Dominant Presence: Why Greg Oden Will Be One of the Best 5 Centers in the League

There's a very short list of talented and young big men in the league, who cannot stay on the floor but are very valuable.

In 2007, with the No.1 draft pick, the Portland Trail Blazers chose a stud on defense named Greg Oden who was expected to use his size, athleticism and skills to dominate on defense in order to make his team a title contender.

To this point, Oden has shown that he can be what the Blazers need him to be, but his health is the biggest concern for their center's and franchise's future in this very competitive league.

Although so far his career has been plagued by injuries, when healthy Greg poses the ability to effect the game in a positive way with his shot blocking and rebounding. He is also great in other areas of defense and not just those two.

He showed that recently in the last season, where he played like every interior stopper should play, but his injuries stopped him from earning consideration in the award race. Statistics can prove that, he led the league in blocked shots and few other PER stats as well until he fell down.

What's impressive about Oden is, not only that he can contest shots in the paint and clean the glass, but he also can bottle his man while helping out his teammates since he is a terrific one-on-one defender in the post. He has held Timmy, Noah, Marc Gasol and Jefferson to very bad shooting days.

Yao Ming, one of the best big men in the league, called Oden his toughest matchup. In head-to-head play, Oden barely gives his much taller opponent a chance to record double-doubles. That is something that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard, even has problems with. 

Offensively, he has a short arsenal of moves to be considered as a threat which can score 30+ against few opponents, but he has a nice hook shot with either hand, he can finish strong with a dunk, he can lay up and with his size, he's tough to guard.

He's without a doubt limited at that end of the floor, but everyone knows who he is on at the other end of the court. In Portland, he should focus on staying healthy and with bigger minutes out there, he will express his dominance on defense and will learn to be a solid scorer.

I think that he will be one of the most improved players in the league, who will get 15 points, 11 boards and three blocks per game in this 2010-11 season. The Blazers need him to be this good, and he will be. That's the only way they will become strong title contenders.

He recorded his career highs in rebounds (20) and tied a career high in points (24) as well.

Greg Oden has potential, and he will live up to it.