# Greg Oden May Not Be Kevin Durant, But He Can Still Come Back to Be NBA Star



## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

> Don't worry, Stephen Strasburg -- it's not only baseball where the top overall draft pick is cursed.
> 
> In the NBA, we just endured a nightmare season in which three of the last six No. 1 guys fell victim to season-ending injuries, in the process dashing the aspirations of three young teams all sorely hurting for a big man. But luckily, they're all on the way back soon, so we ask: Who has the comeback of the year -- Blake Griffin, Greg Oden or Andrew Bogut?
> 
> ...


Last sentence is what it comes down to. If Oden can stay healthy I'm glad we took him #1. He's only 22 so he's still has plenty of time, but this is a contract year so for him to get a big contract it's a big year for him.

link


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

More then likely he will end up as a bust due to his injury problems though.

Magic could happen and he could go on to recover and stay away from injuries, proving to be a dominant force in the NBA, but I don't see it happening.


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## MicCheck12 (Aug 12, 2005)

lmao at oden having a better future then Griffin if both are healthy smh


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

At this rate, Oden would be considered a success if he can give you 12 and 10 with 2 blocks per game in 65 games a year.

Hindsight is a bitch, because Durant and Roy would've been so good.


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

You're right, hindsight is a bitch.










can be a funny thing.


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Wade County said:


> At this rate, Oden would be considered a success if he can give you 12 and 10 with 2 blocks per game in 65 games a year.
> 
> Hindsight is a bitch, because Durant and Roy would've been so good.


i think Oden can do that easily if healthy.

Hindsight is a bitch, but lets wait say another 5 years and look back.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

I read the thread title and thought, "Kevin Durant? He won't be Kevin Duckworth."


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## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

Play 70 games next year and go from there. He needs to get in better shape or he will never overcome injuries.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

Wade County said:


> Durant and Roy would've been so good.


That team would be better than the current Blazers or Thunder.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

anyone see that Camby quote about having not seen Oden around the team for months - promising, very promising

*Marcus Camby would give Greg Oden some advice, if he was around at all*
Sun Sep 19,2010 10:58 AM ET By Matt Moore 

Marcus Camby is the starting center for the Portland Trail Blazers. He's a veteran who was once underrated, then overrated, and then swung back around to underrated. He was a huge part of the Blazers ability to stay in the playoffs despite the massive number of injuries they sustained. He brought physical play and awareness to a team that needed it. 

So he's got a lot he can share with Greg Oden, who many consider to be the most important element of the Blazers' championship hopes. And he would be totally willing to share that with Oden. If, you know, the kid was around at all. Blazers Edge caught up with Camby recently, and he says he hasn't really seen the kid during his time with the Blazers... at all. 

"I haven't really seen him all summer, he hasn't really been around the team since I've been around the team, the second half of the season," Camby admitted. "Hopefully when he comes back he comes back healthy. I would just tell him to just keep working hard. It's a tough injury to come back from. We have a great training staff up there in Portland. He's definitely a big part of what we hope to do around there in Portland." 

Right. Well, Camby hasn't been there that long, really. Just February. So, seven months. Okay, that's kind of a hard time, but Camby doesn't say he's been absent the whole time, just mostly. 

At some point, there needs to be some emphasis put on the fact that Oden maintains a distance from Portland. He can't get around following surgery. That's completely understandable. But there still hasn't been that outstanding effort to ingrain himself with Portland as a culture and as a team. 

Oden may be the future of the Blazers, but he can't be dragged there kicking and screaming if that's going to happen. 

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-oden-some-advice-if-he-was-around-at-all.php

(you like to see the young guys put in the work)


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

and can you really call it hindsight when it happened before the pick?

*Blazers consultant wanted Durant over Oden*
09:19 AM ET 09.11 | If you don't know who Jeff Ma is, you haven't been paying attention. Ma is the mind behind the famous card-counting MIT blackjack team that won millions of dollars in Las Vegas, the team that had a book written about them and a movie made about them. But if you didn't know that Jeff Ma has consulted with the Portland Trail Blazers regarding advanced statistics for years, you are forgiven. Ma is saying that he wanted Portland to draft Kevin Durant over Greg Oden. "If people that use analytics to predict player performance in the NBA, using performance analytics, meaning what they did in college, and they tell you they had Oden ranked higher than Durant, they are full of crap," Ma said this morning. "There are very few statistical measures that would have rated Oden's numbers in college better than Durant's. Oden was injured his entire career, that one season at Ohio State. He had to shoot free throws left handed, was not efficient, didn't have a great statistical season. *"Our numbers absolutely said they should pick Durant. It wasn't even close."*

blazersedge.com

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/222810-blazers-consultant-wanted-durant-over-oden


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Oden's numbers that count are team numbers, like taking his team to the college championship game. If healthy I'd much rather have Oden than Durant. It's still true what was true then, if you want scoring titles go with Durant, if you want championships go with Oden. Of course injuries can change all that.


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## mgb (Jun 26, 2004)

Just wanted to add that Durant has turn out to be a more rounded player than I thought he would. I'll give credit where it's deserved.


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## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

At this point I think I'd rather have Darko Milicic


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

He shot the sheriff but not the deputy.


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## ScottVdub (Jul 9, 2002)

Being an NBA all star at the Center position in the 21st century does not impress me. Yao will probably be an All Star this year while only playing 20 minutes a game.


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