# if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick?



## jman23 (Aug 13, 2007)

if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden still be #1 pick in 2007?


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

The only player in recent history who might have gone ahead of LeBron is Shaq. Before that, probably Ralph Sampson.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

It's possible, given how much NBA teams value size. But not on my team, that's for sure. LeBron, no question about it.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Well, Lebron would have gone to Ohio State for all 4 years, so he would have been playing with Greg Oden last year. Seeing as how Ohio State couldn't get the ball to Oden enough to dominate with average perimeter players, if they had someone of Lebron's caliber I have a feeling the offense would have even been more perimeter oriented (they would have won the title easily though of course). 

So I think Oden would have even more question marks having not been the best player on his college squad. NBA teams would be uncertain about what he could do on offense. But then again, everyone always repeats the mantra to take big over small, so who knows really.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Big over small doesn't always equal success. Just ask Portland. Ironically, Portland is the one who drafted Oden.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



B-Roy said:


> Big over small doesn't always equal success. Just ask Portland. Ironically, Portland is the one who drafted Oden.


I agree wholeheartedly. But in the draft, teams almost always err on the side of big over small. And so we get the Kandis and Kwames of the world being taken a lot higher than their abilities warrant, not to mention Michael Bradley, Rafael Araujo, Kirk Haston, Curtis Borchardt, etc. The list goes on.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

He would still be the number 1 pick. He does pretty much everything on the floor, Oden would be Bron's sidekick not vice versa


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## The OUTLAW (Jun 13, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Could you imagine that team? OMG!! LeBron, Oden Conley Cook and whomever else they had playing. LeBron would have had something he hasn't had since highschool a real PG. I think that Oden would have gotten more touches since nobody would have been able to double team him with LeBron causing the defense to tilt his way. But I still think LeBron gets the first pick in that situation. However there is always the chance that someone that needed some height might have gone with the big man.


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## Seanzie (Jun 9, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Assuming he had developed just as he has, LeBron would drop 40/15/10 on a consistent basis in college.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

There aren't enough possessions in a college game for anyone to put up those stats.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Yea assuming Lebron continued to develop similarly to how he has in the NBA, he could drop 40 ppg if he wanted to..

But he'd probably avg like 30/10/8 .. And yea he'd go over Oden, unless the team was drafting a big for need.


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Lebron would be by far the #1 option on his team and Oden would be #2 so I don't see how they would take a rookie who is a #2 over a senior that is the #1 on the squad. Over 4 years Lebron could of have won a chip before Oden too so that would make Bron with 2 chips or go for the #2 with only 1 chip.


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## SheriffKilla (Jan 1, 2004)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

I think LeBron said he would hae gone to Akron with his boys from his High school team

i think he would probably average 20-25 points 7-11 rebounds and 4-6 assists depending on the system
college game is a lot different than the NBA just cuz the competition is weaker doesn't mean LeBron would double his stats 
Staying in school might've actually helped him
for a guy 6'8 245 he has no post game maybe he would develop that in college as opposed to the Cavs starting his career at PG


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

LeBron would have dominated college even more than Durant or Beasley did. Only if he went to a college that didn't have strong number 1 options already like they did. Durant was really smart because he teamed up with DJ and Barnes doesn't really give a **** what you do on the court.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Depending on the GM and team needs, but i think someone would be crazy not to take LeBron over Greg. How sick would it be to see LeBron and Greg on the same team?

Hell, if LeBron wants to come to Portland in FA he can play with Greg!! DO IT LEBRON!


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



fjkdsi said:


> I think LeBron said he would hae gone to Akron with his boys from his High school team


Yeah, I think that it's easy for him to say something like that when there was absolutely 0% chance he was going to go to college and everyone knew it.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



NewAgeBaller said:


> Yea assuming Lebron continued to develop similarly to how he has in the NBA, he could drop 40 ppg if he wanted to..
> 
> But he'd probably avg like 30/10/8 .. And yea he'd go over Oden, unless the team was drafting a big for need.


