More than likely, the Portland Trail Blazers have come to terms with the fact that Greg Oden will not be a Blazer following the 2012 season.
That his ultimate success or failure will be in another city and another uniform.
If that is in fact the case, and it should be, why should the Blazers or their fans be left empty handed?
For the bulk of Oden’s short career (just 82 games played spread across five seasons), the Blazers have seen mere glimpse of what he can do, and being in a clear state of rebuilding, the team needs to make something out of what thus far has been nothing.
While most fans grimace at hearing Oden being compared to Sam Bowie, why not embrace that history, and let it return full circle?
Oden IS Bowie 2.0, and that may actually work for the Blazers, especially if the parallels between the two players do not end at their respective injury histories.
In 1984, Portland drafted Sam Bowie ahead of yet to be realized superstar shooting guard Michael Jordan, as they already had shooting guard Clyde Drexler, who was arguably the second best player in the league behind Jordan during their years in the NBA together. Needing a big man to fill out their roster and Bowie coming off of a very successful collegiate career at Kentucky, the plan made sense. The Blazers would have preferred Hakeem Olajuwon (drafted number one by Houston) or Patrick Ewing (who returned for his senior season at Georgetown), but Bowie was the highest rated center still available, so that is the move they made.
In 2007, the Blazers had a difficult decision to make, holding the number one pick and sitting smack dab in the middle of a rebuilding process. They could take Greg Oden, the supposed once in a generation center, who had the size and ability to be the total package, and certainly looked the real thing in just one season at Ohio State. Or there was Kevin Durant, the offensive dynamo out of Texas who was lighting up scoreboards as though his life depended on it. Either player would land the Blazers a cornerstone to build around, yet as in 1984, the team had conflicts.
The popular question was raised, where would Durant fit? Brandon Roy was already on the roster, and a blossoming all-star at that. Nicolas Batum was quickly developing his offensive skills after exhibiting a defensive prowess that would make Scottie Pippen beam with pride. Then there was LaMarcus Aldridge, a potential all-star at power forward who was gradually working toward averaging a double-double. There was even the issue of Martell Webster, who the team was still holding out hope that he could stay healthy and become a big time scorer in his own right. With the majority of a potentially elite team already here, Oden was the pick that made sense. He and Durant seemed to be on the same level as far as talent, but how many elite 7’ players come along?
The Blazers pulled the trigger and drafted Oden, and you know the rest. Oden has had four knee surgeries in five seasons and missed two entire seasons (assuming 2012 is a wash), while Durant took his team to the conference finals and became the youngest player to the win the scoring title in league history.
Sound familiar?! I bet. Durant hasn’t exactly won six NBA titles yet, but he just might. As with Jordan, it is all about the window of opportunity, and with the aging Lakers and Celtics on their way out, the time is now or at least soon for the Thunder.
But the Oden-Bowie lineage does not end there.
In 1989, five years after drafting Bowie, the Blazers needed help. They were suffering routine first-round playoff exits, and lacked a gritty defender in the middle.
Realizing that Bowie had done whatever he was going to do in a Blazers uniform, the team made a move to trade their once prized big man to New Jersey in exchange for power forward Buck Williams, providing the team with a big body to plug the middle, as well as an elite rebounder and defenseman. The Blazers went from first round departures to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, standing toe to toe with MJ himself in the 92 series.
My oh my, how history does in fact repeat itself.
The year is now 2012, five years since Oden was drafted in 2007. And there is in fact a power forward in New Jersey who would bring a big body to crash the boards and provide inside pressure.
Kris Humphries, once thought to be a project player, and a failed one at that; has turned in to a double-double machine, averaging at least ten boards and ten points per game since the start of the 2010-11 season.
If ever the team needed a force in the middle, it is now. Marcus Camby is at or near retirement, Oden is on his way out the door, and Chris Johnson is a steroid addiction away from becoming an NBA center.
Simply put, it’s 1989 all over again, and it’s time to make a move.
Oden is finishing a one year deal, sitting on the bench in a suit no less. Assuming he returns at least partially healthy in 2012-13, he could provide a big spark for the Nets behind Brook Lopez, and if the two 7’ big men share the floor at any point, it would spell doom for the opposition. Humphries, on the other hand, is also finishing out a one year deal, and trading him now would provide the Nets with assurances that they also get something in return for their own short-term investment.
This would help both teams immensely. The Blazers could even throw in forward Gerald Wallace, opening the door for Nic Batum to truly believe he will be a starter for the team and agree to a new deal. With a core of Aldridge, Batum, Humphries, the Blazers would no longer need an elite point guard or center to get the job done. The Celtics and Heat have thrived with “big-3” lineups built around average players, and the Blazers could make the same case.
Humphries’ arrival could mean Aldridge moving to center, or perhaps the Humphries could lock down the five spot, alleviating pressure on LA to crash the boards or pressure the elite big men in the league. A 6’9” center could work, as Humphries is stocky enough to push around NBA big men, however LaMarcus and his length would be the more realistic fit, and as he has had months of experience doing just that filling in for an injured Marcus Camby the last two seasons, the team may as well make the move permanent with Camby’s pending contract expiration and/or retirement as well as a sufficient backup/heir not yet on the roster.
At the end of the day, the Blazers can turn the Oden fiasco in to a positive, and they should. The March 15th trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and with the playoffs slipping away, the time is now to make a move. While any Oden-Humphries trade is pure speculation as nothing has been publicly discussed to my knowledge, it would make sense and give the team a legitimate inside presence that no player on the team is consistently providing.
The Blazers and their fans have lived through Oden 2.0.
Everybody loves sequels. Give the people what they want.
Give them Buck 2.0.
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