"Greg Oden says he will probably skip U.S. training camp next month after tonsillectomy"
You know I really don't need to say anything about this. Really I don't. But I will post more Oden comments because I think they say way more than I ever could.
"It was a lot of traveling, but just had to do it," Oden said. "I never got worn out traveling until this summer. It was a lot."
Oden is talking about how much he traveled this summer following the 2007 draft. What goes without saying however is that he will be traveling even more this fall. As to why this is important, see my previous blog and the points I make concerning Oden's overall health. All I can say is it is a good thing he's in the NBA and not a cyclist riding for 3 weeks in the Tour de France.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Hold the Mayo plyssss... O J Mayo that is.
So since there is no real basketball to be found ANYWHERE, I've been forced to watch video of some up and coming NBA Lottery picks. What I'm hoping is to see that what ever blinded the NBA and the Portland Trailblazers on their 2007 draft premonitions will be absent in future drafts. I know, I know, I might as well be holding my breath. People see what they want to see. Me included. But knowing that, and wanting to see things as they are versus how I wish them to be just might be my salvation. I'm still waiting on the NBA power's that be. And apparently, I've got a long wait coming as I sit here looking at videos of O J Mayo.
And here is what I see. I see an athletically gifted 6'5" basketball player with good shooting range and a decent head and shoulder fake. What I do not see is a point guard. Given his range and the way he tends to look to score first versus getting other players involved in the offense, I see him at the next level being a much more effective at shooting guard. I also would be hard pressed to find any evidence of a defensive bone in his body, let alone his consciousness. Given his size, length and "relative" quickness he could be a monster on the defensive end if he chose to apply himself. (Gary Payton back in the day comes to mind). But all I've been able to see on the web points to a player with an obsessive scorers mindset. This is great if you've got a team full of guys who can't seem to put the ball in the hole, but even in the NBA the four others guys you put on the court around him will only put up with so much "Kobesizing" from a rookie.
What most people tend to watch when someone plays basketball, especially someone with the notoriety O J Mayo enjoys, is how many times the ball goes through the hoop. But for me what is also of interest is how he chooses to get it there. And I will admit when discussing Mayo, the basketball does go through the hoop with incredible frequency. But I was amazed (and I must admit annoyed) with how many times the ball goes through the hoop when there are multiple defenders on him. In much of the video I watched his team is watching him and waiting for something to happen. Contrast this to what you would see watching some old Jason Kidd footage when he was Mayo's age and you will understand where I'm going here. There are a lot of ways to score points and Mayo appears to choose the route of highest resistance.
What also should be noted is Mayo's jumpshot is more often than not taken off balance. Again while I can agree it goes down with frequency, an off balance shot is one that sooner or later will be in some real need of correction. If he is going to use that shot, which I noticed neither a great deal of elevation nor a quick release on in the NBA where the players defending him will be almost as blessed as he is athletically, working on setting and squaring his feet will be imperative.
According to DraftExpress, "People putting out “pre-preseason” All-America teams and not including Mayo just aren’t thinking clearly. Mayo is an instant 20-5-5." But I have a really hard time imagining Mayo doing the number he did on high school cagers to teams like UCLA, Arizona and Stanford -- or the rest of the PAC 10 for that matter. Honestly, unless Mayo has a spectacular college season I wouldn't be surprised to see his draft stock drop drastically. Mid first round would seem to be the logical place. But hey, this is the NBA we are talking about and invisible clothes being sighted are common and miracles happen simply because they want them to ala Shawn Bradley. And everyone knows what a great idea it was to draft him.
And here is what I see. I see an athletically gifted 6'5" basketball player with good shooting range and a decent head and shoulder fake. What I do not see is a point guard. Given his range and the way he tends to look to score first versus getting other players involved in the offense, I see him at the next level being a much more effective at shooting guard. I also would be hard pressed to find any evidence of a defensive bone in his body, let alone his consciousness. Given his size, length and "relative" quickness he could be a monster on the defensive end if he chose to apply himself. (Gary Payton back in the day comes to mind). But all I've been able to see on the web points to a player with an obsessive scorers mindset. This is great if you've got a team full of guys who can't seem to put the ball in the hole, but even in the NBA the four others guys you put on the court around him will only put up with so much "Kobesizing" from a rookie.
What most people tend to watch when someone plays basketball, especially someone with the notoriety O J Mayo enjoys, is how many times the ball goes through the hoop. But for me what is also of interest is how he chooses to get it there. And I will admit when discussing Mayo, the basketball does go through the hoop with incredible frequency. But I was amazed (and I must admit annoyed) with how many times the ball goes through the hoop when there are multiple defenders on him. In much of the video I watched his team is watching him and waiting for something to happen. Contrast this to what you would see watching some old Jason Kidd footage when he was Mayo's age and you will understand where I'm going here. There are a lot of ways to score points and Mayo appears to choose the route of highest resistance.
What also should be noted is Mayo's jumpshot is more often than not taken off balance. Again while I can agree it goes down with frequency, an off balance shot is one that sooner or later will be in some real need of correction. If he is going to use that shot, which I noticed neither a great deal of elevation nor a quick release on in the NBA where the players defending him will be almost as blessed as he is athletically, working on setting and squaring his feet will be imperative.
