Pinot love wrote:mojomarc, something your grossly overlooking is the fact that when Tim Duncan came in to the league, almost none of that pressure was put on him. He was brought in slowly and pressure free via the Admiral. We need to be careful, cautions and protective, it's worth it. We also need a banger to protect the possibly fragile Roy and Outlaw.
You're kidding, right? Duncan was brought in when a lot of folks were thinking Robinson was done. They had gone 20-62 the year before without him, and since he was 32 there were more than a few folks who were saying that if Duncan didn't perform the Spurs were done as contenders. That's why Duncan played 39.1 minutes per game, compared to only 33 for DRob (in fewer games). Also, Duncan was relied upon as the primary rebounder most of the time and was given the tougher defensive assignments. He wasn't coddled at all, but rather thrown into the fire.
But let's assume that DRob being in there made it easier for him--isn't that what Roy and Aldridge will do for Oden? Are you suggesting that Oden is softer than Duncan was or that Roy and Aldridge aren't enough, even after this season, to draw the attention of teams' defenses?
Anyway--my comment that he was the best prospect since Duncan doesn't mean I was comparing their situation, although I suppose our cover is actually better than what San Antonio had when Duncan arrived.
Still, your arguments are not persuasive to me. We have the right as fans to expect a lot out of Oden, and we shouldn't be making excuses for him. No matter how you want to slice it, he was brought in to win championships, and if he doesn't perform then we should be critical. In the end, though, I don't think we put any pressure on Greg that he doesn't put on himself. He's that kind of guy. Regardless, I'm stil 100% against the idea that we shouldn't say things like "Oden will solve our defensive issues" if we believe it because it is putting undue pressure on him. That's just silly IMO.
