lebron vs. greg oden

Oden is quickly becoming very overrated.

Knowing what we know now or if both of them were seniors in high school and we dont know that lebron will not only reach but wildly exceed expectations?

As pure prospects, before either played an NBA game, Oden is the more valuable prospect...both are in the "can't miss" mold, but Oden is more poised to dominate as a highly talented, filled-out, athletic big man. He's a polished big man with a post game, face-up game, ability to catch passes in traffic and a defensive impact player. He can do everything one would hope for from a dominant inside force.

Knowing what we know of James' development in his first three seasons, you have to take James. He's proven to be an NBA superstar and on an obvious Hall of Fame track. Oden, no matter how can't-miss he is, can't be expected to succeed as wildly as James, since James has had one of the best opening three-year runs in history.

CiMa said:

Oden is quickly becoming very overrated.

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or someone didn't understand what he asked.

LeBron is a very rare highschool exception. LeBron will have the better career by lightyears. After Kwame Brown was taken @ #1 I became very skeptical of these highscool big men that come into the NBA. Let's see what Oden does in his freshman yr in College 1st.

dissonance19 said:

or someone didn't understand what he asked.

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I understood exactly what he said. When I saw LeBron play in high school I saw talent that translated into instant NBA success. I guess I don't see what everyone else sees in Oden. I think expectations are becoming too high for Oden though, and it's because of LeBron.

It's like trying to choose between Jordan/Bird/Magic/Oscar and Wilt/Russell/Kareem/Hakeem/Shaq.
Totally personal preference. I doubt you could go wrong with either. Kind of personal preference. I really haven't seen enough of Oden though to speak on him extensively. I know when I saw Lebron in high school, I knew I was seeing something I had never seen before and might never see again. His passing is still the thing that gets me.

I know you always go with the big man, but with the amount of time Lebron spends as a point guard, he's really just as important as a great big man. He creates just as many open opportunities, and he plays in the paint more than a lot of contemporary big men.

Lebron is the best high school basketball prospect I've ever seen so I'll go with Lebron.

Of the guys I watched Webber in high school was the second best.

Oden is good but but not at the level of those two: probably because both Webber and Lebron were excellent playmakers in terms of passing as well as scoring even back in high school

neoxsupreme said:

After Kwame Brown was taken @ #1 I became very skeptical of these highscool big men that come into the NBA.

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Greg Oden isn't very comparable to Brown. Brown was extremely raw, he just had a body and physical tools for scouts to dream on. Oden not only has the body and physical tools, he's already a very polished, skilled product. He's already NBA ready, he's not a project. He does everything a player should, his game is very well-rounded. He also seems to be extremely intelligent and willing to work hard to improve.

Brown looked good, Oden actually is good.

Pioneer10 said:

Oden is good but but not at the level of those two: probably because both Webber and Lebron were excellent playmakers in terms of passing as well as scoring even back in high school

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On the flip side, Oden has a great defensive presence that those two didn't. Play-making isn't going to be Oden's game, but defense is a crucial aspect for any player and Oden looks like a defensive monster in the making.

Minstrel said:

On the flip side, Oden has a great defensive presence that those two didn't. Play-making isn't going to be Oden's game, but defense is a crucial aspect for any player and Oden looks like a defensive monster in the making.

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I don't know about that one. Ousmane Cisse looked like a defensive monster in high school too. I think he averaged ten blocks a game.

Now I'm not comparing Cisse and Oden at all, but I'm just saying it's easy to be a monster in high school when you're seven feet tall and as athletic as those two are.

There are absolutely no Oden doubters, but there were tons of LeBron doubters. I am sure that would factor into the draft pick. Big men are certainly seen as more of the sure thing, it wouldn't be outlandish for a GM to pick Oden.

Like A Breath said:

There are absolutely no Oden doubters, but there were tons of LeBron doubters. I am sure that would factor into the draft pick. Big men are certainly seen as more of the sure thing, it wouldn't be outlandish for a GM to pick Oden.

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And you can bet your bottom dollar LeBron's success has something to do with there being hardly any Oden doubters. No one ever performed straight out of high school like LeBron did.

