I've got some exciting... and somewhat disturbing news.
I just got home from the 24 hour fitness in Tualatin where I played in a pickup game with Greg Oden. He played two games, and obviously he dominated.
The good news, Greg looks great. He had at least 8-10 dunks. A couple of them were coast to coast, one was a putback, and the rest were all low post two handers. He also blocked a number of shots. Basically he looks like the Greg of old.
Honestly, I was a little concerned when his friends convinced him to play. Images of Greg hurting himself in a meaningless pickup game swirled through my head, but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't thrilled to play with him.
Anyway, just thought you guys would like to hear about it.
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Quote:
"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speedbag." ~ Bill Simmons
I remember reading somewhere on the Blazers website in which Martell said Greg always practices with the team, but only one of the practices got out to the public.
If this was anyone but you Nate I would call BS on this, which makes me feel ill about him playing. I mean I love that he is out there, but what the hell is he thinking? And what the hell were you thinking by not telling him to sit his *** down? Then again, the surgery is probably all but healed now, and playing a pick up game is probably not that big of a deal. I would imagine he wasn't going at full G.O. speed
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"SHOW ME THE BUFFET!!!"
Former Blazer Alaa Abdelnaby on being a student athlete at Duke. "The only way I could get 5 A's at Duke was to spell my name"
A full-speed pickup game is probably 1/3 speed tops for a pro. Knowing this, he's been cleared for half-speed practices for at least an hour. These games last about 20 minutes each, and he played 2, so we have 2 games at 1/3 speed.
It's not like he was playing with 6'5" - 6'10" guys. It was at a 24-Hour Fitness. In Tualatin.
This scares the crap out of me. What in the hell is Oden doing playing pickup games with total strangers at some local gym? What if some 15-year-old kid who wants to make a name for himself tries to take him out at the knees, or trip him up, or foul him hard--and ends up injuring him? There goes the franchise, again . . .
If I were the Blazers I'd make sure he never did anything like this again. In fact, I'd write it into his contract. This is bull****.
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"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." --Jay, lifelong Pacers fan
Greg Oden pickup game
Mike Rice is an Ol' School Pimp!
The kids are all right! 
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