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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 1:47:38 GMT -5
High school phenom, Greg Oden, and his Lawrence high school team will be on national tv today. ESPN2 will televise the game (check your local listings for time). He's a 7 footer who is being called the next big thing coming out of high school since Lebron James in 2003 and the first high school big man since Shaq to be this highly regarded. Said to be a physically dominant defensive player with an NBA ready body. If anyone has seen Dwight Howard play and seen how incredibly talented he is (as well as destined for future All-Star teams), Oden is being tabbed a better high school prospect than that. Now that is really saying something because Dwight Howard looked very good as a high school senior.
I'll get my first look at him today and I'll be sure to post my thoughts on this kid.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Dec 8, 2005 2:22:21 GMT -5
I'd say since Duncan. Duncan was pretty much a sure thing.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 2:50:12 GMT -5
I just saw the commercial for the game. Oden does look like a legit 7 footer, though he's not as big muscularly as I thought he would be. NBADraft says he's like David Robinson--and they're right. Physically, he does look somewhat like Robinson, though I'd say more like Dwight Howard.
Can't wait too see him in action.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2005 11:07:34 GMT -5
hmmm since he can't come directly into the NBA, when do we get the Lakers Lottery pick unprotected? Is there hope???
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 17:20:11 GMT -5
hmmm since he can't come directly into the NBA, when do we get the Fakers Lottery pick unprotected? Is there hope??? That is what my entire life centers around at this moment--trying to figure out how to get Greg Oden in '07. If we don't take the Lakers' pick this year (which I believe is lottery protected), we can use it next year (which I believe will be top 10 protected). But I can't imagine the Lakers getting any worse, so if we want the higher pick, it'll be to our advantage to use it this year. We also own Cleveland's 1st round pick in '07 (thanks to Jiri Welsch), but I highly doubt they are in the lottery--not unless Lebron James goes down with an injury that keeps him out for the entire season. So this is where the dilemma is. I'm certain we won't get the 1st overall pick without making a move. But how much is Greg Oden worth? Is he worth moving Pierce for? I'm almost certain it will take Pierce to even get teams to think about trading away the rights to draft Oden. Well, I hope to get an answer for that when I watch him play today. If he is as good as advertised and is a defensive beast and a monstrous rebounder, we may seriously have to put on our thinkers cap and start brainstorming of ways to bring him to Boston.
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Post by Ossric on Dec 8, 2005 17:40:38 GMT -5
Look, i've never seen Oden, let alone heard his name unless from you guys. He might be all that, but if i remember correctly Derren, you had similar feelings about Okafor for 2 years. Allthough Oak isn't bad, he's hardly the next coming of Duncan or Garnett.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 18:01:55 GMT -5
Yes, that is true. I did like Okafor and even Bogut. But who's to say that they won't be exponentially better in 3 years? They still have a lot of years to become top players in the NBA. Duncan and KG are superstars, elite of the elite. I didn't say Okafor or Bogut will reach that level.
But I do feel that we are in need of a big time defensive player in the middle to compete for the title. We already have a lot of offense to go around, but we struggle on defense. I think Perks has shown how much better we can be with a true rebounder and a guy who can alter and block shots. But I can't say with an honest face that Perkins will be one of the top defensive players in the game. Very possible for him to be one of the better defensive big men in the NBA, but to reach the Finals and win a few titles, it will really benefit us if we dominate the glass and own the paint.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 19:50:16 GMT -5
Early looks at this guy, his body and movements are a cross between Hakeem Okajuwon and David Robinson (more like Olajuwon). Long torso, long limbs, fluid movements, and can be explosive around the rim. His movements away from the basket aren't bad, but not Al Jefferson like.
Very long limbs. Gets a lot of rebounds and blocked shots because he's long. We'll have to see how he does at the college level where there will be more big men his height.
He had an interview with Jason Williams before the game and he's got an old looking face. And when he talks, he's not very animated--has that Robert Parish like demeanor. But on the court, he shows emotion.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 19:59:12 GMT -5
Not very offensive, but does show potential to grow in this area. After the first quarter (high schoolers play 4 eight minute quarters), Oden has 6 pts, 5 rebs, and 2 blocks. Didn't have a big 1st quarter, but you can see that he's very capable of making an impact at any time (keep in mind that this is high school).
