Sorry Cory, you seem like a smart fella, However if you look at history ....

Micheal was not a center and won more than any other. (Oh yeah Portlan dlost him in the draft too didnt they )

Jordan is one player.

Take Shaq: 5 titles, 6 appearances, 2 conferences, 3 teams.

Big men win titles.

wow. that sucks. when is this going to hit the news wire?

He's only 19. Ten years ago he wouldn't have even been drafted so earlier. He hasn't hit his prime yet. Portland will have many years to see him play. It sucks but it's far from the end of the world. Maybe they can get another good pick this year with out him playing.

Since when is Michael the norm?

When you at the foul line I feel bad for you son...

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AgeFmmtFbnM

This makes me laugh...do you really believe that he can play Center? He's listed at 7ft 250 lbs, but I don't believe it. I'd say he's more like 6'10"/11" 240 lbs. So you're saying that he's better than Duncan, Shaq, Eddie Curry, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Amare, Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Brad Miller, Okur, Camby, Jermaine O'Neal, Ilgauskas, Dalembert, Yao Ming....shit, I don't even think he's better than most starting Centers in the league. Write this shit down and when he finally gets on the court remember I was the one who told you that he was just an average motherfucker in the league (who happens to look like he's closing in on retirement). I don't even think he's the best big man on his team, I think Channing Frye has the potential to be better than him soon, if not already.

It's over, the foul line never mattered, it was all hype.

He won as a poor free throw shooter.

doesnt matter
its all about the Celtics this year

UMM Duncan plays power forward too guys....

and Chauncy ( a guard was the pistons MVP when they won it all.)

Iverson and Kidd both took their teams to the finals WITHOUT A CENTER

Now I would agree, a truley dominant center is a definate plus...

however if the argument is Durant ( A possible dominant 3 or 4 position player (most likely a three) or a mediocre foul proned big man that has NO offensive game ....welll I guess histroy can tell that tale huh girls!

Who did Iverson and Kidd lose to?

Fine, you want to draft someone to get your team to second place, go for it : )

well as you said Shaq was on that TEAM but there was this little fella named kobe there that might have helped too .....oh yeah and big shot BOB saved SHAQS ass one yr I do believe ........

NO CENTER EVER HAS DONE IT WITHOUT ADDITIONAL SKILLED PLAYERS .

Guards have, and fowards have ....NEVER A CENTER

and like I say, sure a DOMINANT center is a strong draft.... but a mediocre rebounder and defensive player with virtually NO offense is a waste of a draft pick UNLESS you have other skilled position players around to do the scoring ( which portland does not) This particular pick was a bad draft for them and that is the only point I am making here .

do you care to bet a hundred on the fact that the Blazers will not even make the playoffs this year? I got a hundred says they won't !

The NBA measures players with their shoes on so guys are always listed at least 2 inches taller. As an example I met Jason Richardson at Loft 11 a few summers ago and I was taller than him by a good inch and he's listed at 6'6, Im 6'3.

The bottom line regarding Oden is that he wasnt going to contribute right away. He's a project, it was going to take him a good 3-4 years before the injury. Now we'll have to wait and see how his recovery goes.

In todays game athletic wing players are a dime a dozen, it's a small mans game now. This makes a big man that much more valuble, you always go big. Its like football teams alway taking a quarter back. Big men are easier to build around because of the abundance of wings in the NBA.

I remember watching a draft preview where they showed the workout all these guys were put through. Oden scored the highest of any player in the draft. At one point they showed the players being drilled on dribbling and Oden was the fastest player from end to end dribbling a ball in each hand. Thats impresive considering he was going up against mostly guards. He also scored the highest of any player in the vertical jump, imagine a 7 footer out jumping a 6'6 athletic freak! Oden has that natural ability, he has all the tools. They just need to be developed.

They may measure with their shoes on but I've never heard of any shoes with a 3 inch sole. Teams stad the pats of their players, for matchup purposes...not sure it even really works with anybody other than rookies though. Marcus Banks is listed at 6'2" and I saw him down at the gym where I play and he is lucky if he is 5'10"...I'm 6'2". I would have to assume that they do the same with their weight as well, it would only make sense.

Oden, from what I've seen will need a lot of work to become an All-Star in the NBA. He can block shots, I'm not sure about his post D and his O is suspect.

No guard has either Joe. Not even Jordan. Swoosh that.

And why would I bet on Portland when they lost their center for the year? And why would anyone bet on a rookie center?

Oh Thank God.

Every NBA GM in the league would back this post up.

Yeh, when Barkley was at Auburn they listed him at 6'6 and 6'7. When he hit the NBA, he was 6'4. lol ...

that's about it.

9 out of 10 fans will take a guard.

10 out of 10 GM's will take a center.

It's just business at the end of the day.

Umm Jordan was a guard, and Kidd was a guard, and Nash is a guard, and Iverson is a guard ........

again a big dominant center GREAT choice.... Oden mediocre at best and Durant a much better choice !

I don't think that's true, GM's would draft guards if they are the best players in the draft and they will use them as trade bait to get what they want. A big is not always the best draft choice, just like in Oden's case he could turn out to be a bust.