Here were are finally. After a year and half since we knew we had him, Greg Oden gets to show us what he can do. I honestly think we, and maybe even Greg Oden, got “lucky” to be out last season. Remember when Dennis Dixon went down for the Ducks last year. Even their defense suffered as they tried to figure out what to do. With Greg out, but hope still there for this year, the Blazers played great and Brandon really solidified his position on this team. They gained the confidence that they were a good team without Greg and that isn’t on his shoulders. He isn’t the team, like Kobe is. He is part of a great team that this town was begging to have. Good guys with skills and we wanted it in that order.
Greg got to sit on the bench and listen to the coach while absorbing a different angle of the game. All the while he bulked up as even Kevin Durant, his draft buddy, noticed how big he was getting. As a big man, he takes a lot of abuse and the year off let him heal from the many years of practices and games which would not have been the same in a full season in the NBA. One NBA analyst has Oden as a top five Center others having him competing for Rookie of the Year against Rudy.
Rudy showed some great stuff in the Olympics (dunking on the best Center in the NBA) and he has been embraced like he never expected. He moves and moves even without the ball. The only reason he might not start is because he and Sergio Rodriguez are great friends. If you watch or listened to any of the preseason games you probably heard those to connecting on dunks and lobs many times. They know each others tendencies and it will show. Our second unit is almost as good as most starting fives in the NBA.
This is the Lakers vs Our Blazers. Many expect them to be in the finals if not the champions. They have their young franchise center will go tot-to-toe with Greg. Bynum was on a tear last year until he got injured. This will be a great test for the Blazers and a gut check to be sure.
Okay that is enough hype. I am not John Canzano so I don’t have the writing ability or complete insights to the NBA but I am excited. So tonight the game is on TNT and about every bar, restaurant, TV show room, gym and outhouse will have it broadcasting. Go watch it even if you just moved here. (I had to throw some kind of real estate reference). None of my basketball “friends” agree with me (which is why I put quotes on the word friends) but I see the Blazers as #4 seed in the West. Mark the post and come back in 6 months.
I CALLED IT! BLAZERS ARE 4TH IN THE WEST.
Photo from the Blazers wall paper section.
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