Oden out again?

[philcski]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

You new yorkers are tough philly.

He is barely 20 years old and had one year in college and that year was abbreviated by yet another injury.

At 7' 2" he is never going to be quick. But...he can move for a guy that size. He can jump and block shots like a young Mutombo. Basically he can change a team's interior defense right away.

Offensively he can shoot with either hand and play with his back to the basket which is becoming more and more rare among NBA big men. He needs to develop moves in the paint but again he is only 20.

If he can stay healthy (HUGE "IF"), Oden will be a dominating NBA center if not offensively then certainly defensively.

Like I said, he's definitely a good character guy (generally lacking in the NBA), and plays the game the right way- so I find myself rooting for him, but I was not blown away by him in college. Just being tall doesn't make you a great player- see Sean Bradley, George Muhresan, et al.