Oden Losing Confidence Already? Claims of Faking Needed Surgery?

I have my doubt about Oden. He dominated smaller players in college, but was never really tested. The one time he had a chance to be tested, versus Hibbert, and officials quickly got both of them in foul trouble. He doesn't have an offensive game, he fouls alot, and never showed a ton of improvement in college. But he is talented. Being able to shoot 70% from the line with your LEFT hand after injury your right is off-the-charts!

 

I'm assuming that Oden might just be a little bit nervous with everything coming at him so fast and everything since his last semester in OSU. I'm assuming he will still live up to his #1 draft hype by mid season.

Some people are so cruel, give him a chance to showcase himself this first season. Then we can trash him all we want.

 

Well....Jenny told me that Susie told her that her boyfriend who is the quarterback on the football team said that Doug was trying to date Chrissy but Chrissy didn't want to tell him that she was hooking up with Doug's friend Larry and OHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!!!

 

That trade would have happened anyway. Great salary dump for the Blazers and they get Frye at PF to replace ZBo.

 

the pressure of the summer league is already gettin to him. what a shame! i thought he would do good

 

Im going to give this guy atleast 3 years to develop... before I judge weather he will be good or not...

I was never big on him either... I just didnt see it....

I said before I could see him being a defensive force... in a few years...

but thats alot easier than developing a NBA level offensive game...

 

isn't he about to retire?

 

I can buy into this this report. Baseball players and basketball players are routinely given days off when going through a slump for the exact same reasons of getting the heads screwed back on straight and to relax from the pressure. With the media the way it is know, had Oden played the entire summer league with those averages, he would have automatically been a topic of debate everywhere if he was already a bust, putting him even more into the spot light and more pressure on himself to prove others wrong. He did need the surgery, so why not know then later if there's not much to realistically be gained by playing in the summer league after an already long college year and tournament.

Oden has been marketed as the savior to the Portland organization. It's still gonna take years for him to develop as most big men that even played more years in college. I think they could screw him up if they rush him to quickly. Even after those years, i personally imagine him as nothing more than a 20 and 10 guy who will not be the go to guy and need alot of talented support if they want a title. Oden is no Shaq or Yao. Still, having a 20 and 10 center these days is an extreme luxury and most teams would still draft him #1 if they had a magic ball that said that's what Oden will produce. You just can't make a trade for a center of even PF with those potential numbers. Not to mention they are rarely ever a free agent, either. If so, you better have the max cap space at that exact time plus be desirable to the FA.

 

Does it really matter? Oden isn't that good right now. I don't think anyone who actually knows basketball can dispute that. Who cares what happens in a summer league game? It's basically all about potential with him.

As for the comparisons with past legendary centers, keep in mind that Oden is 19(despite how he looks). And other than Shaq, all the best centers in NBA history had plenty of seasoning in college. Obviously, the key to Oden's development is on offense, preferably a dominant low post game. Easier said than done, of course, but he has all the physical tools.

 

THANKS!!!!

 

Take it from Steve Novak and JL3: do not, ever, judge a player by their summer-league performance.

 

So true, he was just getting his yearly prostate exam, the one he has been getting for the past 20 years.

 

If sucking early in your career could lead to loss of confidence, Yao would've committed suicide in his rookie year. If true............ grow a pair, Oden!