# Greg Oden



## Chris Bosh #4 (Feb 18, 2005)

I've heard so much about this kid and heard he's a generation player like Howard, Wade, Lebron, Bosh, Carmelo etc... I want to know who you compare his game to, and what type of numbers you think he can put up.


----------



## shyFX325 (Jul 28, 2002)

I love how overused the term " a generation player" has become. The term means he is a player we will see once a generation yet five players (and an etc) were listed right there. Not only that but players from 2-3 years of drafting. So every 2/3 years 5 players will come out that we will only see once a generation?? doesnt make much sense.

Of those 5 players you listed i think lebron is the only player to really have a chance to be a generation player. Howard and Bosh while impressive and young have alot to show me before i start putting them on a different level. As far as carmelo goes... i wont even start... i think he is no more than a glorified jerry stackhouse.

But back on to the subject, greg oden. i have never seen him play but USAtoday loves the guy and seems to think he is the next big thing. Take that with a grain of salt though cuz the last guy USAtoday had me fall in love with (shaun livingston) is not making the impact i thought he had the chance to.


----------



## HeinzGuderian (Jun 29, 2004)

He's big, strong, and athletic. A true center. He's known for his defense, his offensive game is considered pretty raw. It's hard to guage because he has some good guards on his team that like to jack up most of the shots. Physically the best specimen in the class.


----------



## NOBLE (Apr 10, 2005)

HKF considers him the next Bill Russell....


----------



## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

HeinzGuderian said:


> He's big, strong, and athletic. A true center. He's known for his defense, his offensive game is considered pretty raw. It's hard to guage because he has some good guards on his team that like to jack up most of the shots. Physically the best specimen in the class.


As someone who has seen Oden play at least 10 times, I can tell you that his offensive game isn't nearly as bad as most people think. Most people don't realize that he plays on an AAU team in which the entire starting five will be high major division one players, so he doesn't really get too many shots. His offensive game really came along over the summer, as he showed a nice jump hook, a breath takingly quick spin move, and even a little faceup jumper from ten feet away from the basket.

As you mentioned, his combination of size (not only because of his height, but he also has a nice wingspan) and athleticism are what really make him an off the charts prospect. Any time he gets the ball within 5 feet of the basket, you better believe that he's going to be dunking on someone. 

Back to his offensive game, I cannot remember a true center coming out of high school with a better offensive game then Oden since Eddy Curry (who was much farther along then Oden at the same stage.)


----------



## MarvinWilliams#1in05 (Feb 13, 2005)

NOBLE said:


> HKF considers him the next Bill Russell....


That should tell you all you need to know. I watched him play in a USA team summer game, and all he did was dunk. No jumper, No hook, just dunk. I'm afraid that won't fly in the NBA. He really needs to work on his offense. He is one amazing shot blocker though.


----------



## 36 Karat (Nov 10, 2005)

No jumper, that says it all. Personally, when I think Greg Oden, I think a scaled down Tyson Chandler (at his best point). Hopefully we're all wrong tho


----------



## aizn (Jun 19, 2005)

can't wait till the 2006 nba draft!


----------



## Starbury03 (Aug 12, 2003)

I love this guy. He will be a great center in the NBA and I love the Russell comparision because I saw that when I saw him. He can dominate on offense but that doesnt matter to him he is very un-selfish. He can dominate on defense and completly change the game that way. When he blocks a shot, when he dunks and when he rebounds. It just leaves eveyone in Aww. He wont be a great offesnse player in the NBA because his unslefishness but he will at the very very least be a Ben Wallace with more offesnse. He compares to Russell in looks, dominate defense and great otulet passes. He aslo is a great team player like Russell to.


----------



## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

MarvinWilliams#1in05 said:


> That should tell you all you need to know. I watched him play in a USA team summer game, and all he did was dunk. No jumper, No hook, just dunk. I'm afraid that won't fly in the NBA. He really needs to work on his offense. He is one amazing shot blocker though.


