Oden clutch?

[KingSpeed]

Does anyone else notice that Oden tends to play really well late in games? Especially his first few games after the injury earlier in the season when he was arguably playing his best ball. He tends to be slow out of the gate, but later in the game, if he's in there and if the game is tight, he tends to play big. Big rebounds. Big blocks. Big dunks. This is good news.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I don't know of any projects that are clutch. Either he's clutch, or he's not a project.

 

[ODENISGOD]

yes he also is clutch when he has five fouls. He plays so much smarter in in the 4th and when he has 5 fouls. He will be more consistent as he gets older.

 

[Minstrel]

I think early on, he has some concern about fouls. Early fouls = lots of bench time.

Late in games, there's not a lot to save fouls for and the game is called a little looser, so Oden plays more aggressively and confidently.

It's a theory, anyway.

 

[Tince]

I didn't think Oden had the dumb fouls tonight, that have hurt him all season. He had two moving screens, one if which he was already rolling (which is typically allowed) and two where Jaric ran straight into him. The Jaric plays, I believe he got reputation fouls.

There was a play in the 2nd where Roy ran up to Marc Gasol, bumped into him, and ripped the ball out of his hands. I said to my friend, "If Greg would have done that exact same thing, he would have got called for a foul."

He needs to continue improving the situations he's in, and like tonight, avoid ticky-tack fouls, the fouls hedging screens, and fouls trying to get offensive rebounds. That should leave him around 3-4 fouls a night, once he's able to change his reputation.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Clutch implies big play ability in close games or the ability to hit a big shot at the end of games ... I don't think there's a large enough sample size to say he 'clutch', but his end of game defense does seem to be pretty good

Tell you what, if he ices a game with his free throws or somehow blocks a game winning dunk (without fouling!) before the end of the playoffs I guess we can start having the conversation about his 'clutchness'

 

[Miksaid]

I feel as if the refs are in a better position to allow aggressive moves later in games, particularly the tight ones, than they are earlier in the game. Gasol and Oden were battling down low at the end of tonight's game and the refs let it go, giving Oden a freer hand to deal out the damage that he normally gets called for.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

Whatever he is, that block on a dunk attempt by Warrick (I think) was phenomenal. Couple that with the dunk and the nice D on Conley and he had a very nice 4th quarter.

 

[KingSpeed]

I don't know of any projects that are clutch. Either he's clutch, or he's not a project.

He's a project who has shown the promise of a clutch player.

 

[mgb]

It may be partialy the refs not wanting to foul someone out on a tick tack foul.

 

[mgb]

He's a project who has shown the promise of a clutch player.

'Serious project'.

Just write 500 times 'I will not bash Oden when he has a off game.' and get it over with.

 

[DUB]

Whatever he is, that block on a dunk attempt by Warrick (I think) was phenomenal.

 

[Miksaid]

No wonder Greg gets injured all the time... look at his foot!

 

[mook]

In the last 16 games, Oden has finished the game without foul trouble (under 4 fouls) exactly twice, or 87% of the time:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/greg_oden/game_by_game_stats.html

Counting pre-season, he's played in 62 games this year. He's been in foul trouble 43 of them, or 69%.

So he's actually getting worse at staying out of foul trouble the longer the season goes. You hope that reputation and experience will allow him to get better at this as he goes forward, but the opposite seems true right now.

Honestly, I don't really think he's playing more recklessly lately. I think he's just got a reputation among refs for fouling a lot, so they call him for fouls more.

I remember Przybilla being in the same negative feedback loop his first few years with us. I really don't remember how he broke out of it. One day it just seemed like he wasn't Foulzilla anymore.

 

[maxiep]

Does anyone else notice that Oden tends to play really well late in games? Especially his first few games after the injury earlier in the season when he was arguably playing his best ball. He tends to be slow out of the gate, but later in the game, if he's in there and if the game is tight, he tends to play big. Big rebounds. Big blocks. Big dunks. This is good news.

GO is a fucking stud. We're going to look back at his rookie season and say to ourselves, "So that's what Oden at 30% looks like."

 

[mgb]

What I liked the most about last nite game where Oden is concern is he played more mins than Joel. I love Joel, but I hope that continues. I hope Oden is able to stay on the floor longer than Joel from here on out. That's progress.

 

[mook]

What I liked the most about last nite game where Oden is concern is he played more mins than Joel. I love Joel, but I hope that continues. I hope Oden is able to stay on the floor longer than Joel from here on out. That's progress.

Definitely. At this point Joel is a slightly better defender (mostly because he gives up fewer fouls) but it's not even close on the offensive end.

Przybilla dunks when he's open. Oden dunks when he wants to.