Minstrel said:

On the flip side, Oden has a great defensive presence that those two didn't. Play-making isn't going to be Oden's game, but defense is a crucial aspect for any player and Oden looks like a defensive monster in the making.

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Maybe: I find defense very hard to rate in high school games particularly in high school All-Star games.

If Oden turns into Ewing for example: a good defensive center with good offensive skill he still won't be as valuable as James has the potential to be

Like A Breath said:

There are absolutely no Oden doubters, but there were tons of LeBron doubters. I am sure that would factor into the draft pick. Big men are certainly seen as more of the sure thing, it wouldn't be outlandish for a GM to pick Oden.

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That's because of Lebron and Amare. Today's high school player is ready to go. Even Dwight Howard was ready to go from the get go.

Again. It's retarded that Oden is going to college for a year. If he stays for four years and gets a degree--then great. But if he's just going to satisfy a requirment to get closer to his payday--then that's just annoying.

CiMa said:

I don't know about that one. Ousmane Cisse looked like a defensive monster in high school too. I think he averaged ten blocks a game.

Now I'm not comparing Cisse and Oden at all, but I'm just saying it's easy to be a monster in high school when you're seven feet tall and as athletic as those two are.

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I wouldn't base it purely on numbers. In my opinion, when you watch Oden play, he just understands how and where to move, instinctively. Cisse had the size and athleticism, Oden has those and the instincts that excellent defenders have. Plus, as I mentioned before, Oden seems like a smart and dedicated guy, so I think he'll master the mental side of defense.

Pioneer10 said:

If Oden turns into Ewing for example: a good defensive center with good offensive skill he still won't be as valuable as James has the potential to be

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Granted. If Oden turns into David Robinson, though, he'll be as valuable as James currently projects to be. James, of course, could end up in the Magic/Robertson type of pantheon, of course, but then, Oden could be another Olajuwon.

I wouldn't bet on it, and as I said, knowing what we do of James, you'd have to take him. But when both entered the league, I think they both have/had similar "star profiles" and big men have more potential to impact a team offense and defense.

Minstrel said:

Granted. If Oden turns into David Robinson, though, he'll be as valuable as James currently projects to be. James, of course, could end up in the Magic/Robertson type of pantheon, of course, but then, Oden could be another Olajuwon.

I wouldn't bet on it, and as I said, knowing what we do of James, you'd have to take him. But when both entered the league, I think they both have/had similar "star profiles" and big men have more potential to impact a team offense and defense.

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I disagree in term of "star profile": James was the most hyped high school player since Lew Alcindor.

Remember, Danny Ainge said when he was broadcasting NBA games that after his junior year he would draft Lebron ahead of any CURRENT nba player - that is star potential that I dont think Oden's high school career has reached. Oden wouldn't be getting as much potential w/o James having gone before him

Also in term of defense and centers it wasn't so far ago that Tyson Chandler was profiled in 60 minutes ago in high school 2 years before he was drafted and Rasheed Wallace was the second all time great to come out of Pennsylvania since Wilt

Pioneer10 said:

I disagree in term of "star profile": James was the most hyped high school player since Lew Alcindor.

Remember, Danny Ainge said when he was broadcasting NBA games that after his junior year he would draft Lebron ahead of any CURRENT nba player - that is star potential that I dont think Oden's high school career has reached. Oden wouldn't be getting as much potential w/o James having gone before him

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By "star profile" I didn't mean hype, but what kind of caliber player they are projected to be. It's true that James' success has perhaps opened people's eyes to high schoolers which has benefited Oden, but that doesn't diminish Oden's potential. Similarly Bryant benefited in terms of hype from Garnett's success, but that didn't mean Bryant was a worse talent.

Also in term of defense and centers it wasn't so far ago that Tyson Chandler was profiled in 60 minutes ago in high school 2 years before he was drafted and Rasheed Wallace was the second all time great to come out of Pennsylvania since Wilt

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No doubt that there aren't any guarantees. I could see Oden fail to become a great defender; but just because defensive success and ability can fail to translate (it did for Wallace...Wallace is and has been one of the premier defenders in the NBA) doesn't mean it's not a big positive to have, that Oden has and James/Webber did not.