Well, I can tell you that I have seen him play around 12-15 times this past summer and have seen him shoot a little faceup jumper from 10 feet away from the basket a few times, and bring out a really nice right handed jump hook on countless occasions. I was not at the YDF, but if I remember correctly, did he not dominate and easily win MVP of the event?


----------



## MarvinWilliams#1in05 (Feb 13, 2005)

Rodzilla said:


> Well, I can tell you that I have seen him play around 12-15 times this past summer and have seen him shoot a little faceup jumper from 10 feet away from the basket a few times, and bring out a really nice right handed jump hook on countless occasions. I was not at the YDF, but if I remember correctly, did he not dominate and easily win MVP of the event?


He may have dominated against the great Robin Lopez, but he never even attempted a jump shot or hook for practically the entire tourney. Good luck trying to score 20+ points a game in the NBA on dunks alone.


----------



## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

MarvinWilliams#1in05 said:


> He may have dominated against the great Robin Lopez, but he never even attempted a jump shot or hook for practically the entire tourney. Good luck trying to score 20+ points a game in the NBA on dunks alone.


Is that a bit of sarcasm I sense? While Robin Lopez is no "one and done candidate" IMO, he can very easily be an NBA player with a few years of development.

In terms of scoring 20 points on dunks, Amare Stoudamire came pretty close to that last year, did he not? Now don't get me wrong, this kid needs work before he is the most dominant center in the NBA or anything of that nature. I just feel that he is easily the closest thing to a truly dominant center that there has been in years. Offensivley, he is light years ahead of Andrew Bynum, the 10th pick of last year's draft. In regards to your Tyson Chandler comparison, Oden has more of a low post game as a rising SR. in HS then Chandler does RIGHT NOW. I'm a Chandler fan actually, but you have to admit that he has no resemblence of a game whatsoever with his back to the basket.


----------



## MarvinWilliams#1in05 (Feb 13, 2005)

Rodzilla said:


> Is that a bit of sarcasm I sense? While Robin Lopez is no "one and done candidate" IMO, he can very easily be an NBA player with a few years of development.
> 
> In terms of scoring 20 points on dunks, Amare Stoudamire came pretty close to that last year, did he not? Now don't get me wrong, this kid needs work before he is the most dominant center in the NBA or anything of that nature. I just feel that he is easily the closest thing to a truly dominant center that there has been in years. Offensivley, he is light years ahead of Andrew Bynum, the 10th pick of last year's draft. In regards to your Tyson Chandler comparison, Oden has more of a low post game as a rising SR. in HS then Chandler does RIGHT NOW. I'm a Chandler fan actually, but you have to admit that he has no resemblence of a game whatsoever with his back to the basket.


I definately agree with you on the fact that he is 100 times better than any center to come out of HS recently, including Bynum, Chandler and even Curry. From everything I've seen of him (albeit a couple games) he is nowhere near ready to dominate the NBA offensively. As for the Amare comparison, Oden is not even in the same league as Amare in quickness or leaping ability categories. I think he needs some serious refinement.

As for the Lopez comment, I live a couple miles away from the twins and have played against them numerous times, so I'm entitled to a few cheapshots!


----------



## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

MarvinWilliams#1in05 said:


> I definately agree with you on the fact that he is 100 times better than any center to come out of HS recently, including Bynum, Chandler and even Curry. From everything I've seen of him (albeit a couple games) he is nowhere near ready to dominate the NBA offensively. As for the Amare comparison, Oden is not even in the same league as Amare in quickness or leaping ability categories. I think he needs some serious refinement.
> 
> As for the Lopez comment, I live a couple miles away from the twins and have played against them numerous times, so I'm entitled to a few cheapshots!


I totally agree with you on him being a better center to come out of high school recently. I can tell you this though, since I've been heavily following HS bball, the best offensive center that I have seen is Eddy Curry.

In terms of the Amare comparison, by no means did I mean that he has the same quickness or leaping ability, although Oden's quickness and leaping ability are extremley good for a 7 footer. I was just stating that it is possible to score 20 points per game off of basically dunks alone. 

