Subscribe Feed (RSS)Bill Simmons with a very thoughtful piece on Oden after watching him play in that exhibition game vs. the Clippers… and he hopes he’s wrong about him.
Here’s where you should (rightly) point out that Oden was returning from microfracture surgery and battling inevitable confidence issues. And here’s where I agree. It’s too early to say definitively, This is where we stand. I just know what I saw, and here’s what I saw: a 20-year-old guy who walked and ran like he was 35. Of course, you could have said the same about him in Columbus, but back then, at least he would randomly unleash an occasional superfreak moment: a hellacious dunk, a Russell-like block, whatever. Not anymore. His current ceiling looks more like Erick Dampier on a really good day.
Six days later, Oden sprained his foot on opening night and spawned another wave of Sam Bowie chatter. I’d just e-mailed my editors the day before to tell them I was writing about Oden. When they asked why, I sent them a rough draft of the previous three paragraphs and added that, if I had one non-Celtics NBA wish for the coming season, it would be for me to be wrong.
And not just because Oden pushes a fun Blazers team to another level. The league needs him. He could be a wonderful, thoughtful personality along the lines of Bill Bradley, Kevin McHale, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Bill Walton—an original, someone who defies every unfair stereotype of NBA players.
Simmons loves Oden. But not necessarily as a player.
I can’t remember a more fascinating big guy. Shaq was contrived. Robinson was a saint. Ewing was forced. Hakeem was bland. Kareem was a ninny. Wilt was self-absorbed. Russell was angry and defiant. Oden presents the first chance for us to connect with a big guy on a semispiritual level. He’s the lovable goofball who could have been your college roommate or next-door neighbor, the kid who went big time and took us with him. I want him to make it for the simple fact that I love basketball and we need more players like him. We just do.
Unfortunately, he has rarely seemed like a franchise center in anything more than hype. I was concerned during his high school years when it was revealed that one leg was shorter than the other. Hmmm. I was concerned during his Ohio State season, when everyone kept making excuses for him despite mounting evidence that THE NEXT GREAT CENTER GREG ODEN just couldn’t dominate night to night. I was concerned after watching him walk down a hallway after the 2007 ESPYs, when he reminded me of Fred Sanford. I was concerned after the sudden announcement that he needed major surgery.
Tags: Bill Simmons, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden
So sad and so true, so far. I hope when Oden does return they work him into things slowly, maybe 15-20 minutes a game off the bench. Hopefully he can find some wind, comfort, and confidence.