Comments on: David Thorpe on Oden http://ripcityproject.com/2010/03/06/david-thorpe-on-oden-2/ A Portland Trailblazers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:30:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Coup http://ripcityproject.com/2010/03/06/david-thorpe-on-oden-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2373 Coup Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:25:11 +0000 http://ripcityproject.com/?p=3154#comment-2373 Well said. I wouldn't go so far as to say "mortals" wouldn't even challenge Greg, considering how little he has played. But he's even a very different paint defender than, say, Marcus Camby. Well said. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “mortals” wouldn’t even challenge Greg, considering how little he has played. But he’s even a very different paint defender than, say, Marcus Camby.

]]> By: Torridjoe http://ripcityproject.com/2010/03/06/david-thorpe-on-oden-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2371 Torridjoe Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:04:08 +0000 http://ripcityproject.com/?p=3154#comment-2371 It's easy to see...Greg changed games when he was on the court, especially defensively. That's a real time admission by the league what they believe he was capable of, that they pointedly did not show him last year. This season, as Thorpe notes when he went down he was beginning to raise some eyebrows with solid numbers, but it's the impact on the game when he's not shooting or engaging the ballhandler on defense. The best teams in the NBA unfortunately blast right down the middle on Portland now, and that's because resistance is minimal. They're holding it together against everyone else, but the elites expose them. But with Greg on the floor, those elites hesitate to crash the lane as a strategy--and the mortals of the league don't even try. On defense, there's a lot less leaking out on Portland after the shot, because the combined O-bounding of Oden and Przybillia was dominant on a nonocassional basis. This Blazer fan totally respects KDs game, and he's a game winner...but Oden looks to be a game changer, and that's a path to titles when you have one. It’s easy to see…Greg changed games when he was on the court, especially defensively. That’s a real time admission by the league what they believe he was capable of, that they pointedly did not show him last year. This season, as Thorpe notes when he went down he was beginning to raise some eyebrows with solid numbers, but it’s the impact on the game when he’s not shooting or engaging the ballhandler on defense. The best teams in the NBA unfortunately blast right down the middle on Portland now, and that’s because resistance is minimal. They’re holding it together against everyone else, but the elites expose them.

But with Greg on the floor, those elites hesitate to crash the lane as a strategy–and the mortals of the league don’t even try. On defense, there’s a lot less leaking out on Portland after the shot, because the combined O-bounding of Oden and Przybillia was dominant on a nonocassional basis.

This Blazer fan totally respects KDs game, and he’s a
game winner…but Oden looks to be a game changer,
and that’s a path to titles when you have one.

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