I was sitting here at my desk at work this morning, minding my own business, trying to look busy as usual and having a good morning by most standards. And then I saw this post over at Blazersedge.com And it practically blew my mind. My mind nearly went into overload.Dave presented the following scenario. If a magical basketball fairy came up to you and asked you to choose between a healthy Brandon Roy or a healthy Greg Oden for the rest of their natural careers, which one would you choose?
Actually, it's a little more specific than that. Here's what Dave says are the conditions of the deal. "Brandon Roy playing at his 2008-09 peak-production level and continuing his career as normal, without devastating injury until age took its toll. OR... Greg Oden injury-free and ready to go, playing at his current level but also guaranteed to be without injury through his prime, able to give the Blazers whatever he's capable of as he gains experience."
(pause here, just to make sure your brain doesn't completely implode...)
I sort of feel that asking this question to a Blazer fan is like asking a 16 year old boy, "Hey, who would you rather play 7 minutes in Heaven with? Kate Upton or Irina Shayk? Nevermind a 16 year old boy, go ahead and ask any man that! It's like the ultimate tease of a question to ask. We know that neither option is ever going to happen, but it's still fun to dream about. It's a great debate for the bar with your buddies.
Depending on what day you ask me to choose between a healthy Oden or a healthy Roy, you might get a different answer. My short answer to Dave's question is Greg Oden. I would rather have a healthy Greg Oden with all the potential that comes with him, than Brandon Roy playing healthy and at his peak level of 2008-2009. Here are a few thoughts on why I'd prefer Oden over Roy in a perfect world.
*LaMarcus Aldridge: For me, a 2008 version of Brandon Roy at the top of his game is extremely hard to pass up in this fake scenario that Dave has created for us. And this past season had a lot to do with that. A new and improved LaMarcus Aldridge emerged for the Blazers, and that new and improved Aldridge makes it much, much easier to choose a healthy Oden over a healthy Roy. Wouldn't you say? Now, let's say Aldridge didn't rise to the level that he did this past season. And you ask me to choose between a healthy Oden or a healthy Roy, and the answer is almost 100% Brandon Roy.
Before BRoy's knees gave out, he was the All-American go-to guy and where the team turned when they needed a bucket with the game on the line. Last season, Aldridge almost filled that role completely for the Blazers. His game is obviously different than Roy's and he gets his points in a much different manner. But there is no doubt he has now taken over the title of go-to guy when Portland needs points.*Greg Oden's skill set: Guys like Oden, with his skills, do not come around every day in the NBA. Greg Oden is a once-in-a-decade type of player. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. That's what everyone says. Sure, it's a tired cliche. But it's true. Just because it's an overused phrase, doesn't make it less viable. At the end of the day, a player like Brandon Roy is just more replaceable than a Greg Oden. It's nothing personal against Brandon Roy, it's just the facts. There's a reason why Dwight Howard is practically the only dominant true center in the NBA at the moment. They just don't happen very often.
*When Oden's good, he's really freakin' good: I know it's a very, very small sample size. But I think it's large enough to get a good enough idea of what Oden could provide for the Blazers for years to come. Some of Oden's better games look pretty amazing when you take a look back at them.
CHI -- 24 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk
NYK -- 17 pts, 16 reb, 6 blk
MIL -- 24 pts, 15 reb, 2 blk
@GSW -- 22 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk
Yes, I picked those games specifically to highlight, but Oden has proven that he can be , if nothing else, a consistent defensive force and a rebounder, and that's still one of the biggest weaknesses for the Blazers. Any points that Oden's scoring night in and night out are just icing on the cake.
