The Media Needs to Calm Down

I guess Portland was picked to win the NBA Championship this year and I missed it. Greg Oden missing his rookie season does not mean the franchise should shut down, does not make Oden the worst #1 pick ever and does not mean his career is over. Oden was not drafted to make an immediate impact, but to bring great success to the franchise in the long-term.

How many rookies have ever, especially at Oden's age and with only one year of college, made that big of an impact in year one anyway. Lebron and Malone may be the only ones. Kobe certainly didn't and Amare, who Oden should be compared to the most now, didn't take his team to the promise land.

Oden has been and will be a work in progress. He was pushed around a lot in college, was not even the most valuable player on Ohio State's team last year and has a long way to go. I'm sure Portland understood this, but the media never has for some reason. He's a big man and will fill out nicely in around 5 to 6 years, but his rookie year in the NBA was going to be a rough one. Portland needs to stuff as much food in this guy as possible this year and have him working out 3 times a day.

Portland was going no where this year anyway. You can't throw all these new faces on a team and expect them to gel and win right off the bat. They will win and win with Oden, but they are still years away. Looking long-term as Portland is, getting another high draft pick next year may be the best thing that could happen to them. You just can't build dynasties with free agency in the NBA.