what might have been
happy for Greg Oden, sad for college basketball... to those of us who love the college game and snooze through the NBA season -- playoffs start yet? -- Oden's decision to leave Ohio State leaves us wanting more... He was a good, not great, college player. Probably, he'll be a good, not great, pro. The comparisons to Bill Russell are greatly exaggerated.
Oden's father suggested his son could always come back to school. True enough. But if Oden enjoyed the campus life as much as he claimed, any return to school won't come close to the experience he's having now as a true college kid. It's easy for me to say -- if someone offered me the sort of jack Oden will be getting in a couple months, I'd likely take it, too -- but some things really are priceless... such as all that lazy, carefree time Oden said he looked forward to this spring, checking out girls on campus in the warm spring sun. He's trading that for room service and gold-diggers in hotel lobbies.
Good luck to him. He seemed almost normal for a guy exposed to so much hype, so soon.
posted by Paul Daugherty at 9:30 AM
4 Comments:
at 9:21 PM 
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at 11:59 AM 
BDS said...
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Post a Comment*Yes, I agree with you 100% on this one. I'm one that looks at the NBA as being a "downgrade" from the college game myself...I mean, this is a league where referees get suspended for challenging the star players to a fight, for crying out loud.
Regarding Oden, I think he could be--well, not a "bust," per se, but definitely a player who never lives up to all the hype he's getting now. He has footwork issues and lacks polish offensively...even with his hand not being close to 100%, he's still going to have those issues in the NBA. He also needs to learn how to play with foul trouble better. Another year of college would have helped his game tremendously.
With regard to Conley...he needs another offseason and year at the collegiate level also to improve his outside shot and just mature even more physically. Cook...well, it's ridiculous that he's even thinking about coming out at this point, IMO. As long as they don't hire agents & stay in school, they can return to OSU...and both of them definitely should return. I'd guarantee that Conley would be a Top 5 pick after next season and Cook could do nothing but improve his draft position for next season at this point.
Regarding the college experience, I wish Oden would have listened to Bill Walton and what he had to say about leaving UCLA and playing in the NBA. I also think it's a shame that the big-name college basketball announcers--specifically, Dick Vitale & Billy Packer--aren't more outspoken about the players needing to stay in college when their games aren't NBA ready. There's definitely a dearth of responsible college basketball coverage with the "big names," IMO. I wish Oden well and hope he does well at the next level...but I think he needed at least one more year of collegiate ball to improve his game long-term.
Doc,
The times I was able to see Oden on TV, he looked as though he ran out of gas quickly. He was definitely slow getting back on defense and even slower running the floor on offense. The 11 seconds he won't have in the NBA to get into the offensive flow could cost his team. If he's always that slow getting back on defense, he'll draw a lot of bench time.
Finally, recalling his poor judgement on the intentional foul which was not called in the Xavier game, he might have to do community service in the Kenyon Martin School of Emotion Control because of the "Ts" he'll get.
Cincinnati has got to be the most ignorant city in America concerning the NBA, for one to say the NBA is a downgrade to college ball is ridiculous. Oden will be playing against the best centers in the world and getting paid for it yet some think playing against players in college who's next occupation will be gym teachers at a high school will make him a better player. Bill Walton played in the 70's and by his account was well paid for his services at UCLA. College basketball is over rated. Look no further than the cheap three point shot and teams (Duke) giving awards for whoever recieves the most charging violations from an opposing team. Doc, to say you would likely leave school for that type of money is just silly.
Cincinnati has got to be the most ill-informed of all major US cities on the NBA. Some please explain how Oden's game is improve playing the likes of 6'8 pivot men on teams like UC and Xavier as oppossed to playing Shaq, Ming or Howard? The college game is overated. Look no further than the three point shot that sixth graders can knock down or a team (Duke) that gives an award to the player that draws the most charging calls. Bill Walton played in the 70's and by his own accord was paid well for his services at UCLA which apparently served as his vehicle to Grateful Dead shows. Doc, to say that most likely would have bolted college for that kind of cash is just silly.
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