Who says Greg Oden isn't ready for the NBA?

A_F must have lost his shirt betting against Duke when the Devils ran Navy out of the NCAAs in '86 ... the grudge may still be there.

 

Old man, you'd have been better off if you'd just kept the boldface parts.

 

I guess. Like I said, the money's not going anywhere.

Why is it so many sports journalists suckle at the teat of capitalism so hard? It's like the road less traveled is the road to hell or something.

Do you really do something just for the money? Solely for that? I mean - do you honestly buy into all that bullcrap about taking care of family, etc? You think buying people shit takes care of them? Putting them in some giant house and some giant car? That's all the money for, you know. Personally, I don't celebrate the day a few more Bentleys get moved off the lot, but that's just me.

 

One could also say that a player who comes out too early could have a shorter career if they get really screwed up by trying the pros before they're ready. The argument can cut both ways.

 

Very true, and I think it would great for the college game if Oden came back. But there's just so many reasons why he shouldn't.

 

Oden's got such quick feet...he reminds me a lot of Hakeem Olajuwon, except he seems to be a little more explosive.
As far as coming out early, all you hear about him is that he's a pretty smart guy and he likes going to school. And you got to figure being a big man at a campus like Ohio State is a blast. Personally, I don't know if I would be that quick to give all that up to join some shit-ass NBA team.

 

You really think I'm sucking at the teat of capitalism? If I was doing that I'd be doing something other than sports writing. I know all about the road less traveled. If I did anything for the money I'd be doing something else.

I'm saying Greg Oden, with multi-million dollar skills, should go to the NBA. The money WILL NOT be there if his knee pulls a Shaun Livingston.

Let's not bullshit here: He's not at OSU for the education. It'd be great if incredibly talented student-athletes stuck around four years because the college experience was as priceless to them as it is to you and I, but that ship sailed decades ago. He's there to play hoops. He got his year in, he got out injury-free, now he can drop the pretense and play professionally.

 

Is that teat natural or "enhanced," beej?

 

Like it matters. He won't make 9 seconds on that teat.

 

Here's a question I have -- why isn't the college game played at 48 minutes?

College and pro football both last 60 minutes, same as pro and college hockey. College and pro baseball go nine innings apiece. Why should hoops be the exception?

 

That's for guys who are marginal first-round choices -- where there's some doubt they can play in the league or not. There's no doubt Greg Oden can play in the league.

I don't know what Greg Oden wants to use the money for. Maybe he wants to help his sickly grandmother and kindly parents live in a decent house. Maybe he wants to donate it all to starving babies in Africa. Maybe he wants to use it all on strippers and drugs. It ain't my business what he wants to use it for.

Oden has said he enjoys college. He can still take college classes when he's in the NBA, get a degree and learn about whatever he wants to learn about -- other players have done it. But if he steps on a slick spot on the court next January against Northwestern and blows out his ACL, a lot of that money is gone for good.

 

Greg Oden is better than Dwight Howard right now.