You have no idea how hard it is to put up those kinds of stats in a 60 possession game. Also factor in foul trouble, so he probably won't play 40 minutes per game, and a ton of wasted possessions by his teammates turning the ball over. It's just virtually impossible to put up something like 30/8 in college, even for LeBron James.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



Nimreitz said:


> You have no idea how hard it is to put up those kinds of stats in a 60 possession game. Also factor in foul trouble, so he probably won't play 40 minutes per game, and a ton of wasted possessions by his teammates turning the ball over. It's just virtually impossible to put up something like 30/8 in college, even for LeBron James.


Ok let me re-phrase that. I don't actually think he'd put up those numbers as averages, but I guess that'd be his capability. If he had free reign, he probably could. I don't think he'd actually average 30/10/8, but if you saw Lebron of now going back to college, you'd assume thats what he'd average easily (because the college game is so different though, no he wouldnt).


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## BleedGreen (Jun 24, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Lebron with 4 years of college under his belt or the Freshman Oden? I take Lebron everyday of the week. If they both went to college for 4 years then there would be discussion.


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## jc4 (May 28, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

lebron would probably be taken 1st but don't count oden out!!!LOL.


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## jman23 (Aug 13, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

yea,oden,lebron,conley,and cook on the same team would have been the best college team ever!!!


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## MVP.Kobe (Aug 15, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

James lost his NCAA eligibility when he played in more than 2 highschool all-star events. But if that never happened and he went all 4 years of college. He would probably have developed his jump shot a lot more, and become a solid defender, making him probably the most hyped player to come into the NBA of all time with that all around game and his super athleticism.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



MVP.Kobe said:


> James lost his NCAA eligibility when he played in more than 2 highschool all-star events. But if that never happened and he went all 4 years of college. He would probably have developed his jump shot a lot more, and become a solid defender, making him probably the most hyped player to come into the NBA of all time with that all around game and his super athleticism.


All of that already happened. Have you been watching the Cavs or Team USA this year? Lebron's the best defender on the floor for both teams. He's everywhere, blocking shots, getting steals, playing tough post defense.

He probably would have picked up more than a few bad habits playing against wildly inferior college players too. A genius like him needs to be challenged. And college would not have been a challenge for him.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

I think he means that he would of been like that coming into the NBA. When LeBron came into the NBA as a rookie, his defense wasn't a strong point. If he was a good defender on top of everything else (he has always had the ability to be a great defender) he would have recieved even more hype. Same with a Jumpshot.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



futuristxen said:


> All of that already happened. Have you been watching the Cavs or Team USA this year? Lebron's the best defender on the floor for both teams. He's everywhere, blocking shots, getting steals, playing tough post defense.
> 
> He probably would have picked up more than a few bad habits playing against wildly inferior college players too. A genius like him needs to be challenged. And college would not have been a challenge for him.


I was waiting for these posts to start showing up. His play for Team USA, is not indicative of his play for the CAVS. And no, he's not the best defender on the floor for both teams. He's simply (along with Wade) the most noticeable.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



The Krakken said:


> I was waiting for these posts to start showing up. His play for Team USA, is not indicative of his play for the CAVS. And no, he's not the best defender on the floor for both teams. He's simply (along with Wade) the most noticeable.


You don't watch him play for the Cavs. He's their top defender. Regardless of position. When they need a stop, they put Lebron on the guy. Remember the last time he played Kobe, Kobe couldn't even get his shot up. Lebron has very very solid defensive fundementals by this stage in his career, as he should given the coach he has played the bulk of his career now for.

Did you see the Cavs vs. Celtics? Lebron shut Paul Pierce down for 6 out of the 7 games.

Who is a better defender than Lebron for Team USA? He and Wade are everywhere. And whoever they are guarding usually you don't hear from much. Everyone on the team plays really great defense. But Lebron is a defensive difference maker. The blocked shots he has had in the tournament have been crazy. He's protecting the rim. Rebounding. Staying with his man. And covering the entire back side of the defense most times. Which is allowing for steals by others. And he has exceptionally quick hands.

If I had to rank defenders for team USA, Lebron, Wade, Bosh, and Kobe would be in my top 5.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



futuristxen said:


> You don't watch him play for the Cavs. He's their top defender.


I should have stop reading at "you don't watch him play for the Cavs". 

I didn't argue that. But he's not THE top defender at his positon. He just isn't.