 

[cloudydays]

I think it's important to bring up his dominant performance in the NCAA Title Game. If his teammates decided to show up at all Ohio State should have won that game. If coming up big in big games doesn't define being clutch, then I don't know what "clutch" is...

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

I think it's important to bring up his dominant performance in the NCAA Title Game. If his teammates decided to show up at all Ohio State should have won that game. If coming up big in big games doesn't define being clutch, then I don't know what "clutch" is...

or the Ohio State- Tenneseee sweet 16 game...that block was fucking insane.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

[video=youtube;8bM3DEzRNnA]

 

[noknobs]

The last few games it has looked like all the fouls are starting to mess with Greg's head. I agree some are ridiculous (it boggles my mind that refs officiate games based on reputation and not action), but I have to admit quite a few of them are his fault and are avoidable. He's just going to have to learn when to go for blocks and when not to, when to try to move his feet in front of a driving guard and when not to, how to avoid letting floppers like Okur & Gasol get the better of him, and when to just realize he can't make a play and not try to compound the problem with a silly reach in foul.

I think playing the last 5 in a half minutes last night in a tight game, making some big plays, and helping his team win was big for him, cause it appeared he was getting into a funk again.

Labeling him 'clutch' is probably jumping the gun, but he is a proven 'winner'. Even though I think he's just a shell of what he'll become, he showed his value in many ways last night down the stretch. From that great screen he had to free up Rudy (I believe) for the jumper, that huge block, the fact his teammates got a few layins simply because Memphis' help defense didn't want to leave Oden, etc.

There are soooo many ways in which I think Oden will improve drastically if he can just have a nice healthy offseason.

 

[noknobs]

Definitely. At this point Joel is a slightly better defender (mostly because he gives up fewer fouls) but it's not even close on the offensive end.

Przybilla dunks when he's open. Oden dunks when he wants to.

Not always. He had 3 more blocked shot attempts last night, at least a few of them were on shots that he would have dunked.

 

[hasoos]

It might cost the management and coaching staff some money, but I think it is high time that the Blazers called out the NBA on how Greg is being officiated. He gets hammered on one end, and then looks at somebody wrong (I remember one where he wasn't even near the guy) and he gets called for a foul. I know some of what he does he hammers guys here and there. But not at the rate the NBA is calling it.

 

[maxiep]

It might cost the management and coaching staff some money, but I think it is high time that the Blazers called out the NBA on how Greg is being officiated. He gets hammered on one end, and then looks at somebody wrong (I remember one where he wasn't even near the guy) and he gets called for a foul. I know some of what he does he hammers guys here and there. But not at the rate the NBA is calling it.

I suspect that after the season, the Blazers will request a meeting with the head of NBA officiating. They will create a video collection of things that were fouls on Oden and things that weren't but were called anyway. It will also include GO getting hammered on one end and barely touch his opponent on the other. The meeting won't be confrontational, it will be merely to help the NBA better referee Greg in 09-10.

And I suspect that Oden won't suffer from the same foul problems next year.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I suspect that after the season, the Blazers will request a meeting with the head of NBA officiating. They will create a video collection of things that were fouls on Oden and things that weren't but were called anyway. It will also include GO getting hammered on one end and barely touch his opponent on the other. The meeting won't be confrontational, it will be merely to help the NBA better referee Greg in 09-10.

And I suspect that Oden won't suffer from the same foul problems next year.

You forgot the most important part of the video - the film of Stern sneaking a dead hooker out of his hotel room!

 

[The Sebastian Express]

Not always. He had 3 more blocked shot attempts last night, at least a few of them were on shots that he would have dunked.

I prefer two of those blocks attempts where Gasol actually didn't get any part of the ball but just Greg's arms, no foul was called, and they called it a blocked dunk.

 

[Minstrel]

but I have to admit quite a few of them are his fault and are avoidable. He's just going to have to learn when to go for blocks and when not to

Some of that is operating by instinct to attempt things he can normally do but his body won't let him right now, since he's still recovering his explosiveness from the microfracture surgery.

Next season, I think a lot of those seemingly bad decisions on what to try to block will turn into spectacular blocked shots.

 

[gatorpops]

Yeah, he took his head off after the foul too!

 

[mook]

Heh, those are the kind of fouls I don't mind at all.

If our centers racked up 10 fouls every night doing that, we win. Because there's nobody on the other team left standing.

 

[hasoos]

Heh, those are the kind of fouls I don't mind at all.

If our centers racked up 10 fouls every night doing that, we win. Because there's nobody on the other team left standing.

Exactly. It's the fouls where Oden shows on a pick and roll and the defender runs straight into him that are pissing me off the most. Greg has rights to his position too.