May
23
SWEET REDEMPTION FOR 1984?
Filed Under Loose Balls
TRAIL BLAZERS WIN THE GREG ODEN LOTTERY!
The Portland Trail Blazers have just landed the #1 pick in the draft and a once-every-decade center who will anchor a squad that will shortly become one of the elite teams in the Western Conference for years to come. Things are looking rosy for the Blazers and their Rose Garden faithful with the no-brainer addition of Ohio State’s Oden, who will join a frontline with second-year stud LaMarcus Aldridge in addition to teaming up with Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy.
Ironically, this monumental moment in Blazers’ history comes 23 years after the Blazers passed up on the number 23, a six-foot-six inch guard from the University of North Carolina by the name of Michael Jordan. Portland has always had to hold its head in shame after selecting Kentucky’s Sam Bowie ahead of Jordan with the number-two pick in the 1984 draft. The Chicago Bulls followed, of course, by picking Jordan, who went on to lead the franchise to six titles in eight years and solidify his spot as the game’s greatest player. Bowie’s career was marred by injuries and he was dealt out of Portland to the Nets for Buck Williams.
Oden is by no means going to be a Michael Jordan, but his significance will be felt quickly in the league. These type of big men don’t come along every year. Oden joins fellow big men like Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon (the first pick of the great 1984 draft), Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as players who have instantly changed the whole look of a franchise.
Oden is nowhere near any of these listed players and has a lot of developing to do. With that said, he will be an immediate presence on the defensive end with his shot-blocking abilities. Unlike most of those big men (barring Olajuwon and Jabbar), Oden is a solid free-throw shooter. While a lot of his points at Ohio State came off dunks, Oden has a soft shooting touch and an impressive half-hook that could become his specialty shot in the league.
While missing the early part of the season recovering from right wrist surgery, Oden’s impact was felt immediately on the college basketball landscape. Ohio State only lost three games with Oden, twice to Florida and once to Wisconsin. Oden helped Ohio State reached the National Championship in his lone season in college and had a very impressive title game against a strong Gators’ frontline featuring soon-to-be lottery picks Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
Oden will be Portland’s best center since Bill Walton, who led the Blazers to their only title in 1977, and will not have the durability issues. Even more importantly, he will give Blazers’ fans the realistic dream of being a contender for a long time. While he won’t be ready to have Portland in the Finals in his second season like Tim Duncan did with the Spurs (with the help of veteran David Robinson), Oden will be the starting and ending point for the Blazers from now on.
While some people may think that Kevin Durant should go first, the Blazers will not pass on Oden (if they do, they’ll be kicking themselves for years to come). Contrary to Jordan’s Bulls and Isaiah Thomas’ and even Ben Wallace’s Pistons, NBA champions have featured dominant big men, from Duncan to Shaq to Olajuwon to Jabbar to Moses Malone to Walton to Chamberlain to Russell.
The Blazers have just landed their big man and officially been placed back on the NBA map!
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[…] It has already been reported that the Blazers have promised Greg Oden that they will be taking him with the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. I’m glad to see the Blazers didn’t submit to the Kevin Durant pressure. Don’t get me wrong. Durant is an excellent player and will have more of an immediate impact next year, but centers like Oden don’t come along every year. Oden still has a long way to go with his game, but he will give the Blazers a legitimate big man for years to come. The NBA is all about superstars and reputation, and Oden’s presence will mean a lot for the Blazers. And unlike past knockout big men in the draft like Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal, Oden is very solid at the free throw line. The fact that Oden isn’t a liability at the free throw line will mean big things as Portland begins its eventual ascension back to the playoffs. Oden’s presence in the NBA will immediately be felt on the glass and the boards. His offensive game is still a bit raw, but Oden does possess a nifty little half-hook shot that could become his signature move for years to come (besides the two-hand jam of course). Here’s what I wrote when the Blazers won the draft lottery for Oden back in May: Sweet Redemption for 1984? […]