> Regardless of position. When they need a stop, they put Lebron on the guy.


So you're telling me he's the guy they go to to shut down the Dwight Howards, and KG's of the league. Uh-huh.



> Remember the last time he played Kobe, Kobe couldn't even get his shot up.


And on a couple occasions Gerald wilkins gave MJ fits. ANd tayshaun prince REALLY bothered Kobe alot in the finals a few years ago.



> Lebron has very very solid defensive fundementals by this stage in his career, as he should given the coach he has played the bulk of his career now for.


I agree.



> Did you see the Cavs vs. Celtics? Lebron shut Paul Pierce down for 6 out of the 7 games.


That's a stretch. The cavs played great team defense AND Pierce expended most of HIS energy on the defensive end, giving Lebron his own set of problems to deal with.



> Who is a better defender than Lebron for Team USA? He and Wade are everywhere. And whoever they are guarding usually you don't hear from much.


Who exactly are we hearing from alot when the other team is always getting blown out?

Lets just agree to disagree. You're a Cavs fan (to put it lightly), so you are going to have your view. It isn't going to change mine.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Bosh over Dwight? Defensively?? all I can do is :lol:.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

I've been very un-impressed with Dwight throughout the olympics. I think Bosh has played better. But idk if i'd say Bosh is better _defensively_ in the olympics (he definitely isn't on Howards level defensively in the reg. season). Howard is still doing a solid job on defense with his blocks and def. rebounds.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



MrJayremmie said:


> I've been very un-impressed with Dwight throughout the olympics. I think Bosh has played better. But idk if i'd say Bosh is better _defensively_ *in the olympics (he definitely isn't on Howards level defensively in the reg. season).* Howard is still doing a solid job on defense with his blocks and def. rebounds.


WHich underscores my point. Evaluating these guys defensively as far as NBA defense, based on what they do in the olympics, when they have all-world athletes around them to cover up when they DO get beat, is a bit preposterous.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

With Lebron you don't have to go on the olympics he's great with the Cavs too. And yeah, they put him on 4s and sometimes 5s too if they need a big play on the defensive end. He's got that level of versatility. any cavs fan will tell you he's the Cavs lockdown defender. He deserved to get onto the all-defensive team this past year. It was a huge snub. But hopefully he'll get more recognition for his D this next year.

And yes, Bosh has been better defensively than Howard in the Olympics thus far. Bosh is a big reason we're not getting killed on the pick and roll as much as we have in the past. He's showing on that really really well.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



Blue Magic said:


> Bosh over Dwight? Defensively?? all I can do is :lol:.


then you haven't watched the olympics where bosh has clearly has been a much better defender than dwight.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



The Krakken said:


> I didn't argue that. But he's not THE top defender at his positon. He just isn't.


did anyone say the lebron is the top defender as his position?


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



rocketeer said:


> then you haven't watched the olympics where bosh has clearly has been a much better defender than dwight.


Bosh has had ONE breakout game, the rest of the games Dwight has outscored him. I'm not saying Bosh isn't outplaying Dwight but people are overrating one GREAT game of offense/defense. Dwight is still a better defender, but doesn't have the touch around the basket as Bosh. I definitely think it's the Bron/Wade show tho... they've tore it up every game. 

Once we get back to the "no-flop" league tho, Bosh will return to the average defender that he really is, and Dwight will lay his foot down. Dwight just hasn't adjusted to this flopper's friendly league and hasnt gotten the ball enough to really get into a rhythm here. His overall play seems to revolve around his involvement on the offensive end and if he isn't involved on offense, his energy isn't usually @ full throttle. I think Dwight is just more frustrated then anything...... If he moves, someone falls down... If he breathes, it's a foul.... But to say that Bosh is a better defender than Dwight is laughable imo.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



Blue Magic said:


