Oden ready to prove himself

[Fez Hammersticks]

Even Oden admitted it: The pressure had become too much. So after the Portland Trail Blazers’ season ended with a first-round loss to the Houston Rockets, Oden retreated to Columbus, Ohio, to enroll in some summer school classes at Ohio State, clear his mind and work on his game.

His goal: To regain his swagger and prove to the Blazers he can still become a growing force in the NBA.

“They’re going to see a guy that can dominate on the court and change games,” Oden told Yahoo! Sports this week. “…They drafted me for a reason and I want to show them why they drafted me.”

Former Blazers forward Brian Grant provided similar help, flying from Cincinnati to Columbus to work with Oden four times a week, on and off the court. Grant, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, grew into a mentor of sorts for the Blazers’ 21-year-old center. His words stuck with Oden.

“He said, ‘People might be a lot more skilled than me, bigger than me, faster than me, but I’d be damned if I’m going to let someone outwork me when I’m out there,’ ” Oden said. “…He’s been through it all. If I need someone to talk to, I know I can call him.”

Oden, too, sounds excited. He says he’s stronger, both physically and mentally. His big smile has returned, and he’s quick to laugh again. Will the Blazers finally see the player they thought they drafted?

Greg Oden is stone serious about this much: This season, he’s stepping onto the court with something to prove.

LINK​

 

[ironcrotch]

everyone has been clamoring for a 'big man' coach for greg, i think he got the best one in brian grant

 

[LameR]

Yeah I really appreciate what BG is doing. Basketball aside, he's a great mentor for Greg.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I like that BG has been metoring him. Grant played in the league just a few short years ago, and I would assume Greg appreciates that.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Yeah I really appreciate what BG is doing. Basketball aside, he's a great mentor for Greg.

I think they make a great duo. BG has been thru the wars of living up to and then not living up to expectations as well as fighting in the trenches and GO is starting to learn about all of that. BG is an inspiration.

 

[RR7]

How long until we get to see Greg with dreds? I figure this year he grows out a big afro, to get the hair long enough, and then rasta them up for the playoffs?

 

[Wizard Mentor]

What to think of Oden?

Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see, and not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?

 

[BlazersBlood]

Greg was missing that "it" factor last year. Hopefully his time back in Ohio will bring "it" back.

 

[mook]

Man, I can't wait for this season to start. I've always been a huge sucker for the summer hype of a big man returning to his peak form, whether it was Randolph, Kemp, Grant....I just can't help it. More often than not it seems a letdown, but not always....

Oden is finally able to really work out his knees and spend a whole summer getting ready for an NBA season. He's had time to work on lateral quickness, and time to think about how to avoid picking up the stupid fouls. Plus he'll be out of his rookie year, the time when refs seem most likely to blow the whistle on you.

Can't wait.

 

[alex42083]

Whoo hoo! Let's go G.O. Hopefully we get to see a dominant Greg next season that undisputedly makes his case as the starting C over Joel. And I love that the Rasta Monsta is working with him, maybe we can get Grant to be an assistant and work with Greg all season with Mo down with his health issues?

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

Good news! Thank you BG for helping Greg out.

 

[STOMP]

everyone has been clamoring for a 'big man' coach for greg, i think he got the best one in brian grant

The best one??? who else has he worked with? I don't know why I should think more of BG then Lucas or any of the other Blazer assistant coaches and trainers... but what do I know? I've no reason to think he's an especially great role model or coach... certainly some of the stuff that came out about him as he was leaving the Blazers (and after) ran counter to the image that he had cultivated here. He was a pretty good player and had nice dreads though.

Oden is finally able to really work out his knees and spend a whole summer getting ready for an NBA season. He's had time to work on lateral quickness, and time to think about how to avoid picking up the stupid fouls. Plus he'll be out of his rookie year, the time when refs seem most likely to blow the whistle on you.

thats what I'll be looking for. Dude was not the same fluid athlete I'd seen before.

STOMP

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I hope I'm wrong but even in this article I found something that makes me think Oden will never be one of the great ones. He says “They’re going to see a guy that can dominate on the court and change games,” Oden told Yahoo! Sports this week. “…They drafted me for a reason and I want to show them why they drafted me.”

