Oden Hired A Sports Shrink.......

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ABM

ABM

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......to help him rediscover the fun of playing basketball. Nonetheless, it seems all good.

A decent little piece from The Columbia Dispatch

A young basketball camper, having worked up enough nerve, asked Greg Oden what size shoe he wears. If only all the questions were that harmless, the former Ohio State center would not need a Columbus sports psychologist to help him rediscover the fun of playing basketball.

But the questions are tough for a 7-footer who is not accustomed to criticism.

Why are you so soft?

Where's your offense?

When are you going to prove you were worth being the No. 1 pick in the draft?

Those questions, based on huge expectations, make Oden's size 19 sneakers feel more like a size 30. Big shoes to fill, indeed.

There is no escaping the sting of criticism. Even on his own blog.

"Rather than kiss your (bleep) like most people do, allow me to be a bit critical and say some things you may not want to hear. Man up. No more excuses," one commenter wrote.

If you can't feel the love on your own Web site, then no wonder it seems the whole world is out to get you.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Oden was supposed to be something of a savior for Portland when the Trail Blazers selected him first overall in the 2007 NBA draft following his freshman season at OSU. He was the big man who would break the jinx associated with the Blazers' early drafting of big men: No. 1 pick Bill Walton (1974) and No. 2 Sam Bowie (1984) suffered injuries early in their careers that limited their effectiveness.

Instead, Oden sat out his rookie season after knee surgery and followed up with more injuries and only so-so play last season. His averages -- 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds while playing only 22 minutes-- weren't exactly what the Trail Blazers had in mind when they picked him ahead of scoring machine Kevin Durant.

It's not fair to call Oden a bust; more a disappointment, a description even he does not dispute..................
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Greg Oden is going to have a good year. I feel it. Biggest improvement is from 1st to 2nd year, and I don't see it as any different with Greg. 12, 10 and 2 would be a great step in the right direction, imo.
 
There are a lot of people that have become hyper sensitive to all things Greg Oden. If the man breaks wind they want to smell it to see what it says about his game, attitude, and potential. He does have a great deal of expectations placed on his shoulders, but he appears to have a positive approach to reaching his potential.
 
All the man has to do to increse his stat line to 15 pts, 10 reb and 2 blocks a game is stay on the court. That's if he doesn't even improve his game. Which he will. And he will stay on the court. He got a lot of flak last year based on what every armchair shrink thought his mental problems were. If he has rediscovered the joie de jouer, and increased his lateral quickness and conditioning, I expect him to have a very good year. MIP.
 
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Does this mean the people who called Webster mentally weak for hiring a sports shrink will call Oden mentally weak too? Or is it okay when Oden gets a shrink?

(personally, I think it's fine in either case)
 
"Why are you so soft?" Are you fucking kidding me?
 
hypnosmurf said:
how well did this work for webster?
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It "appeared" to work great. He was in the best shape of is life. His body language and facial expressions "seemed" day-to-night better. If anything, he overdid his workouts to the point of wrecking his foot. I don't think Webster had the same 'mental' issues to overcome that Oden had -- two distinct sets of issues. It "appears" that in both cases the results were positive. But what the hell do I know? I'm just some guy sitting in front of a gray and red computer screen. :ghoti:
 
When your jumper is off.....you hire a shooting coach.

If you are weak or not in good shape you hire a trainer.

If you are fat you hire a nutritionist.

If you have trouble with your footwork, or ball handling, or defense....you have a coach help you learn better skills.

And if you are having difficulty between the ears it makes sense to get someone to help you straighten that out too.
 
The team has one that travels on some road trips. I think it's a great idea. Hope it helped G.O.!
 
HispanicCausinPanic said:
The team has one that travels on some road trips. I think it's a great idea. Hope it helped G.O.!
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Is that an Aztec pyramid or maybe it's from Teotihuacan? I've been to Tikal in Guatemala and it was stunning. One of the coolest places I've ever been to.

 
That's a great move by Oden, and another sign that he's out to prove people wrong this season.
 
ucatchtrout said:
When your jumper is off.....you hire a shooting coach.

If you are weak or not in good shape you hire a trainer.

If you are fat you hire a nutritionist.

If you have trouble with your footwork, or ball handling, or defense....you have a coach help you learn better skills.

And if you are having difficulty between the ears it makes sense to get someone to help you straighten that out too.
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It seems to me that all the things you mentioned in you post are "issues between the ears".

