Blazer buzz builds hope

On Sports

By dwight jaynes

The Portland Tribune, Jun 22, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (13 Reader comments)

L.E. BASKOW / Portland Tribune

Greg Oden (center) was the star of the show after his Blazer workout Wednesday. The 19-year-old, with his agent, Mike Conley Sr. (right), share a laugh with Brandon Roy.

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It was, safe to say, a day unlike any other in the history of the Portland Trail Blazers. It was equal parts media circus, basketball workout and homecoming.

The Greg Oden Era – if, indeed, there is going to be such a thing –celebrated its opening day Wednesday at the Blazers’ practice facility, and by now you’ve seen the TV coverage. A whole lot of people showed up to interview a 19-year-old kid.

And he was something.

Oden has an aura and a presence. Not in an over-the-top way, but with a degree of dignity and calm. He’s cool yet funny. He’s in control and relaxed. Comfortable in his own skin. He seems to know the right things to do and say.

He granted interview after interview, spending way more time with the media than was originally planned. And it wasn’t just that he did the interviews, it was that he seemed to actually enjoy them. He wasn’t afraid to poke fun at himself – and came across as a very humble, regular-guy kind of person.

“I’m trying to sell me to them,” he said. “I’m just trying to be myself. I’m a good guy.”

That’s always been what everyone says. One man who knows him, his agent, Bill Duffy, made an interesting comparison.

“I also represent Steve Nash,” Duffy said. “As players, you couldn’t find two more dissimilar players than Greg and Steve. But off the court, it’s eerie how much alike they are. They’re humble. They care about their teammates, and they want to win.”

As a player, Oden draws some interesting comparisons, too.

Maurice Lucas, who was one of the people on the floor during Oden’s workout, reached back and compared him to a player of bygone days. Duffy, without hearing Lucas’ comparison, actually compared Oden to that same player.

That would be Nate Thurmond, a Hall of Fame center who often gets overlooked in discussions about outstanding big men. Thurmond, who was known for giving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain fits, averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds in an NBA career that ran 14 seasons in the 1960s and ’70s.

“Nate the Great,” Lucas said instantly. “He’s explosive and quick the way Nate Thurmond was. Blocks shots with either hand. Really, Nate could do it all. This kid is a high, high talent. And a good person to have on your team. I liked what we saw.”

Duffy mentioned Thurmond immediately, too. Pressed for a more current comparison, he came up with a composite.

“He’s a cross between Tim Duncan and Amare Stoudamire,” Duffy said. “But he’s going to have a better offensive game than Duncan. And he’s longer than either one of them.”

The media saw little of the actual workout. A few dunks and a handful of free throws, and that’s about it. People who saw it were impressed, and General Manager Kevin Pritchard, who has been on hand for many of these things, came away talking about something else.

“Greg said, ‘I know I can do better,’ ” Pritchard said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a kid say that.”

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