Interesting stats. It certainly paints the picture that Bowie was much more effective, and Oden is truly a draft bust.
I will no longer insult Sam Bowie by comparing him to Oden.....

I watched Bowie play. Oden's got more raw talent--but plays with less composure than Bowie did.

Oden needs a team leader up front that will push, push, push him. like Lucas to Walton.

Oden isn't as good as Bowie was.
Never will be.

No heart.

Period.

Bowie had a better age.

But is there any constructive reason to make this comparison? It seems better suited for bored sports talk-radio hosts than this blog.

Can we wait until we're able to look back on the Oden years in hindsight? His second year is going to tell us more than his first. Love him, like him, or hate him... at least give him a chance.

I have to agree with Bark Munster - I think Bowie's age has to be taken into account. And the most important element of his age is the number of college years Bowie had to develop his game.

Oden clearly ooses potential, but I think this summer's going to be a huge indicator of how Oden's career will go. He has 5 or so months of free time to work on the parts of his game that need work. Unlike last summer, he's not limited by his knee.

If he shows that he wants to improve and be great, and is willing to put in the off-season work as Roy and Aldrige seem to each summer, I think he's going to be the great pick that the Blazers wanted him to be. If he doesn't improve over the summer, I think he'll be the bust that Fonzi says he is.

With four years at a great basketball school (Kentucky), Bowie was a complete player as a rookie. Nearly three assists a game is excellent for a center, rookie or not. If he had remained healthy, he would have been a very good center in the NBA (though not Hakeem, Robinson or Ewing quality).

Oden's one year in college didn't prepare him nearly as well for the NBA. He does have more physical power and agility than Bowie, though, and could develop into a very good center, though probably not a dominant one.

By the way, the much-maligned choice of Bowie over Jordan is great 20-20 hindsight. In 1984, the Blazers needed a center. They already had a shooting guard with about the same skills as Jordan (Clyde Drexler). Yeah, it turned out that Drexler on most nights was no match for Jordan, but nobody knew that in June of '84. If the Bulls had possessed the 2nd pick in the draft, they, too, would have taken Bowie over Jordan.

Unlike last summer, he's not limited by his knee.

That remains to be seen. You have to wonder whether Oden's strangely middle-age-looking body can take a summer of hard work followed by another NBA season.

Excellent points, Gil.

"They already had a shooting guard with about the same skills as Jordan (Clyde Drexler)."

I'm pretty sure at that point they still had Jim Paxson too. They didn't need another shooting guard. People who blast the Blazers for this draft seem to forget that the Bulls didn't do anything until a different draft a few years later...the one that brought them Scottie Pippen.

many teams do not draft according to need; they draft according to potential. it's a common misconception that they all "draft what they need". look around the current NBA benches for proof.

Portland infamously drafted according to need--but they could've also drafted Kevin Willis or Sam Perkins, but monsters and future All-Stars.

Like it or not, Oden will be back next season - barring another injury. Let's hope he works his butt off this summer and improves. Someone suggested in an earlier post that he get a mentor such as Pat Ewing or David Robinson over the summer. Certainly couldn't hurt.

Let's step back and reevaluate the 2007 draft, shall we. Here's my rankings, leaving out Oden:

1) Kevin Durant
2) Thaddeus Young
3) Aaron Brooks
4) Al Thornton
5) Rudy Fernandez
6) Joaquim Noah
7) Rodney Stuckey
8) Ronnie Brewer
9) Al Horford
10) Glen Davis
11) Jeff Green
12) Sergio Rodriguez

Greg Oden is already middle of that pack with all his adversity and it was a draft for the ages. Even now I bet Chicago would trade Joaquim straight across for Oden, as would Boston with Big Baby or OK City with Green.

Leave the kid alone, Jack. If you're going to talk Jersey, act Jersey. The jury is out on Greg and he works too damn hard for this kind of crap. Want to talk bust? Let's talk about Acie Law or Li Jialian. Bruce Springsteen would think you're a total shite for dissing on Greg like this and you know it.

The jury is out on Greg and he works too damn hard for this kind of crap

who's the "jury", exactly, and when are they "in"? c'mon, my man. Oden has played in plenty of NBA games, has practiced with one for two years, and has been in the playoffs. it's perfectly legitimate to critique and evaluate his play now.

and, to compare his statistics to Bowie. why not? same team, same position, about the same size, same expectations.

will he turn out to be an All Star? who the heck knows? meanwhile, he's a pro athlete, not a school kid. time to grow up.

Way to stay on topic, Ted. It's been nice knowing you.

Someone should tape a picture of Shawn Bradley on Oden's locker with the caption, "This could be your future but there is still time for you to do something about it."

Just for the heck of it, compare Oden's first year with Shawn Bradley's rookie season (10.3ppg, 6.2rpg, 3bpg, 3TOpg, 3.5 fouls/game in 28 minutes per game). Bradley played 1 season at BYU and then departed on a 2 year mission. Basically, he didn't improve his basketball skills or knowledge of the game while away. Bradley was content with being a so-so NBA player, nothing more nothing less.

Hopefully, Oden will prove he has the desire to compete and get the most out of his abilities, and the work ethic to match that desire.

Comparing Bowie and Oden is interesting... but probably not very informative.

As others have mentioned, Bowie's (excellent) rookie season was after a brilliant career at Kentucky. Had he continued to produce at that rate, rather than being sidelined with injury after injury, he would have probably been a multiple-time All Star. Probably not a starter (Hakeem Olajuwon would have been ahead of him in the WC, as would have David Robinson) but he would have been in the picture. If.

Oden's rookie season is, as others have stated, after a one-year college career and a significant injury. He's shown flashes of brilliance--and flashes of mediocrity. What does it mean for the future?

Who knows. It's up to Oden to improve. Many big men have had lackluster rookie years, then moved on to become excellent players. Joakim Noah sucked last year; this year he helped the Bulls immensely. Yao wasn't impressive at all as a rookie.

The point isn't that Oden was or wasn't good--his rookie season was mediocre--but that this has little predictive value. If Oden turns into a star, this season will be forgotten. If he turns into a bust, it won't be because of this season.

Bowie's (excellent) rookie season was after a brilliant career at Kentucky... Oden's rookie season is, as others have stated, after a one-year college career and a significant injury.

A rookie season is a rookie season. At a certain point in your life -- like, say, when you've been in the NBA for a year or two -- you are what you actually do, not what you might do. The road to Billy Ray Batesville is paved with potential.

Comparing rookie seasons is fair game. And yeah, Bowie's season looks better than Greg's.

What I don't like about comparing the two is that it presents a red herring. It appears to assume that since there's a similarity between the two, or that Greg comes up lacking, then Greg's following seasons will be as disappointing as Bowie's. That remains to be seen.

And while we're comparing Greg to other rookies from his class, there were a lot of great players in that draft, none of them are/were surefire bets. My opinion is that Durant is the only player that could eclipse Oden, but Durant's defense is so bad that I wouldn't trade for him. Look at Durant's season +/- as well as his team's win percentage with and without him. If we're going to say that Oden's ceiling is Shawn Bradley, then we might as well say that Durant's ceiling is akin to Allen Iverson (a flashy offensive game that hurts his team).