Al Jefferson or Greg Oden

[JeffJordan]

Who would you take right now, to build your team around?

[MagicNolesFSU]

oden has even played a single nba minute.

Al jeff is a legit option to drop 30 and grab 20rebs...With that said oden could also some day...soooo wait untill next year to ask this.

[theGreatRC]

oden has even played a single nba minute.

Al jeff is a legit option to drop 30 and grab 20rebs...With that said oden could also some day...soooo wait untill next year to ask this.

Seriously. People on the wolves board are saying they would pick Oden over Jefferson RIGHT NOW, which is ridiculous.

They'd trade a legit post scorer/rebounder for an injured 7 footer who had a lot of hype.

I see the poll options are 4 to 1 in Oden's favor, but I have yet to see a post defending Oden over Jefferson. That just goes to show many people on here don't know anything about NBA basketball, Greg isn't even a legit player in the NBA yet, HES INJURED.

[BrooklynBulls]

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Seriously. People on the wolves board are saying they would pick Oden over Jefferson RIGHT NOW, which is ridiculous.

They'd trade a legit post scorer/rebounder for an injured 7 footer who had a lot of hype.

Its not ridiculous. Its the only time his value will be near low enough for this trade to occur (if he's going to be great).

A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. But trading a bird for a shot at one of Santa's reindeer? Well, thats more interesting.

[ponder276]

Should be Jefferson easily. Oden could end up perpetually injured, or could simply not be that great. I do think that Oden has more upside, simply because he can be a defensive force, and that's hugely valuable in a C, but Al is so much more of a sure thing that you'd be crazy not to take him. People underrate Al because he's only played on bad teams.

[ITK9]

big al very easily.the guy is a legitim 20/12 guy for the next 10 years.sure oden has a huge potential but i pick a prooved player.

[tsherkin]

Jefferson is a legit 22/11 guy and although he can't defend the 5, that makes him a compelling option even if Oden had played an NBA game before.

But that doesn't mean you can't project value. Oden's taller, stronger, heavier, more athletic and has more of a rep for defensive impact. He's also got the interior bug, playing his offensive game predominantly on the low blocks.

So in terms of potential value, Oden is much greater than Jefferson.

At the end of the day, I'd go Oden on the hopes of exploiting that greater defensive potential and hoping to overcome his injury and that his offensive game comes around.

[NO-KG-AI]

Jefferson is a legit 22/11 guy and although he can't defend the 5, that makes him a compelling option even if Oden had played an NBA game before.

But that doesn't mean you can't project value. Oden's taller, stronger, heavier, more athletic and has more of a rep for defensive impact. He's also got the interior bug, playing his offensive game predominantly on the low blocks.

So in terms of potential value, Oden is much greater than Jefferson.

At the end of the day, I'd go Oden on the hopes of exploiting that greater defensive potential and hoping to overcome his injury and that his offensive game comes around.

Exactly.

[Jack wore plaid]

Oden easily.

A lot of you keep bringing up that he hasn't played a single minute in the NBA, but there were reports that at least 2 HOF'ers were offered for Portland's pick to take him. Most GM's right now would trade just about anything to get him. I like Big Al's game, but he doesn't have near the impact that Oden probably will. 20/10 is great, but Zach Randolph averages 20/10 and has no impact on the game. Simply by stepping on the floor, other teams will have to adjust their play because most of them won't be able to attack the middle with him in the game.

For those of you that bring up the injury, it appears he will have no ill effects from it at all. Amare had the same surgery, and is fine. The big difference is that Oden is younger, had less flaking, and his was not on the serious part of the knee like Amare's was.

You guys should stick with the Big Al/LaMarcus Aldridge debates. Those are much closer, especially since Aldridge has started to develop a post game.

[hermes]

the one whose played a game

[CBS7]

The safe one is obviously Jefferson, who could become a 24/12 type PF. Oden however, does have a sky high ceiling and a good attitude towards the game. Even though he hasn't played a game and might not reach his potential, I'd take him.

But Jefferson is nothing to scoff at.

[celticfan42487]

Hard choice, Oden could very well not develop much beyond what Bynum is right now [who is just as much an unnatural body as Oden is] or could show the awarness to become something along the lines of a Dwight Howard.

