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

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Oden gets more comfortable as playoffs loom
April 14, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Greg Oden is smiling again.

That?s significant as the Trail Blazers prepare for their first foray into the playoffs since 2003.

Portland?s big man has been moody at times his rookie season, weighed down by a couple of injuries and the mountainous ? possibly unrealistic ? expectations that have been placed on him.

But over the past couple of weeks, Oden has gained both confidence and a comfort level with his game. During Monday night?s 113-83 victory over Oklahoma City, the 7-footer flashed his toothy grin and waved to fans behind the bench at the Rose Garden.

?I feel good, you know?? Oden said. ?I think it was just a matter of being able to get out there and just play. Get some minutes and start playing.?
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?I?m just trying to play my role. Definitely, we all need to accept our roles and know that that?s what got us here,? he said. ?So I just want to go out there and play hard every night.?

Over Portland?s last 10 games, Oden is averaging 9.2 points and six rebounds. While not impressive statistically, his play is clearly improving.

?He?s starting to get a feel and a rhythm and get comfortable with the team he?s playing with. We?re bringing him off the bench, and I think he?s gotten comfortable with that rotation and has been able to be productive for us,? Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.

Overall, Oden is averaging 8.8 points, seven rebounds and 1.13 blocks in 60 games this season.
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Oden gets more comfortable as playoffs loom | newarkadvocate.com | The Newark Advocate
 
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Oden?s roller-coaster night ends with a thrill
By Adam Jude
The Register-Guard
Apr 22, 2009

PORTLAND ? Suddenly, there was Greg Oden.

Remember him?

The 2007 No. 1 pick had spent most of his first two NBA playoff games either buried in Yao Ming?s moon-sized shadow or hidden at the far end of the Portland bench in foul trouble.

Then, with the Blazers trailing Houston in the final minutes, Oden flashed to the left side of the lane, snatched an offensive rebound away from Yao and threw down a putback dunk.

In an otherwise forgettable game, during a so-far unremarkable young career, it had to be Oden?s biggest contribution as a Blazer.

His dunk tied the score 89-89, got the Rose Garden crowd on its feet and sparked a 12-3 run that all but secured Portland?s must-have 107-103 victory Tuesday night, evening the first-round playoff series at one game apiece.

?That was a play we really needed,? Portland?s Brandon Roy said. ?I thought that was big for our confidence. That was just a great way to be alert by Greg.?

If the Blazers hope to get past Yao and the Rockets, they?ll need more than an alert Oden. They?ll need the 7-foot rookie to do more than annoy Yao in the middle, and more important, they?ll need him to believe in himself.

Oden?s final numbers Tuesday weren?t impressive: four points, four rebounds and six fouls in 12 minutes.

But the few plays he did make were crucial.
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"Oden’s roller-coaster night ends with a thrill" | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
 
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Blazers C Oden to miss next two games

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden is expected to miss at least another week with a lingering knee ailment.

The Oregonian reported that Oden will miss seven to 10 more days due to a bone chip in his left knee that has sidelined him the past seven games.

Oden, 21, chipped his left kneecap when he collided with Golden Warriors forward Corey Maggette on February 12. Initial reports said Oden was not expected to miss any time.

"We thought this thing would heal a little sooner and it's not healing as fast as we thought or that recovery is not as fast as we thought it would be," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "So it could be some more time before he's ready to go. As far as what I saw of him running the floor, I don't think he'll be coming back any time in the next few days."

If Oden is sidelined 10 days, he will miss six games, including matchups against Western Conference playoff contenders Denver, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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http://www.sbrforum.com/NBA/957108/blazers-c-oden-miss-next-two-games.aspx
 
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[quote='BusNative;145891;5]Greg has been playing some solid D against Yao when he's been in.[/quote]

and not getting hosed on cheap foul calls. In game 3 on Friday night....Oden dunked on Ming twice in a row. He then runs down the court stands at the elbow of the foul line, Yao runs down the court directly into Oden who gets called for a foul.

the ref gave it the ole "Ed Hightower" jogging towards midcourt and vastly exaggerating Odens movement simulating a shoulder thrust. I didn't know the "shoulder thrust" motion was an actual officiating signal.
 