He just seems to be a guy who wants to please people, not a guy who goes out there for the sheer joy of playing and for the rush of dominating someone else. And I don't think any sports psychologist in the world can give him the drive of a guy like Brian Grant. You just have it or you don't. Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute substantially to the team. I guess, thinking about a guy like Kareem, he didn't seem to really have that drive either, so maybe I am all wet on this whole thing. Or maybe i don't know that much about Kareem.

 

[hasoos]

I hope I'm wrong but even in this article I found something that makes me think Oden will never be one of the great ones. He says “They’re going to see a guy that can dominate on the court and change games,” Oden told Yahoo! Sports this week. “…They drafted me for a reason and I want to show them why they drafted me.”

He just seems to be a guy who wants to please people, not a guy who goes out there for the sheer joy of playing and for the rush of dominating someone else. And I don't think any sports psychologist in the world can give him the drive of a guy like Brian Grant. You just have it or you don't. Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute substantially to the team. I guess, thinking about a guy like Kareem, he didn't seem to really have that drive either, so maybe I am all wet on this whole thing. Or maybe i don't know that much about Kareem.

What does it matter where his motivations comes from? Your thinking too much. It's the results that matter.

 

[BBert]

everyone has been clamoring for a 'big man' coach for greg, i think he got the best one in brian grant

No doubt. Words cannot describe how happy, excited and relieved I was when I first read Brian Grant was mentoring and training Greg Oden.

Yes, it was that good.

 

[alex42083]

I hope I'm wrong but even in this article I found something that makes me think Oden will never be one of the great ones. He says “They’re going to see a guy that can dominate on the court and change games,” Oden told Yahoo! Sports this week. “…They drafted me for a reason and I want to show them why they drafted me.”

He just seems to be a guy who wants to please people, not a guy who goes out there for the sheer joy of playing and for the rush of dominating someone else. And I don't think any sports psychologist in the world can give him the drive of a guy like Brian Grant. You just have it or you don't. Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute substantially to the team. I guess, thinking about a guy like Kareem, he didn't seem to really have that drive either, so maybe I am all wet on this whole thing. Or maybe i don't know that much about Kareem.

I'm guessing it was his answer to how the question was framed to him.

"What are they going to see different about you this year Greg?"
"What should we expect from you this upcoming year?"

Or something like that. You're reading way too much into it.

 

[Erroneous Subterfuge]

I hope I'm wrong but even in this article I found something that makes me think Oden will never be one of the great ones. He says “They’re going to see a guy that can dominate on the court and change games,” Oden told Yahoo! Sports this week. “…They drafted me for a reason and I want to show them why they drafted me.”

He just seems to be a guy who wants to please people, not a guy who goes out there for the sheer joy of playing and for the rush of dominating someone else. And I don't think any sports psychologist in the world can give him the drive of a guy like Brian Grant. You just have it or you don't. Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute substantially to the team. I guess, thinking about a guy like Kareem, he didn't seem to really have that drive either, so maybe I am all wet on this whole thing. Or maybe i don't know that much about Kareem.

I actually thought the exact opposite when I read that quote because I don't remember ever hearing him talk like that. Last year it seems he was always talking about it being Roys team and just trying to blend in and over-respecting his opponents to the point he was intimidated. I thought he was too humble last year. This is actually encouraging to me and I'm having trouble following your logic and how you extrapolated from this article that he must not be someone who plays for the joy of the game.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I actually thought the exact opposite when I read that quote because I don't remember ever hearing him talk like that. Last year it seems he was always talking about it being Roys team and just trying to blend in and over-respecting his opponents to the point he was intimidated. I thought he was too humble last year. This is actually encouraging to me and I'm having trouble following your logic and how you extrapolated from this article that he must not be someone who plays for the joy of the game.

For me, if he had simply said "I am going to dominate and change games." and "I am the top player in that class and I will show it this year"; then I would feel better. It's just a gut feeling on my part that a guy who is concerned with showing the fans (first "they") and management (second "they") how good he is, will not be great. It's possible the question he was answering has something to do with it; but there have been statements in the past that caused me to have the same concerns. Maybe I want too much from him.

