Huh, JQuick and I differ...

[BigGameDamian]

Yet all 30 GMs would have taken Greg Oden. Nobody thought it was a big gamble that summer. Nice try though.

How about Roy and his bad knees?

 

[BigGameDamian]

Yet all 30 GMs would have taken Greg Oden. Nobody thought it was a big gamble that summer. Nice try though.

Will 30 GMs draft Nerlens Noel over Ben McLemore?

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Will 30 GMs draft Nerlens Noel over Ben McLemore?

You aren't comparing Noel and McLemore to Oden and Durant are you?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Will 30 GMs draft Nerlens Noel over Ben McLemore?

Neither of those guys come close to the hype oden had so your question is irrelevant.

Oden was a Duncan, LeBron every few years superstar changing talent that summer

 

[ebott]

I hear what you're saying - but bringing Evans off the bench would be a huge boost to our team. Sure, it doesn't address defense/rebounding, but he alone (assuming Maynor is retained) would make our bench unit go from worst to at least middle of the pack.
We shouldn't spend our entire (or close to it) cap space on Evans, because we still need a few million to add a C. But if you split it 60/40 between Evans and, say, Dalembert, then I think those are both reasonable contracts that would greatly improve the team. Still not contender status, but a better move for the future than blowing the #10 and cap space on Gortat.

All I care about for this off-season is adding player(s) the quality of which will convince LaMarcus to resign with us. Evans is not that guy. Gortat might be.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I feel like a reminder is in order.

Prior to the draft, the only injury Oden had ever had was a wrist that had ligament damage when his brother attacked him in high school and he punched back. No ACL rips, no surgeries, no tonsilitis (yet). There was concern over potential hip problems later in life with the "one leg longer than the other" but his knees were about as pristine as you can get.

Don't pretend that Oden was Bowie or Roy--with a history of recurring injury problems in HS/College that you hoped would go away.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I feel like a reminder is in order.

Prior to the draft, the only injury Oden had ever had was a wrist that had ligament damage when his brother attacked him in high school and he punched back. No ACL rips, no surgeries, no tonsilitis (yet). There was concern over potential hip problems later in life with the "one leg longer than the other" but his knees were about as pristine as you can get.

Don't pretend that Oden was Bowie or Roy--with a history of recurring injury problems in HS/College that you hoped would go away.

True, but Bill Simmons also observed and opined pre-draft that Oden simply didn't move like an athlete but rather like an old man, and there have also been subsequent reports that teams had red flagged Oden's knees pre-draft, so it's arguable that the "pristine" knees claim was exaggerated if not fabricated.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

True, but Bill Simmons also observed and opined pre-draft that Oden simply didn't move like an athlete but rather like an old man, and there have also been subsequent reports that teams had red flagged Oden's knees pre-draft, so it's arguable that the "pristine" knees claim was exaggerated if not fabricated.

He may have looked like an old man but he could run with the best of them. His combine numbers are off the charts for a big man.

 

[blue9]

True, but Bill Simmons also observed and opined pre-draft that Oden simply didn't move like an athlete but rather like an old man...

Wasn't that also after learning that his beloved Celtics had lost the lotto and weren't in the running for Oden? I believe they call that sour grapes.

 

[magnifier661]

He may have looked like an old man but he could run with the best of them. His combine numbers are off the charts for a big man.

I remembered something about his ball handling was that of a PG in comparison. I also remember watching a video where he was dribbling two balls close to the ground and moving around left to right. Oden's talent was off-the-charts! If only the dude had knees that allowed him to play.

 

[Draco]

True, but Bill Simmons also observed and opined pre-draft that Oden simply didn't move like an athlete but rather like an old man, and there have also been subsequent reports that teams had red flagged Oden's knees pre-draft, so it's arguable that the "pristine" knees claim was exaggerated if not fabricated.

In the predraft camps Oden had insane measurements. His lane agility drills were similar to Aaron Brooks and other quick PG's. He was a freak athlete. Obviously it didn't work out but to try and say the team made a mistake back at that time is ridiculous.

 

[jlprk]

Prior to the draft, the only injury Oden had ever had was a wrist that had ligament damage when his brother attacked him in high school and he punched back.

Is there a source? Anthony Oden has generated no news since leaving Lamar a year ago.

 

[BrianFromWA]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...-overall-pick-greg-oden-injury-plagued-career

http://theozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/odeninjury.html

“He damaged ligaments defending himself in a fight with his hotheaded younger brother, Anthony,” Titus wrote in his most recent article, a intimate portrait of Oden’s struggle to overcome injuries in the NBA.

According to Titus, the incident actually occurred shortly before the Indiana state tournament during Oden’s senior season, which would explain why he had a hard time gripping the basketball.

 

[jlprk]

Thanks. Now I remember about the discussion a year ago when the Grantland article appeared.

A hotheaded fat younger brother. I can't imagine the fights the smarter, slimmer older brother had to put up with. I left out better-looking.

 

[tlongII]

That settles it. Jason quick posts here! "Good thing your not a gm!" Sounds familiar!

I know quick reads this site. Not sure if he posts or not.

 

[tlongII]

And that would be a horrible move.

 

[handiman]

I feel like a reminder is in order.

Prior to the draft, the only injury Oden had ever had was a wrist that had ligament damage when his brother attacked him in high school and he punched back. No ACL rips, no surgeries, no tonsilitis (yet). There was concern over potential hip problems later in life with the "one leg longer than the other" but his knees were about as pristine as you can get.

Don't pretend that Oden was Bowie or Roy--with a history of recurring injury problems in HS/College that you hoped would go away.

That's note entirely true. He had the middle school thing where he said something like his leg was just hanging on by a thread at the hip. We just didn't hear about it until after the draft.