Getting destroyed in the middle all year

[Kuberski33]

Oden was recently at the Evan Turner night @ Ohio St. hanging again with ET and Sullinger.  You know who was also there?  Danny Ainge.

Oden plead out his case in December 2014, agreeing to a fine and probation.  In 2014 Oden also had the Orthokine plasma procedure, which is 75% successful.  Prior to this, Oden had the same microfracture surgeon in Vail that operated on Gallinari.  The doctor, R. Steadman and his clinic are no longer in business. 

Oden is intriguing, especially for short money.  Here is the link to his full highlights from his stint in the CBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyRfM4WSD1g#action=share

His legal problems are definitely a PR challenge, but it seems like he's on a better path now.  His fellow Buckeyes could keep him on the straight and narrow, but who can say if they'll be around after this season? 

Sign Oden now to finish out the run.  He's the paint clogging emergency backup center we need.

Interesting thought.  I'd love to see whether CBS could help him resurrect his career. Problem is they can't give him many minutes now or in the future unless he really earned them.  I would think at this stage he'd need to play - a lot - against NBA competition to regain whatever he had that made him a #1 pick.

[Johnny Mic]

At this stage, I'd think Old Man Oden would be grateful just to catch on with a team, especially one on the rise like the Celtics.  His days living up to his #1 draft status as a franchise changing center are in the past. 

He can still finish in the paint and has an above average defensive IQ - what could Brad do with that?  Put a body on guys like Mozgov, Brook Lopez, for starters. 

If there's any organization that could solve the puzzle of Greg Oden it would be the Celtics and CBS.  CBS working with a healthy Oden to further his development is a potentially delicious pairing.  Its worked for Evan Turner....

Some fans also like Oden for the Cavs:
http://www.neosportsinsiders.com/5-reasons-the-cavs-should-take-a-flyer-on-greg-oden/

[LarBrd33]

Getting destroyed in the middle is why Ainge was willing to trade a package built around the Brooklyn 1st for Jahlil Okafor.  Can't teach size.   When you see a big man with star potential, you best snag him.   It's a big man's game.  Titles won with bigs for 60+ years.  Small ball movement is nice if you have phenoms capable of shooting from half court, but you still need bigs to survive in this league.

Isn't this thread about getting destroyed defensively in the middle? We'd be even more destroyed right now with Okafor, wouldn't we?

Titles are not won with defensively-weak bigs.

Agree Okafor is a bit of a defensive liability ... Why I proposed Noel in the OP

I think there's a difference between being a below average defender and an undersized liability.  Having a man with size down low would make it challenging for bigs to torture us. 

[LarBrd33]

Oden was recently at the Evan Turner night @ Ohio St. hanging again with ET and Sullinger.  You know who was also there?  Danny Ainge.

Oden plead out his case in December 2014, agreeing to a fine and probation.  In 2014 Oden also had the Orthokine plasma procedure, which is 75% successful.  Prior to this, Oden had the same microfracture surgeon in Vail that operated on Gallinari.  The doctor, R. Steadman and his clinic are no longer in business. 

Oden is intriguing, especially for short money.  Here is the link to his full highlights from his stint in the CBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyRfM4WSD1g#action=share

His legal problems are definitely a PR challenge, but it seems like he's on a better path now.  His fellow Buckeyes could keep him on the straight and narrow, but who can say if they'll be around after this season? 

Sign Oden now to finish out the run.  He's the paint clogging emergency backup center we need.

Unfortunately it sounds like Oden was pretty underwhelming in China.  I was rooting for the guy, but it seems his basketball career is over.

[Celtics18]

Getting destroyed in the middle is why Ainge was willing to trade a package built around the Brooklyn 1st for Jahlil Okafor.  Can't teach size.   When you see a big man with star potential, you best snag him.   It's a big man's game.  Titles won with bigs for 60+ years.  Small ball movement is nice if you have phenoms capable of shooting from half court, but you still need bigs to survive in this league.

Isn't this thread about getting destroyed defensively in the middle? We'd be even more destroyed right now with Okafor, wouldn't we?

Titles are not won with defensively-weak bigs.

Agree Okafor is a bit of a defensive liability ... Why I proposed Noel in the OP

I think there's a difference between being a below average defender and an undersized liability.  Having a man with size down low would make it challenging for bigs to torture us.

Someone should have told Nik Vucevic that tonight as he was "torturing" Jah and the Sixers for 35.

[Dino Pitino]

Oden was recently at the Evan Turner night @ Ohio St. hanging again with ET and Sullinger.  You know who was also there?  Danny Ainge.

Oden plead out his case in December 2014, agreeing to a fine and probation.  In 2014 Oden also had the Orthokine plasma procedure, which is 75% successful.  Prior to this, Oden had the same microfracture surgeon in Vail that operated on Gallinari.  The doctor, R. Steadman and his clinic are no longer in business. 

Oden is intriguing, especially for short money.  Here is the link to his full highlights from his stint in the CBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyRfM4WSD1g#action=share

His legal problems are definitely a PR challenge, but it seems like he's on a better path now.  His fellow Buckeyes could keep him on the straight and narrow, but who can say if they'll be around after this season? 

Sign Oden now to finish out the run.  He's the paint clogging emergency backup center we need.

Unfortunately it sounds like Oden was pretty underwhelming in China.  I was rooting for the guy, but it seems his basketball career is over.

