Four games of his I’ve seen so far, and to pretend that there’s a small difference between the value of a 2007 #1 pick and a #3 pick is ridiculous. This guy has the size, hustle and talent on both ends of the floor that can rightly be considered the pick of the century for whichever team ends up in a position to draft him first overall. A center of this magnitude amidst year after year of tweeners with “tremendous upside” is a special thing, and as I see it, the Celtics were acting accordingly until they came from behind in Houston the other night. At this very moment they’re ahead of the Knicks by 5 in the third quarter. Their only real competition for the highest odds of landing Oden are the Memphis Grizzlies, who are ahead in the loss column by one…actually, they’re behind by one as far as I see. Ahead of Utah by 4, a much better team than the Knicks, I’d bet on the Celts and Grizzlies being tied with 15 wins each by tomorrow.
With the luck of Celtics fans for the past twenty years or so, Philly will take a nosedive, we’ll get hot with Al Jefferson averaging 20-20 from here on out, end up with the #3 pick in the draft. Taking into consideration the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, losing out on Tim Duncan in spite of having the worst record going into the lottery…anything is possible. I’m praying for a losing streak to rival the one we just broke a week ago.
The first point guard I ever watched and loved, Dennis Johnson, died recently. His attempt to work his way into a head coaching job in the NBA was the last I remember reading about him. He will be missed! God Bless ESPN Classic…where DJ lives on!