Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
The Kings and Trail Blazers played back-to-back preseason games the past two nights, and while it’s just the preseason, it appears there’s something funny going on in Portland.
Remember Greg Oden? The would-be savior that was more just “wobbly.” Well, he’s getting better, and the stage is being set for a pretty terrific comeback story. From the Blazers beat writer Jason Quick:
In two preseason games, Oden is leading the Blazers in scoring (19.0 average) and rebounding (10.5) while hitting 11 of 20 shots from the field and 16 of 19 free throws.
But it is so much more than just statistics. Oden looks good.
Late in the fourth quarter, Oden had perhaps his best flourish in his short career. On one possession, he took an entry pass, faced up, and exploded to his right, past Jon Brockman and through the lane for a powerful dunk. On the next possession, he went high to catch a lob from Andre Miller, which he dunked.
Oden’s one of the league’s most gregarious characters—and seems genuinely kind-hearted, to boot—so watching him flounder the past two years has difficult. We want him to be good, because it’d be great for the game. And while it’s still early, it looks like we might just get our wish.
(Also: SBN's Inhistoric says that if Oden's to become a star, it has to happen this year.)
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