I also consider contracts. AL Jefferson was very nice to sign a long term contract that doesn't hog tie a team financially. It kicks in next year at 11 mil and raises a mil a year [sal cap should raise at least that much each year]. That's really good for a 23 yr old 22/11 PF. And this is AL's first year as a franchise player [hopefully MINN gets a star PG in the draft]

Idk, I guess I'd shoot for the stars and make the hard decision 3 years from now on Oden when his contract is up. Some team should pay him on potential alone but it will be more based on doctor's opinion of how his body reacts to those few years of NBA play and projecting if he is a franchise player worth franchise money [15 mil+ and up]

[Nebroc]

Al Jeff is a proven thing...

[Fitz303]

I cannot wait until next year so these ridiculous threads will stop

[conleyorbust]

There are certainly cases where I'd take a "proven thing" over potential. This is not one of them. You could build a dominant team around Oden's defense. He moves better laterally than any big man in the game today, his timing is superb, he doesn't bite on fakes and knows how to make blocks without leaving his feet (although he certainly can jump). On offense its hard to tell. I don't know if he will ever score at the same volume as Jefferson but he will almost certainly be a higher percentage scorer. Look at players like Biedrins and Chandler who are significantly weaker, don't have the same offensive arsenal, aren't any more athletic, and don't have the amazing hands that Oden has.

I take Oden pretty easily. He actually has the potential to be the most effective defensive force in the game.

[tsherkin]

The thing to remember about Oden is that even if he's perennially injured, so what?

If he can contribute 60-70 games a season, he'll make himself as present as Shaq or Marcus Camby. Or Bob Lanier.

Of those, granted, only Shaq won titles but the point is, if he's good enough, it won't really matter all that much if he only plays x games a season. If he reaches anything near his potential, then he's going to be an extremely scary player.

Remember, this is a guy who will not be physically intimidated by any player in the league. Not a single one.

The only player who will have a physical advantage on him will be Yao and it will be height-based.

Oden will be, and I use this comparison lightly (so read it carefully) like Wilt in a sense; he'll be able to choose whether to use athleticism or size/strength to beat any opponent he faces on any given night. I don't mean to make an Oden = Wilt comparison, I merely mean to point out that he'll have the physical tools to go at you with mass/power or quickness because he's extremely agile and explosive while also weighing in at 280+ and having all kinds of power.

Al Jefferson isn't a game-changer on defense and never will be; Oden has the potential to be one of those Olajuwon/Robinson/Duncan type players.

Jefferson's offensive game is pretty and produces some nice numbers. It is not, by and large, stunningly effective. He isn't uber-efficient and he doesn't draw fouls very well.

Now, don't mistake me, he's still a very good player and a good scorer and his polish is astonishing given his age but to REALLY affect a game, he's got to go for a high volume of shots and produce big scoring totals (or dominate on the glass, which he most certainly can do because he's an elite rebounder).

A guy like Oden, presuming he reaches his potential (which is, of course, a giant question mark but we're talking risk/reward here, like do you draft the safe senior or the HSer with potential type dilemma), will be a much more valuable piece on offense.

He's got the athleticism and aggression that Jefferson doesn't and the size to do the kind of damage that Jefferson is physically incapable of matching.

That makes him a high risk (because Jefferson's proven and Oden is not, obviously), high reward (because his potential is way higher than Big Al's) player.

And sometimes, you have to go for the gusto if you want to get anywhere. I'd be pleased to have Big Al on any team, really (with only a VERY few exceptions for teams that already have equivalent or better players) but I'd definitely go after Oden over Jefferson.

[conleyorbust]

To add to tsherkin's point about playing injured. He was the most dominant center in college ball as a freshman with a broken wrist. That affected literally every aspect of his game, from scoring to rebounding to shotblocking, and he was still the most dominant defender and and incredibly efficient scorer.

[sabi]

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Seriously. People on the wolves board are saying they would pick Oden over Jefferson RIGHT NOW, which is ridiculous.

They'd trade a legit post scorer/rebounder for an injured 7 footer who had a lot of hype.

I see the poll options are 4 to 1 in Oden's favor, but I have yet to see a post defending Oden over Jefferson. That just goes to show many people on here don't know anything about NBA basketball, Greg isn't even a legit player in the NBA yet, HES INJURED.

lol at your logic...