Oden's Ready For NBA

 

Greg Oden heard all of the criticism after the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.  After being in foul trouble in the Buckeyes’ second round squeaker over Xavier in overtime, the nay-sayers were out in full force.  Oden isn’t ready for the NBA.  He should stay at Ohio State for another year.  Heck, I even heard one pundit say Oden wasn’t ready on the defensive end!  Saturday’s resounding win over Memphis should answer any questions as to whether or not Oden is ready for the pros.

 

Not only is he ready, he will be the first overall pick in the NBA draft.  Look, he’s an athletic 7 footer who can defend and block shots, and has a good drop step and a nice little jump hook.  He played most of this season with one hand, his off hand, and still excelled.  He also appears to be a player who wants to get better, who will put the hard work in to make himself a better player.  Did I mention he’s 7 feet tall?  You can count on one hand the number of really good centers in the NBA.  Not power forwards masquerading as centers (see O’Neal, Jermaine), but true centers.  Heck, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is limited from a foot speed standpoint, but he’s still a real weapon for the Cavs because most teams cannot match up to him defensively.

 

As good as Texas’ Kevin Durant is, there are many other NBA players with his skill set.  He’s projects to be a small forward in the pros, and at that spot you have guys like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.  Would you trade either of those players for Durant?  Oden has the potential to be a singularly great player.  For that reason alone, he must be the #1 overall pick. 

 

The professional game is also officiated differently.  It’s a more physical game, and many of the ticky tack fouls called in college, such as Oden’s fourth foul against Tennessee where his arms were up and someone ran into them, will not be called.  Therefore, the big man will be able to stay on the floor longer.  Not to mention an extra foul is permitted in the NBA.  There is no question Oden will start immediately in the Association, and will also be an impact player right away. 

 

Another OSU player thought not to be able to contribute at this level was David Lighty.  I heard people saying Lighty made a mistake going to Columbus because he won’t start there.  However, the former VASJ standout played tremendously in San Antonio.  He made big defensive plays, hit big shots, and is a big reason the Buckeyes will be in Atlanta for The Final Four.  He obviously is good enough to not only play, but to make an impact at the highest level of college basketball.  Whenever a big play was made, Lighty seemed to be in the middle of the action.

 

This week, the Buckeyes have the opportunity to avenge last year’s elimination from the tournament by beating Georgetown, and they also may have a chance to return the favor on one of their three defeats of this year by knocking off Florida.  A revengeful weekend for the Bucks could result in their second NCAA Basketball title, the first coming 47 years ago.  With Oden and his high school teammate Mike Conley Jr., and strong senior play from Ron Lewis, Ohio State just might be able to pull it off.

 

KM