> Bosh has had ONE breakout game, the rest of the games Dwight has outscored him. I'm not saying Bosh isn't outplaying Dwight but people are overrating one GREAT game of offense/defense. Dwight is still a better defender, but doesn't have the touch around the basket as Bosh. I definitely think it's the Bron/Wade show tho... they've tore it up every game.
> 
> Once we get back to the "no-flop" league tho, Bosh will return to the average defender that he really is, and Dwight will lay his foot down. Dwight just hasn't adjusted to this flopper's friendly league and hasnt gotten the ball enough to really get into a rhythm here. His overall play seems to revolve around his involvement on the offensive end and if he isn't involved on offense, his energy isn't usually @ full throttle. I think Dwight is just more frustrated then anything...... If he moves, someone falls down... If he breathes, it's a foul.... But to say that Bosh is a better defender than Dwight is laughable imo.


in the olympics bosh has been a better defender than dwight. period. it hasn't been one game, it's been all of the games.

why are you bringing up scoring when the post you responded to was about defense?

and why are you arguing this at all? whether or not dwight is a better nba defender than bosh doesn't change the fact that bosh has been a better defender during these olympic games.

calling the nba the no flop league is pretty funny as well.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



rocketeer said:


> in the olympics bosh has been a better defender than dwight. period. it hasn't been one game, it's been all of the games.
> 
> why are you bringing up scoring when the post you responded to was about defense?
> 
> ...


I'm not trying to really argue, I just frankly was surprised that Bosh was listed with those guys for his D. When it comes down to it, Bosh hasn't necessarily been a force defensively, well at least not imo..... Sure, he has been a nice spark plug off the bench and he's made some great plays, but defensively, he hasn't really been dominant. 

Like I said, he had that one breakout game where he play'd great all-around, but other than that he hasn't really been a defensive force. His energy and contributions have been great, but I wouldn't necessarily be plugging him into my list for his defense, like i would for a Bron, Kobe, Wade. Maybe we're just seeing different things.... I dont think that what Bosh has done on that end has been any greater then what Dwight has done to make him stand out like that... Only thing is that Dwight has picked up more fouls, but like I said, these guys will fall over if Dwight even breathes on them. idk, maybe im just not seeing Bosh's superb defense that u guys were pointing out but i'll watch these upcoming games and maybe ill see something different....


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## penzias (Aug 25, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*



luther said:


> I agree wholeheartedly. But in the draft, teams almost always err on the side of big over small. And so we get the Kandis and Kwames of the world being taken a lot higher than their abilities warrant, not to mention Michael Bradley, Rafael Araujo, Kirk Haston, Curtis Borchardt, etc. The list goes on.


Borchardt is a very good player killed by injuries, even with his physical limitations has been one of the best centers in Spain for the last seasons. I wouldn't put him in the same statement as _scrubby_ Araujo.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Yeah, no offense to my boy Greg, but this really wouldn't be that hard of a choice. LeBron is 23 years old and already arguably (for you Basel!!!!) the best player in the NBA! This kid, imo, will be a top 5 player to ever play.

Greg will be awesome, but LeBron coming out after 4 years and Greg comin' out after 1? I don't think it would be too difficult.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Nope, because as highly valued as I do find Oden, he will never put butts in the seats like Lebron would. If you're factoring the economic windfall of having a transcendent wing player like Lebron on the squad vs. a big man in terms of economic value, you take the wingman.

I mean would you rather have Bird, Magic, Dr. J or MJ vs. Hakeem, Ewing, Malone and Shaq? In terms of marketability and the ability to win, if you were the owner you would more than likely go with Lebron because he's going to increase the value of your franchise and sell a ton of jerseys.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

I'd take James over Oden all day. GMs? We'll never know.


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## kingpala (Sep 12, 2008)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

How about if the high school rule didn't exist, and LeBron entered the draft last year along with Oden. Who would the GMs have picked? Like it was mentioned before, a lot of people stress that you take big's over small's. I think people would have picked Oden first because he seems to be a very talented big man and there were many concerns about LeBron coming out of high school and not being able to live up to the hype.

However, to answer your question, LeBron would have probably dominated college ball. He was efficient in the NBA straight out of high school, so he most definitely would have dominated the competition in college. So, I'd say that he would get picked first and Oden second.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

Oden has had a lot of hype for several years before the draft, but it wasn't close to what expectations Lebron had to carry. You absolutely take Lebron.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

*Re: if LeBron James went to college and stayed all 4 years would Greg Oden be #1 pick*

What a bump... 

:rotf:


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