tlongII
10-28-2009, 01:56 PM
http://columbian.com/article/20091028/SPORTS01/710289950/1001/SPORTS01
http://columbian.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TC&Date=20091028&Category=SPORTS01&ArtNo=710289950&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&maxw=250&q=100&border=0
Greg Oden (52) pulls in an offensive rebound against Houston Rockets center Chuck Hayes. It was one of 12 rebounds for the Blazers center, who also had five blocked shots.
PORTLAND — The deliberation was short, with the jury requiring mere minutes to render the first verdict of the season: Greg Oden is a shadow of his former self.
And that’s a good thing.
As the Trail Blazers opened the season with a 96-87 victory Tuesday over Houston, as they tipped off a year of absurd expectations, Oden appeared lighter and thinner and quicker and nimbler than at any time during his heavy-footed, overly muscled rookie season.
Not that it translated into performance. Oden finished with five fouls, seven turnovers and two points in 26 minutes. But there also were five blocked shots and 12 rebounds. There also were flashes of brilliance. There also was a sense that Oden now is at a weight that will allow him to develop.
Which, presumably, will make it easier for him to bear the unfair burden of carrying the franchise’s hopes for a championship.
And, presumably, made it easier for Oden to be effective against the Rockets’ Rec League center tandem of Chuck Hayes and somebody named David Andersen.
There’s no telling what Oden will be able to do against a real NBA center, and there remains no explanation for how an athletic 7-foot center could be completely devoid of low-post moves. But at this point, the Blazers will take what they can get from Oden.
"I think I did some good things that don’t show up on the stats," Oden said, which is the basketball equivalent of, "She has a great personality."
And while Oden will be the most scrutinized of all the Blazers throughout the season, Tuesday’s victory illuminated a much more serious issue.
As Portland was threatening to blow a lead that stood at 19 points entering the fourth quarter, as it consistently found itself in desperate need of a basket to stem the Rockets’ charge, there was Andre Miller handling the ball.
This in itself is not a problem. Miller was performing the job he was signed to do, and he does it quite well.
But the problem is that it meant Brandon Roy was not handling the ball from the point-guard position. Which is kind of like the Patriots having Tom Brady do nothing but hand off during the fourth quarter.
That situation was remedied after several possessions, as Roy resumed his typical point-guard duties down the stretch. The result was a sloppy-yet-satisfying opening-game win, but it opened the door for problems down the road.
How will Miller react to being on the floor and not having the ball in his hands? How will Nate McMillan balance the needs of the team with the egos of the players?
Not that any of these questions needed to be answered Tuesday. We’re in the first quarter-mile of the marathon.
"I thought we played hard, played aggressive," Roy said. "Sloppy. We had some turnovers there but we built the lead."
And they did it against a team that reached the conference finals last season, proving that even while committing 26 turnovers, these Blazers have a large margin for error. They have the depth and the versatility to overcome nights when they are their own worst enemy.
"This probably will be the last game we win with 26 turnovers," McMillan said.
That assessment probably does not require any deliberation.
http://columbian.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TC&Date=20091028&Category=SPORTS01&ArtNo=710289950&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&maxw=250&q=100&border=0
Greg Oden (52) pulls in an offensive rebound against Houston Rockets center Chuck Hayes. It was one of 12 rebounds for the Blazers center, who also had five blocked shots.
PORTLAND — The deliberation was short, with the jury requiring mere minutes to render the first verdict of the season: Greg Oden is a shadow of his former self.
And that’s a good thing.
As the Trail Blazers opened the season with a 96-87 victory Tuesday over Houston, as they tipped off a year of absurd expectations, Oden appeared lighter and thinner and quicker and nimbler than at any time during his heavy-footed, overly muscled rookie season.
Not that it translated into performance. Oden finished with five fouls, seven turnovers and two points in 26 minutes. But there also were five blocked shots and 12 rebounds. There also were flashes of brilliance. There also was a sense that Oden now is at a weight that will allow him to develop.
Which, presumably, will make it easier for him to bear the unfair burden of carrying the franchise’s hopes for a championship.
And, presumably, made it easier for Oden to be effective against the Rockets’ Rec League center tandem of Chuck Hayes and somebody named David Andersen.
There’s no telling what Oden will be able to do against a real NBA center, and there remains no explanation for how an athletic 7-foot center could be completely devoid of low-post moves. But at this point, the Blazers will take what they can get from Oden.
"I think I did some good things that don’t show up on the stats," Oden said, which is the basketball equivalent of, "She has a great personality."
And while Oden will be the most scrutinized of all the Blazers throughout the season, Tuesday’s victory illuminated a much more serious issue.
As Portland was threatening to blow a lead that stood at 19 points entering the fourth quarter, as it consistently found itself in desperate need of a basket to stem the Rockets’ charge, there was Andre Miller handling the ball.
This in itself is not a problem. Miller was performing the job he was signed to do, and he does it quite well.
But the problem is that it meant Brandon Roy was not handling the ball from the point-guard position. Which is kind of like the Patriots having Tom Brady do nothing but hand off during the fourth quarter.
That situation was remedied after several possessions, as Roy resumed his typical point-guard duties down the stretch. The result was a sloppy-yet-satisfying opening-game win, but it opened the door for problems down the road.
How will Miller react to being on the floor and not having the ball in his hands? How will Nate McMillan balance the needs of the team with the egos of the players?
Not that any of these questions needed to be answered Tuesday. We’re in the first quarter-mile of the marathon.
"I thought we played hard, played aggressive," Roy said. "Sloppy. We had some turnovers there but we built the lead."
And they did it against a team that reached the conference finals last season, proving that even while committing 26 turnovers, these Blazers have a large margin for error. They have the depth and the versatility to overcome nights when they are their own worst enemy.
"This probably will be the last game we win with 26 turnovers," McMillan said.
That assessment probably does not require any deliberation.