I know this pains everyone but what happened on Tuesday night really just happened. If you wanted to read more about Oden’s injury, TrueHoop just posted a nice read about the extent of Oden’s injury and really how just lucky he and the city of Portland was. Read it here.
Archive for October, 2008
30
Oct
Expert on Oden’s Injury
ESPN is reporting that Andrew Bynum has reached four-year contract extension with the LA Lakers worth $58 million, keeping him in LA until the 2012-2013 season. Here’s a quick excerpt:
Bynum, who will earn $2.8 million this season, showed significant improvement for the Lakers in 2007-08 before being lost for about half of the season and the playoffs to an injury. His healthy return is one reason many observers are touting the Lakers as a favorite to return to the NBA Finals and win the championship.
Personally I think it’s very smart of the Lakers to get this deal done sooner rather than later. I may be a Blazer fan, but even I can recognize that Bynum is going to be a force in this league for years to come. Getting this out of the way before the summer lets the whole team and city rest a bit easier and focus on the season rather than money. Plus we’ll have all those Oden v. Bynum matchups to look forward to…right? RIGHT?! *cries*
29
Oct
Dry Your Eyes
28
Oct
Oden Hurts Foot
Greg Oden left the game tonight with what is being called a “mid-foot sprain.” X-rays were inconclusive and he will have an MRI on Wednesday morning. This is 100% the worst news for any Blazer fan. Injuries are worse the lower you go down in the body. What I mean is that hand, finger, wrist injuries are all better (generally) then knee, foot or ankle injuries. Oden was already a step slower. I don’t think he was rushed back onto the court, I mean he sat out a whole year, but the sad truth is that this guy is officially injury prone.
I’m sort of speechless. I am in no way writing off Oden, in all likelihood he will be back in 1-3 weeks but still, this is the worst possible way to start your already one year delayed NBA career. If it is any consolation, Bynum looked less then impressive tonight.
Halftime: Lakers 49 - Blazers 34
The season is getting off to what could be considered a rough start. The Lakers took over from the opening whistle and every Blazer on the starting lineup came out cold. Oden played well on defense, but his offense was no where to be found. Rudy Fernandez came off the bench and made some nice plays and found his shot. Joel Przybilla has also played well, grabbing 6 rebounds with 4 points.
The most disappointing player of the first half has to be Brandon Roy. If Brandon Roy is the future, it is clear that Kobe Bryant is now. Roy was well off his shot, going 0 - 6 from the field. Aldridge only put in 4 points and was killed by Gasol on both ends of the court.
It’s obvious to me that Oden is hurting. He is trying to run, but its sort of an awkward power walk. His legs are not right. Bynum took him down early in the game and his legs have been soft ever since. If this game stays out of reach, you have to think about sitting Oden. It’s so not worth him getting actually hurt.
But I think this was too be expected, or at least it is not unexpected. But I have been reading through a few forums and I am shocked by the Blazer Fans. It’s sad. People are turning on the team and the future faster then I ever could have expected. The Blazers are going to hit some high highs but also some very very low lows. Tonight, and the next 4 games, could very easily could be a very low point. It’s an 82 game season, so everyone calm. Stay true to the team. We have waited years for a team like this, don’t get irrational now. (Here’s looking at you Oregon Live Blazers Forum).
First, let’s get this out of the way:
O.K. good. Now here are the countless sites running live blogs and open threads for tonight’s game:
O.K. so not countless, but Blazersedge.com and Oregon Live should get their open threads up and running soon before the game starts and we’ll have the links here.
Lastly, Greg Oden updated his blog just about an hour ago. Give it a read:
So todays the day. We arrived in LA yesterday and I tried to do anything I could to just relax. I had a really good dinner with my family and friends who all flew out for the game. When i got back to my hotel I watched TV and just went to bed. I didn’t have any trouble fallin asleep. But today Im excited. I feel like ive been waiting for this for a while. Yeah i learned a lot last year from watching Joel and everyone but its not the same. I’m ready to get out on the court and just play. Its good to start off against a good team like the Lakers. So were just gonna go out there and play our hardest and hope for the best. Thanks to everyone whose been so supportive of us. 2 more hours…im healthy, my knee is good, Im ready to go.
