Heads up...Ohio State and Indiana are on ESPN right now. This should be Oden's first test against real competition.
hehe...guess I missed that one. Oh well...he did OK in the first half. Indiana swarmed him whenever he got the ball, so he didn't get many quality shots. He still needs polishing on the offensive end, but he's a good defender.
Only time I saw Oden play, he was very unimpressive. His FT % is pathetic. Horford almost singlehandedly denied him ANYTHING in the second half, playing injured as well. Not very impressed with Oden. Stamina not too great either. Unable to finish near the basket *cough Rafer cough*. Not very finesse, no touch near the basket. Well, just my $.02
That was also his: 1. First college game against a really good opponent 2. 5th game since being out for hand surgery in the spring 3. on his second game on the road... and it was in Florida (who has really good home court advantage because its so freaking loud in there) Last night against Indiana he made 9-10 free throws. You have to take into consideration the injury to his hand... he is still trying to overcome that. I will be interested to see him against Wisconsin next week, they have a couple of tall guys with hops. Should be a good indication of where he has progressed since the Florida game. The kid has talent, when you see him in the tourney come March, he will be more impressive.
How much is this injury really lingering? I saw him throw down a dunk with both hands last night against Wisconsin and he hung on the rim afterwards.
I think he's getting over it. It's weird that he can bang around inside with the cast on, but he shoots free throws left handed. He still gets most of his points off of dunks and putbacks, but he's a rock solid defender. Plus, he's a true center. He doesn't take any of that pansy-ass 15 foot jumper stuff, he plows it inside any chance he gets. I think he can be worth the number one overall selection if he gets the right coaching.
People should always remember that it's extremely tough for big men who stay in the post in college. Can anyone name the last time a center that was great in the NBA won a title in college? It certainly wasn't Duncan or Shaq. It's been a long time. Teams can just about eliminate a big guy's abilities on offense by packing the lane, zones, etc. Oden is showing his defensive abilities and is doing pretty well all things considered offensively. He's a great, great prospect. And complaining about the free throw % of a center that is shooting them with his off hand is just wrong.
I agree that it can be tough for big men who post up in college. But looking at college titles (or lack of) isn't a good guage IMO. Out of all the great centers in the NBA, only a couple actually went to college (Duncan, Shaq) and they did just fine IMO. Yao, Amare, D. Howard, etc...didn't go to college.
If everyone is already anointing Dwight Howard as great, Okafor should be, too. Okafor's a much better defensive player, and he's no slouch offensively either.
Nobody said Howard is great, yet, but he's on his way. His upside blows Okafor's away. At 21 years old, it's a safe bet Howard will continue to get better especially since he's improved each year. Give Howard 2-3 (maybe 4) years and you will see greatness. By age 25, he will be dominant. If he ever develops touch with the ball, it will be very ugly for opposing teams.
