What is this world coming to? Would you actually believe it if someone told you that a number one lottery pick in the 2006 NBA Draft is not considering the money, but an education? Well, so far, that is what Greg Oden is considering, for now, yet this almost sounds too good to be true. Who knows, maybe there are people in the world actually like this?The question is why should any of us believe him?
Is he trying to play some sick joke on the collegiate basketball world?
It is not as if Oden does not care about basketball. He plays for Lawrence North High School in the state that worships basketball, Indiana. Oden’s reasoning for skipping the NBA is his claim that basketball will not be there for the rest of his life. (It is nice to see a player actually realize this.) And it is not as if Oden does not have size. NBA scouts would go after anyone who is a 7-foot center, and 235-pound beast.
However, there is another side to Oden saying he will attend college. Oden says that he would prefer attending the same university along side his high school teammate, Mike Conley Jr. So this is Oden’s deal to all NCAA Division I-A teams, that if they want Oden, they will have to want Conley Jr. as well. Together, the two have visited five college campuses: Wake Forest, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan State.
Who knows how much Oden will improve his game by attending college for a couple of years? With speculation now of whether or not Oden will be the number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, now by attending college, Oden will no doubt be the number one pick whenever he decides to leave college. Yet, if he were to skip college, it would not be as if Oden would be surprising anyone.
The last two number one picks were both the top ranked players in their respective classes. Both LeBron James and Dwight Howard were expected, by the teams they were drafted by, to be the hero. Everyone knows what LeBron has done in the NBA, and everyone knows what he will do in his many years to come. Howard has not had the same success as LeBron did his rookie season, yet he had a successful one nonetheless.
Players like Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire are examples of those who have come out of high school and have entered the NBA Draft, yet have not been number one picks. Nevertheless, the two have had immense success while playing professional basketball at very young ages. Stoudemire has been Rookie of the Year, while Garnett has been the MVP of the league.
As far as compliments go, Oden has received nothing but praises. He himself claims that his face-up game emulates that of Tim Duncan, and that his low-post game is similar to that of Shaquille O’Neal. Oden’s high school coach said that he also runs the basketball floor well, something that he demanded out of Oden every day.
Who knows, maybe Oden deciding to go to college is the best decision for him? By the time the NBA Draft rolls around in June, Oden may be restricted from entering the draft that would bring him millions and millions of dollars. An age restriction for the NBA is still a possibility for the league. If an age limit were to be set, then this would change the outcome of half of the first round picks, considering that high school players seemed to be the only ones drafted these days along with foreigners.
Could Oden be going to college for fear of becoming another NBA “bust”? Maybe Oden is aware of Kwame Brown’s situation in Washington. Maybe he saw how Carmelo Anthony went to Syracuse for a year. By going to college, Anthony was able to win a national championship in his first year, and then was the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
In the end, it is up to Greg Oden on what he wants his future to be. If he wants to go to the NBA Draft after his senior year, then so be it- it is not as if people would be surprised by his decision. If Oden decides that he wants to go to college for a couple of seasons to improve his basketball skills, then it would be his decision, and more than likely, there would be a few people who would be surprised at Oden’s decision.
They would be surprised at the fact that there are still people out there who value an education somewhat.