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C Greg Oden (All B1G, All-American, Defensive Player of the Year, Butler Assistant Coach)

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espn.com

Blazers' Oden solid in preseason debut

By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: October 8, 2008

PORTLAND -- What a dazzling debut for the Trail Blazers rookie. Rudy Fernandez, that is.
Oh, you want to know about Greg Oden? He was OK. For a ravenous Portland fan base that has waited almost 16 months for this moment, his first game in an official Blazers uniform, that was just fine. Thirteen points, five rebounds and two blocked shots were enough to get him a standing ovation when he walked off the court at the Rose Garden with 6:36 remaining in the Trail Blazers' exhibition-game romp over Sacramento, after he reached his predetermined limit of 20 minutes' playing time.
It's like the first time you go to see your friend's new baby. He just sits there and scrunches his face -- if he's even awake. And everybody smiles and giggles and calls it a successful day.
Oden grabbed a few rebounds and made a few dunks. But most important was that he was on the court.


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His most memorable moment came in the second half when he rejected a shot by Hawes. On the other end, he dropped in a hook shot.
"I felt I did all right," Oden said. "I wanted to grow and get better from there."
But he rolled his ankle in the first half, setting him back even more. He was huffing and puffing five minutes into this game.
"The focus is on his conditioning," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "We feel once he gets into shape, it's going to be tough to play him."
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Greg Oden shines in debut

Ohio State standout and number 1 pick plays his first preseason game

Tim Weaver

Fear not, fair citizens of Portland, your knight has arrived.
Greg Oden was arguably the most dominant force in college basketball during his one year at Ohio State. Now he?s looking to make up for lost time and do the same for the Trailblazers.
After winning the number 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Blazers franchise was ecstatic. The option was to pick between Kevin Durant: a tall, lanky, athletic, and versatile forward with tremendous upside, or Greg Oden: a beast with an already NBA-sized body who could score in the post, defend, and rebound with the best of them.
It didn?t take long for Portland GM Kevin Pritchard to make his decision. The Blazers made Oden the most hyped number 1 pick since Lebron James.

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Dunk gets Blazers' Oden going

Thursday, October 9, 2008 3:19 AM



ASSOCIATED PRESS
Greg Oden started his NBA career just the way he wanted, with a dunk. The former Ohio State player dunked two minutes into a 110-81 exhibition victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. He finished the exhibition opener with 13 points in just less than 20 minutes.
"It kind of loosens me up, and gets me started on the right note," he said.
Oden was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, but his rookie season was postponed when he needed microfracture surgery on his right knee. He missed all of last season.
Except for two summer league games after he was drafted, Oden hasn't played much since he averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in his lone season at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to the national championship game, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss to Florida.
He said he had no problem adjusting.
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Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, left, shoots over Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins, from Latvia, during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)


Warriors stop Trail Blazers

7 hours ago
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Kelenna Azubuike scored 18 points, all in the second half, and Brandan Wright added 16 points and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-95 Wednesday night.

Portland center Greg Oden, the first pick of the 2007 draft, scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge also scored 14 points for the Blazers while Jerryd Bayless had 13.

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Blazers made the right choice with Oden

By John McMullen, NBA Editor

(Sports Network) - It may have taken a year longer than expected but the Portland Trail Blazers can rest easy. They made the right choice.
Greg Oden punctuated his delayed arrival to the NBA Tuesday with a thunderous dunk two minutes into the team's preseason opener against Sacramento.
"The big fella is a beast, man," teammate Brandon Roy gushed.
The Blazers went on to rout the Kings, 110-81, as Oden flashed his gaudy potential. "I think Greg showed us what he can do when in deep," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said. "We've got to get him in shape but you've got to see the potential he has. Sacramento could see it early by double-teaming him, showing him some respect. He has great hands. He can get off the floor quicker than a lot of people his size."

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He's young, talented and Greg Oden certainly is a beast

By FRANK ZICARELLI
Last Updated: 10th October 2008, 2:43am

The wait is over for Greg Oden as the NBA awaits the regular-season debut of basketball's latest man-child.
Had the league not imposed an age limit, Oden would be starting at centre for the Raptors and not Jermaine O'Neal.
Had Oden not been forced to attend one year of college, no one in this market would be debating the merits of Andrea Bargnani.
There's no use in rehashing hoops history, but Oden nonetheless looms as one of the most intriguing players on a Portland team loaded with young and explosive talent.
In an era where back-to-the-basket centres slowly are becoming extinct, Oden is the exception, an exceptional talent whose rookie year was derailed by knee surgery, a micro-fracture procedure that has cut short careers and in some cases extended them to various degrees of success.
Ex-Raptors guard Alvin (Boogie) Williams is among the first players to undergo the revolutionary surgery, but the impact was minimal.
Amare Stoudemire also had it, but it's too early to tell what long-term effects the Suns' power forward will experience as his career moves forward.
Oden emerged as the top overall pick last season at a time when many questioned his age, much like many wondered aloud about LeBron James.
In his long-awaited debut, albeit in pre-season play, Oden showed the promise predicted of him when he left Ohio State after his freshman season.
He was dunking the basketball, rejecting shots and imposing his will on a stage he seems destined to dominate.
Once Shaquille O'Neal calls it a career, which will arrive in two years when the Big Aristotle's contract expires, you can count on one hand the number of true centres in the league, post players who can back a defender down and basically dunk at will.
Dwight Howard will have company when it comes to young and powerful centres once Oden truly finds his legs and his game.
Andrew Bynum, another young post player coming off surgery, will be a presence with the Lakers, but the league has seen glimpses of Bynum's potential.
There hadn't been any game sightings of Oden until the Trail Blazers played Sacramento earlier this week.
"It felt good to be out there playing against someone who is not on our team," Oden said.

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Trail Blazers 102, Hawks 80 -- Greg Oden had 11 points and five rebounds as Portland defeated Atlanta in Kansas City, Mo.
The former Ohio State player scored five points, including a dunk off an offensive rebound as the Trail Blazers jumped to a 15-6 lead midway through the first quarter. He picked up his fourth foul with 2:30 left in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the way.
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