I agree with you that he does need some serious refinement before he is a 20 ppg scorer, I"m sure just about everyone who has seen him play will agree with you on that.

On a side note, that's awesome that you've gotten to go up against the Lopez's so many times. If you don't mind, could you tell me what your personal thoughts are on them?


----------



## MarvinWilliams#1in05 (Feb 13, 2005)

Rodzilla said:


> On a side note, that's awesome that you've gotten to go up against the Lopez's so many times. If you don't mind, could you tell me what your personal thoughts are on them?


Well, off the court they are probably the coolest, most well rounded guys I've been around, considering all the attention they receive. Obviously they are also extremely intelligent, attending Stanford. I feel these two attributes will take these two as far as they want to go in basketball.

As far as on the court skills, Brooke is far more refined offensively than Robin, which I'm sure you already knew. When they play together it is really a joy to watch, as they really can sense what the other is going to do. I actually expect both of them to be playing in the NBA some day. Both will most likely be role players, but Brooke could be a little more if he really puts his mind to it.

But the most important I can tell you about the two of them that you won't see in a scouting report, is how genuine and level headed they both are. I'm really excited to see them playing for the Cardinal next season. They are gonna terrorize the Pac-10 with two 7 footers on the court at once.


----------



## Ghost (Jun 21, 2002)

aizn said:


> can't wait till the 2006 nba draft!



The earliest draft he can be in is the 2007 draft.


----------



## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

MarvinWilliams#1in05 said:


> Well, off the court they are probably the coolest, most well rounded guys I've been around, considering all the attention they receive. Obviously they are also extremely intelligent, attending Stanford. I feel these two attributes will take these two as far as they want to go in basketball.
> 
> As far as on the court skills, Brooke is far more refined offensively than Robin, which I'm sure you already knew. When they play together it is really a joy to watch, as they really can sense what the other is going to do. I actually expect both of them to be playing in the NBA some day. Both will most likely be role players, but Brooke could be a little more if he really puts his mind to it.
> 
> But the most important I can tell you about the two of them that you won't see in a scouting report, is how genuine and level headed they both are. I'm really excited to see them playing for the Cardinal next season. They are gonna terrorize the Pac-10 with two 7 footers on the court at once.


I have seen them play quite a few times throughout the summer, but I just wondering what you thought of them. Aside from working for DraftExpress.com, I travel the AAU circuit with an Adidas sponsored AAU team (Cleveland Basketball Club, which has produced players such as James Posey, Jawad Williams, Earl Boykins, Nene Hilario, Keith McCleod, and having LeBron James and Nene Hilario for a few tournaments, although they were not mainstays with the team). As you probably know, EBO is an Adidas sponsored team, so I've had the chance to see them a bunch.

I actually had the chance of seeing some old HS all star games on ESPN classic, and I can tell you that the Lopez's are much more talented then the last pair of twins to grace Stanford's campus, the illustrious Collins twins... :biggrin:


----------



## cheezdoodle (May 25, 2003)

When we are talking about Oden's offensive game, let's keep in mind that the kid is only 17 years old right now and nowhere close to realizing his full potential. By all accounts he is also a great kid with an amazing work ethic so once he starts getting some real coaching I would expect to see some improvements. 

Even Shaq wasn't really that much of a dominant offensive presence coming out of high school, despite having the body and the athleticism to dominate ANYONE at the college level. He only averaged 12-13 points a game as a freshman if I am not mistaken. I could see Oden doing that off of garbage points alone for Ohio State.


----------



## The_Notic (Nov 10, 2005)

I still don't how Greg Oden's TUP (Tremondous Upside Potential), is that much greater than Dwight Howard coming out of high school... Maybe that one year of college will get Oden's offensive fundamentals down, but until then, Oden has got nothing on Dwight Howard, and Dwight wasn't nowhere close as glorified as Oden is right now.


----------



## Starbury03 (Aug 12, 2003)

Well I heard some scouts said they would have taken Oden over Howard that year. Not Oden now and Howard then but when Oden was like 15.