He needs to add more muscle and bulk. His athleticism is very good for a 7 footer (think Olajuwon) and he's very long limbed. He's a timing shot blocker and doesn't seem to be the type who picks up a lot of fouls blocking shots. He's rebounding merely by out-jumping and out-reaching the other bigs and he'll need to learn how to body up better and out position his man. He doesn't need to be like Karl Malone and power his way for rebounds. He's long and has quick enough jumping ability to be able to tip rebounds to himself.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 8, 2005 20:23:46 GMT -5
After 2 quarters, 12 pts, 10 rebs, and 4 blocks. On the final possession of the 2nd quarter, the ball is fed into Oden on the left block with a second left and he does this extremely quick spin move and in a flash, dunks the ball to beat the buzzer.
Well, he hasn't dominated this game and isn't looking like he's trying to dominate. He's a humble guy.
My conclusion is that physically, he's the next Hakeem Olajuwon. Now, whether or not he'll be as great as the "Dream" is all up to him. Not quite the offensive player Olajuwon is, but from a rebounding and shot blocking standpoint, its like looking at Olajuwon when he was at the University of Houston.
Comparing Oden to Dwight Howard, Oden is not as polished as Howard was as a high school senior. Howard also seems more explosive and more knowledgeable as a basketball player.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 9, 2005 1:47:25 GMT -5
Ok, I had time to digest my first impression of Oden. Here's what I think:
Oden didn't impress me as I was hoping. Still an amazing athlete, but he didn't show as many things as Dwight Howard did. He's too laid back at times. If he really wanted to prove himself in front of millions of viewers of how good he really is (like Lebron showed in his high school game on ESPN), Oden could have had 30+, 20+ rebounds, and possibly 10 blocks. He does have that type of skills to really dominate the high school ranks. But he played very passively and didn't show enough aggressiveness with his own offense or on the offensive boards off of misses. I was actually disappointed on several possessions where he could have easily grabbed the offensive board and thrown it down big time. But instead, he seemed to be content with letting the other team grab the board and go the other way.
He didn't show much basketball IQ, not as much as Dwight Howard did at the same age. And definitely not as much polish as Howard showed.
While Howard looked like an NBA prospect as a senior, I think going to college will be the best choice for Oden (not like he has a choice anyways with the new draft rule). Someone needs to light a fire under Oden's butt. Actually, let me rephrase that--someone needs to turn up the fire a bit more to make it hotter on his butt. Oden does play hard, but just not as hard as he can to really be dominant. As it is, he only shows glimpses of dominance at the high school level.
Defensively, he does have the makings of being a really good defensive player. He'll be a better defensive player than Perkins, although Perkins will be able to muscle up against bigger C/PF's better.
I mentioned that he moves around the court like Hakeem Olajuwon, but his stats will be more along the lines of Dikembe Mutumbo. Not much offensive but good defensive stats--as in 12 rebs and 4 blocks and a whole lot of deflections (or shot alterations). He's really like a human eraser. He's so long and tall and he shows good athleticism for a 7 footer.
Would I give up Pierce to get him? At this point, I wouldn't. But he could improve his game tremendously in college, at which point, he could be worth trading Pierce for. Many of you may think I'm nuts to think of trading Pierce for Oden, but I look at the situation after weighing the options. I'd keep Pierce and use some other player as trade bait, but unfortunately I think only Pierce would work.
First of all, defense wins championships, as many of you will agree. Perkins is terrific, but Oden is much better shot blocker (he's taller and has better instincts and timing).
Secondly, I'm anticipating that many of our players will develop into better scorers. As we are seeing with Jefferson, once he gets comfortable and finds his groove, he can be a big scorer. I also see Delonte becoming a better scorer and his average should end up around 15 ppg. We already have Ricky Davis, whoi's a 20+ ppg scorer with or without Pierce. Gomes is a versatile scorer who just needs time to develop and more confidence. Tony Allen will also be a double digit scorer. With our offense, as long as players are moving and as long as the ball is moving around the court, we'll get our scoring opportunities.
If Oden can improve his overall game at the college level and as our team develops more scorers, the gamble of trading Pierce may just be worth it. But I'll have to see if Oden can improve his game to a higher level.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Dec 9, 2005 3:04:26 GMT -5
If Oden doenst get hurt, he will be a top 3 player in the NBA. I would give up Pierce in a heartbeat.
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 9, 2005 18:07:05 GMT -5
Today's centers are more defensive minded. Once upon a time, centers were scorers as well.
Derren, great report. Karma for you.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Dec 9, 2005 19:50:26 GMT -5
Today's centers are more defensive minded. Once upon a time, centers were scorers as well. Derren, great report. Karma for you. Thanks, RR. We'll see in 5 years if anything I said holds water.
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 9, 2005 23:45:08 GMT -5
Derren, I value your opinion.
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