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Tlangs;1458929; said:
and not getting hosed on cheap foul calls. In game 3 on Friday night....Oden dunked on Ming twice in a row. He then runs down the court stands at the elbow of the foul line, Yao runs down the court directly into Oden who gets called for a foul.

the ref gave it the ole "Ed Hightower" jogging towards midcourt and vastly exaggerating Odens movement simulating a shoulder thrust. I didn't know the "shoulder thrust" motion was an actual officiating signal.
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You're right to be suspicious. It's not a real signal. Well, that is, unless you're a NBA ref desperately trying to be part of the show. I hate that so much.
 
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Oden to train for USA Basketball team
By Jeff Rabjohns
Posted: May 6, 2009

Jerry Colangelo?s wish to have Greg Oden in the pipeline to play in future Olympics could take another step this summer.

Colangelo, director of men?s teams for USA Basketball, has invited Oden to train with USA Basketball this summer.

If the former Lawrence North High School Star and 2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball accepts the invitation, he would be one of about 24 players in the mix to play in the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.

Oden, who missed 21 games this season due to injury, sat out the 2007-08 NBA season after surgery on his right knee. The 7-foot center averaged 8.9 points and seven rebounds in 61 games for the Portland Trail Blazers, who lost in six games to Houston in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

During the NBA All-Star weekend, Colangelo told The Indianapolis Star that if Oden was healthy, he would be invited to the training camp this summer and still is under consideration for the 2012 Olympic team.

?A career is a long time. We want him healthy and we want him there,? Colangelo told The Star at the All-Star game, referring to this summer training.
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Oden to train for USA Basketball team | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
 
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Q: Your willingness to write off Greg Oden (birth date: 1988) goes against everything I like about your columns. We get it Simmons -- Portland should have taken Durant over Oden. Why does this have to mean that he's a bust? It's too early to tell and you know it.
--Mike B., Vancouver

SG: I have to apply The Darko Corollary here. You can trot out every tired excuse you want to explain why a "can't miss" prospect is missing -- and remember, Oden was a "can't miss" 22 months ago -- but at some point, we have to see something. Remember when Detroit fans kept making excuses for Darko as he toiled away on their bench and looked spazzy and overwhelmed during games, and the months kept passing, and he wasn't showing anything, and, eventually, all those games added up and we realized, "Wait, Darko doesn't have it"?

We're getting there with Oden. Look how well Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah played in the 2009 postseason. Look how much Rajon Rondo grew from Season 1 to Season 3. Look at some of the beauties Durant had this season; same for Kevin Love or Brook Lopez, or even Russell Westbrook. If you're headed toward greatness, or even goodness, you're going to show us flashes of your ultimate destiny in your embryonic years. That's just the law. You can't go from "I am doing nothing" to "I'm an All-Star!" unless you're Jamaal Magloire (who immediately went back to nothing). It's a series of baby steps. And through two seasons, Oden has shown nothing other than a remarkable ability to suffer bad luck with injuries and draw empathy from his fans. I don't know what else to say. If he's good, let's see it. We could always use more blue-chippers. But he hasn't even shown hints of flashes. It's been a full-fledged blackout for two seasons. When you're clumsy, you're clumsy. We should have seen something by now. Just remember the lessons of the Darko era. After a while, it stops being an accident.
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Bill Simmons: Breaking down the NBA playoffs, mailbag-style - ESPN
 
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Fuck you, Bill.
If you're headed toward greatness, or even goodness, you're going to show us flashes of your ultimate destiny in your embryonic years. That's just the law.
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He showed flashes. Your face was too far up Durant's ass to notice.
And through two seasons, Oden has shown nothing other than a remarkable ability to suffer bad luck with injuries and draw empathy from his fans. I don't know what else to say. If he's good, let's see it. We could always use more blue-chippers. But he hasn't even shown hints of flashes. It's been a full-fledged blackout for two seasons.
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He's played one season. "full-fledged blackout"? This hyperbole is pissing me off. But I suppose that's why he works for ESPN. Greg had very good production for how little he played and considering he battled through injuries twice.

FYI, Darko averaged less than 2 ppg and 2 rpg all 3 years in Detroit. There is no comparison between the two.

Absolutely pathetic Bill can't admit he's never liked Greg for whatever reason.
 
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