Underwhelming how?

EDIT: He seems to have led the CBA in rebounds and blocks per 36. He was only released by his team because they had been eliminated from the playoffs and he was paid on a month-to-month basis.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

If I remember correctly this problem has been there right back to the days Danny traded Perk for Green. Even with the cheap contract walking fouls types like Ryan Hollins, and Greg Stiemsmascoming off the bench

[LarBrd33]

Oden was recently at the Evan Turner night @ Ohio St. hanging again with ET and Sullinger.  You know who was also there?  Danny Ainge.

Oden plead out his case in December 2014, agreeing to a fine and probation.  In 2014 Oden also had the Orthokine plasma procedure, which is 75% successful.  Prior to this, Oden had the same microfracture surgeon in Vail that operated on Gallinari.  The doctor, R. Steadman and his clinic are no longer in business. 

Oden is intriguing, especially for short money.  Here is the link to his full highlights from his stint in the CBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyRfM4WSD1g#action=share

His legal problems are definitely a PR challenge, but it seems like he's on a better path now.  His fellow Buckeyes could keep him on the straight and narrow, but who can say if they'll be around after this season? 

Sign Oden now to finish out the run.  He's the paint clogging emergency backup center we need.

Unfortunately it sounds like Oden was pretty underwhelming in China.  I was rooting for the guy, but it seems his basketball career is over.

Underwhelming how?

EDIT: He seems to have led the CBA in rebounds and blocks per 36. He was only released by his team because they had been eliminated from the playoffs and he was paid on a month-to-month basis.

washed up nba players average like 30 poiints and 40 rebounds a game there.   His stint was pretty pathetic.

Also, the highlights show a slow plodding fat guy with no lift.  His career is over, unfortunately.  Too bad.

[LarBrd33]

Getting destroyed in the middle is why Ainge was willing to trade a package built around the Brooklyn 1st for Jahlil Okafor.  Can't teach size.   When you see a big man with star potential, you best snag him.   It's a big man's game.  Titles won with bigs for 60+ years.  Small ball movement is nice if you have phenoms capable of shooting from half court, but you still need bigs to survive in this league.

Isn't this thread about getting destroyed defensively in the middle? We'd be even more destroyed right now with Okafor, wouldn't we?

Titles are not won with defensively-weak bigs.

Agree Okafor is a bit of a defensive liability ... Why I proposed Noel in the OP

I think there's a difference between being a below average defender and an undersized liability.  Having a man with size down low would make it challenging for bigs to torture us.

Someone should have told Nik Vucevic that tonight as he was "torturing" Jah and the Sixers for 35.

System makes a difference.  Philly threw this season away over the summer.  Nothing they do right now matters. 

[Dino Pitino]

Oden was recently at the Evan Turner night @ Ohio St. hanging again with ET and Sullinger.  You know who was also there?  Danny Ainge.

Oden plead out his case in December 2014, agreeing to a fine and probation.  In 2014 Oden also had the Orthokine plasma procedure, which is 75% successful.  Prior to this, Oden had the same microfracture surgeon in Vail that operated on Gallinari.  The doctor, R. Steadman and his clinic are no longer in business. 

Oden is intriguing, especially for short money.  Here is the link to his full highlights from his stint in the CBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyRfM4WSD1g#action=share

His legal problems are definitely a PR challenge, but it seems like he's on a better path now.  His fellow Buckeyes could keep him on the straight and narrow, but who can say if they'll be around after this season? 

Sign Oden now to finish out the run.  He's the paint clogging emergency backup center we need.

Unfortunately it sounds like Oden was pretty underwhelming in China.  I was rooting for the guy, but it seems his basketball career is over.

Underwhelming how?

EDIT: He seems to have led the CBA in rebounds and blocks per 36. He was only released by his team because they had been eliminated from the playoffs and he was paid on a month-to-month basis.

washed up nba players average like 30 poiints and 40 rebounds a game there.   His stint was pretty pathetic.

No one in the CBA has ever had 40 rebounds in a single game. The league leaderboard is barely different from the NBA's, number-wise.

Also, the highlights show a slow plodding fat guy with no lift.  His career is over, unfortunately.  Too bad.

The highlights show nothing worse than the player that the Heat signed two years ago.

[Johnny Mic]

Oden's off court issues, not the knees, are the reason he was cut by Miami.  In fact, he looks better physically than he did when he was with the Heat.  I bet there was a cap on his minutes in China as the purpose of his playing there was a non-NBA stress test.

More Highlights from China, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SVKgyEhx0A

Slow plodding, pathetic and fat?  Sorry, too dismissive.  I see thunderdunks, ally-oops, hook shot, 8 ft spot up jump shot, good motor, and free throws (!?)

As far as his career being over, Oden just made $400k playing pro basketball - doesn't sound like over by any stretch.  I said we should sign Oden, but it might be premature to think Oden will make an NBA roster right now, as Thad Matta @ Ohio St suggested Oden's timeline for a comeback would be the 2016-17 season. 

He made a nice little payday in China, but what does Oden do now that he's not playing? If I were Ainge I'd need to see how Oden handles himself at this juncture.  Does he regress and backslide or will he continue the upward trend - continuing to work out, getting into better shape, staying healthy -- being a professional -- and putting some more distance between him and the toxic behavior.