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Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

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  • Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

    I'm beginning to think that Greg Oden is not as great as we think he is. Amare Stoudamire and Chris Webber both had the surgery that he had and still had relative success after it but they are and were not quite the same. Amare is averaging about 23 points per game but before the injury he was having a breakout season with 26. I felt as though he was beginning to really evaluate his game even higher in the playoffs that year and perhaps come back the next year and lead the league in scoring.

    The Blazers have had a long history of selecting major draft busts at center. I'll outline the centers below

    LaRue Martin - 5.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1430 total points in 4 seasons.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRue_Martin

    LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is retired American professional basketball player, widely considered to be the worst first overall draft pick in NBA history.[1] Martin was taken first overall out of Loyola University Chicago by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving.

    A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the hype, spending four seasons on the Portland Trail Blazers’ bench before retiring in 1976.
    Bill Walton - 13.3 ppg, 6215 total points, 10.5 rpg

    Was a draft bust in terms of injuries. Same could happen with Oden.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walton

    Walton was drafted number one overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was hailed as the savior of the franchise. His first two seasons were marred by injury (at different times he broke his nose, foot, wrist and leg) and the Blazers missed the playoffs both years. It was not until the 1976-77 season that he was healthy and, spurred by new head coach Jack Ramsay, the Trail Blazers became the Cinderella team of the NBA.

    The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games before Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the first in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. During the off-season, Walton demanded to be traded, citing unethical and incompetent treatment of his and other players' injuries by the Blazers' front office. He did not get his wish and sat out the 1978-79 season in protest, signing with the San Diego Clippers when he became a free agent in 1979.
    Sam Bowie - 10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5564 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Bowie

    Samuel (Sam) Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association who is probably best known for being selected before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft.[1] He was a 7'1", 235 lb center.

    Sports Illustrated called Bowie the biggest NBA draft bust in a 2005 list, arguing that teams should not draft according to current need but to a player's potential.[4] Some past NBA critics have discussed, and would agree, that the label put on Bowie to be a "bust" is largely due to the fact that Jordan eventually had an amazing basketball career, and that at the time of the draft, Bowie was a logical pick on paper given that the Trail Blazers had just picked a shooting guard the previous year (Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler).

    Other Notable Draft Busts at Center (drafted high)

    #32. Joe Smith - 11.9 ppg, 6.9, 9860 total points


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Smith_%28basketball%29

    Joseph Leynard Smith (born July 26, 1975, in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA. His height is listed as 6'10".

    Smith attended Maury High School and played at the University of Maryland. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the first overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 season.


    #0. Pervis Ellison - 9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4869 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervis_Ellison

    Ellison was made the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. An injury kept him on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year, after which he was traded to the Washington Bullets.
    Chris Washburn - 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 222 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Washburn

    Washburn left N.C. State after the 1985-86 season and was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 3rd overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft.

    Washburn was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. By the mid-1990s, Washburn was still trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues.


    Kent Benson - 9.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 6168 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Benson

    They were the last team to accomplish that in Division I Men's Basketball. After graduating from Indiana University in 1977, he was the number one draft pick of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He spent 11 solid, but not particularly remarkable, seasons in the NBA
    Richard Washington - 9.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3456 points total

    Selected ahead of: Adrian Dantley (#6), Robert Parish (#8), Alex English (#23)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Washington

    One of John Wooden’s alumni from UCLA who didn’t achieve NBA expectations, Washington had a mediocre six season career. Washington’s first two NBA seasons showed promise, as he averaged roughly 13 points-per-game and 8.5 rebounds-per-game in those seasons. After those seasons, Washington’s career derailed and did not live up to the expectations and achievements of most UCLA alumni.
    Rick Robey - Third Over all by the Indiana Pacers. We could have drafted Larry Bird that year. 7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3723 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Robey

    A 6'11" center from the University of Kentucky, Robey played eight seasons (1978-86) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns. He scored 3,723 points in his career and was a member of the 1981 Celtics championship team.
    Michael Olowokandi - 8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4135 total points scored

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Olowokandi

    . His junior year, Olowokandi led his team to the NCAA Tournament, and after his senior year was drafted with the first overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

    To make this shorter I'll add a few more names without all the acess stuff: Kwame Brown, Darko Milicic, Marcus Fizer, Steve Stipanovich, Joe Barry Carroll, Jon Koncak, Nicoloz Tskitishvili, and Jonathan Bender.


    I understand that many people here are fans of Greg Oden (As am I) because of his heritage but I simply don't see him being that explosive of a player. He has skills but even before the injury he was a tid bit inmobile at points. He'll probably have a career meered with knee injuries with a few good seasons here and there. I'm not sure if I am the first to point out the fact that he could be a draft bust.

  • #2
    Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

    This is so unfair to Oden I don't know where to begin.

    The kid doesn't even get a CHANCE to prove himself before you label him a bust? Come the **** on.

    It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

    Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
    Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
    NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

      I'm not saying he's a bust yet. I didn't label him either but he has a pretty good chance of being one.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

        I don't think it's fair to put Bill Walton on that list. When healthy he was one of the best players of all time. He was an MVP and won a title as the best player on his team. He won subsequent titles as a back-up and team clown.

