Thanks to Tommy Z for wearing his Fanhouse hat and highlighting this nice feature on Lawrence North's Greg Oden. Plenty of local flavor in the article as the writer tracks a visit to Indy by LaMarcus Aldridge to work out with Blazer rooks, Oden and Josh McRoberts. Even a nice shout out to the Cheeseburger in Paradise just down the road from my house.
We learn that Oden is on a Moms imposed two week allowance of $10,000, but that he doesn't see himself spending more than $2,000 over that time. Basically, the article confirms that the instant fame and fortune have yet to change Oden. Actually, the fortune is the only thing that was instant. Oden's fame has grown exponentially over the last five years, which was probably helpful. Since his Sophmore year in high school, his status as a number one overall pick and instant multi-millionaire was a given. The only question was when. So, he and his immediate family had plenty of time to prepare and develop a game plan when the big money started to roll in.
I'm sure everything is going as scripted so far for the Oden family (well, except for those not in on the plan who were planning on a bigger slice of the pie). Off-the-court life is worry free. Now, winning NBA games (and eventually titles) with that humble, carefree personality is the only concern. Winning has never been a problem for Oden. When he cruised through high school games without dominating his opponents, I used to wonder if that lack of a killer instinct may catch up with him in the NBA. He showed in leading Ohio State through the NCAA tournament last year that he can raise his game to match the stakes. Maybe when he's pushed in the NBA he'll have no problem pushing back and fulfilling all his potential. I don't compare him to Tim Duncan because I firmly believe Duncan has a serial killer mentality buried inside him that is shielded by his public persona. Can't say that about Oden. He doesn't have an insincere bone in his body. Hopefully, he can break new ground and stay true to who he is while still winning like he's accustomed to.
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