Lamarcus, Brandon, and I guess Greg Oden have been invited to train for the US olympic team next year. Wow. Greg, a guy compared to Sam Bowie, but is actually averaging less than him, is be given a chance to play in the Olympics. That’s 9 points and 7 rebounds to go along with nightly foul trouble. This guy is gonna be playing with the best centers in the NBA, Dwight Howard, Yao and Amare Stoudemire.
The Bow-Fon
As a Blazers fan, my immediate reaction is happiness. Greg will be given the chance to improve his game by playing against the players he should strive to become like. But the more I thought about it, the more I disliked the idea of him playing with the USA basketball team. Before he had even come close to earning it, Greg was in all the Blazers advertisements, got a deal with cricket wireless, and was in more NBA commercials than the Blazers real star. Basically, it’s hard to go somewhere in Portland for more than 10 minutes without seeing his face.
Playing with USA Basketball is just another thing Greg will receive that he hasn’t earned. If people weren’t talking about his ‘potential’, would a player with such mediocre averages even be considered for the team? No way. Maybe the US team believes, like everyone else, that Greg is going to develop in the next couple of years and wants to have him then. But why include him in the roster when you have proven players that could take his spot? It’s not fair to base the whole thing on potential, because the Olympic team doesn’t want their fate even a little bit interlinked with the Blazers.
I don't think Greg fits...
The USA basketball team should be a guaranteed champion. Greg Oden is by no means a guaranteed Olympic level player. So should Greg turn down the offer? No way. He should be trying to improve his game in anyway he can. Actually, it seems playing with the team can only do one of two things for Greg. It can justify all the ads and praise he’s gotten, or it can serve as a great humbling experience that can only be good in the end.
As far as Brandon and LaMarcus playing, they’ve earned it. Roy of course, is an elite NBA player. While much of LaMarcus’s selection may have been based on potential, he’s proven it’s not without merit. He’s averaged solid numbers for the last two years and even higher against Houston in the playoffs. So two of Portland’s ‘big three’ deserve to be there. Time will tell if the third one needs a replacement.
