Oden holds the keys to an NBA championship

In the upcoming 2007 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers will be faced with a tough decision. Should general manager Kevin Pritchard take the 7-foot, agile monster that is Greg Oden, or the flashy score-from-anywhere, leap-small-buildings-in-a-single-bound Kevin Durant?

The two players are guaranteed franchise-changing performers, but which one will fit in best with the Portland Trail Blazers? For all intents and purposes, there is only one choice for the Blazers: Oden.

Oden’s skill set is phenomenal. An obvious attribute is his 7-foot build, but he surprises many because he moves like a player half his size. He has excellent post footwork. He excels off the court, never receiving anything worse than a B- throughout high school and college. And he averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game at Ohio State last season with his shooting wrist broken.

One of the biggest knocks against Oden in college was his lack of stamina. However, after sustaining the injury, he was unable to work out and return to game shape. Ohio State’s head basketball coach Thad Matta is quoted as saying Oden only practiced one time before being thrown into his first game as a Buckeye. During the national championship game against Florida, Oden said his wrist was only at 90 percent and he still led his team with 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Other than Oden’s tangible features, there are some important aspects to compare with the future superstar and stars of the past. In the NBA, big men historically take a lot of hardware home. There has been a dominating center entering the NBA every five years for the last 15 years. It started with Shaquille O’Neal out of LSU 15 years ago. Next was Tim Duncan 10 years ago out of Wake Forest. Most recently was Yao Ming, who came out in 2002. These three big men drafted over the past 15 years share seven championships, with one more potentially on the way if Duncan and the Spurs continue their postseason dominance this year.

Tracking back even further, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are formidable centers with sterling NBA r퀌�sum퀌�s. Russell won 11 NBA championships, Abdul-Jabbar has six and Chamberlain, who holds the record for most points in a game with 100, captured two titles in his 14-year career. Also, Oden has consistently been compared to Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing by scouts across the nation, and The Dream has tasted the pinnacle of success with two championships.

The fact is, simply based on history, having a dominant big man on any NBA team almost immediately makes it a championship competitor.

The small forward Durant, on the other hand, has been compared to players like Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady. Although these two players are both fantastic superstars in their own right, they have a combined zero NBA championships.

By taking Oden on June 28, the Blazers will be sealing their fate and a spot in the championship game for years to come.