----------



## MarvinWilliams#1in05 (Feb 13, 2005)

Starbury03 said:


> Well I heard some scouts said they would have taken Oden over Howard that year. Not Oden now and Howard then but when Oden was like 15.


Then those scouts were damn fools because Howard could school Oden right now, and could definately do it when Oden was 15.


----------



## YoYoYoWasup (Nov 14, 2004)

nm


----------



## YoYoYoWasup (Nov 14, 2004)

The_Notic said:


> I still don't how Greg Oden's TUP (Tremondous Upside Potential), is that much greater than Dwight Howard coming out of high school... Maybe that one year of college will get Oden's offensive fundamentals down, but until then, Oden has got nothing on Dwight Howard, and Dwight wasn't nowhere close as glorified as Oden is right now.


Oden's potential is not "much" greater than Howard's, it's even debatable at this point if it is higher at all. Those who were in the know, such as Justin Young, knew just how good of a prospect Dwight was coming out of high school. Unfortunately, he came out the year after Lebron, so the hype wasn't anywhere near what it probably should have been. Had Dwight come out any other year, he most definitely would of garnered a lot more attention.

Going with "upside", both Dwight and Oden should be all-stars at the highest level.


----------



## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

If Howard was a legit 7 footer he probably would of had just as much hype (maybe more) than Oden. When we see a center we go crazy because there's what, 2 good ones in the league?

No, Oden doesn't have that much more potential than Howard (in fact he might not have as much honestly), but he is going to be a top 5 center in the NBA really quick, and elite after a few years.


----------



## YoYoYoWasup (Nov 14, 2004)

Nimreitz said:


> If Howard was a legit 7 footer he probably would of had just as much hype (maybe more) than Oden. When we see a center we go crazy because there's what, 2 good ones in the league?
> 
> No, Oden doesn't have that much more potential than Howard (in fact he might not have as much honestly), but he is going to be a top 5 center in the NBA really quick, and elite after a few years.


Howard is a legit 6'11 and still growing, according to doctors. We'll see in a few years who ends up being the better player. Not many 18 year olds, however, come straight into the NBA and average a double double.


----------



## DavidBlunkett (Nov 1, 2005)

i think that howard is a work in progress and oden has a long long way to go before living up to the ridiculous hype he is getting


----------



## mysterio (May 20, 2003)

Rather than make a thread, I'll just bump this one up... 

I read that his fg% is over 70%. Is this all dunks or is he doing it with other post moves?


----------



## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

I think it's probably all dunks and close post moves over smaller players.

Also I just want to say that Yoyoyo completely missed what I was saying. I was saying that Howard is the MAN whereas Oden may not be, but since Oden is a pure center he's getting the hype when Dwight didn't until right before the draft.


----------



## bruno34115 (Apr 14, 2003)

IMO Dwight Howard will be better than Greg Oden. 

What were Greg's numbers in his senior year?


----------



## Starbury03 (Aug 12, 2003)

Oden will be a better player than D-Ho for two reasons.
1) He is a very good passer and has a good court awarness, which can lead to great outlet passes and passes out of double teams
2) His defense is going to be better than Dwights, he is gonna dominate on defense. He never falls for pump fakes and is a tremendous shot blocker wher D-Ho gets about 1 a game, with his athleticism he should be leading the league but he doesnt have the instincts.


----------



## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Oden will be the best big in the NBA within 4 years (that's including his year in college).


----------



## lilrip133 (Dec 25, 2005)

well from the AAU kids ive talked to that have played him the two things they tell me across the board are 1) he's unstoppable down low and 2) almost every dunk looks like hes looking in the rim. of course they're exaggerating but the kid is athletic as all get out. give him a few years to develop a few more weapons and he'll be the truth


----------



## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

eddy curry was the next shaq, kwame brown the next webber, chandler the next kareem, lets give the kid some time before we fit him for his hall of fame jacket.


----------



## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

HKF said:


> Oden will be the best big in the NBA within 4 years (that's including his year in college).