We all need someone to coach us or instruct us to learn sometimes. If we have a physical weakness we can choose (a between the ears exercise) to get help and how to solve it.

A lot of people have not had the training growing up to deal with all the mental decisions and attendant emotions needed to handle life, especially those of a #1 pic of the NBA draft. And also the mental issues needed to deal with serious injury multiple times in a short span of time.

I say GOOD FOR HIM AND I HOPE HE EXCEEDS EVEN MY EXPECTATIONS.
 
gatorpops said:
It seems to me that all the things you mentioned in you post are "issues between the ears".

We all need someone to coach us or instruct us to learn sometimes. If we have a physical weakness we can choose (a between the ears exercise) to get help and how to solve it.

A lot of people have not had the training growing up to deal with all the mental decisions and attendant emotions needed to handle life, especially those of a #1 pic of the NBA draft. And also the mental issues needed to deal with serious injury multiple times in a short span of time.

I say GOOD FOR HIM AND I HOPE HE EXCEEDS EVEN MY EXPECTATIONS.
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Yep. I don't see how someone looking to gain an even greater mental component could be viewed as anything but a positive. I remember John Smoltz being one of the first to make public his use of a sports psychologist. He went from an erratic fireballer, to polished pitcher, to Cy Young, to potential Hall of Famer.

Best news about Oden I've heard this summer.
 
You have to think this is the first time Greg has really had to deal with adversity in his basketball career. I can't imagine how difficult that would be after 19 years of domination.
 
Until and unless he uses emotional issues as an excuse or a crutch, I don't see a problem with this (and, if that happens, I will feel bad for him as a person, but worry about his efficacy as a player).

I don't think there should be a stigma attached to self-improvement, whether that comes from lifting weights or talking to a counselor.

Ed O.
 
I probably wouldn't have made something like this public if I were in his shoes, but I'm happy that the guy is really making an effort to get better.

I think we all know his numbers are held back because of foul trouble. When he figures that out, he's easily a 15/10 guy.
 
Idog1976 said:
Is that an Aztec pyramid or maybe it's from Teotihuacan? I've been to Tikal in Guatemala and it was stunning. One of the coolest places I've ever been to.
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Chichenitza
 
Fez said:
For the record: None of those comments were made by me
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Your not a bitch are you? I didn't think so. Everyone who is hyper sensitive to Oden's slow starting career has acted like a whining little child throwing a temper tantrum. What's really funny, or not so much is a lot of those fans are adults! :sigh:
 
Ed O said:
Until and unless he uses emotional issues as an excuse or a crutch, I don't see a problem with this (and, if that happens, I will feel bad for him as a person, but worry about his efficacy as a player).

I don't think there should be a stigma attached to self-improvement, whether that comes from lifting weights or talking to a counselor.

Ed O.
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Ed, is she, like, sucking on your tit? :lol:
 
Si guey, Chichen Itza

Once Oden is done with them, they can pass him along to Bayless, I think he will be the next on the roster that needs a little help from Stuart Smalley

stuart-smalley-posters.jpg
 
Only weak minded pussies talk about their feelings, if Greg were a "real man" TM and not a "bitch" TM he'd bury his insecurities deep down in a dark place and then bury the shovel.
 
I'm down with Oden seeing a shrink . . . as long as he doesn't miss any games due to mental distress. :devilwink:
 
I think Oden is going to make huge strides and be a great player for years to come, but him needing to regain the fun of basketball again should be a red flag.
 
I used to love to tell everyone what to do, once I started getting paid to do it, it got stressful and became less fun, maybe an occupational shrink would work for me?
 
PapaG said:
That's a great move by Oden, and another sign that he's out to prove people wrong this season.
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Yep, and I especially love the part about him not taking any summer classes, but instead choosing to work on his lower body strength and hook shots. It's nice to see that basketball is on top of his priorit list. I hope he can win the MIP award this coming season.
 
ucatchtrout said:
When your jumper is off.....you hire a shooting coach.

If you are weak or not in good shape you hire a trainer.

If you are fat you hire a nutritionist.

If you have trouble with your footwork, or ball handling, or defense....you have a coach help you learn better skills.

And if you are having difficulty between the ears it makes sense to get someone to help you straighten that out too.
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Good thing Oden makes a lot of cabbage . . . because it sounds like he needs to hire a trainer, a nutritionist, a coach and a shrink. :D
 
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