Oct 26 2009
Player Previews: Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla
Was Kanye the most overlooked? Yes sir. Now is Kanye the most overbooked, yes sir.
Joel can’t help it. After toiling in obscurity with the title “big white stiff” attached so firmly to his back for his first half-decade in the league, he’s found himself in a different position with the Blazers, especially over the last two years, and especially today. He’s the big sub. He’s one of the top rebounders in the NBA, as sound a screener as you’ll find, and a defensive stopper. Basically, he’s a starting center on half the teams in the NBA.
However, he is not a starting center with the Portland Trailblazers. He’s a brilliant second option, and he’ll far outclass anyone he faces with the second unit, leading to fun exchanges where he piles up ten rebounds in less than ten minutes due to facing whichever power forward masquerading as a center he’s against that night. This will lead to something else, too; Joel will be overrated this season. He will do what he did last year, and come off the bench and clean up Greg’s messes, and will, at least a few times, be called on to be the starter by fans and local media. If our centers were MTV fake reality shows, Joel would be the LC-centered The Hills, as he does the same thing every night, occasionally has a feud with some scrub, does work that some may call ugly, and builds up a sizable fan base.
A lot of pressure for one human being.
This brings us to The City, Greg Oden. Like The City, Greg Oden is younger and more culturally relevant, along with being a million times more watchable. His first full season in action was much like the MTV fake drama’s, where a lot of times, you had no idea what was happening, nor any clue of the logic behind people’s motivations. Why does Whitney’s best friend just spend the whole season sitting down on the couch in boy shorts? Why does Greg Oden foul point guards all the time? THEY JUST DO. The City’s second season has cut the fat of Whitney’s terrible boyfriend, Jay, along with abandoning said boy-shorts-wearing best friend, much like how Oden has dropped 15 pounds for this new season. Beyond that, the storyline of Olivia Palermo trying to sink Elle magazine through total incompetence in buying accessories for a photo shoot mirrors Oden’s upcoming season in that it is something special, a bold new direction that completely forsakes the last season, eventually overcoming what it was playing behind.
Oh yeah, I gotta address the Kanye quote. I think it’s pretty obvious. Read any other Blazer preview out there. (I’m sure you have.) Every time the modifier “if” is used, it is followed by “Greg Oden does well.” The Blazers play well “if Greg Oden does well.” The Blazers defense improves “if Greg Oden does well.” I’ll buy a chalupa “if Greg Oden does well.” We will have nationalized health care “if Greg Oden does well.” He’s the guy with all the pressure on his shoulders, as he’s the key to reaching the next level. It is a lot of pressure for one person.
Read the other previews:
Read Juwan Howard’s/Dante Cunningham’s preview
Read Martell Webster’s preview
Read LaMarcus Aldridge’s preview
Read Andre Miller and Steve Blake’s preview