Maybe. Maybe not. I think he is most definitely an immediate impact guy and a franchise cornerstone ... but if Yao continues to play the way he has the 2nd half of this year and if Dwight Howard continues to develop it won't be that easy for Oden to claim that title.


----------



## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

I had the chance to go see Oden recently. It wasn't televised and the game was away, so, of course, Greg was being screwed by the refs. Basically, in the first half, he was a beast, but was called for a foul on basically everything he did. He seems like he can reach halfway across the court for a rebound. Oden is really tall, has a nice wingspan, and a good vertical. He had a monster tip-slam in the first quarter, which was the highlight of the game. Really, he's just a beast, and I can't wait to see him play against somewhat stronger opponents. In the Bloomington game, no one could guard him, so they all fell down when he got the ball, and the refs bought everything. The sad part was that Oden didn't even have to touch someone to get a foul. So, seeing him play against some muscular guys that don't flop every possession would help me become more knowledgable about him. Also, he's very well-built. He doesn't look like he has any fat, but also isn't too overly muscular so that he loses some athleticism.


----------



## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

JNice said:


> Maybe. Maybe not. I think he is most definitely an immediate impact guy and a franchise cornerstone ... but if Yao continues to play the way he has the 2nd half of this year and if Dwight Howard continues to develop it won't be that easy for Oden to claim that title.


I agree 100% with everthing you said. However, I think Oden has the potential to be a stronger defender than both. People need to understand Oden's game is defense and my fear is if he doesn't average 25+ ppg in college next year people will begin to call him overrated. If he was in the NBA right now he would be a top 3-5 center in the league today.


----------



## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

I really do wonder what kind of #'s is he going to put up as a freshman at Ohio State. Big men are always getting in foul trouble, and I don't think he is going to be getting many favorable calls. I am expecting him to not put up that great of numbers in college, but once he gets to the NBA then watch out. College is just a different game.


----------



## Kmasonbx (Apr 7, 2003)

rainman said:


> eddy curry was the next shaq, kwame brown the next webber, chandler the next kareem, lets give the kid some time before we fit him for his hall of fame jacket.


People who don't overrate big men didn't think this. Myself I was never a fan of Curry or Brown in high school (never saw Chandler). When Kwame went #1 I was calling it the worst #1 pick ever. I didn't think Curry was a bad pick but the fact that he only averaged 8 boards a game in high school told me something about his toughness . As for Oden he's nothing like these guys, he's a monster defensively and he is so athletic that once he develops a few post moves he'll be unstoppable. Even he was a 6'4 guard with his current athleticism he would still be athletic. He's not one of those guys who's athletic for his size.

With that being said I still liked Howard better in high school than Oden. When I saw Howard I wondered why nobody talked about him the way LeBron was talked about. I felt Howard had the chance to be even better than Duncan, and he's making me look good on that.


----------



## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

JNice said:


> Maybe. Maybe not. I think he is most definitely an immediate impact guy and a franchise cornerstone ... but if Yao continues to play the way he has the 2nd half of this year and if Dwight Howard continues to develop it won't be that easy for Oden to claim that title.


I love Howard, you know I do, but not more than Oden. Not even close to what Oden's ceiling can be.


----------



## Laker Superstar 34 (Aug 8, 2005)

How would you compare Andrew Bynum with Greg Oden. I'd say they'd be pretty close just because Bynum also has huge potential and can quite possibly go pretty darn far in terms of developing it with the help of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.


----------



## HB (May 1, 2004)

HKF said:


> Oden will be the best big in the NBA within 4 years (that's including his year in college).


Very strong words. Lets not forget Bosh, Howard and Amare will also be developing their games during this period


----------



## iverson101 (Mar 4, 2006)

Laker Superstar 34 said:


> How would you compare Andrew Bynum with Greg Oden. I'd say they'd be pretty close just because Bynum also has huge potential and can quite possibly go pretty darn far in terms of developing it with the help of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.


Oden was/is much much much much much better in high school than Bynum.


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

What are Oden's high school stats?


----------

