day thing.....one step at a time.

[crazybuckfan40]

Originally Posted by OSUBasketballJunkie

If anyone claims to have inside info on his recovery, well its purely speculation.....Oden's recovery is a day to day thing.....one step at a time.

Agreed...

[Dryden]

A bigger version of what grad posted above:

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Thanks, the speculation just got me a little excited.

[osugrad21]

Link

Talented freshmen will have 1-year careers

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
McClatchy Newspapers
Copyright ? 2006 AP Wire
MIAMI -- Greg Oden -- the most dominant high school center since Shaquille O'Neal -- is a freshman at Ohio State. He takes classes, attends practice, eats dorm food and plans to suit up for the Buckeyes once his ailing wrist heals. Whether he unpacks his luggage remains to be seen.
He might be better off keeping his stuff in boxes.
Oden, a 7-1, 255-pound Indiana native, is a member of the first freshman class held back from the NBA Draft for a year under the league's new age rules. Players must be 19 and one year removed from high school to be eligible for the draft.
Unlike 2004, when a record eight high schoolers were drafted in the first round, the Class of 2006 has to wait until summer 2007 to cash in.
Oden, Seattle prep star Spencer Hawes (University of Washington), and all-everything forward Kevin Durant (University of Texas) are among the NBA-bound youngsters biding their time in college this season because their only other choices are going to Europe, spending a year riding buses to NBDL games or getting rusty.
Other top freshmen who would likely be in the NBA under the old rules are Paul Harris (Syracuse), Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina). So, for five months anyway, college basketball can boast the most talented freshman class since 1995, when Kevin Garnett went directly to the Timberwolves and opened the floodgates.
Though fans might be excited to see the top prep players in college uniforms, albeit for just one season, many college basketball coaches are not convinced the rule is a good idea. If players are allowed to declare for the draft after their freshman year, why not just let them turn pro out of high school?
"It's like the kid has one foot in college and one foot out," University of Miami basketball coach Frank Haith said. "He's not really committed to the team or academics, he's just there counting days until the draft, so how seriously is he going to take his college experience?
"The NBA wanted to do the right thing, but I'm not really in favor of the rule as it is because I think if a kid's good enough to go out from high school, he should go. It's not fair to those kids to hold them back and force them to go to college if they don't want to."
That said, if a player such as Oden wanted to play for the Hurricanes for one season, Haith would take him.
"Heck, yes," Haith said. "Absolutely I would. I won't lie. Look what Carmelo Anthony did for Syracuse. But I don't think that will be an issue for us here at Miami, at least not yet. And it would take a very special kid."
Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said he's not so sure he'd take a player for one season.
"If a kid comes in, plays amazing as a freshman and has a chance to go, he should go," Greenberg said by phone. "But to recruit a guy knowing he's going to go after one year? I'm not inclined to take a guy like that. For my program, I need to recruit to build continuity. It would take an extraordinary situation."
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina coach Roy Williams also have expressed reservations about the new rule, even though both stand to gain one-year wonders.
Williams, who probably wouldn't have much-hyped freshmen Brandan Wright and Wayne Ellington were it not for the age rule, said he worries college basketball will become a "bus stop" for some NBA-bound freshmen. Krzyzewski would rather see players make the leap from high school, or make a college commitment of at least two years.
"Frankly, I'd rather have it the way it was, or have it a mandatory two years in college," Krzyzewski told reporters recently. "Nobody has to go through this thing of `I think I want to go to school' when they really don't.
"We have a 16-year-old girl golfer Michelle Wie winning money. Basketball players should be given the same opportunity. It's not going to hurt the college game. We're going to be OK no matter what."

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OSU BASKETBALL
Oden?s debut date still uncertain, but December isn?t out of question
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Ohio State freshman Greg Oden will get the splint taken off his surgically repaired right wrist Thursday.