Only 45 more minutes. Beat LA.
This post comes to us from super-fan Matt. It’s a short but sweet read covering more players and aspects from tonight’s opener. Enjoy.
Pregame Thoughts
Well the Blazer’s hype machine is rolling more than anybody ever thought it would be at this point in the season. But up to this point that’s all it is: hype. It’s entirely possible that tonight’s game (or more likely, the first five games) sets the tone for the entire season, and we’ll have a chance to see just who exactly this Blazer team is. Now, I’m not saying the Blazers have to win tonight. What I am saying is that if at the very start of the season the Blazers are able to establish their identity and play with a poise and team chemistry not generally displayed by young teams, then their chances of being this year’s Hornets will be that much greater. So with that, here’s a few things I want to see in tonight’s game:
Oden vs Bynum
Okay this might be obvious, but I am absolutely SICK of the “who would you want on your team” argument. Personally, there is no way I would ever take Bynum over Oden. Bynum is going to be a great player, but Oden is a freak. I would bet that offensively they’ll likely be fairly equal throughout their careers, but defensively it won’t come close. This is why players are already placing a bounty for dunking on Oden, even though he’s never played an NBA game. And now, we finally get to see them play against one another. Bynum has the experience; Oden has the hype. It will be a challenge for Oden: Will he overcome Bynum’s experience advantage and make a statement in his first real NBA game? More importantly, will he command the double teams that will open up the floor for the rest of the Blazers? Whoever comes out on top between these two players could determine who comes out on top for the game.
Nicolas Batum
Nic is probably the player most Blazers fans are least excited to see play. He’s not going to fill it up offensively, and at this point in his career there probably won’t be any flashy part about his game. He has the ability to become a major “glue” player on this team, but that’s in the future. He can play D and has that lockdown mentality that the Blazers need. If he truly develops into a great perimeter defender, then his abilities coupled with Oden’s post defense will be a force into the future. But in reality, how many minutes will he even get tonight? Travis starts and Rudy has to get his minutes too. He may only play 15 minutes, but they call it 15 minutes of fame for a reason. This is Batum’s chance to show everyone that he’s got the chops to play NBA ball.
Odom/Pau/Bynum
These three really haven’t had a chance to play together for the Lakers, and it will be interesting to see how it works out. Odom seems confirmed to be coming off the bench with Phil Jackson favoring Trevor Ariza for the starting small forward position. However, if these three get the chance to play together, along with Kobe, that is a pretty fearsome foursome. The flipside is that there may not be enough ball to go around considering Kobe holds the ball 50% of the time, who knows how much these three specifically can get done on an individual level.
Sasha Vujacic
Just kidding.
With that said, I leave you with this link. Not that anybody needs anymore reason to get excited for this season, but this tribute to last season might leave you in tears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuhncbO975k
28
Oct
The Smart Money
LINE: Blazers +8, Lakers -8
Vegas is supporting the home team and defending Western Conference champions in the Blazers v Lakers season opener. This spread seamed a little low to me given both teams performance last season and the expectations for the Lakers this season. I decided to dive a little deeper and here is what I found.
- 86% of bets have been on the Lakers covering the spread
- The Lakers have not covered a spread against the Blazers since Feb 2, 2006
- A bet on the Blazers would have cashed in the last 9 contests
- In the last 26 games, The underdog is 22-4 to cover in Lakers v Blazers meetings
- The Blazers are 17-5-1 when the underdog on the road
- Dating back to last season, Portland is 5-1 in their last 6 games against the spread
What does all this tell me? It says that if history is anything then the Blazers will cover the spread. It also tells me that if 86% of the “smart money” is going one direction, you want to be going the other direction, that is the secret of Sports Betting. Now, I in no way encourage you or support you to make a pick in tonight’s game, but if you were going to, Portland, with the spread, looks like the best pick.