        If Oden leads the Blazers to just one title then he's a success.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

          Originally posted by Kstat View Post
          This is so unfair to Oden I don't know where to begin.

          The kid doesn't even get a CHANCE to prove himself before you label him a bust? Come the **** on.
          Exactly what I was going to say...Its like saying Michael Beasley is gonna be a bust in the NBA.
          LoneGranger33 said
          Agreed. As the members of Guns and Roses once said, "every rose has its thorn".

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

            The only way Oden is a bust is if his health fails him.

            In the NCAA final as a freshman, he was the best player on the floor...which included upper classmen in Joakim Noah and Al Horford, two guys who will be pretty good pro's from what I have seen.

            Considering those guys tag teamed on him and were quite experienced college players, it was not a fair fight.

            His size, shotblocking and rebounding alone will make him a very good NBA center.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

              Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
              The only way Oden is a bust is if his health fails him.

              In the NCAA final as a freshman, he was the best player on the floor...which included upper classmen in Joakim Noah and Al Horford, two guys who will be pretty good pro's from what I have seen.

              Considering those guys tag teamed on him and were quite experienced college players, it was not a fair fight.

              His size, shotblocking and rebounding alone will make him a very good NBA center.
              From the information above though, no matter how great you are in college and how big you are, you still have to prove yourself in the NBA. That's why I haven't labeled Greg a bust yet. I simply am stating that he could have a very good chance of being a bust.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                I never really understood drafting him over Durant, but uh... lets at least let him play a bit before we call him a bust.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                  Originally posted by GrangerRanger View Post
                  I'm not saying he's a bust yet. I didn't label him either but he has a pretty good chance of being one.
                  Why are you "just beginning to think" that Oden is a bust? What's different between now and the day after he had his surgery?

                  As a fan of a team that plays in his conference, I (and probably the rest of the fans, coaches and GMs in the western conference) hope that you're right.

                  But if he can stay relatively healthy, I think you're going to be wrong. Oden has all the tools to be an absolute force in this league and can shift the balance of power in the west to Portland.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                    I like the research and welcome the point to the board, it's a valid point of view and one that maybe should be reserved for another 12 months, till we have seen him play..

                    I can see what you mean and there are a few questions around him and most likely allways will be, i have never seen him play but he must be able to handle the rock some to justify the draft pick, he can't be any worse then Kwame...
                    Ya Think Ya Used Enough Dynamite there Butch...

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                      Bynum's better, but that doesn't mean a healthy Oden wont still be a damn good center.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                        Originally posted by GrangerRanger View Post
                        I'm not saying he's a bust yet. I didn't label him either but he has a pretty good chance of being one.
                        Good Lord could you let him get out of the rehab pool before you say he's a bust.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                          Originally posted by d_c View Post
                          Why are you "just beginning to think" that Oden is a bust? What's different between now and the day after he had his surgery?

                          As a fan of a team that plays in his conference, I (and probably the rest of the fans, coaches and GMs in the western conference) hope that you're right.

                          But if he can stay relatively healthy, I think you're going to be wrong. Oden has all the tools to be an absolute force in this league and can shift the balance of power in the west to Portland.
                          I've always had my doubts about Greg even when he was in college. He seems to be injury prone but he was still fun to watch at the college level. To tell you the truth, I hope to god this kid becomes a hall of famer. I like him. But, I'm just not so sure.

                          And for the record..I didn't balantly say "GREG ODEN IS A BUST, OMG HORRIBLE PICK!!1!!".

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                            Originally posted by GrangerRanger View Post
                            From the information above though, no matter how great you are in college and how big you are, you still have to prove yourself in the NBA. That's why I haven't labeled Greg a bust yet. I simply am stating that he could have a very good chance of being a bust.
                            I guess it's always possible. However, you can say that about anyone who has yet to play an NBA game.

                            I fail to see the basis to make this speculation. The fact Portland drafted several bust centers in the distant past is something that does not mean a whole lot to me. Just look at the recent past: Aldridge.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Greg Oden: The next Larue Martin?

                              Originally posted by GrangerRanger View Post
                              I've always had my doubts about Greg even when he was in college. He seems to be injury prone but he was still fun to watch at the college level. To tell you the truth, I hope to god this kid becomes a hall of famer. I like him. But, I'm just not so sure.

                              And for the record..I didn't balantly say "GREG ODEN IS A BUST, OMG HORRIBLE PICK!!1!!".
                              You can question his injuries and health, but I don't see how anybody can question his actual basketball ability. Kid was the the best or 2nd best player in college last year as a 19 year old center. Duncan as a freshman was a good player but wasn't anywhere near as dominant.

                              Every game he played in, he was cleary the most dominant player on the floor.

                              Hey, I hope you're RIGHT about him being a bust, because otherwise Portland is basically going to dominate the West just like Duncan's Spurs have for the past 10 seasons. It'll be over for just about everyone else.

                              Comment

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