The scarlet and gray splint comes off Greg Oden?s right wrist Thursday.
When the wraps come off the next big thing in college basketball remains uncertain. But it could be sooner than the Jan. 1 date coach Thad Matta has been mentioning.
How much sooner?
Maybe an early Christmas present for Ohio State and its fans, who are anxious to see how much better the young Buckeyes become when the 7-foot freshman gives them an inside presence.
When Oden makes his debut "is a fluid date," the team?s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Grant Jones, said this week. But Oden will begin stretching the wrist to increase its flexibility when the splint comes off, Jones said, and start strengthening exercises in about two weeks.
"That?s how we?re going to gauge if he can come back earlier" than January, said Jones, who did not perform the surgery but is overseeing Oden?s rehabilitation. "The goal is to get the (grip) strength (in the right wrist) to about 80 percent of that in the left, or above. That will show it?s safe for him to start competitive-type things, first in practice and then in games."
Oden, a two-time national player of the year in high school, had surgery June 16 to repair a torn ligament in the wrist. A screw was inserted then to hold bones in place while the ligament healed. The screw was removed Oct. 19, and the wrist has been immobilized since while the hole in the bone heals.
Oden will continue to wear a brace for protection when he is not exercising the wrist, Jones said, and will be fitted for a padded brace to wear in practice and games.
Rehabilitation time originally was estimated at six months, Jones said, because "we know (that) is the time ligaments and tendons take to heal to about 80 percent strength." By that time, he said, they can "withstand more force."
Six months from the date of surgery is Dec. 16, when Ohio State plays Cincinnati in Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where Oden won three state high school championships. A week later, the Buckeyes play at No. 1-ranked Florida, the defending NCAA champion.
The Jan. 1 date Matta has used is "to give (Oden) a couple weeks after the protection period to get ready to play again," Jones said.
That is where Oden?s return could be expedited. He might be ready to roll when the wrist is cleared for contact "sometime in December," Jones said.
Oden has been playing in "5-on-0" drills ? offense against no defense ? since October to polish his timing and become familiar with Matta?s system. He has been running alongside the court as his teammates practice to simulate game conditions. And he has been strengthening every part of his body except the wrist ? even his right shoulder, with resistance training from the elbow up.
Oden weighed 262 pounds when he enrolled at Ohio State in June and was 278 last week. His body fat is 5.2 percent, said Dave Richardson, the team?s strength and conditioning coach.
"He?s been able to do everything I?ve wanted him to do, and he?s really done it with ease," Richardson said.
"I don?t know what Thad has in mind. I?m sure his idea is probably to ease him in. But I don?t see that happening. I think his first game he?s going to play significant minutes. That?s how we?re approaching his conditioning."
Matta has been vague about when Oden will return and how much he will play. Matta has even said he won?t give advance notice of when Oden will play. Asked last week if it would be November ? as in Nov. 29 at North Carolina ? Matta said no, then qualified that by adding, "The chances of that happening would be a freak of nature."
Jones said a November return "would be very doubtful."
"Two or three weeks (from now), we?ll make some strength calculations," Jones said. "It?ll take him some time to get the strength back (in the wrist after) being immobilized for that period of time. Every couple of weeks, we?ll reassess his strength."
Jones would not speculate on when Oden might return.
Oden was not available for comment; Matta does not permit first-year players to speak to the media until they have played a game.
But in July, while attending the USA national team?s training camp before the world championships, Oden put the rest of college basketball on notice as to what to expect.
"This injury is hurting me," he told the Akron Beacon-Journal. "But when I come back, it is going to hurt other people, too, because I?m going to be ready."
bbaptist@dispatch.com

[GrizzlyBuck]

Last night, I watched a game that I had taped between Lawrence North (Oden's and Conley's HS,for those who have been living in a cave or who have been in a coma) and Eric Gordon's HS, "something" Central. Now to the moral, I cannot wait to see Oden suit up, his athleticism is astounding for a 7 footer. He jumps and runs the floor as well, or better, than any big man I've ever seen (I'm 40 so I've seen Abdul Jabbar in his late prime and Walton a little before foot problems robbed him of his athleticism, as well as all of the big men since)

The only thing that I thought was a little lacking in his play was in his setting up in the lane and demanding the ball, being double and triple teamed in HS made this difficult. As difficult as it is for him to miss these early games, this will give the staff more time to work on his fundamentals and footwork, which already seemed pretty good.

Sorry this is sooo long, I'm just psyched