... because Greg Oden's rookie season is over before it really began due to microfracture surgery performed today. The 2007/2008 NBA season just got a whole lot less interesting.
What does this news mean for the Magic? Nothing, really. But it should be relevant to Magic fans. The night of the draft lottery, I wrote that Greg Oden and Brandon Roy could team-up to form an inside-out combination to rival the Shaq-and-Penny tandem the Magic had in the 1990s. Now that scenario is even more likely, as Tom Ziller pointed out. Given that the Blazers didn't improve by much this offseason, there's a great chance they'll be in the lottery again next season, which would (presumably) give them three cornerstone-caliber players under the age of 24 headed into the 2008/2009 season. Voltron connected.
13 September 2007
I Hope You Haven't Bought your Magic/Blazers tickets yet...
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4 comments:
Roy is a nice player, and could be a star in the league. But, I look at him as a Ray Allen type of player, not a Penny.
Oden has had hype behind his name for years now. And, it's starting to seem that he's an injury prone type of guy. Not to say that he won't be a great player one day, but micro fracture surgery is a bitch to come back from. Stoudamire is the only one I can think of that totally recovered from it. There is still a chance he could end up like Sam Bowie.
No offense, but the comparison to Shaq and Penny made me laugh. Both Shaq and Penny were each considered one of the "top 5" players in the league. All NBA 1st Team selections, All-Stars, MVP candidates, Dream Team 2; name the class, and they were at the top of it. They were the best of the best. It's a bold statement to put Roy, who had a solid rookie year, and Oden, an injury prone guy who is now going to miss his rookie season; two players who have never played a single game together, and mention them in the same breath as Shaq and Penny.
However, as of now, they have one thing in common, it all ended very prematurely. Hopefully Oden can recover, and it'll just be a delayed arrival. That’s something that Penny never could do; although he is getting a “snow balls chance in hell” of a second chance with Shaq in Miami this year.
Another thought, Penny played the point... He was different type of player than Roy. But I get the idea. Oden and Roy could be a great 1-2 punch. Much like what Howard and Lewis could be in Orlando (inside/outside). It sucks for Portland, and the NBA; I thought the Blazers were going to make the playoffs this coming season, I don’t think so anymore.
I understand your point, Wade, but it's important to remember the ages of the players involved. In fact, Penny and Roy posted very similar rookie seasons, and both players were 22 during that time. Penny: 16 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists. Roy: 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4 assists. And Roy can handle the ball just as well as Penny could.
Oden hasn't played a minute in the NBA, and he won't for at least a year, but he has the potential to be as good as Shaquille, although certainly not as quickly; Shaq came into the league at 20 years old and put up 23.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks. It'll take Oden time to reach that level of production, but it's not out of the question.
I stand by my assertion that Roy/Oden could be just as good as Penny/Shaq. We'll need at least 3 or 4 seasons to tell, though.
Well, at least you have 3 or 4 years to wait before you're proven wrong.
Greg Oden could be as good as Shaq. Really? Ha-ha-ha.
Roy does have one thing going for him, he'll probably play at a higher level longer than Penny; but he'll never reach the level Penny was at, EVER...PERIOD.
I’ll go ahead and stand by my assertion; they have potential, but, but I'll continue smiling about your expectations.
I guess we'll find out in 3 or 4 years.
Funny enough; I just watched Roy's Top 10 plays of the year; considering he was Rookie of the Year.
He kind of makes me think of Ron Mercer. Sadly, their numbers were very similar in their rookie seasons.
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