A fresh start with a new team might help Oden, although he doesn’t see it that way. He wants to remain in Portland.
“I want to get out there, dominate and do all that for me,” Oden said. “At this time, it’s more about thinking about what I can do to better myself and show my talents out there on the court.”
via Oden still wants to ‘dominate’ | The Indianapolis Star | IndyStar.com.
Dominate.
That’s a strong word from the kid, but you can understand why he’s saying it. Unfortunately, the facts lead more to the idea that he’ll never dominate. Even with all that size, all that talent, the surgeries he’s had to endure will take their toll. They’ll rob him of some burst, some vertical, some coordination. It’ll make it that much harder to get back into playing shape, that much harder to just reach the level he was at before the latest round of injuries, which was good, but wasn’t elite. He had some great games, had shown the possibility that he was going to be everything everyone believed he would be. But then the shattered kneecap, and then the torn ligament once the break had healed. The windows for athletes is small.
Everyone will be rooting for Oden this summer, and beyond. We all want to believe he can overcome the odds, get back to playing without injury, and dominate the NBA as the next great big man. But should the Blazers elect to pass on Oden’s contract in the midst of a rebuilding effort, should it come to that, teams will have to look at Oden and not contemplate him dominating. They just need to see if they can get a half-season of solid play from him.
The big man is going to have to start very small.