 

[Erroneous Subterfuge]

For me, if he had simply said "I am going to dominate and change games." and "I am the top player in that class and I will show it this year"; then I would feel better. It's just a gut feeling on my part that a guy who is concerned with showing the fans (first "they") and management (second "they") how good he is, will not be great. It's possible the question he was answering has something to do with it; but there have been statements in the past that caused me to have the same concerns. Maybe I want too much from him.

Well I think you're making a big assumption, but even if you're right about Oden, you're wrong that it means he can't be great. To me, no one in the game is more concerned about his image and how others view him than Kobe Bryant.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Well I think you're making a big assumption, but even if you're right about Oden, you're wrong that it means he can't be great. To me, no one in the game is more concerned about his image and how others view him than Kobe Bryant.

Then Kobe should probably stop raping people. I have heard that some people have a problem with that.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Well I think you're making a big assumption, but even if you're right about Oden, you're wrong that it means he can't be great. To me, no one in the game is more concerned about his image and how others view him than Kobe Bryant.

Well, it's interesting how we all view the world differently; my guess would be that Kobe would compete just as hard even if the games were not televised and nobody came to the games.

 

[Erroneous Subterfuge]

Well, it's interesting how we all view the world differently; my guess would be that Kobe would compete just as hard even if the games were not televised and nobody came to the games.

Yeah. And it's also interesting how people think they know the inner-workings of another person simply by reading an article about them.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Yeah. And it's also interesting how people think they know the inner-workings of another person simply by reading an article about them.

I don't think any of us know these people personally so that's about all we have as a basis of speculation. And I hope you didn't take anything I said as a criticism of your speculation; I certainly didn't mean it to be.

 

[Erroneous Subterfuge]

I don't think any of us know these people personally so that's about all we have as a basis of speculation. And I hope you didn't take anything I said as a criticism of your speculation; I certainly didn't meant it to be.

No, I was making a statement about myself as much as anyone. I have no idea what makes Greg or Kobe or anyone else tick.

The point I was attempting to make is that different people have different ways of motivating themselves and whatever works for the individual is fine. Whether they have something to prove to themselves or to others or both, if it motivates them to succeed that's all the matters at the end of the day.

 

[crandc]

IMHO a lot of the problem with Greg last year was mental. He seemed to feel he had let people down, put a lot of pressure on himself, then got down on himself. I think perhaps being out of the spotlight will help him. And he does seem to be getting his head straight.

 

[HailBlazers]

BBBBust a Bucket! All this talk on here about how bad we need a veteran this and free agent that when all we really need is a dominate GO! I would take a dominate GO over Odom/Turkyglue/Wallace/Sessions/Millsaps combined, with the help of B-Roy and LMA of course!

I think Greg needs some excitement to tick, the last two years were a downer to say the least, growing pains to the fullest. Once GO gets some real solid games under his belt, watch out!

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Good read. Gets me even more excited about the upcoming season. Love reading that BG is helping out Greg. Cant think of a better guy to help Greg on and especially off the court.

 

[Idog1976]

GO will dominate next year starting no later then January 2010. By Novemeber 2010 I guarantee that he will be a juggernaut crushing his enemies, seeing them driven before him and hearing the lamentations of their Vimmen!
That's what is good in life Conan...er Oden!

 

[oldmangrouch]

GO will dominate next year starting no later then January 2010. By Novemeber 2010 I guarantee that he will be a juggernaut crushing his enemies, seeing them driven before him and hearing the lamentations of their Vimmen!
That's what is good in life Conan...er Oden!

I remember that quote. It comes *before* James Earl Jones has him nailed to a tree trunk. Not a good omen.

 

[Idog1976]

I remember that quote. It comes *before* James Earl Jones has him nailed to a tree trunk. Not a good omen.

LOL. I see a slightly different life arc between the two. And remember he went back and loped James Earl Jones head the fuck off before throwing it down the stairs to bounce past his followers. I think Oden is closer to that end of the story then the crucifixition scene.