tlongII
10-08-2009, 05:56 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/portland_89_sacramento_86_greg.html
SACRAMENTO -- There is a tendency around the Trail Blazers to be careful about what is said about Greg Oden. Nobody wants to apply pressure on the 21-year-old center. Nobody wants to raise expectations any higher than they already are for the former No. 1 pick.
But on Wednesday, after the Blazers second preseason game this season, nobody needed to say anything about Oden. The play of the new-look center is speaking volumes.
With a lighter frame, and a brighter outlook, Oden continued his resurgent comeback campaign with 20 points and 12 rebounds during the Blazers' 89-86 win over Sacramento at Arco Arena.
After averaging 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in a rookie season that even Oden considered disappointing, the 7-foot center has not only improved, he has vaulted into the forefront of both the team's offensive and defensive arsenal.
In two preseason games, Oden is leading the Blazers in scoring (19.0 average) and rebounding (10.5) while hitting 11 of 20 shots from the field and 16 of 19 free throws.
But it is so much more than just statistics. Oden looks good.
In the preseason opener, he completed a spin move that left Sacramento center Spencer Hawes off-balance and guarding air. On Wednesday, he showed both power and agility, once powering through Kenny Thomas for a two-handed dunk, then later tipping an offensive rebound to himself through two defenders. Once he corralled the ball, he spun and completed a delicate left-handed layup in traffic.
Late in the fourth quarter, Oden had perhaps his best flourish in his short career. On one possession, he took an entry pass, faced up, and exploded to his right, past Jon Brockman and through the lane for a powerful dunk. On the next possession, he went high to catch a lob from Andre Miller, which he dunked.
"It's going to be hard to keep Greg out of the starting lineup," team leader Brandon Roy said before the first preseason game. "He is playing really good. That's not to say Joel (Przybilla) is not, but Greg is playing at a really high level."
Around the Blazers, the common refrain about Oden is that "he put his work in this summer" and is reaping the benefits. That is in reference to the summer workout sessions Oden had with teammate Jerryd Bayless and assistant Bill Bayno in Columbus, Ohio.
Oden made that commitment on the team's plane ride home after being eliminated by Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Oden averaged 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in the six playoff games, and his missed dunk in the final game seemed to perfectly punctuate his season.
During the flight, teammate LaMarcus Aldridge remembers Oden vowing to come back a different player.
"My season started back in the summer, three weeks after the season when Jerryd Bayless came to Columbus," Oden said Wednesdsay. "That's when things started. I was preparing to have a better season than last year, because I didn't feel I had the best playoff series. Especially that last game. It was terrible for me. It was definitely something I was thinking about for a long time all summer."
So far, both of the Blazers' preseason games have come against Sacramento, a rebuilding team that won 17 games last season and doesn't have a formidable center. Still, Oden has not only overpowered them, he matched their quickness.
"You can tell his body has definitely changed," said Hawes, the Kings' center. "It's back to how I remember it when I played against him in high school. The athleticism and speed is back, that's the biggest thing I've noticed."
Tuesday's spin move on Hawes was the first peek at Oden's improvement for Blazers fans. And it came as somewhat of relief to McMillan, who has been biting his tongue about what he has been seeing everyday in practice.
"I'm just going with the flow," McMillan said when asked the morning before the game to describe Oden's progress. "To say that he has arrived, by what he has done in practice ... let's get into the game, measure that, and then let's build off that."
The next night, in Sacramento, McMillan smiled at Oden's complete debut. He had a free-throw area jumper, a short hook, and a leaping block. And, of course, the spin move.
"That," McMillan said, "was a great move. I just think his conditioning is better -- he is lighter -- and he has that confidence. But that move, I expect to see more of that."
Oden, in his own quiet manner, said he is confident he can provide that for his coach. He says he is healthy, in condition and confident -- three things he was never able to accomplish last season.
"I still have work to do," Oden said. "But I'm a lot better than last year."
Notes: Former Blazers guard Sergio Rodriguez missed a potential game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired. The Blazers led by 12 entering the fourth quarter, but held on, thanks in part to a steal by Miller of a pass by Rodriguez with 29 seconds and the team leading 89-86. However, Miller missed a jumper with 4.3 seconds left, setting up a final shot by the Kings. ... Veteran Juwan Howard had an impressive debut, hitting 7 of 8 shots and finishing with 14 points and four rebounds in 29 minutes. ... Also debuting for the Blazers were Jarron Collins (five points) and rookie Dante Cunningham, who went scoreless in six minutes. ... Kevin Martin led the Kings with 28 points and rookie Tyreke Evans had 14 points.
