Oden coming back tomorrow!

[tlongII]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/oden_likely_to_play_wednesday.html

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden looked fluid, explosive and ready for game action during the team's afternoon practice on Tuesday, leading many on the team to believe he will play Wednesday night against Miami.

Oden, who has not played since opening night on Oct. 28 because of a sprained right foot, said he felt good but will wait until Wednesday's shootaround to determine whether he will play.

If Oden does play, coach Nate McMillan said he will probably continue to start Joel Przybilla at center and bring Oden off the bench. McMillan said he will probably employ that tactic for several, if not many, games.

While Oden's actions during practice were encouraging, the news on Brandon Roy, was not as positive.

Roy said if the Blazers had to play a game on Tuesday, he would not have been able to suit up because of lower back spasms. He injured his back at the tail end of Monday's victory in Orlando, during which he had 27 points. Normally one who plays through injuries, Roy had to ask coach Nate McMillan to remove him from the final minute of Monday's game, and said he awoke to extreme soreness on Tuesday in Miami.

However, with another day to recover and get treatment, Roy said he is hopeful to play against Miami. Knowing Brandon throughout the years and the injuries he has sustained and played through, I'm guessing he will start against Miami. He was at least able to walk upright during practice, and even playfully hoisted some shots at the end of the workout.

The team is officially listing both players as questionable.

I will file more later.

[Darthkiller]

are rudy and oden gonna start

[tlongII]

are rudy and oden gonna start

Nah. They'll both be coming off the bench for a while.

[IronMexican]

Oden, score early! Shoog needs to catch a breath.

[tlongII]

What's funny is that I think I our 2nd team might be better than our 1st team! :lol

[timvp]

:lmao @ the Blazers rushing him back. Oden seems somewhat naturally fragile but the Blazers are helping make sure he completely gets Bowied.

Roy injured again? What a shock :sleep

[benefactor]

We should vbookie how many straight games he will stay healthy.

[I. Hustle]

http://www.noapologiespress.com/headquarters/movies/images/mrglass.jpg

[JamStone]

Does that mean Brandon Roy or LaMarcus Aldridge will be getting hurt soon?

[tlongII]

4 and 3 bitches. 4 and 3.

[Roxsfan]

good to hear thong.

[m33p0]

Nice to hear. really. no joke.

[TDMVPDPOY]

come back and pull another injury?

sam bowie looms

[manufor3]

sam bowie v2.0

[sribb43]

so what injury will he have in the todays game?...im betting on a sprained knee

[monosylab1k]

I think if Oden gets hurt 10 minutes into his next game (which he will), even tlong will laugh at it.

[monosylab1k]

McMillan said he will probably employ that tactic for several, if not many, games.

several if not many?

[Bender]

:lmao @ the Blazers rushing him back. Oden seems somewhat naturally fragile but the Blazers are helping make sure he completely gets Bowied.
yeah, I didn't expect to read that he was already gonna play. why not wait a few more days or a week...

[Dex]

4 and 3 bitches. 4 and 3.

Is that Oden's projected line for tonight?

[urunobili]

Is that Oden's projected line for tonight?

:tu

[tlongII]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/oden_looks_like_hes_ready_to_p.html

MIAMI - Feigning irritation, Steve Blake traipsed three rows into the stands behind the basket at AmericanAirlines Arena and retrieved a basketball being used for the Trail Blazers practice.

"Come on, Greg!" Blake said. "Keep the ball inbounds."

The ball was there courtesy of Greg Oden, the promising, yet often injured rookie center, who on Tuesday took part in his first full-speed practice since suffering a sprained right foot in the season opener.

And Oden didn't just participate. He had just made a convincing statement that he is ready to return for tonight's game against the Miami Heat, spinning through traffic for a two-handed dunk, punctuated with a two-handed slap to the backboard. As the ferocious dunk went through the rim, the ball ricocheted off his knees into the stands, sending Blake scurrying like a kid searching for a foul ball in a barren stadium.

It was one of those moments when assistant coaches and players looked at each other and smiled.

After the 90-minute practice, Oden reported no pain in his foot, while his teammates and head coach all said there is no doubt that the 7-footer is ready to play.

The only thing left in the way between Oden playing against the Heat tonight was a positive report from Oden after he awakens this morning.

"Have to see how it feels when I wake up tomorrow," Oden said. "But I felt good today."

The news was not so encouraging, however, for Blazers star Brandon Roy, who did not practice because of spasms in his lower back, which started during the final minute of Monday's 106-99 win at Orlando.

Roy said if the Blazers would have had a game Tuesday night, he would not have been able to play.

"It's a wait and see," Roy said after practice. "Obviously, I'm hopeful to play tomorrow. I will continue to get treatment. A big sign will be how I feel in shootaround tomorrow morning."

So it will be the season's most anticipated shootaround this morning at 11:30 a.m. EST, where the fate of two of the team's three pillars will likely be determined.

Coach Nate McMillan, however, didn't seem overly concerned, going as far as to predict that Roy plays while exuding cautious optimism that Oden will awake with spry feet.

"See that guy over there in the white T-shirt?" McMillan asked, pointing to team athletic trainer Jay Jensen, who was across the court icing Oden. "He's a wizard. He works miracles."

If Oden does play, McMillan said he will probably continue to start Joel Przybilla and bring Oden off the bench. The only way he won't use that tactic is if Jensen determines it is best for Oden to play while he is still loose from warmups.

"My thing right now would be to bring him off the bench for awhile - not just for a game, but for awhile," McMillan said. "I won't put a time frame on how long that is."

McMillan said he has been contemplating bringing Oden off the bench for "some time" and he likes the vision of Oden playing alongside Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Sergio Rodriguez and Channing Frye.

"I also think that allows LaMarcus (Aldridge) and Brandon to be LaMarcus and Brandon," McMillan said. "They won't be deferring to Greg."

On Tuesday, there was a lot of deferring to Oden once he got angry in practice. According to Oden, he was blocked twice in the scrimmages - once by Nicolas Batum and once by Shavlik Randolph, the latter being the deciding play in one of the games. The Randolph block infuriated him.

Shortly after, the media was allowed to watch the close of the last scrimmage. On one of the first series, Oden spun through Ike Diogu and Randolph and dunked, sending Blake into the stands.

"That was right after (the Randolph block)," Oden said. "That's when I got a little mad."

Two possessions later, he bowled through Diogu and Frye and dunked again, and later he nearly followed a three-point miss by Outlaw, but the ball didn't go in. But the point had been made: his explosion, elevation and mobility were all intact.

"I thought he did well today," Roy said. "I think it's always between the ears with him. If he wants to be aggressive and dominate, I think he can do that. And he did that today."

Oden chuckled when asked if he was eager to return to action.

"That's a big understatement," Oden said. "I really want to go out there and play. I'm hoping that my foot feels good. It feels good now, but we will see in the morning."

[monosylab1k]

:wakeup

tlong, nobody gives a shit about Oden dunking in practice. Get back to us when he develops a better post game than Erick Dampier.

[tlongII]

:wakeup

tlong, nobody gives a shit about Oden dunking in practice. Get back to us when he develops a better post game than Erick Dampier.

It's on ESPN tonight. I know you'll be watching! :loser

[Red Hawk #21]

Is that Oden's projected line for tonight?

LOL :toast

[IronMexican]

It's on ESPN tonight. I know you'll be watching! :loser

Nah, everyone is gonna get a stream to the Laker game before they watch this.