No chance. But Greg Oden and Kevin Durant had unimpressive debuts yesterday and in the case of Oden, it was disasterous. Granted, it's just summer league so I'm not worried and because as any Blazer fan remembers, Qyntel Woods was once the MVP of this summer league. So it's not a strong indicator of future success or failure.
Oden's debut was probably the most anticipated Portland debut in years. It started off pooly, three fouls in the first four minutes. He went to the bench and never really got into a flow. Management will tell you he's battling a sinus infection and waiting to have tonsils removed. Surely all of the cross-country travel is not helping. I think it's a case of a guy just being worn out and not in shape.
When you look at the last month of his life, he's been on the go constantly. I am not worried about Oden in the slightest. I have a strong feeling we'll see the dominant Oden before this summer is over (hopefully next Saturday and Sunday when we're there to see it).
Durant had 18 points but was just 5-17 from the field but was 7-9 from the foul line. He wasn't very active in other phases, tallying just 1 board and zero assists. I think Durant is going to struggle badly at times this year. He appeared to be susceptible to pressure defense, particularly when he caught the ball out high. When he went into the post or towards the rim, he had a better chance to score.
The thing that discourages me about Durant was his failure to help the team in other phases. No rebounding, no passing or hustle plays. He's a shooter, 100%. I see him being a good spot up shooter and someone who can go post up smaller players. This is what I saw from him Friday night.
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