SACRAMENTO -- There is a tendency around the Trail Blazers to be careful about what is said about Greg Oden. Nobody wants to apply pressure on the 21-year-old center. Nobody wants to raise expectations any higher than they already are for the former No. 1 pick.
But on Wednesday, after the Blazers second preseason game this season, nobody needed to say anything about Oden. The play of the new-look center is speaking volumes.
With a lighter frame, and a brighter outlook, Oden continued his resurgent comeback campaign with 20 points and 12 rebounds during the Blazers' 89-86 win over Sacramento at Arco Arena.
After averaging 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in a rookie season that even Oden considered disappointing, the 7-foot center has not only improved, he has vaulted into the forefront of both the team's offensive and defensive arsenal.
In two preseason games, Oden is leading the Blazers in scoring (19.0 average) and rebounding (10.5) while hitting 11 of 20 shots from the field and 16 of 19 free throws.
But it is so much more than just statistics. Oden looks good.
In the preseason opener, he completed a spin move that left Sacramento center Spencer Hawes off-balance and guarding air. On Wednesday, he showed both power and agility, once powering through Kenny Thomas for a two-handed dunk, then later tipping an offensive rebound to himself through two defenders. Once he corralled the ball, he spun and completed a delicate left-handed layup in traffic.
Late in the fourth quarter, Oden had perhaps his best flourish in his short career. On one possession, he took an entry pass, faced up, and exploded to his right, past Jon Brockman and through the lane for a powerful dunk. On the next possession, he went high to catch a lob from Andre Miller, which he dunked.
"It's going to be hard to keep Greg out of the starting lineup," team leader Brandon Roy said before the first preseason game. "He is playing really good. That's not to say Joel (Przybilla) is not, but Greg is playing at a really high level."
Around the Blazers, the common refrain about Oden is that "he put his work in this summer" and is reaping the benefits. That is in reference to the summer workout sessions Oden had with teammate Jerryd Bayless and assistant Bill Bayno in Columbus, Ohio.
Oden made that commitment on the team's plane ride home after being eliminated by Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Oden averaged 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in the six playoff games, and his missed dunk in the final game seemed to perfectly punctuate his season.
During the flight, teammate LaMarcus Aldridge remembers Oden vowing to come back a different player.
"My season started back in the summer, three weeks after the season when Jerryd Bayless came to Columbus," Oden said Wednesdsay. "That's when things started. I was preparing to have a better season than last year, because I didn't feel I had the best playoff series. Especially that last game. It was terrible for me. It was definitely something I was thinking about for a long time all summer."
So far, both of the Blazers' preseason games have come against Sacramento, a rebuilding team that won 17 games last season and doesn't have a formidable center. Still, Oden has not only overpowered them, he matched their quickness.
"You can tell his body has definitely changed," said Hawes, the Kings' center. "It's back to how I remember it when I played against him in high school. The athleticism and speed is back, that's the biggest thing I've noticed."
Tuesday's spin move on Hawes was the first peek at Oden's improvement for Blazers fans. And it came as somewhat of relief to McMillan, who has been biting his tongue about what he has been seeing everyday in practice.
"I'm just going with the flow," McMillan said when asked the morning before the game to describe Oden's progress. "To say that he has arrived, by what he has done in practice ... let's get into the game, measure that, and then let's build off that."
The next night, in Sacramento, McMillan smiled at Oden's complete debut. He had a free-throw area jumper, a short hook, and a leaping block. And, of course, the spin move.
"That," McMillan said, "was a great move. I just think his conditioning is better -- he is lighter -- and he has that confidence. But that move, I expect to see more of that."
Oden, in his own quiet manner, said he is confident he can provide that for his coach. He says he is healthy, in condition and confident -- three things he was never able to accomplish last season.
"I still have work to do," Oden said. "But I'm a lot better than last year."
Notes: Former Blazers guard Sergio Rodriguez missed a potential game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired. The Blazers led by 12 entering the fourth quarter, but held on, thanks in part to a steal by Miller of a pass by Rodriguez with 29 seconds and the team leading 89-86. However, Miller missed a jumper with 4.3 seconds left, setting up a final shot by the Kings. ... Veteran Juwan Howard had an impressive debut, hitting 7 of 8 shots and finishing with 14 points and four rebounds in 29 minutes. ... Also debuting for the Blazers were Jarron Collins (five points) and rookie Dante Cunningham, who went scoreless in six minutes. ... Kevin Martin led the Kings with 28 points and rookie Tyreke Evans had 14 points.