Greg Oden: Shining Star NOT So Bright...Yet?

High hopes, predictions, and hype for the Big Greg Oden. Projections being made that he will dominate the league for years to come and win many championships, but really, who exactly is this guy?

Lets go back a year. Seven foot Center Greg Oden was drafted first round by the Portland Trail Blazers. Before even getting to show what he was all about Oden had micro fracture surgery on his ailing right knee that made him miss the ENTIRE season. Now before getting ahead of ourselves, when was the last time a rookie missed the entire season due to an injury?…There has not EVER been a rookie to miss his entire first season.

Oden is only 20-years-old and already he is having problems with his knee running up and down the court. Missing an entire season already proves that Oden is injury-prone. His 7’0” 285lb frame obviously puts a lot of stress on his legs and knees, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that knee problems in the NBA are one of the most common injuries players get. Your knees are vital to the NBA game and without 100 percent performance from them, Oden’s potential talent will be limited.

To add to Oden’s knee problems at his young age, Oden started in his debut to the NBA, scoring zero points and leaving in the first half due to a foot injury. (Missing his entire rookie season and now getting injured in his debut game to the NBA…what is going on here?) Oden has played only 1 and a half quarters in his NBA 83 game career. At the ripe age of 20 Oden has already dealt with a serious knee and an unknown foot injury, imagine his health issues down the road of his career! Not only did Oden seem totally out-of-shape, but also he looked as if he wasn’t quite “ready” for the NBA, talking silly fade away jumpers and not bullying enough down low. In addition, his free throw shooting looked horrendous but then again, what 7 foot Center‘s isn‘t.

His numbers from Ohio State prove him to be a consistent re-bounder and blocker averaging 9.6 boards and 3.3 blocks in 32 games. These numbers show that he has the talent within him but is lacking the experience to shine in the NBA. (Similar to Jermaine O’Neal) But the truth of the matter is that College Basketball is nothing compared to the NBA. The players are bigger ,better, and smarter and Oden needs to improve his fundamentals (especially since his team is in the big bad Western Conference), if he wants people to speak so highly of him and for all the hype to continue.

Ultimately, Greg Oden is overrated and talked about way too much than his performance shows. For now, I think nothing of Greg Oden until he can prove that he is ready for the NBA both physically and mentally.