According to DraftExpress, "People putting out “pre-preseason” All-America teams and not including Mayo just aren’t thinking clearly. Mayo is an instant 20-5-5." But I have a really hard time imagining Mayo doing the number he did on high school cagers to teams like UCLA, Arizona and Stanford -- or the rest of the PAC 10 for that matter. Honestly, unless Mayo has a spectacular college season I wouldn't be surprised to see his draft stock drop drastically. Mid first round would seem to be the logical place. But hey, this is the NBA we are talking about and invisible clothes being sighted are common and miracles happen simply because they want them to ala Shawn Bradley. And everyone knows what a great idea it was to draft him.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Some things not being considered about Greg Oden...
And why he wouldn't have been my first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft...
Look at any of the press concerning Greg Oden following Ohio State's loss to Florida in the NCAA finals this year and you would swear Oden was the second coming of a guy who allegedly walked on water and fed a large crowd of people fish and chips while standing on the top a mountain.
The performance by Oden confirmed in the minds of many top bball pundits Oden's dominance on the collegiate level because he was matched against two of the premiere big men in the country in Joakim Noah and Al Horford. And his stat line was impressive - 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks in 38 minutes. What these same pundits fail mention however, is the obvious game plan used by the Gators to insure their bigs were present and accounted for in the final moments of the contest. If you watch the game film closely, you will notice two things. First, and most obvious is that Oden rarely takes a contested shot the entire game. Once the ball went to Oden in the paint, or he grabbed an offensive rebound, all of the Florida players cleared the area. The 10 for 15 shooting from Oden came mostly from all these uncontested dunks. The Gator game plan here was obviously to allow Oden to have his points and defend his teammates. So while Oden's numbers look impressive in the box score, his affect on the overall outcome of the game was nil. To put his game in perspective, look at Al Horford's box. Horford played 34 minutes, had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Another point of interest that seems to go unnoticed by many of the pundits pushing Oden's talent is his apparent lack of stamina. In many games I watched during the year and at his predraft workout in Portland, Oden is visibly winded. This concerns me. It would surely bother me if I was about to make the kid one of the richest athletes on the planet. Especially since Oden's predraft workout didn't include any scrimmaging.
I also have some doubts about Oden's overall health. No I am not a doctor. But I am a keen observer and Oden's features and size remind me somewhat of the characteristics you commonly see in great danes. Danes are high energy, athletic animals with poor overall stamina and very short lifespans even with the best physical care. I just read that Oden missed a team USA scrimmage because of a tonsillectomy. This once common surgical procedure, is now very rare. For a doctor to consider it as an option there has to be a frequent recurrence of tonsillitis or other infection such as strep throat. From this I would guess there have been several antibiotic courses which would have destroyed the probiotic flora in Oden's stomach also rendering him more susceptible to infection.
Given all this, it will be interesting to see how his first season in the NBA goes. How will his body respond to the pressure of constant air travel and an 80+ game schedule? And more importantly over the course of an 80 game season, will he be able to stand and go toe to toe with the likes of Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan or Pau Gasol? Only time will tell.
Look at any of the press concerning Greg Oden following Ohio State's loss to Florida in the NCAA finals this year and you would swear Oden was the second coming of a guy who allegedly walked on water and fed a large crowd of people fish and chips while standing on the top a mountain.
The performance by Oden confirmed in the minds of many top bball pundits Oden's dominance on the collegiate level because he was matched against two of the premiere big men in the country in Joakim Noah and Al Horford. And his stat line was impressive - 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks in 38 minutes. What these same pundits fail mention however, is the obvious game plan used by the Gators to insure their bigs were present and accounted for in the final moments of the contest. If you watch the game film closely, you will notice two things. First, and most obvious is that Oden rarely takes a contested shot the entire game. Once the ball went to Oden in the paint, or he grabbed an offensive rebound, all of the Florida players cleared the area. The 10 for 15 shooting from Oden came mostly from all these uncontested dunks. The Gator game plan here was obviously to allow Oden to have his points and defend his teammates. So while Oden's numbers look impressive in the box score, his affect on the overall outcome of the game was nil. To put his game in perspective, look at Al Horford's box. Horford played 34 minutes, had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Another point of interest that seems to go unnoticed by many of the pundits pushing Oden's talent is his apparent lack of stamina. In many games I watched during the year and at his predraft workout in Portland, Oden is visibly winded. This concerns me. It would surely bother me if I was about to make the kid one of the richest athletes on the planet. Especially since Oden's predraft workout didn't include any scrimmaging.
I also have some doubts about Oden's overall health. No I am not a doctor. But I am a keen observer and Oden's features and size remind me somewhat of the characteristics you commonly see in great danes. Danes are high energy, athletic animals with poor overall stamina and very short lifespans even with the best physical care. I just read that Oden missed a team USA scrimmage because of a tonsillectomy. This once common surgical procedure, is now very rare. For a doctor to consider it as an option there has to be a frequent recurrence of tonsillitis or other infection such as strep throat. From this I would guess there have been several antibiotic courses which would have destroyed the probiotic flora in Oden's stomach also rendering him more susceptible to infection.
Given all this, it will be interesting to see how his first season in the NBA goes. How will his body respond to the pressure of constant air travel and an 80+ game schedule? And more importantly over the course of an 80 game season, will he be able to stand and go toe to toe with the likes of Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan or Pau Gasol? Only time will tell.
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