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NEW YORK -- The large clock counted down over his head at Madison Square Garden, slowly, ticking closer to the moment when his life would change forever, and Greg Oden looked as calm as ever. While some of the other draft prospects resembled young teens about to nervously depart for the prom, Oden smiled confidently, no beads of sweat betraying the stoicism.
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| The talented and grounded Oden is exactly what Portland needs. (Getty Images) |
Oden is so old he knew the Black Panthers when they were kittens. But unlike his twin Jackson in the movie Jackie Brown you will never hear Oden utter the words: "AK-47 -– the very best there is. When you absolutely, positively gotta kill every motherf----- in the room, accept no substitutes."
No, not Oden. No vulgar public outbursts. No familiarity with the semi-automatic. Hell, the way Oden acts, like everything is golly-gee-great, he may be the only No. 1 draft pick in history that is still a virgin.
So, yes, that's pushing it. Yet in all seriousness, this is why Oden is such an important pick, and it has not so much to do with his shot-blocking, post-up ability or bench press numbers as something else.
It is character. When you think of Samuel L. Oden, you think of one of the great character guys in all of sports. He's Wally Cleaver and Kevin Garnett and Mother Theresa all wrapped up into one.
Even Cliff Huxtable looks at Oden and says: that young man is a goody-goody.
Oden is no felony-generating machine or deliverer of repetitive curses in front of old ladies. There isn't a line of babies' mommas clutching court orders and ordering paternity tests.
The selection of Samuel L. Oden at No. 1, I believe, will do two things. Because he is no troublemaker, Oden will help eradicate the ugly Portland Jail Blazers past by being not just the center on the court but the center of stability for the entire team.
Maybe you remember the Jail Blazers: thugs, arrestees and Uncle Toms who put a stain on the league that in some ways remains today. Oden can help change that image forever.
Yet Oden's selection goes beyond even Portland's borders. The picks of Oden, and to some degree good guy Kevin Durant, selected at No. 2 by Seattle, could signal a dramatic image turn in a sport that has been plagued by image problems in recent seasons (some earned, some not).
It can only help the NBA when a player both as talented and grounded as Oden is on such a high platform.
"He will be a great ambassador for the NBA," said his college coach, Thad Matta, who attended the draft. "Everything you have heard about him being such a team player and a good person is true. It's even better than you know."
